WWE Divas Title Match- Beth Phoenix (c) vs. Tamina
Rob Brown- Ever since the Glamazon won the Divas title back in October, the WWE Universe hasn’t seen an opponent that could legitimately challenge her for the title…and they won’t on Sunday. With little to no buildup to this feud, I’d be shocked to see Tamina Snuka take down Phoenix. On the bright side; they’re referring Tamina as the daughter to Super Fly which means she may have a bright future in the months after WrestleMania.
Phoenix retains but is confronted by Kharma after the match. This will setup a nice feud heading into WrestleMania. After all, Kharma is the exact kind of diva that Phoenix thinks she is—not a Barbie doll, but an actual wrestler who’s here to win championships.
Winner: Beth Phoenix
Jon Alba- I give credit where credit is due in the Divas division, and both of these have done a nice job in taking what they’ve been given and rolling with it.
I like to see that WWE has finally put a little stock into Tamina, who has worked diligently to improve inside the ring and develop more of a character over the past couple of months. It was also important for them to establish the connection between her and her father.
As for Beth, it took her far too long to capture the title in the first place, and she’s dealt with every card they’ve given her. Joke matches, real matches, stupidity, surprises, all of it. I hope that this match is given at least more than five minutes, and can show some quality in-ring activity between two solid female wrestlers.
I’m with Rob here, I believe Beth wins, hopefully Tamina isn’t pushed to the backburner, and we see Kharma either tonight or on Monday night.
Winner: Beth Phoenix
Ambulance Match- John Cena vs. Kane
R.B.- So this is where John Cena finally snaps and embraces the hate right? I sure hope so, because if not then the WWE has successfully buried their former posterboy going into the year’s biggest event called WrestleMania. This feud has been horrible to watch, but if Cena snaps and leads to a more intense character heading into his match against the Rock; it’ll be somewhat worth it.
This has to be the match that shows Cena getting his hands dirty for the win. Chairs, kendo sticks, and of course tables, will be used to show how intense Cena will get when pushed to the limit. Only then will anyone expect for him to even be able to compete against The Rock next month.
Winner: John Cena
J.A.- I’m torn here. Not because of who I think is going to win, but how it’s going to play out.
Seemingly out of nowhere last Monday, Kane proclaimed that Cena had finally embraced the hate after stealing Zack Ryder’s girlfriend, Eve. I’m not quite sure how this is a sign of him doing as Kane wished, but I digress.
I do agree that we’ll see Cena snap much like we did a few weeks ago. It’s important that he shows an extremely aggressive side heading into Mania against The Rock. Otherwise, we get the staleness we’ve become accustomed to over the past several years. This feud with Kane, in my opinion, was put to have an excuse for him to become more physical.
But that is where my dilemma begins. Is there a true payoff to this feud? What comes of putting Ryder in this? How much will Cena ultimately benefit from snapping? Where will Ryder and Eve come in tonight? Will Ryder turn heel? Will Eve?
And more importantly, who cares if any of those hypothetical scenarios occur?
This is the problem with a flawed feud. It had ups, but overall, many more downs. We’ll see what happens. Cena wins.
Winner: John Cena
Smackdown Elimination Chamber for the World Heavyweight Championship- Daniel Bryan (c) vs. Big Show vs. Wade Barrett vs. Cody Rhodes vs. The Great Khali vs. Santino Marrella
R.B.- I can’t be the only one pleasantly surprised with Daniel Bryan’s new character right? There’s a couple of things we know right off the bat, The Great Khali won’t win and Marrella won’t win either. That leaves four that can legitimately win the world championship.
The thing about Elimination Chamber matches that I don’t like is the fact that it’s real steel. Therefore, you won’t see huge bumps to the outside of the ring. Watch as wrestlers fall gingerly out of the ring like a bunch of fifth-graders who are playing “wrestler” in the backyard. We’ll get one or two real bumps, but that is it.
That’s why I don’t expect much from this match (moreso than the next) because guys like the Big Show and Great Khali won’t be seen taking huge bumps. This match will be placed on the shoulders of Cody Rhodes and Daniel Bryan to carry the entire thing.
Although I could see Wade Barrett stealing this one, look for Bryan to retain the title going into WrestleMania. Barrett has been outstanding in recent months and looks to be the next one to be elevated to Smackdown’s main event, but Daniel Bryan will find a way to get the win. I assume he’ll even find a way to do so over the Big Show to finally seal the feud they’ve been having in recent months.
Winner: Daniel Bryan
J.A.- What I do love about this year’s Elimination Chamber pay-per-view is the unpredictability factor. No one can confidently say who is going to win either Elimination Chamber match.
What I do not love is the current Smackdown roster. There is a serious lack of depth, as evidenced by the entrants in this match. The Great Khali, who hadn’t been seen in months and was supposedly finished with the company, is back and shot straight to the main event picture. Then there’s the issue of Santino, which I won’t even go into.
I will say that I’m okay with Santino being in the match for the fact that he is incredibly over and entertaining, but it’s only proof of how weak the pool of talent is. Let’s see if he even makes it into the match. Maybe someone and his “peeps” will have something to say about that.
I’m with Rob though, and I agree that Daniel Bryan’s heel turn has gone well. He’s made a habit of escaping every single match he’s in, reminiscent of an early Kurt Angle. The difference, however, was that Angle won big matches without being a coward. I really hope this happens tonight. Have Bryan take out Big Show early. Make a statement.
Even though a guy like Barrett could win, I think Bryan does get out of it. Establish some legitimacy for WrestleMania. Have the World Heavyweight Championship match be with multiple contestants. Make it grand.
Winner: Daniel Bryan
Raw Elimination Chamber for the WWE Championship- CM Punk (c) vs. Chris Jericho vs. The Miz vs. Kofi Kingston vs. Dolph Ziggler vs. R-Truth
R.B.- Dear Kofi Kingston, you were right last week on Raw. Nobody thinks you have a chance to win this one, and you won’t. What we do expect is some outrageous move where you clinch onto the side of the cage and leap off as if you’re the John Morrison replacement.
Wait…you are the John Morrison replacement aren’t you?! Awkward…
Anyways, this will be the best match we see all night since all the participants work really well in the ring. We’ll see the R-Truth/Miz feud finally conclude within the cage and it’ll give Kofi Kingston a chance to steal the show with a move that we’ve never seen before.
What is somewhat lost in this match is where Dolph Ziggler fits in. He’s probably been the most consistent in-ring performer in the past six months, but doesn’t seem to have anything going for him lately. Seems like the “Show-Off” has been forgotten about.
Of course all eyes will be on CM Punk and Chris Jericho as they continue their feud, which should lead to WrestleMania. This feud has taken a traditional approach in recent weeks, starting with very little contact and a lot of talking. This will be the first time the two actually face each other in action
and they will look to bring the best out of each other.
I think Jericho will steal the title on Sunday and will head to WrestleMania as the champion and Punk as the challenger. Jericho wearing the belt, which signifies why he is the best in the world at everything he does (besides Dancing with the Stars of course), gives him enough to talk about for the next five months. Meanwhile, Punk will have to chase Y2J for a month, which would lead to the biggest clash of both athleticism and mouth that WrestleMania has ever seen.
Look for these two to show you a small glimpse of what you can expect from their WrestleMania match though. They won’t let it all out of the bag here.
Winner: Chris Jericho
J.A.- In regards to Rob’s statement about Kofi Kingston, it does hold some water. Yes, Kofi will be a spot machine. Yes, he likely won’t win.
With that being said however, I expect Kofi to capture an elimination tonight. I believe he is in the midst of a mini-push, and I do firmly believe there is a chance we see a more physical and aggressive Kofi in 2012, much like what we saw in his feud with Randy Orton a while back.
Ziggler is unfortunately wrapped up with nothing to do at the moment, but could gain some leverage with an elimination tonight as well. R-Truth and The Miz are somewhat stagnant, with the latter being in the doghouse among WWE officials. Do not expect much from either of them.
This one is even more difficult than the Smackdown chamber match to convincingly pick a winner. In many people’s eyes, the Jericho/Punk feud has been off to a slow start. I on the other hand think the lack of physicality between them has been only beneficial for building tension, and we’ll get a good glimpse tonight of what’s in the future for us.
Punk is a great champion. He’s even better at chasing the title. If anyone could make the most of a one-month title reign, it’s Jericho. Would people continue the argument that the belt is devalued? Yes, but there’s no secret to that anymore. Let Jericho sneak away with a win, have Punk proclaim that he wasn’t “beat” by Jericho one-on-one, and we have our Mania feud.
We could also see Johnny Ace get involved too. Leave it up to Mr. Excitement to shake things up!
Winner: Chris Jericho
Also, expect something big tonight in regards to Triple H and Undertaker. Just a gut feeling.
