It has been only three weeks since we were last discussing big pay-per-view rumours,
and boy howdy how things have changed.
Ahead of the Royal Rumble the internet was ablaze with all kinds of wild speculation
- The Rock would return and win, Batista would be a surprise entrant and Hulk Hogan would
compete and be miraculously cured of racism by a returning Papa Shango and his voodoo.
Two negatives making a positive right there.
In contrast the rumour mill has nearly ground to a halt when it comes to Elimination Chamber,
there are barely any kernels of backstage wisdom to be pecked at by wrestlings Kaepora
Gaebora Dave Meltzer. Probably because two of the matches involve locking the participants
inside a pod inside a chamber so unless one of the competitors is Harry Houdini risen
from the dead I feel like we’re in for a straightforward showing. Add on top of that
one of those matches involves almost the entire women’s roster then that leaves little room
for trickery.
Regardless though, we have cast our nets far and wide in search of rumours and while some
are certainly little more than bait, we have managed to land a few whales.
So with that said, I am El Fakidor Laurie Blake and here is Every Elimination Chamber
Rumour… we could find.
Daniel Bryan To Win?!
Daniel Bryan’s latest run with the WWE title has proven that the man just gets professional
wrestling, whether it’s throwing soft drinks at fans or throwing title belts in the bin,
which admittedly wasn’t a green recycling bin so maybe his commitment to character isn’t
perfect, but it’s a gimmick that is going over well, so you’ve got to imagine that
WWE will milk it for all that it’s worth - oat milk it obviously.
Although, at the time of recording this, the bookie’s betting odds haven’t come out,
the marks who book, the booking marks, the book marks out there seem to be giving the
victory to Bryan in the Elimination Chamber match. And the obvious reasons is that he’s
just so hot right now.
It obviously helps that he’s got a big bald, ginger bodyguard now - though I’m still
cross I wasn’t considered for the role - but if we see anything other than Bryan walking
out of the chamber with the belt, it will be a huge surprise.
Especially as the introduction of the new hemp belt would seem to suggest that he’s
going to hold onto it for some time right? As a new title belt is not something WWE exactly
take lightly, look how long it took those women’s tag titles to turn up. But I guess
the longevity of Bryan’s run depends on how long it takes for this hemp belt to biodegrade.
Thanks to Rowan and a potentially a returning Luke Harper, Bryan also has the distinct numbers
advantage with his plaid-wearing bearded collective, so long as the lads can get inside the chamber,
and aren’t doing a thirty day violence detox. Friendruary or whatever crap they call it.
As a bit of fantasy booking, he’ll probably hold onto it until Wrestlemania, where he’ll
drop it to a babyface who proceeds to burn the belt, making everyone in the first five
rows contact high. Which will up the excitement when the New Day bring the pancakes out.
More Matches To Be Made!
As it stands, there are only four matches on the Elimination chamber card. The WWE Championship
chamber match, the women’s tag chamber match, Miz and Shane vs The Usos for the Smackdown
Tag Championships and best in the world status, and Buddy Murphy vs Akira Tozawa for the Cruiserweight
belt.
Anyone who’s watched WWE before will know that four matches isn’t going to cut it.
On what will likely be a 4 to 4 ½ hour show including the kick-off show, WWE likes to
have at least 7 or 8 matches to make sure the very best matches won’t be given enough
time.
So, what other matches might be made? Well thinking logically, neither the US or Intercontinental
Championships are currently being defended, so there’s a definite possibility that matches
will be made on the go home shows next week. IC Champ Bobby Lashley is currently feuding
with Finn Balor through the medium of Lio Rush, so that’s a perfectly acceptable match
for the PPV, and one of Rusev or Shinsuke Nakamura will surely get a pop at the new
US Champion R-Truth after they formed a weird duo of nations this past week on SmackDown
Live.
Also missing in action are the Raw tag belts, and although the Revival once again earned
a shot at the belts on Raw, the match has not been made for the PPV as of recording.
Some sites are also suggesting that Rey Mysterio vs Andrade could also be shoved in as a filler
match, but hopefully not, as that showdown deserves a better and bigger stage.
Neither of the Women’s titles are being defended as of yet either, presumably because
there are already 12 women on the show and WWE don’t want people to think they’re
going soft, this is a man’s pretend sport after all. So with just one more week before
the show and Asuka apparently in hiding after the shame of her recent run of victories and
Ronda just aimlessly beating folks up while we wait for Mania, we may not see either of
them on the night.
Ronda Rousey To Compete
Or won’t we? Because that nark Dave Meltzer reported on Wrestling Observer Radio that
in a conversation he had with WWE, they assured him that Ronda would be making an appearance,
and that this would be for a match.
Judging by the fact that she tapped out both Sarah Logan and Liv Morgan of the Riott Squad
on this week’s Raw, if we follow this alternate reality version of Final Fight through to
its conclusion then the next target would be the Riott Squad boss Ruby Riott. Two out
of three falls, first fall Ruby is in a wheelchair.
Though if WWE changes their mind and Ronda isn’t having a match, she could still very
easily make an appearance to further her feud with Becky Lynch. Becky has exposed Ronda
several times over the past couple of weeks, and so Ronda, much like me, has some unfinished
business to attend to.
Banning Becky from the show as part of her suspension would also give Ronda a chance
to have an uninterrupted promo. Given that she’s so much weaker on the mic than Becky,
giving her the chance to speak without Lynch breathing down her neck would give Ronda the
chance to hit back at the Man. Although she’ll probably just get killed on social media again.
No Seth Rollins
After winning the Royal Rumble Seth Rollins is next in line to the throne, and if he topples
Brock Lesnar at Mania, he might have to rethink that Kingslayer nickname.
But with such a big programme ahead of him it’s weird that we didn’t see Rollins
on Raw this week, and that’s because he’s reportedly nursing a back injury,
According to grief tourist Dave Meltzer Seth’s ouchie isn’t serious enough to keep him
out of his Mania match against The Beast, but is enough to keep him out of the ring
for a month, and that means he won’t be at, in, around the chamber.
Now Elimination Chamber is the perfect time for Seth to rest up, as there are multiple
big matches with complex rules happening to excite the audience and it’s not exactly
like Brock defends the Universal Title all that often either, so he won’t be needed
for a run in or a promo.
A Raw Team will be Inaugural Women’s Tag Team Champions
The final line-up for the women’s tag championship elimination chamber match is as follows:
Tamina and Nia Jax Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville
Sarah Logan and Liv Morgan Bayley and Sasha Banks
Billie Kay and Peyton Royce Naomi and Carmella
Hardyz vs Dudleyz vs Edge and Christian, you ain’t got nothing on this.
Cagesideseats reported last month that their current understanding is that a team from
Raw will win the belts, because Raw is the home of great tag team wrestling...
That would mean one either the Boss and Hug Connection, the Riotts or the Samoan Squash
Squad will be taking home the gold. Depending on
which site you look at, the current favourites are either BossHug or the Ketchup Bandits,
which would make sense given that they are actually tag teams that could lead the division
for some time. Bayley and Banks, although deserving of a better spot on the card, are
the two people who have been given the role of openly promoting a women’s tag division
on TV, but whether WWE are keen on giving us a feel good moment or not, we just don’t
know.
The Riott Squad, although mostly used to get other talent over, are a legitimate tag team
and it would make a lot of sense to put the belts on a team with some longevity and there’s
some fun shenanigans with freebird rules there too.
As the belts will be defended across both brands, it’s likely that each team on the
list will hold them at some point, but as this pairing will be the inaugural champions,
you need to make it someone worthy, and not just dance partners of convenience.
Potential Returns
Between now and WrestleMania, we have two PPVs. Elimination Chamber and Fastlane. Typically
not a lot happens on these shows as they’re just there to give current champions a bit
of momentum heading into the showcase of the immortals, but this year may be different.
If you hadn’t of noticed already, because basically nothing has changed, we are in a
new era of WWE. And like the transitions from all eras that means new things, from the Bronze
Age to the Iron Age we changed our preference of fork material, and from this old era of
WWE to this new era we’re waiting for them to welcome back people they were under using
a year ago.
Because WWE’s current injury list is longer than an evening with Andy feels, but now that
reports are coming through that some of these names are in good enough shape to return,
why not pull the trigger on these returns and give the fans something to shout about?
And also about bloody time to pay off on those returning soon vignettes we were getting for
weeks on Raw.
One of the most obvious names on the “ready to return” list is Kevin Owens, who last
week tweeted that he had wrestled with Adam Cole (BAY BAY) in front of one spectator,
presumably then at the performance centre ahead of his main roster return. Owens has
been out for several months following knee surgery, but his final feud before this was
with Bobby Lashley. Owens had seemingly turned babyface prior to this injury, and with Lashley
rumoured to be on the card in a match with Finn Balor, could we see Owens getting some
sweet revenge?
It wouldn’t be the most babyface thing to do, but then everyone is now a tweener, so
why the hell not.
Another name that could very easily return is Bray Wyatt. Wyatt has history with the
WWE Title in the Elimination chamber, winning the belt from AJ Styles in 2017, so could
he finally return after such a long hiatus to help Bryan defend his belt and prove that
dreadlocks are a vegan stereotype? Is that the new gimmick he was teasing on Twitter
a while ago. Will he be quorn again as a vegan?
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