Roman Reigns Winning And 5 Smart Booking Decisions

WWE Elimination Chamber 2023 is one of the most stacked non-Big Four pay-per-views in recent memory, with Roman Reigns vs. Sami Zayn and Brock Lesnar vs. Bobby Lashley highlighting a show filled with blockbuster matches that will set the stage for WrestleMania 39.

A rare Canadian PPV that will emanate from Montreal, Elimination Chamber is also going to have a raucous near-sellout crowd with big bouts involving hometown heroes like Zayn and Edge. WWE will be looking to continue its recent wave of momentum after months of strong storytelling, a solid Royal Rumble event, impressive TV viewership and the early stages of highly anticipated WrestleMania feuds, like Reigns vs. Cody Rhodes.

On paper, Elimination Chamber looks like a potential PPV of the year candidate, and if WWE can make the right creative calls in front of the sure-to-be energetic Canadian crowd, this show should create even more buzz and excitement mere weeks away from WrestleMania 39.

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Brock Lesnar Defeats Bobby Lashley

Prior to Friday’s SmackDown, it appeared that Bobby Lashley and Brock Lesnar were headed for a fourth match at WrestleMania. Enter Bray Wyatt.

The former WWE Champion made it clear on SmackDown that he has his eye on the winner of Lesnar vs. Lashley, and given that WrestleMania 39 is right around the corner, it’s likely that whoever wins this bout is going to battle Wyatt at WWE’s flagship show. And given how popular both Wyatt and Lesnar are right now, that’s the better choice here.

Lesnar vs. Wyatt is a match that nearly took place in 2016 but now appears to be slated for a spot at WrestleMania 39. Sure, why not? Both stars are red hot as performers, and though Lashley deserves better than having no direction at WrestleMania, he’s going to have to take the fall at Elimination Chamber to set up the Lesnar vs. Wyatt dream match.

Austin Theory Loses The US Title

Austin Theory is reportedly set to face John Cena at WrestleMania 39 in what will assuredly be the biggest match of Theory’s young career, so why have him lose the United States title so close to WrestleMania? Because he doesn’t need the belt for a match with Cena.

Of course, Cena is a huge draw for WWE no matter what he’s doing, and now that he’s spending most of his time in Hollywood, it’s extremely unlikely that he is going to be around WWE enough to defend any title, much less a midcard one. It’s just as improbable that Cena will be losing to Theory at Mania, even though that’s the best long-term move for both Theory and WWE as a whole.

So, when Theory defends his US title against five other stars inside the Elimination Chamber, WWE has the perfect out. Theory can lose his championship in a way that protects him in preparation for a career-defining match against Cena, and the best part is, there isn’t a bad choice for a potential non-Theory winner in this match because any of the other five stars would make a formidable US Champ.

Rhea Ripley Pins Beth Phoenix

Rhea Ripley is—and has been—the hottest act in WWE’s women’s division, which is why she was the clear favorite to win the women’s Royal Rumble and why she did exactly that.

At Elimination Chamber, she will team with Finn Balor to take on Edge and Beth Phoenix in a marquee bout that should do two things: Set the stage for Edge vs. Finn Balor inside Hell in a Cell at WrestleMania and keep Ripley looking strong ahead of her Mania match against Charlotte Flair.

The best way to do that? Ripley pins Phoenix, a WWE Hall of Famer and legendary performer. That’s a win-win for all involved.

Raquel Rodriguez Punches Her Ticket To WrestleMania 39

The clear frontrunner to win the women’s Elimination Chamber match and the right to challenge Bianca Belair for the Raw Women’s Championship at WrestleMania 39 is Asuka, the most decorated star in the match and the only one who’s truly been pushed as a top star for most of her career.

But Asuka vs. Belair has happened before and certainly doesn’t feel new or fresh. One of the most common complaints among WWE fans is that the company tends to focus on the same stars at the top of the card, particularly in a women’s division that has been run by the same handful of talents over the past half-decade plus.

So, here’s a novel idea: Why not use this Elimination Chamber match to help create a new star? The best woman for that would be Raquel Rodriguez, who fits the bill as a talented rising star who hasn’t had that true breakout moment yet. While Belair is a tremendous performer, it feels like, after nearly a year, her title reign is losing steam and should come to an end soon.

Putting the title back on Asuka accomplishes nothing for WWE’s long-term future, but having Rodriguez win the Chamber match and beat Belair is a surefire way to establish Rodriguez as another top talent WWE can build it’s women’s division around.

Jey Uso Helps Roman Reigns Retain, Kevin Owens Returns

The clear endgame for The Bloodline saga is for Sami Zayn to reunite with Kevin Owens and face—and ultimately defeat The Usos—at WrestleMania 39 in what will be one of the most buzzworthy tag team matches in company history.

Despite Zayn becoming ridiculously popular and many fans calling for him to ultimately dethrone Reigns, anyone who has paid close attention to this tremendous storyline can see that the best way to hit the climax is for Jey Uso—who has been torn between the two sides—to ultimately turn on Zayn. That would generate absolutely massive heat on Jey, the Usos as a tag team and The Bloodline as a whole.

Thus, the scenario should be simple: Jey decides to side with Reigns at Elimination Chamber and superkicks Zayn so that Zayn loses his title match against “The Head of the Table.” Then, Owens returns to a massive babyface pop in his home country and the stage is set for The Usos vs. the reunited duo of Zayn and Owens to main event night one of WrestleMania 39.

That’s both the easiest and best story to tell, and it’s also a great way to conclude one of the best storylines in WWE history.