Match Predictions and Heat Index Anticipation Levels
Temperature Scale = Scorching > Hot > Lukewarm > Temperate > Chilly > Cold > Freezing
Heat Index is my assessment of how interesting the segment is, including how excited I am for the match and how intriguing the feud has been. The hotter, the better. Scorching translates to not being able to wait to see it, while Freezing means I couldn’t possibly care less and think it will be awful.
WWE CHAMPIONSHIP ELIMINATION CHAMBER MATCH:
Bobby Lashley (c) vs. Brock Lesnar vs. Seth Rollins vs. Austin Theory vs. AJ Styles vs. Riddle
Heat Index = Scorching
Prediction: Brock Lesnar wins.
Thoughts: With this collection of talent, the match is going to be good. Check that off the list. Then, it has a genuinely curious set of outcomes. While I think WWE has talked far too much about the title-for-title scenario to not let that happen, which means Lesnar is going to win, there’s almost just as good of a chance Lashley retains. Riddle could win it to set up a match against Randy Orton. Hell, Styles could win it so Lashley gets a rematch. That’s what makes me interested—a match I think will be good, starring people I enjoy watching, with an outcome I can’t quite predict.
UNIVERSAL CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH:
Roman Reigns (c) vs. Goldberg
Heat Index = Temperate
Prediction: Roman Reigns wins.
Thoughts: Obviously, Roman Reigns wins. Nobody really thinks Goldberg’s winning this, right? He’s there to put over Reigns, as he should, and to bump up the card’s overall marquee value while appealing to the Saudi Arabia crowd that invests even more heavily in nostalgia than the other markets. This match will probably be a 3 minute spear and punch fest with some botches. There’s no way it’s anything more. Oddly, the crowd will still probably eat it up.
RAW WOMEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH:
Becky Lynch (c) vs. Lita
Heat Index = Temperate
Prediction: Becky Lynch wins.
Thoughts: “Hey Lita. We didn’t bother building up enough people in our women’s division over the past year and we keep firing people or pushing them out of the company. Now, we’re in need of someone to swoop in and be a distraction to all that. You’re a legend. Want to make a pay day, square up with one of the main women of this generation to put her over and really help us with our Saudi Arabia deal since you’re an established name?” Hey. They could have done worse, by far. At least we haven’t seen Lita a million times recently. This is fresh, even if it’s predictable. I can’t crap on it and call it one of the colder options, although I don’t think the match will be fantastic. It’s just a stop-gap featuring a legend who will lose to the current day star.
RAW WOMEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP NO. 1 CONTENDER’S ELIMINATION CHAMBER MATCH:
Bianca Belair vs. Doudrop vs. Liv Morgan vs. Nikki A.S.H. vs. Rhea Ripley vs. Alexa Bliss
Heat Index = Lukewarm
Prediction: Bianca Belair wins.
Thoughts: I wish this division had more going for it right now than what the reality is. Basically, this is just a means to an end. Bianca Belair will definitely win this to fight Becky Lynch at WrestleMania, meaning we’ll have basically had the SummerSlam thing just to sit around for a few months, have them fight a few times, and come back around to it. That’s underwhelming that this is all it will amount to.
SMACKDOWN TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH:
The Usos (c) vs. The Viking Raiders
Heat Index = Chilly
Prediction: The Usos win.
Thoughts: Poor Viking Raiders. They’ve fallen so far from the totem pole, haven’t they? While they’re still a great team in the ring, WWE hasn’t been booking them well for so long that they stand no chance here. Lately, they’ve been looking so “yesterday’s news” with the raid chants and this random push that I can’t get super pumped for this match, even though I know it has the potential to be good. The Usos aren’t losing, clearly, either. It’s WrestleMania season and there’s no momentum in giving the belts to Erika and Ivar in comparison to keeping them on Jimmy and Jey.
TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH:
Charlotte Flair and Sonya Deville vs. Ronda Rousey and Naomi
Heat Index = Cold
Prediction: Ronda Rousey and Naomi win.
Thoughts: If I didn’t care about seeing Rousey vs. Flair again, having seen it twice before, why would I care about a tag team match with no stakes that exists purely because it’s supposed to whet our appetites and tease those two fighting, meaning I’ll have seen it then three times heading into WrestleMania?
FALLS COUNT ANYWHERE MATCH:
Drew McIntyre vs. Madcap Moss
Heat Index = Freezing
Prediction: Drew McIntyre wins.
Thoughts: Why the hell should I or anyone else care about a rematch from what happened at Day 1? Why is this not McIntyre fighting Moss on SmackDown in order to move on to facing Happy Corbin here, instead? This is textbook WWE copying and pasting the laziest option imaginable and hoping nobody notices or cares. At least they slapped the gimmick onto it, instead of keeping it a regular singles match.
SINGLES MATCH:
The Miz vs. Rey Mysterio
Heat Index = Freezing
Prediction: Rey Mysterio wins.
Thoughts: With a feud as basic as this one, where the storyline is essentially that they are fighting because, who really cares? Even though The Miz and Rey Mysterio are great, this does nothing for me. It’s total filler.
OVERALL PPV:
How excited am I for the event as a whole?
Heat Index = Temperate
Thoughts: This card had potential to be so much more, and if you’re watching it for the first time in months, it probably seems pretty decent in and of itself. But after sitting through the past year of WWE, a lot of this is just filler in a sandwich made with two stale pieces of bread. Some parts of this will be exciting, but a lot of it doesn’t get me hyped.
What do you think is going to happen at WWE Elimination Chamber? Which matches are you most excited to see? Keep the discussion going in the comments below!
