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Written By: Mike Mueller & Kimmy Sokol
For the first time in Team Kimmy vs Team Mike history, we both went 5-0 at the last pay-per-view! Will this continue for the rest of the year? Probably not, but we can hope. This weekend we are on the last stop before Wrestlemania, the Elimination Chamber! With two Elimination Chamber matches, an emotional championship match, and a highly anticipated rubber match, here are our Elimination Chamber predictions!
Brock Lesnar vs Bobby Lashley:
Kimmy: Interesting that this match is happening here and not on the grandest stage of them all, but maybe the beast incarnate has other plans for Wrestlemania. Both of these men are tied at one a piece, so this truly is the rubber match between two of the biggest names WWE has to offer. Since we are on the road to Los Angeles there is no way picking against Brock Lesanr is the smart move to make here. Winner: Brock Lesnar
Mike: Given that Brock and Bobby have gone back and forth with “getting the better of one another” it would make sense for Brock Lesnar to win this. Bobby eliminated Brock from the Royal Rumble in a rather unceremonious fashion, making Brock look pretty stupid. I can see Brock getting a pretty convincing win at Elimination Chamber, and setting up for one final Wrestlemania match to truly settle the score. Maybe a “loser leaves town” sort of stipulation. Winner: Brock Lesnar
Edge and Beth Phoenix vs Finn Balor and Rhea Ripley:
Kimmy: This match is a tough one because where do we go from here? We all know that Ripley will be the one to challenge Charlotte Flair at Wrestlemania, but what about Edge and Beth? The Rated R superstar will be at the show of shows, but does the Hell in a Cell match against Balor finally take place? To set up for Finn Balor vs Edge in Los Angeles, Judgment Day will be victorious! Winners: Finn Balor and Rhea Ripley
Mike: It would make a lot of sense for Rhea to get the victory over Beth here, to keep her momentum going strong for Wrestlemania, where she will defeat Charlotte to become the new Smackdown women’s champion. However, this is in Canada, and while we are all rooting for Sami Zayn, it just ain’t happening. This seems like a good opportunity for a “feel good” moment and gives the Canadians the opportunity to cheer on their victorious countryman. Edge pins Finn. Winners: Edge & Beth Phoenix
Women’s Elimination Chamber: Asuka vs Liv Morgan vs Nikki Cross vs Raquel Rodriguez vs Natalya vs Carmella:
Kimmy: Not the competitors I was expecting when we first announced this match, but regardless here we are. Let’s do this by process of elimination, shall we? A Raw superstar will be winning this match given this is for the number one contender spot against Bianca Belair at Wrestlemania. That leaves us with Carmella, Asuka, and Nikki Cross. Given Cross has not done a lot since losing the Raw Women’s Championship in 2021 it does not make sense for her to win here. Personally, given everything Carmella has been through recently, they should give it to her, but we all know they won’t do that. Which would leave us with this darker version of the Asuka character. She is the perfect opponent for Belair because even though she has beaten her in the past she has not beaten the new and improved Asuka. Overall this match has a lot of talent and should be an amazing match, but no one is ready for Asuka. Winner: Asuka
Mike: I don’t necessarily believe that the winner HAS to be on the current Raw brand. People move between Raw and Smackdown rather fluidly as it is, so I’m not going to just automatically eliminate Nattie, Liv, and Raquel. I still will go through the process of elimination (get it?) though. While Nattie is a total workhorse and can have a solid match with anybody, Nattie vs. Bianca just doesn’t really do anything for me. The same can be said for Nikki Cross. Liv seems to always be on the precipice of the main event, and the crowd still does seem to be behind her. However, it is abundantly clear to me that she does not step up when given the opportunity, and WWE is not willing to risk a stinker of a women’s title match at Wrestlemania.
Carmella is an interesting pick because she has just recently come back, and while it’s easy to dismiss her, her character work is really good, and it’s fun to hear Corey Graves show obvious favoritism toward her, which makes for a fun experience for the viewing audience. The new “dark” Asuka has a hell of a look, and we know she can show up when the spotlight shines brightest. Racquel Rodriguez is a no-brainer as far as a future champion. She has the look, she’s improved tremendously in the ring, and the people seem to really like her, especially little kids. Any three of these women can come out victorious, but ultimately the “safest” bet is having Asuka win since you just know Asuka vs. Bianca will be a great show. Winner: Asuka
Men’s Elimination Chamber for the United States Championship: Austin Theory vs Seth Rollins vs Johnny Gargano vs Montez Ford vs Bronson Reed vs Damian Priest:
Kimmy: This will be the best match on the card and not just because Seth Rollins is in this match. There are so many top stars within this match with so many different wrestling styles that this will be fun. Looking ahead to Mania unless John Cena is 100% locked into the show, Theory losing the title here does not make sense. The only thing that would make sense is possibly Gargano winning to give him a big push into the biggest show of the year. Otherwise A-Town Down! Winner: “And Still” Austin Theory
Mike: I’ve been saying for more than six months now that someone from Judgement Day will be wearing gold by the time night two of Wrestlemania is over. WWE could take a lot of pressure off of me and give Damian Priest the US title here. I sure would appreciate it, but that’s not happening, nor should it happen. Bronson Reed is in this match to have an impressive big splash from the top of the pod, and that’s it. Normally I’d say Ford has no chance because tag team members don’t win these kinds of matches. However, a Street Profits split does seem eminent, especially given the digs Ford was making at Dawkins during the NHL All-Star weekend.
It was very reminiscent of some of the things HBK said about Jannetty and the Rockers before Jannetty dove through a glass window. If those comments were said on WWE programming vs the NHL all-star weekend, I’d actually pick Ford here, but it still seems too soon. My rebel heart wants Johnny Gargano to get this victory, and it is possible since he seems tailor-made for the US or IC title, however, WWE just hasn’t seemed to show enough faith in Gargano to see them suddenly give him the strap here. Rollins and Theory have been playing hot potato with the US belt, and it could switch hands once again here. I wouldn’t be mad about it. Any time Rollins holds the US title, it gives the “secondary” title more credibility. However, Theory is the new golden child for WWE, and all signs seem to point to him having a match with a legend, likely John Cena, at Wrestlemania for the title, so I’ll go with the status quo and say Theory retains. Winner: “And Still” Austin Theory
Undisputed WWE Universal Championship Roman Reigns vs Sami Zayn:
Kimmy: The first thing is that if you have not seen this video where someone recreated the Wrestlemania 30 video package with Daniel Bryan and replaced it with Sami Zayn you should go watch it. This match is unfortunately not about the match itself, it is more about the storytelling between the Bloodline and Sami Zayn. The moment in which Jey Uso will turn on Zayn and align with his cousin will be the end of a near-perfect storyline leading up to the Usos vs Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens at the show of shows. Zayn will get the hometown pop in front of his friends and family as this will be one of the highlights of the year. Although Zayn won’t be the one to dethrone the one, this is why we all love wrestling: the storylines. This is one the WWE Universe will never forget. Winner: “And Still” Roman Reigns
Mike: I wanted Zayn vs. Owens at Wrestlemania, with Owens turning on Zayn for never believing him and seeing the error of his ways. However, that story only made sense if The Bloodline turned on Sami, not the other way around. Since Sami was the one to “wake up” and betray The Bloodline, it does seem like we are getting Sami and KO vs. The Usos at Wrestlemania. Just like Kimmy said, Jay will betray Sami and reunite with Roman, and Reigns will retain. Winner: “And Still” Roman Reigns
LONG-TERM PREDICTION: Sometime between Wrestlemania and Summerslam, The Usos and Solo Sikoa, under the guidance of Paul Heyman, will turn on Roman Reigns. Reigns will turn babyface and take on Solo at Summerslam. Whether it’s for the WWE Universal championship or not is still to be determined…
