WWE Elimination Chamber is this Sunday. In what order will the matches play out?
WWE Elimination Chamber has shaped up to be quite the card this Sunday night. Multiple feuds will come full swing as we inch closer and closer to Wrestlemania. What can we expect to see on this stacked card? Will the road to Wrestlemania take a slight detour if various titles change hands? There is a lot in store at the chamber, which could potentially alter Wrestlemania plans. Elimination Chamber’s have always been an eye opener and in recent years, WWE has incorporated it into their pay-per-view list.
Three of the four championships on SmackDown Live will be defended on this night. The tag team gold is on the line as American Alpha will look to make the first defense of their titles since defeating the Wyatt Family a number of weeks ago. Alexa Bliss will also be defending her SmackDown Women’s Championship against first-time contender, Naomi. Finally, the most prestigious prize WWE has to offer, the WWE Championship too will be on the line and defended inside the Elimination Chamber.
Other matches include Becky Lynch versus Mickie James, Natalya versus Nikki Bella and Randy Orton versus Luke Harper. My first prediction for the card is that the Kick-Off Show will involve the two-on-one handicap match featuring the Show-Off, Dolph Ziggler taking on the team of Apollo Crews and Kalisto. The card can always be affected by the order in which the matches are presented. It is important to have a nice rotation throughout the show. Here are my match order predictions for this Sunday’s Elimination Chamber pay-per-view.
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SmackDown Tag Team Championship: Tag Team Turmoil
American Alpha (c) vs. The Usos vs. The Ascension vs. Heath Slater & Rhyno vs. Breezango vs. The Vaudevillains
WWE Elimination Chamber will need to kick things off with a bang. What better way than to start it off with the Tag Team Turmoil Championship match, which will feature six of SmackDown Live’s best tag teams. Will American Alpha’s title reign be relatively short lived as we head into Sunday? Alpha has craved competition over the past couple of weeks, which has sparked new life in the tag team division. In recent weeks, SmackDown Live has neglected the tag team division to focus and build up other matches.
American Alpha has stated that they do not have a problem being the first team to enter the match. They will need to defeat five other teams in order to retain the titles on Sunday. This entire match should be entertaining as fresh tag teams will enter the ring after another is eliminated. Despite being the first team entered, American Alpha are still the favorites to win. Other potential winners could include the Usos or the Ascension.
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Nikki Bella vs. Natalya
Continuing the action for Elimination Chamber, the second match should be Nikki Bella vs. Natalya. This is a rivalry that has been going on since essentially Survivor Series last November. Nikki Bella was unable to compete in the five-on-five elimination match because Natalya had attacked her before hand. She was the eventual replacement for the injured Bella. Since that night, a fire has been lit in both superstars. Who will take it all this weekend?
Both Bella and Natalya have drawn the attention of the WWE Universe for weeks now with their multiple backstage brawls and constant trash talking. Both can seemingly not keep their hands off of one another when they come in contact. This rivalry built on greed and jealousy will come to a head this Sunday night. It should be a great match-up between two of the best in the women’s division. Who will assert themselves as a true contender for the title on SmackDown Live?
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Becky Lynch vs. Mickie James
This is a match that has a chance to be the best match of the undercard and probably the most compelling of all of the women’s division match-ups at Elimination Chamber. It is a battle of the new generation versus the old, as the returning veteran, Mickie James will look to assert herself as a force to be reckoned with on Tuesday nights. Mickie James has more title reigns than the entire division put together on SmackDown Live.
This will be a highly entertaining match-up between one of the greats, James and arguably the best female wrestler in WWE today. Becky Lynch truly is on another level with what she can do in the ring. This match-up will decide where exactly James stands within the division, which is growing deeper and deeper with each passing week. This will be James’ first singles match-up since making her return to the main roster. This is the chance to showcase her skills. She claimed this week that she is the one that started the women’s revolution all those years ago, not Lynch or anyone else.
Randy Orton vs. Luke Harper
The Wyatt Family has gone through some serious rearranging over the past year or so. With the brand split sending Brawn Strowman to Raw, this left just Bray Wyatt, Luke Harper and Erick Rowan. Now, that Rowan has been out of the picture, Wyatt has since found a replacement in Randy Orton. Now, Harper wants out of the family because he believes Orton is trying to tear it apart.
Over the past few weeks, Harper has expressed his concern. He and Orton have not seen eye to eye in quite some time, which ended up costing the Wyatt Family the tag team championships a few weeks ago. Harper and Orton will now meet one-on-one for the second time in recent weeks. Orton defeated Harper on an episode of SmackDown Live a few weeks back, which ultimately was the end of Harper and his involvement with the Wyatt Family. This will be a great opportunity for Harper to prove he can be something more than simply a member of the Wyatt Family.
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SmackDown Women’s Championship
Alexa Bliss (c) vs. Naomi
In what should be the co-main event, a new contender has arisen in the women’s division on SmackDown Live over the past couple of weeks. Both Shane McMahon and General Manager, Daniel Bryan had no choice but to grant Naomi a title shot with her recent pin fall victories over the current champion, Alexa Bliss. This will be Naomi’s first shot at the women’s title since she has been in WWE. She is one of the best in-ring performers since this women’s revolution got started back in 2015. She has flown under the radar seemingly behind that of Charlotte Flair, Sasha Banks, and Becky Lynch.
Naomi is, at last, getting recognized as a true contender in the women’s division on SmackDown Live. Her new “feel the glow” type gimmick has helped with that since the brand split. She too, has made leaps with her mic work as well. She showcased what she can do on the mic through various promo’s on SmackDown and particularly in the duel contract signing this past Tuesday. She is taking a step in the right direction, but is she ready to hold the championship?
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WWE Championship: Elimination Chamber Match
John Cena (c) vs. Dean Ambrose vs. Baron Corbin vs. AJ Styles vs. Bray Wyatt vs. The Miz
Last, but certainly not least, we have the main event. The six-man elimination chamber match for the WWE Championship. It will involve six of SmackDown Live’s best. This is one of the most anticipated main events in recent memory simply because it is six men all vying for the richest prize in sports entertainment. Will John Cena be able to retain and keep his record-tying 16th title reign heading into Wrestlemania or will a new champion arise on this night?
Must Read: Harper on Main Event Path?
Everyone is speculating that Bray Wyatt is the favorite to win and go on to main event Wrestlemania against Randy Orton. This certainly seems like the most likely case. If Wyatt does not win, Cena and AJ Styles are the odds on favorites to take home the gold this weekend. I have a feeling that Cena will be one of the first two competitors involved to put an extra chip on his shoulder and also make it easier for him to lose. It could also make him seem like the iron man if he is to win. Either way, could work in the story line. It will be a main event for the ages and I for one am waiting in anticipation to see what plays out.