With WrestleMania 34 mere weeks away, the results from Sunday’s Elimination Chamber pay-per-view will set up some of the marquee matches for the WWE’s biggest event. Who will face Brock Lesnar for the Universal Championship? Who will Asuka take on for the Raw Women’s Championship? And on top of all that, “Rowdy” Ronda Rousey makes it official as she signs her contract live on the show.
How to watch
Date: Sunday, Feb. 25
Time: 6 p.m.
Where: T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nev.
TV: WWE Network
What is the Elimination Chamber?
The WWE’s Elimination Chamber match pits six or more wrestlers in a giant steel cage. The match begins with two wrestlers (three in the case of the seven-man match on this card) facing off in the ring. The other four wrestlers are contained in individual locked pods, located behind each corner of the ring. Every five minutes, one of the pods is unlocked and the wrestler inside joins the action in the ring. A wrestler is eliminated when they are either pinned or submitted. The winner is declared once all the other competitors are eliminated.
Cesaro and Sheamus (c) vs. Titus O’Neil and Apollo
WWE Raw Tag Team Championship
Tag team match
Who should win: Cesaro and Sheamus.
Seeing as they just won the titles last month at the Royal Rumble, I’m going with the four-time Raw tag team champs for the win.
Who will win: Cesaro and Sheamus.
Matt Hardy vs. Bray Wyatt
Singles match
Who should win: Hardy.
Regardless of who wins this match, it feels like the feud will continue on into WrestleMania. I’m going to lean with Hardy because a win could help propel his “Woken” persona further.
Who will win: Hardy.
Asuka vs. Nia Jax
If Jax wins, she’s added to the WWE Raw Women’s Championship match at WrestleMania 34
Singles match
Who should win: Asuka.
Asuka’s undefeated singles streak doesn’t end here. Right? The “Empress of Tomorrow” has been absolutely dominant since signing with the WWE, running through her competition. A loss to Jax at this point makes little sense, especially with WrestleMania just around the corner.
Who will win: Asuka.
Alexa Bliss (c) vs. Bayley vs. Mandy Rose vs. Mickie James vs. Sasha Banks vs. Sonya Deville
WWE Raw Women’s Championship
Elimination Chamber match
Who should win: Banks.
While Alexa Bliss has been a fine champion, Sasha Banks has the skill set to bring down the house at WrestleMania. Banks vs. Asuka would be an amazing match.
Who will win: Banks.
Braun Strowman vs. Elias vs. Finn Bálor vs. John Cena vs. Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins vs. The Miz
No. 1 contender for WWE Universal Championship for WrestleMania 34
Elimination Chamber match
Who should win: Rollins.
If you watched “Raw” this past Monday, you know why Rollins deserves to main event WrestleMania. Rollins lasted 65 minutes in the ring, scoring clean victories over Roman Reigns and John Cena — in separate matches. That doesn’t happen. WWE, if the point was to make someone looks like a million bucks, you succeeded.
Who will win: Reigns.
The build-up for Reigns’ eventual reign in the WWE has been growing for years. He’ll win this match and punch his ticket to face Lesnar in New Orleans. And if he defeats the Beast Incarnate, boos will rain down on Reigns the following night on Raw.
