Now that the Royal Rumble has concluded and we are mapping out the WrestleMania plans for victors Bianca Belair and Edge, it’s time to key in on WWE Elimination Chamber 2021. The events come at you fast during WrestleMania season, as the Elimination Chamber Pay Per View will take place in just three weeks on Feb. 21 at Tropicana Field.
Let’s take an early look at how the match card could shake out. Like last year, I am expecting to see two Elimination Chamber matches – one on each brand with one for the women and one for the men.
Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode (c) vs. Chad Gable and Otis for the SmackDown Tag Team Championships
But before we get into the Elimination Chamber matches, let’s talk about the SmackDown Tag Team Titles. Montez Ford is injured, so Sonya Deville told the Street Profits that she doesn’t want to risk them losing their rematch if Ford is less than 100 percent. Therefore, we can expect the not-so-grizzled veterans Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode to feud with some up-and-coming tag teams on Friday nights.
Otis and Chad Gable recently became a pair, and they’ve been very entertaining backstage. Something tells me these guys have what it takes to become tag champs at some point, and it’s worth noting that they’ve been in a lot of backstage segments with Daniel Bryan, who is very influential backstage.
I could go either way with this one, but you know what? I’ll be bold. We’ll get a title change with Otis and Gable picking up the belts.
Prediction: Otis and Chad Gable
Big E (c) vs. Sami Zayn vs. Apollo Crews for the Intercontinental Championship
Based on what we have seen unfold before our eyes on SmackDown lately, we are headed for a Triple Threat-type feud for the Intercontinental Championship. Expect we have an upgrade from the AJ Styles, Jeff Hardy, and Sami Zayn rivalry in the Fall with Big E and Apollo Crews now in the upper mid-card singles picture on Friday nights.
E looks poised to have a very lengthy run as the Intercontinental Champion, and this will both restore the belt’s prestige – which Zayn has already helped greatly on the mic over the past several months – and prepare him for an eventual WrestleMania 38 triumph over an undefeated Tribal Chief. (At least, that’s what I think will happen.)
That said, Big E can’t overlook the competition for one second. Crews has been associated with Reigns recently, taking advice from SmackDown’s resident mob boss. He is ambitious, talented, and hungry. Having been overlooked for far too long, Crews is a real candidate to dethrone Big E at some point.
I do think E retains, and I think we get a classic. Zayn had a terrific ladder match for this very title not long ago, and I think these three men help Zayn add another classic to his resume. A great match would do wonders for E’s stock as the former NXT Champion continues his quest to become a main roster world champion.
Prediction: Big E
Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler (c) vs. Mandy Rose and Dana Brooke for the Women’s Tag Team Championships
The Women’s Tag Team Titles have become one of my favorite championships since their inception in 2019, and I’m glad to see Shayna Baszler and Nia Jax back on top. They are an excellent tag team, and I love watching them try to outdo each other in the ring while bickering backstage. Yet they are united when the bell rings because of their shared love for dishing out misery upon their opponents.
Baszler and Jax’s best opponents on the Red Brand are Dana Brooke and Mandy Rose. We’ve seen these two tag teams go back-and-forth for quite some time now, and I keep wondering if Rose and Brooke will be the ones to take the titles off of them. Previously, I firmly believed Liv Morgan and Ruby Riott were the most deserving winners, but I am now wondering if the ship has, unfortunately, sailed for the time being.
I see Jax and Baszler maintaining the Women’s Tag Team Championships until WrestleMania 37, as it makes more sense for the dominant duo to drop the titles then. For now, I look forward to being entertaining by their unique tag team work at WWE Elimination Chamber 2021.
Prediction: Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler retain
Drew McIntyre (c) vs. Randy Orton vs. Keith Lee vs. Bray Wyatt for the WWE Championship
Yup, yup, I think we are going to see Randy Orton and Drew McIntyre in the ring yet again, albeit in a Fatal Four-Way. You may notice that Braun Strowman, monstrous as he is, stands out as a conspicuous absence. I believe he will face the winner of this match on the Road to WrestleMania at our favorite filler/swerve Pay Per View Fastlane exactly one month after WWE Elimination Chamber 2021 on Mar. 21.
Each of the other three men facing the current WWE Champion has been selected because of the intrigue they all create as possible opponents for Edge, who could very well select Roman Reigns as his opponent at WrestleMania. (For the purposes of this article and to ease my simple mind, I will assume WWE adheres to the restrictions of the brand split and gives us Edge vs. the WWE Champion since that is the title he never lost.)
Keith Lee vs. Edge is a dream match. I mean, do you need me to sell that to you any further? Randy Orton vs. Edge is the match we’ve seen several times and the red herring, but because of their long history and the previous WrestleMania 37 rumors, this will give us something to ponder. And Edge vs. Wyatt, especially with a new character, is intriguing. I can’t help myself with that one, though I could see WWE holding off on Wyatt’s return.
But most of all, I’d love to see these four men in the ring together, putting it all on the line for the WWE Title. Fatal Four-Way matches are grueling, no DQ bouts, too, so perhaps a certain Hollywood superstar will be lurking…
Prediction: The Miz cashes in after Drew McIntyre retains
Sasha Banks (c) vs. Natalya for the SmackDown Women’s Championship
Before the Royal Rumble Pay Per View, I predicted a couple of opponents for Sasha Banks at the Pay Per View. While I wasn’t surprised at all to see WWE go with the most logical option – a third match against Carmella – I wouldn’t be surprised either if WWE decide to select another one of my three candidates for the Elimination Chamber.
Since I don’t think Roman Reigns will defend his title at the Elimination Chamber, one of SmackDown’s two mainstream superstar champions needs to be present in a match. And Sasha Banks still has a couple of opponents she can face before WrestleMania 37, where Bianca Belair presumably awaits her.
Natalya was the No. 30 entrant in the Royal Rumble after earning her spot with a win over Tamina, and she ended up in the Final Four before Charlotte Flair, Rhea Ripley, and the EST fought it out in epic, flashback fashion.
I’m not sure if Ripley has been called up yet, though I assume if she has with her Rumble performance, then she’d be on Raw where she is needed more. And in any case, I’d rather save Rhea vs. Sasha – or Rhea vs. any champion – for a later date when the Nightmare is a more realistic option to win.
Natalya and Sasha could have an awesome technical match. I still don’t think a lot of fans respect Nattie’s power and technical quality, even though she had a brilliant Submission match with Becky Lynch and many great matches with Charlotte Flair. She and Sasha can produce magic at the Elimination Chamber and maybe surprise some people.
Prediction: Sasha Banks retains
Men’s Elimination Chamber Match for a Universal Title opportunity
Daniel Bryan vs. Rey Mysterio vs. Kevin Owens vs. Seth Rollins vs. Shinsuke Nakamura vs. King Corbin
Since I believe Edge will face the WWE Champion at WrestleMania 37, the runway is clear for Roman Reigns’ next opponent at the Show of Shows. A WrestleMania match with the Big Dog is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, as Reigns has faced some of the biggest names in the history of the industry at this Pay Per View like Triple H, the Undertaker, and Brock Lesnar. And the year before Drew McIntyre beat Lesnar for the title on the Grandest Stage Of Them All, he wrestled Reigns at ‘Mania 35.
Rey Mysterio is the only one of these six wrestlers that does not have an extensive history with Reigns, but he’s an ultimate babyface and a legend of the Elimination Chamber so he has to be in there. That said, I could see Murphy or even Dominik Mysterio as an entrant.
Daniel Bryan’s history with Reigns goes back to 2019 when he and Rowan tried to run the Big Dog over. Shinsuke Nakamura and Reigns created some Gauntlet magic before the Rumble. Kevin Owens would love nothing more than to defeat his ultimate rival at ‘Mania after being cheated out of a win three times. King Corbin and Reigns have a history we’d probably prefer to forget. And Seth Rollins? Oh man, where do I begin!
There’s no doubt in my mind that Bryan is the winner here, but I am fully prepared for there to be twists and turns along the way, as that’s been the M.O. of the Reigns and Paul Heyman duopoly on Friday nights.
Prediction: Daniel Bryan wins
Women’s Elimination Chamber match for a Raw Women’s Championship opportunity
Naomi vs. Charlotte Flair vs. Lacey Evans vs. Nikki Cross vs. Rhea Ripley vs. Reckoning
And we close out the WWE Elimination Chamber 2021 predictions piece with a match to determine Asuka’s challenger for the Raw Women’s Championship at WrestleMania 37. I could see Asuka having to defend her title at the Pay Per View, as she hasn’t defended the title since November against Lana, but I’m not sure who she’d face in singles competition. I also think it’s better to just determine her challenger from the crowded field inside the chamber.
As I hinted earlier in the piece, I believe Rhea Ripley will be called up to Raw after appearing in the Royal Rumble and taking eventual winner Bianca Belair to the limit in what will go down as one of the best Rumble finishes ever. Ripley, like Belair, is ready for a big WrestleMania moment, having frustratingly lost the NXT Women’s Championship last year.
She’ll get the chance to avenge her defeat by beating Charlotte Flair inside the chamber. Could you imagine if she eliminated her in the end after having teamed up with brief NXT rival Belair to eliminate the Queen at the Rumble? Maybe Charlotte’s wild laughter after her elimination was a bit of Elimination Chamber foreshadowing…
Ripley vs. Asuka would be one hell of a match, but I also have my eyes on Naomi. She and Asuka have a lot of history together and would have a great match. I’d love to see Naomi win the Elimination Chamber. But I also believe they want to push Ripley as the next big star on Monday nights and create a new star on that brand, so, for now, she is my pick.
Prediction: Rhea Ripley wins