Elimination Chamber 2021: Universal Championship Chamber Prediction

Expect these men to step forward to battle in the Elimination Chamber in a few weeks

It may be shocking for some to learn that the WWE Universal Championship has never actually been defended inside an Elimination Chamber match. In the going on five years of the title’s existence, the closest the championship got to the match was in 2018. Roman Reigns eliminated Braun Strowman after Strowman single-handed eliminated everyone else, to secure his victory.

In his victory, he earned the right to face Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 34 for the Universal Championship. It shocked many fans when Roman failed to defeat Lesnar at WrestleMania. He would have to wait until SummerSlam 2018 for Roman to finally dethrone Lesnar, ending his historic five hundred plus day reign as champion.

Unfortunately, Roman’s first reign ended when he was forced to vacate the championship due to his leukemia diagnosis. As the fighter we know he is, Roman defeated cancer and since has redefined his career. After his return at last year’s SummerSlam, Roman Reigns is almost unrecognizable from the man he once was.

The fans had begged for Roman Reigns to turn heel for years. However, nobody could have expected the transformation into “Tribal Chief.”

There is no doubting that Roman Reigns is on a career-defining run. This is exactly why everyone will be watching the Universal Championship picture closely on this Road to WrestleMania. Roman will have a target on his back and multiple potential challengers gunning for him. None bigger than the Royal Rumble winner Edge.

However, Roman still has a long road to travel in order to make it to WrestleMania 37 as champion. No stop bigger than the Elimination Chamber. This could be the first year that the Universal Championship is defended inside the chamber. If so, there are many hungry challengers on SmackDown vying for their opportunity. Let’s take a look at a possible few selections.

Kevin Owens

The Last Man Standing match between Kevin Owens and Roman Reigns at the Royal Rumble was tremendous. There were moments that it looked like Owens was actually going to defeat “The Tribal Chief.” Especially when he handcuffed Roman to a steel structure, preventing him from standing up. Roman resorted to taking out the referee to save his championship.

With the assistance of Paul Heyman, Roman was freed from his cuffs. He finished off Kevin Owens to retain his championship. However, this has to be the closest Roman has come to lose his championship so far. Owens has pushed Roman to his limits and the Elimination Chamber could be his last opportunity to win the Universal Championship a second time.

Unfortunately, it is doubtful that WWE will go forward with Owens as champion at this point. He will still have this match to truly shine and gain momentum going into WrestleMania 37. He wanted to jump off the pirate ship at WrestleMania 36, but wasn’t able to due to the pandemic. I am sure the idea is already going through his head this year.

Daniel Bryan

There is something about Daniel Bryan that has the WWE Universe hooked. Years after the height of the “Yes!” Movement and Daniel’s untimely retirement, he is still one of the most beloved superstars in the company. Many fans were calling for Bryan to win the Royal Rumble and go on to face Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 37.

Daniel Bryan is certainly no stranger to marquee WrestleMania matches. He has taken part in various championship matches throughout the years. He once lost the World Heavyweight Championship to Sheamus in around eighteen seconds. This loss led Bryan to the creation of the “Yes!” movement and his triumphant victory at WrestleMania 30, where a packed out arena chanted “Yes!” along with the new champion.

Since then, Daniel Bryan has fought against early retirement to come back and continue to shine. He most recently fought in a world championship match at WrestleMania 35. He lost the WWE Championship to Kofi Kingston, taking part in Kingston’s WrestleMania moment that rivaled his own. WrestleMania 37 could be the year Bryan finds himself back into the WrestleMania championship picture.

Jey Uso

In the past, we have seen the world champion enter the Elimination Chamber with some back-up in the match. We seen Triple H utilize Batista and Randy Orton in the past on his way to victory. This year, we could see a bit of history repeat itself with Jey Uso qualifying for the Elimination Chamber. This move would create an interesting story for the match.

Jey has been by his cousin’s side since losing to him at Hell In A Cell. He has become Roman’s most loyal follower and warrior. He has done so much dirty work for Roman at this point, you forget how strongly Jey fought against it. However, in order to keep him and his brother in the family, Jey has fallen in line with “The Tribal Chief.”

Inside the Elimination Chamber, Jey would be able to work alongside Roman in eliminating the other four men. However, this could possibly Jey’s loophole to get one over on his cousin. Now that Roman believes that Jey is fully on his side, Jey might be able to catch him with his guard down. If not at the chamber, I am still hoping for Jey to get his redemption, perhaps even at WrestleMania.

Cesaro

Despite the reports that his contract is expiring after WrestleMania 37, fans will always push for Cesaro to be given a shot. If one of the last opportunities he may receive in the company, Cesaro will look to have a memorable showing. Fans have been asking for Cesaro to receive a push for years. With his contract status in the air, this could be a now or never situation.

Despite the pleas of the WWE Universe, Cesaro has never really been treated as a viable star in the company. Cesaro’s biggest singles pus to date ended with a disappointing run as a Paul Heyman Guy. The WWE Universe has shown their love for Cesaro on every occasion that they had the chance, but to no prevail. The management has never shown Cesaro the same love.

Cesaro’s singles career is highlighted by one reign as the United States Champion and his shocking victory in the inaugural Andre The Giant battle royal. He has mostly made his name as a tag team star, but we all know that he can be so much more. Hopefully, the company realizes this finally. If not, Cesaro will be next out the door to shine as a top star elsewhere.

Shinsuke Nakamura

It seemed to come out of nowhere, but it is was appreciated nonetheless. The original theme music of Shinsuke Nakamura returned and with it the Nakamura we all love. This version of Nakamura is the version of the man that once won the 2018 Royal Rumble and compete at WrestleMania for the WWE Championship.

We finally have the “King of Strong Style” back and I hope that he is pushed to the moon. He came up short at WrestleMania 34 against AJ Styles. In the aftermath, he turned heel and his career has never been the same. Now is the chance for Shinsuke to get a second chance to be a top star in the company. He shined in the recent gauntlet match to determine the Number One Contender for the Universal Championship but was screwed over in the end.

Although, that was enough momentum to get the fans back behind him. For a moment, Shinsuke looked like he was going to face Roman Reigns and the fans were all for it. He gave everybody a peek of the star that was forced to stay quiet inside of Nakamura. I doubt I will be alone when I say it is time to unleash that star. A star as bright as Shinsuke Nakamura deserves to shine.