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WWE had an eventful week where all three brands built towards their respective events. RAW and SmackDown focused on the Elimination Chamber event, while NXT went full force ahead with TakeOver: Vengeance Day.
On WWE RAW, Drew McIntyre had another match against Randy Orton this week. Sheamus interfered late in the bout to cause a disqualification and build a rivalry with the WWE Champion. However, did WWE creative need to book another match between McIntyre and Orton for this angle?
WWE NXT featured the return of Cameron Grimes. Meanwhile, finalists for the two Dusty Rhodes Classic tournaments were also decided on the show. Who will win the Men’s and Women’s Dusty Rhodes Classic tournament this year?
During WWE SmackDown, Roman Reigns was not happy to learn that he’d have to defend his Universal Championship inside the Elimination Chamber. Thanks to Paul Heyman's sly tactics, the Elimination Chamber match will now determine who will face Reigns for the title later on in the pay-per-view. Was it the right call to let The Tribal Chief off the hook without a big title defense?
Let’s take a look at the five biggest questions from this week’s WWE shows.
#5 Why is Riddle in the United States Championship match at WWE Elimination Chamber?
Riddle has been in a rivalry with the United States Champion, Bobby Lashley, for the past month or so on WWE RAW. The two men have had a couple of matches, and their previous contest ended in a disqualification victory for Riddle.
Riddle did not get a rematch for the title this week and instead competed against Keith Lee on RAW. The two men had a chance to qualify for a match against Bobby Lashley at Elimination Chamber.
Lee was able to cleanly defeat Riddle on RAW, and that earned him a shot at the United States Championship. However, a post-match beatdown by Lashley on the two competitors somehow prompted WWE to add Riddle to the U.S. Championship match at Elimination Chamber as well.
Since Riddle had already lost to Lee on RAW, why was he added to the match for Elimination Chamber? What was the purpose of the match between Lee and Riddle in the first place? Does a beatdown automatically grant the victim a shot at the title?
WWE made the odd decision by putting Riddle in this position. Either WWE should have only given Riddle a shot at the title at Elimination Chamber, or granted Lee a one-on-one match against The All-Mighty.
This looks like a way to protect Lashley from taking the pin if he is booked to lose his title at the event.
#4 Why is Bianca Belair not talking about the WWE NXT Women’s Champion?
Bianca Belair has proved to be one of the most successful NXT exports in recent times after she made her way to WWE SmackDown. The EST of WWE proved her worth on SmackDown and gained quite a following which led her to a Royal Rumble victory earlier this year.
Belair hasn't yet decided whom she’d like to challenge for WrestleMania 37. The Women's Royal Rumble winner has crossed paths with Sasha Banks more than once.
This week on RAW, Belair spoke about how she could challenge either the RAW or SmackDown Women’s Champion. However, WWE has kept the NXT Women’s Champion completely out of the picture.
Io Shirai is arguably the best female wrestler in WWE, and the company could use Belair to shed some spotlight on her. Unlike what Edge is doing for the NXT Championship picture, Belair hasn’t spoken about the NXT Women’s Champion, for the most part.
Why is WWE keeping Belair away from the NXT Women’s title scene? Is it because she competed on NXT for a long time and then moved to the main roster last year?
Charlotte Flair decided to go after the NXT Women’s Champion after winning the Royal Rumble in 2020. WWE could have highlighted Shirai's potential WrestleMania 37 showdown with Belair, but that doesn't seem to be the case so far.
#3 Why wasn't an up-and-coming Superstar given a chance for the WWE Championship Elimination Chamber match?
WWE RAW kicked-off with Adam Pearce and Shane McMahon appearing side-by-side for a major announcement. Shane wasted little time in announcing a big match for this year’s Elimination Chamber pay-per-view.
Drew McIntyre will defend his WWE Championship in the Elimination Chamber against Jeff Hardy, Randy Orton, AJ Styles, The Miz, and Sheamus. While this was a big announcement, it did not quite hit home as it should have.
All the men announced for the match have gotten several top chances in their careers. Orton and Miz are the youngest challengers in the match despite being 40 years old. Meanwhile, Styles, Sheamus, and Hardy are all 43 years old at the moment.
Why weren't any newer Superstars given a chance to fight for the WWE Championship at the Elimination Chamber? WWE could have announced Kofi Kingston for the match, only for Mustafa Ali to injure him and then take his place. That would have had more impact on Ali’s storyline with Kofi and also given the former a chance to shine in a big match.
Someone else could have benefited from The Miz’s place in the match. Since Miz already holds the Money in the Bank briefcase, he should not get more title shots without proving himself as an equal to all the other competitors.
WWE seems to have missed a few opportunities, and it looks like the creative team did not choose to showcase a younger talent in Drew McIntyre's Elimination Chamber match.
#2 What’s the deal with Cameron Grimes’ new character on WWE NXT?
Cameron Grimes was one of the most prominent Superstars in WWE NXT last year. The Superstar competed in several top matches, including Championship contests. However, he failed to win any titles last year and was in dire need of a character change on NXT.
Grimes last competed against Tommaso Ciampa in December 2020 and was off television for two months. The NXT Superstar made his return this week, just before TakeOver: Vengeance Day.
Surprisingly, his gimmick became even wackier as he appeared in a Lamborghini, giving away money on his way to the ring. WWE seems to have taken his interaction with Elon Musk along with his obsession with the moon too seriously.
Grimes revealed that he had suddenly become very rich after investing in GameStop and Dogecoins. The Superstar then told William Regal that he’d choose what to do in NXT with all his fortunes.
Did WWE need to make Grimes' gimmick even wackier than it already was in the past? The Technical Savage is good on the mic, but it seems like he is not used effectively. The Superstar has taken too many losses in 2020 and appears to be a misfit for a brand that focuses more on in-ring action.
What has WWE planned for Cameron Grimes in the future?
#1 Is Cesaro finally getting the push he deserves on WWE SmackDown?
Earlier this year, Shinsuke Nakamura surprised the WWE Universe with a great performance during a Gauntlet Match on SmackDown. It looked like Nakamura would get in a rivalry against Roman Reigns after the angle, but SmackDown did not push things ahead.
It was later reported that Cesaro was supposed to be in Nakamura’s place for the match, but WWE creative decided against it as he hadn’t signed a new contract at the time. Things could have been very different for The Swiss Cyborg had he signed the contract before the big match.
Over the past couple of weeks, Cesaro has been in the spotlight on SmackDown. This week, he was featured in an angle with Seth Rollins and then teamed up with Daniel Bryan to defeat Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode.
Is Cesaro finally getting the push he deserves in WWE? Will the Superstar go all the way inside the Elimination Chamber and earn a World Championship opportunity?
This could be the opportunity that Cesaro has been looking for all this time. Fans and critics have wanted The Swiss Cyborg to get a push in WWE, and it could be the perfect time for him to rise above the shuffle and stand out as a singles star in the process.
