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WWE officials Nick Aldis and Adam Pearce announced that the Elimination Chamber: Perth will determine Seth Rollins' challenger for WrestleMania 40. To present a united front, stars from both RAW and SmackDown will have the opportunity to qualify for the Elimination Chamber match in Perth, Australia.
Pearce announced several former champions as participants, including Randy Orton, Drew McIntyre, AJ Styles, The Miz, and Bobby Lashley. Logan Paul, Kevin Owens, and LA Knight represent SmackDown. Ivar, Bronson Reed, and Dominik Mysterio, and Sami Zayn will represent RAW.
While most of the announced stars are main-event stars, some notable names were omitted for one reason or another. The following five WWE stars should have been considered for the Elimination Chamber qualifying matches.
#5 Andrade could have jumped right back into the fire
WWE made a big deal about Andrade returning at Royal Rumble. He's a former United States and NXT Champion and was clearly one of the better in-ring performers in the game.
He joined WWE RAW following Royal Rumble but hasn't had an official match yet. An easy way to jumpstart his return tour would have been to inject him into the fray for the Elimination Chamber.
Andrade is a proven performer and he could have been cheered over someone like Ivar or Dominik Mysterio. It also could have set up a WrestleMania program for El Idolo.
#4 Shinsuke Nakamura is a dastardly heel
Nakamura has been presented as an unpredictable threat to every top face on WWE RAW. He has tormented Seth Rollins and Cody Rhodes over the last few months, bringing a sense of realism back to his WWE character.
While he has been unsuccessful in winning those feuds, he is still a formidable competitor who has been operating around the RAW main event.
Nakamura is also a worldwide star, so having him compete in the Elimination Chamber would have given the field at least one international superstar.
#3 Solo Sikoa could represent the Bloodline at Elimination Chamber
Before Royal Rumble, Paul Heyman implored Jimmy Uso to win the match and challenge Rollins at WrestleMania 40. He didn't win the Rumble match and is back where he started.
Solo Sikoa has been anointed as The Tribal Heir, so it's clear the rest of The Bloodline has more faith in Solo than in Jimmy. He could have been added to the mix, partly as a way to have The Bloodline nip at Rollins' heels.
The Visionary has been openly vocal and critical about how Roman Reigns has operated as a champion. Solo wouldn't have to win, but at least having representation for The Bloodline in the match would go along with the current storyline.
#2 Jey Uso has been building momentum
Jey Uso may be headed for a date with Gunther for the Intercontinental Championship. That still doesn't mean that he couldn't be involved in the qualifying matches for the Elimination Chamber.
He's one of the top faces in the company and the crowd support is loud every time he enters the arena.
Being one of the top faces on WWE RAW would make him a potential favorite but he wouldn't necessarily need to qualify. Jimmy Uso or Gunther could interfere in his match to lead to a potential program for The Show of Shows.
#1 Gunther is RAW's top heel
If United States Champion Logan Paul is in the field for the qualifying matches for the Elimination Chamber, then why isn't Gunther? Regardless of current or future angles, he is the most dominant star in WWE.
The Ring General has also teased a future match with Rollins, even claiming that he would challenge The Visionary if he won the Royal Rumble match. Putting someone like The Miz or Ivar in the field instead of Gunther seems like a missed opportunity.
Gunther wouldn't have needed to win but WrestleMania programs could have been built around the qualifying match or the Elimination Chamber contest itself.
