......it's a down year for the most fun B show of the year!
That postcard was Christian's tweet from earlier today, and his presence could definitely help out these Chamber matches. Sorry for the lack of a Royal Rumble Countdown this year - it really is my favorite thing to write all year, and I put off writing it for so long and then had so much fun doing it that it wasn't done by the time the show started. As much as I'd love to lie to all of you and claim prescience, I actually had Sheamus ranked eighth, and had JOHN LAURINAITIS pegged to win the Rumble. As I told you at the time, this site's correct prediction in 2010 was a complete fluke. I do maintain that Punk vs. Big Johnny for the title at this show, with a #1 Contender Chamber match for the Raw side, would've been far better than what we have here.
On a related note, even after the awful angle going into Survivor Series, I really thought that with Rocky on the horizon, this year's Rumble and Chamber shows would've been much more interesting than in past years. They could've had Rock or Cena try to get the belt, they could've scrapped the usual formula and made the Rumble be for the right to face Taker.....they could've done a bunch of stuff, but instead we got a forgettable Rumble and a really lackluster card for tonight. Speaking of which, in projected match order....
WCW Championship
Smackdown Elimination Chamber Match
Daniel Bryan vs. The Big Show vs. The Great Khali vs. Santino Marella vs. Wade Barrett vs. Cody Rhodes
Given the presence of both Khali and Santino, this is the most likely match for someone like Christian to pull an Edge and attack someone on the way to the Chamber while then stealing their spot by locking himself in their pod. Edge set the precedent! It's legal now! For continuity's sake, I really hope he waits until the WWF title match and then does it to Kofi.
Winner: Someone not currently in the match, be it Orton or Christian or Del Rio or Henry or Batista or god knows who
My Pick: DANIEL BRYAN, currently killing it as a cowardly heel WCW champ on Smackdown
WWF Women's Championship
Tamina Snuka vs. Beth Phoenix
I love legacy kids and all, but Tamina's just here to kill time until Kharma comes back around at Wrestlemania.
Winner: Beth Phoenix
My Pick: Beth Phoenix
Mid-Show Brouhaha
This isn't listed on their website yet, and I have no idea why not, because it's virtually guaranteed and a staple of No Way Out every year. Sheamus probably gets a match added, maybe the tag champs fight as well, but there's going to be SOMETHING else. My money's on either Rocky or Shaq to make an appearance.
Ambulance Match
John Cena vs. Kane
I was a defender of this feud at first, on the grounds that Kane (in a theory espoused by the great Vince Verhei) was a "hate advocate" seeking to lobby Mr. Cena for the adoption of hate into his worldview. In practice, though, it's ass and I want it to stop. I have a feeling it might after this match, but they have a lot of time to fill. This is going to suck.
Winner: John Cena, Wrestlemania is next month you see.
My Pick: John Cena
WWF Championship
Raw Elimination Chamber Match
CM Punk vs. R-Truth vs. Kofi Kingston vs. Chris Jericho vs. Dolph Ziggler vs. The Miz
Much like the Kane storyline, I support CM Punk in theory, but in practice he very often makes for terrible television. When he's not champ and the title is on someone middling, I'll root for him to become champ based on empty promises of getting rid of the spinner belt, but I don't really care all that much. He's a remarkably overrated promo guy and storyline-wise, I have no idea why he's motivated by a deep-burning hatred for John Laurinaitis, a guy who makes matches because his storyline job is to make matches. This show seems totally predictable right now, and this match is where I'd throw in a SWERVE that actually makes sense - sacrifice these dudes to ensure that your potential biggest Wrestlemania of all time, buyratewise, doesn't job out your most historic title by having it in the middle of the card.
Winner: Chris Jericho, or maybe Punk, doesn't matter who, leading to a WM match between them
My Pick: Cena or Rock, because a match that big should be for the title, and that title needs all the resuscitation it can get.
Overall: This card looks pretty shitty on paper, though the Chamber matches are always good even if terrible writing renders them meaningless. I'll be watching out of tradition more than anything else, but you can feel free to wait until tomorrow. Not a good thing to be saying during Wrestlemania season.
Enjoy the show.
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