I'm just going to say it right at the beginning of this post; Elimination Chamber 2019 is a two match PPV. As we already know two of the main events for Wrestlemania, this and Fast Lane are just there as filler. There are seven matches on the card but only two of them really matter heading into Wrestlemania. Let's discuss.
Buddy Murphy VS Akira Tozawa for the Cruiserweight Championship? Sleeper match for sure but again, the Cruiserweights get shafted to the pre show. With only seven matches on the card, I don't see why these two couldn't get some time on the main card. Anyway, Buddy Murphy looks too good lately to lose to a former champion. Someone like Tony Nese or Noam Dar be the one to stop him. Murphy retains.
Baron Corbin VS Braun Strowman? Yawn. Drew McIntyre should be in Corbin's spot but I bet that's the match set for Fast Lane. Strowman will win. Maybe Angle VS McIntyre will get added to the EC card? As I was typing this up, they decided to add a No DQ option to the match. So yeah. Maybe instead of an Angle/McIntyre match, they'll just interfere in this match. Storwman still wins.
Lashley and Lio Rush VS Finn Balor for the Intercontinental Championship could be pretty good. I like all three guys involved and this might be fun. Balor, like many of the other stars on Raw, are just waiting until the Universal Title is back on a regular basis and if Seth Rollins can Slay the Beast then we'll be in for more Balor/Rollins magic in 2019. That would mean the All Mighty Bobby Lashley would have to go over here. Bobby Lashley retains thanks to shenanigans.
Ronda Rousey VS Ruby Riott for the Raw Women's Championship? Serious potential as well but the outcome is obvious. No way WWE is messing up the Rousey/Charlotte/Lynch storyline. Ruby will look good and definitely get her licks in but this match will end with Rousey tapping her out. Charlotte will be there so I'm sure they'll have some interaction afterwards.
The Usos VS Shane and Miz for the Smackdown Tag Team Titles? I want actual tag teams in the spotlight, not these random pairings. The Revival did their part and won the tag titles in a bonafide tag team classic (for main roster WWE), ending the reign of the makeshift team of Chad Gable and Bobby Roode. Now Raw will flourish with an actual top team calling the shots. Now I love the story of Miz and Shane and the tag team title win was a nice feel good moment for them but we need actual tag teams going at it for the titles. Gallows and Anderson, Sanity, The Bar, etc. And after the Superstar Shakeup, who knows what title feuds will be there? Sadly, this experiment won't end here. Miz and Shane will retain. Boo.
All the filler is out the way so let's talk the REAL reason we'll be tuning in on Sunday; the two Elimination Chamber matches, one contested for the WWE Championship and the other for the brand new WWE Women's Tag Team Titles. This is separate from the lineage of the old WWF Women's Tag Titles so there will be first ever champs.
Six teams will compete inside the chamber. Nia Jax/Tamina, Carmella/Naomi, Liv Morgan/Sarah Logan and The IIconics Billie Kay/Peyton Royce will be in the four pods while Mandy Rose/Sonya Deville and Sasha Banks/Bayley, the only four ladies with Chamber match experience, will start the match. They've been doing a injury angle with Banks stemming from an actual injury apparently caused in her match with Rousey back at the Royal Rumble and she hasn't really competed since then. She's cleared for Sunday but will the chances of them winning go down because of it? If you're looking at power, Nia and Tamina have to be odds on favorites but if you look at the history of the Chamber, not many powerhouses win the chamber matches. Ryback and Roman Reigns are the only two that have in the 22 match history. Sasha and Bayley look to have the titles on lock but with Wrestlemania looming, don't we all think it would be better if they had their moment on the grandest stage of them all, just a half hour away from the Barclays Center, where they tore the roof off in 2015? The old adage for WWE is it's better for the face to chase the heel and if those heels are Tamina and Nia, the win would be much sweeter at Mania for The Boss N Hug Connection. I'm also not opposed to either The IIconics or Fire and Desire (Rose/Deville) winning the match but I just think Tamina and Nia would make the perfect foils for Bayley and Sasha. As much as I'd love to see Bayley and Sasha reach the mountaintop on Sunday, I think the moment would be sweeter in 7 weeks at Wrestlemania. I'm going with Nia Jax and Tamina to win and become the first ever WWE Women's Tag Team Champions, with them defending against Carmella and Naomi at Fast Lane then Sasha/Bayley at Mania.
The WWE Title will be on the line inside the chamber when the NEW Daniel Bryan will defend the title against Samoa Joe, AJ Styles, Jeff Hardy, Randy Orton and new entrant Kofi Kingston. Mustafa Ali is unable to compete due to a concussion, which is a darn shame. Daniel Bryan is looking to make history on Sunday. If Bryan can somehow retain, he'll not only become the fourth man in history to win multiple Chamber matches but he'll also become the first man ever to have successfully defended the WWE AND World Heavyweight Titles inside the Elimination Chamber. It's funny, Triple H, John Cena and Edge all have retained a championship (Edge and HHH the World Heavyweight while Cena the WWE) and have won a championship inside the Chamber (they all won the WWE Title inside the Chamber but HHH also won the World Title) but neither have defended two different World Titles inside it. Randy Orton will enter last after winning the gauntlet match on Smackdown. Speaking of that, is it finally time to pull the trigger on Kofi Kingston? He started in the gauntlet match and pinned WWE Champion Daniel Bryan, future Hall of Famer Jeff Hardy and future World Champion Samoa Joe. He almost beat AJ Styles as well. Kofi uttering it's been 11 years and he's not going to let this opportunity slip from him gave me goosebumps. What's the worse thing that could happen if they gave Kofi a three week reign as WWE Champion? He could win Sunday, drop it at Fast Lane. The feud between him and Bryan would be fresh for Smackdown and as many have pointed out, it would be Captain Planet Daniel Bryan VS the type of person Bryan hates in Kofi Kingston and if their 20 minutes together in the gauntlet match was a sign of the quality of matches, then we're in for a treat. Bryan's Mania opponent, should he make it there, is unclear but two guys who aren't in the Chamber come on mind; Rey Mysterio and Andrade. Andrade is a heel so that's probably not the match but Daniel Bryan VS Rey Mysterio at Wrestlemania for the WWE Championship? That's a dream match. As much as I'd love Samoa Joe to win the title, Styles win it back for an amazing clash with Orton or for Kingston to valid his 11 year career, it looks like Captain Planet is going to retain here. I'm going with Daniel Bryan to retain the WWE Championship by submission, eliminating Kofi Kingston last. Bryan will face one of his five challengers (or Ali) at Fast Lane and clash with Rey Mysterio at Wrestlemania.
There you have it. Excited for Sunday?
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