Brock Lesnar Vs. Bray Wyatt And 5 WrestleMania 39 Matches The PPV Must Set Up

Elimination Chamber 2023 is more than just a rare WWE pay-per-view in Canada—it’s also the final stop on the road to WrestleMania 39.

Headlined by Roman Reigns vs. Sami Zayn in a highly anticipated match for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship, Elimination Chamber also serves as the last chance for WWE to execute some major storyline swerves meant to lay the framework for a handful of expected WrestleMania matches.

Even before any WrestleMania 39 matches were announced, WWE’s flagship pay-per-view broke the company’s live gate record, and given that Royal Rumble—built around two big battle royals and a clash between Reigns and Kevin Owens—shattered previous viewership records for the pay-per-view, it’s safe to assume that a well-constructed WrestleMania 39 will result in that event doing the same.

And at Elimination Chamber, WWE has a prime opportunity to send fan buzz through the roof by setting the stage for these marquee WrestleMania matches.

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Logan Paul Vs. Seth Rollins

Having disappeared from WWE programming following his epic clash with Reigns, Logan Paul shocked the world with an unannounced appearance in the 30-man Royal Rumble and was—to the surprise of no one—the talk of the town following his epic mid-air collision with Ricochet.

Paul has proven to be an absolutely amazing performer despite having very little in-ring experience, and it’s quite apparent that he’s headed for a WrestleMania 39 clash with Seth Rollins given their interaction at Royal Rumble and their continued beef with each other since then. This match truly has more than a puncher’s chance of being the best match of the entire WrestleMania weekend while also serving as a great way to transition Paul to his more natural heel roots.

Rollins is uber-over as a babyface star right now, and Paul could become an even bigger heat magnet by costing Rollins the US title inside the Elimination Chamber in route to a potentially epic WrestleMania clash.

Brock Lesnar Vs. Bray Wyatt

With potentially huge WrestleMania matches against Steve Austin and Gunther apparently off the table for Brock Lesnar, it looked like Brock Lesnar would battle Bobby Lashley once again at WrestleMania 39. Then, that all changed on SmackDown when Bray Wyatt let it be known that he has his sights sign on the winner of Lashley vs. Lesnar at Elimination Chamber.

So, this has to be setting up Lesnar vs. Wyatt, right?

It was seven years ago that this mega match was reportedly planned for WrestleMania 32 before, well, plans changed. Almost a decade later, however, it could finally come to fruition at a time when both Wyatt and Lesnar are even bigger stars.

Lesnar remains as popular as ever, and it’s a refreshing change to see him far away from the world title picture. His on-and-off rivalry with Lashley has been one of the most entertaining storylines in all of WWE over the past year, but the fact that their rubber match is taking place at Elimination Chamber suggests it won’t continue until WrestleMania.

That leaves Wyatt as the ideal option for Lesnar. He’s also an incredibly popular star—he was recently WWE’s top merchandise mover—and he would give Lesnar a fresh opponent for WrestleMania, which is something that has been missing for “The Beast” in recent years. To get there, Lesnar is going to have to topple Lashley at Elimination Chamber, which will ignite this potentially epic rivalry.

Edge Vs. Finn Balor Inside Hell In A Cell

Once slated for Royal Rumble, Edge vs. Finn Balor is reportedly now penciled in for WrestleMania 39, which seems obvious given the way this long-running feud has been booked.

This seemingly never-ending rivalry has yet to result in the feud-ending match this entire storyline was destined to build to, which, of course, is Edge vs. Balor in a huge gimmick match. In WWE, it doesn’t get any bigger or more empathic than Hell in a Cell, which has often served as a blow-off match and conclusion to lengthy or intense feuds.

While the Edge vs. Balor rivalry hasn’t been as good in execution as it sounds in theory, both stars have proven to be more than capable of delivering in big-time matches, and at Elimination Chamber, neither star should be pinned in their mixed tag team match. Why? Well, so that both stars have a ton of momentum heading into their feud-ender at WrestleMania.

The Usos Vs. Sami Zayn And Kevin Owens

Tag team matches don’t main event WrestleMania. They just don’t—well, at least not for most of WWE’s existence. But Zayn, Kevin Owens and The Usos have more than justified a show-closing headliner at WrestleMania 39.

Owens reuniting with Zayn to take on the Usos—and presumably end their record-setting tag team title reign—has reportedly been planned for WrestleMania 39 for months, and that is absolutely the perfect way to conclude what has been one of the most entralling feuds in WWE history. So, how does WWE get there? It’s simple, really.

Jey Usos finally betrays Zayn at Elimination Chamber, costs Zayn his match against Reigns and affirms his commitment as a member of The Bloodline. That’s masterful—yet easy—storytelling that will put an absurd amount of crowd heat on Jey and The Bloodline as a whole while setting the stage for an epic tag team match at WrestleMania 39.

In terms of storytelling in pro wrestling, it doesn’t get much better than this.

John Cena Vs. Austin Theory

John Cena has been a massive draw for WWE, especially in recent years when his appearances have become incredibly rare. He’s reportedly set to return to the ring to face rising star Austin Theory at WrestleMania 39 in a match that has been teased f0r much of the past year but has had virtually no real build. Yet.

This could—and should—change at Elimination Chamber. Just imagine, of course, the insane crowd reaction an unannounced Cena return would generate and the anticipation it would create for the following night’s edition of Monday Night Raw. It would be a surefire way to entice fans to tune into Raw and see what’s next for arguably the greatest star in WWE’s long and storied history.

WrestleMania has already sold itself, but Cena can sell Raw and provide a huge boost to Theory, who is only 25 years old but is already right on the cusp of becoming a massive star who WWE can build around for the next decade or more.

Elimination Chamber is going to feature the ideal crowd and circumstances for Cena to make his return and lay down a WrestleMania challenge for Theory, which will give WWE another massive WrestleMania storyline for the red brand.