The next pay-per-view (PPV) on the WWE schedule is the Elimination Chamber event will take place next Sunday (February 21, 2021) at the ThunderDome at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida. The company uses this event as a bridge every year Royal Rumble to WrestleMania; this year it will be joined by Fastlane on March 21.
Five games are official for the card:
- Drew McIntyre (c) vs. Sheamus vs. AJ Styles vs. Jeff Hardy vs. The Miz vs. Randy Orton in an Elimination Chamber match for the WWE Championship
Borden pointed to a singles match between former friends McIntyre and Sheamus, but Shane McMahon returned on Feb. 8. Raw and booked a room full of former WWE champions as a challenge to the current one.
They have a Gauntlet Match on tomorrow’s episode to determine whose pod door opens last at the PPV.
- Kevin Owens vs. Daniel Bryan vs. Cesaro vs. Sami Zayn vs. King Corbin vs. Jey Uso in an Elimination Chamber match to determine the # 1 contender for the universal title
- Roman Reigns (c) vs. the winner of the SmackDown Elimination Chamber match for the Universal Championship
The unnamed Kayfabe authority figure Adam Pearce tried to book Reigns into a Chamber match like his Raw counterpart, but the Tribal Chief and his special counsel didn’t say so quickly. He would defend his title at Elimination Chamber, but not in the elimination room. Roman gets the winner of the SmackDown Chamber contest later that same evening.
Pearce responded by putting two former challengers in the # 1 contender match – Reigns’ nemesis KO and his cousin Jey. Zayn & Corbin and Bryan & Cesaro qualified by winning tag matches.
- Asuka (c) vs. Lacey Evans for the Raw Women’s title
Ric Flair earned this title for his client / special friend by getting her a # 1 contender match against his daughter Charlotte, then pissing off the younger Flair so she was disqualified herself from that # 1 contender match.
- Bobby Lashley (c) vs. Keith Lee vs. Riddle for the Intercontinental Championship
A returning Lee wondered if maybe he should not have the next shot at the CEO of The Hurt Business, as The Bro was unable to get Lashley’s belt off. They had a match, the Limitless One won and then Bobby knocked them both out. This Triple Threat was announced shortly afterwards.
In addition to these matches, Lana & Naomi earned a shot at WWE Women’s Champion Nia Jax & Shayna Baszler, but a date has not yet been announced. Sasha Banks & Bianca Belair mixed it up with Jax & Belair last Friday SmackDown, and the winners of the Women’s Dusty Cup at tonight’s NXT TakeOver: Vengeance Day show will also earn a title shot.
A new Apollo Crews / Big E Intercontinental championship match seems inevitable, and Street Profits continues to look for an opportunity to reclaim the SmackDown Tag titles from Dirty Dawgs Dolph Ziggler & Robert Roode.
However, we will probably only get a few more games added to the lineup for February 21st. The Chamber games are taking time, and WWE has been doing well lately to keep PPVs around three hours.
Thoughts on what the Elimination Chamber looks like, Cagesiders?