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One of WWE's most popular premium live events is the annual Elimination Chamber. The event began in 2010, replacing the former WWE pay-per-view event known as No Way Out. The show typically features one, sometimes two main event matches competed inside the Elimination Chamber structure.
The Chamber features four pods, one in each corner of the ring. The match begins with two superstars in the ring, and one superstar in each of the chambers. As the match progresses, one chamber is opened every five minutes, and that person enters the ring to participate in the match. This continues until all of the chambers have opened and all six WWE Superstars are competing.
The only way a person can be eliminated is by pinfall or submission. The match will continue until there is one superstar remaining, who will be crowned the winner of the Elimination Chamber match.
The Elimination Chamber is the final main roster premium live event before WrestleMania. Historically speaking, The Chamber has huge WrestleMania implications, with the winner often securing a spot on the WrestleMania card.
This year, there will be two Chamber main events. One of the Chamber matches will be a women's match, where the winner will go on to compete for the RAW Women's Championship at WrestleMania. On the men's side, this year's Elimination Chamber match will be for the WWE United States Championship, currently held by Austin Theory.
While several spots have already been announced for the match, today we will take a look at six WWE Superstars who deserve a spot in the Elimination Chamber.
#6 - Kevin Owens
He is known as The Prizefighter, and he fits that moniker perfectly as he has for nearly 25 years now. Kevin Owens is clearly one of the greatest superstars of this generation, and with the Royal Rumble behind him, KO is moving forward. While Roman Reigns may still be on his radar, maybe it's time for a new direction.
This year's prize for the winner of the Elimination Chamber is the United States Championship. Kevin Owens has held the title on three separate occasions, all of which have been short reigns. Owens may have a chip on his shoulder, needing to prove that he is capable of making the U.S. title one of the premier championships in all of professional wrestling.
So far, Seth Rollins, Austin Theory, Bronson Reed, and Johnny Gargano have secured a spot in the Elimination Chamber match. Could Kevin Owens claim one of those final two spots?
#5 - Former WWE United States Champion Seth Rollins
Seth Rollins is undoubtedly one of the most electric professional wrestlers in the entire industry. His current run as Seth "Freakin'" Rollins has been both exciting and dominant as he has blazed through nearly every major name on the WWE roster. Seth is one of the best storytellers we have witnessed in quite some time and his latest work with Austin Theory as his nemesis has been one for the record books.
Seth, as expected, put on a fantastic show at The Royal Rumble. He entered the Rumble as the #15 competitor and lasted over 35 minutes before being eliminated by Logan Paul. During his extended stay in the match, Seth was able to eliminate both Bobby Lashley and Baron Corbin.
Rollins has already secured a spot in the Elimination Chamber match, and deservedly so. The feud between him and current United States Champion Austin Theory has been very entertaining and has put a much-needed spotlight on the U.S. title.
Seth is no stranger to the United States Championship, having held the title twice thus far in his career. Heading into the Elimination Chamber, Seth has to be the odds-on favorite to take the title from Theory.
#4 - Former Honorary Uce Sami Zayn
With the Royal Rumble in the books, the biggest story that came from the event was the betrayal of Sami Zayn. The Honorary Uce shocked his Bloodline family as he nailed The Tribal Chief Roman Reigns with a chair to the back, ending his alliance with The Bloodline.
Sami Zayn is the hottest name in professional wrestling right now. His actions at The Royal Rumble stunned everyone, but many fans saw his allegiance coming to an end as he continued to be undermined by Roman Reigns constantly questioning his loyalty. For over six months, Sami did everything possible to earn the respect and acceptance of The Head of The Table, but it was never enough.
Zayn has enjoyed a great run as a WWE Superstar. He held the NXT Championship early on in his career. As a main roster superstar, Sami has only held the Intercontinental Championship, a title he has captured on three separate occasions. The United States Championship would be a great title for Sami to use as a catalyst as he continues to climb up the ladder, en route to an eventual shot at the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship.
#3 - Rising WWE Superstar Logan Paul
One of the biggest surprises to come out of the 2023 Royal Rumble was the performance put on by Logan Paul. Logan entered the Rumble at #29, and he eliminated Seth Rollins before being eliminated himself by the eventual winner of the Royal Rumble, Cody Rhodes.
When the news broke of Logan Paul signing with WWE, there was a lot of doubt and concern about the Youtuber infiltrating the wrestling world. Despite his combat sports experience as a boxer, many fans, including myself, were concerned that he would make a mockery of the sport that we all love.
However, he has since proved us all wrong, and in doing so, he has proved that he is in fact worthy of being called a WWE Superstar.
Logan has had minimal in-ring experience, but the time he has spent in the ring has been memorable. His debut match was at WrestleMania 38 when he teamed up with The Miz to face Dominik and Rey Mysterio. After The Miz turned on Paul, Logan went on to defeat The A-Lister at SummerSlam and eventually lost to Roman Reigns in the main event at Crown Jewel.
As previously noted, Logan Paul has not had a ton of in-ring experience. With that said, every time he competes, his skills appear to improve drastically and he continues to show the WWE Universe that he not only deserves our respect, but he deserves a potential shot at a title. The United States Championship would be a perfect launch point for Logan and he could get there by winning the Elimination Chamber.
#2 - 2017 Elimination Chamber winner Bray Wyatt
One of the most popular moves by the new WWE leadership was bringing back Bray Wyatt. On July 31, 2021, Wyatt was released due to "budget cuts," ending a great 12-year run with the company. At the time he was let go, Bray had just concluded his storyline as The Fiend. He was one of the most popular superstars in wrestling, which left fans stunned when the announcement was made that he was being released.
Since returning to the company at the 2022 Extreme Rules premium live event, Bray has spent most of this time involved in a feud with LA Knight. That angle could very well have ended at The Royal Rumble after Bray defeated Knight in the first ever Pitch Black match.
Moving forward, it is not clear which direction the company will take with Wyatt, but it will likely include whatever they have planned for the Uncle Howdy character. However, The Elimination Chamber is an event that Bray has had some success in. In 2017, he outlasted the other five participants in the Chamber match, winning John Cena's WWE Championship as a result.
While Bray has held the WWE Championship in the past, he is yet to win the United States Championship. Could this be his chance? Bray is definitely worthy of competing in the match if the company decides to go that route with The Eater of Worlds.
#1 - WWE Intercontinental Champion Gunther
The most talked about story coming out of the 2023 Royal Rumble was the historic performance of WWE Intercontinental Champion Gunther. Entering as the very first participant in the Rumble match, Gunther made history as the longest-lasting Royal Rumble participant, lasting an hour and 11 minutes before finally being eliminated by the winner of The Royal Rumble, Cody Rhodes.
During the match, Gunther eliminated five WWE Superstars, including Sheamus, Kofi Kingston, Xavier Woods, Drew McIntyre and Booker T.
Gunther made his WWE debut when he confronted then-NXT UK Champion Pete Dunne after Dunne successfully retained his title when he defeated Joe Coffey. At the time, Gunther was known as Walter. Several months later, he defeated Dunne at NXT Takeover: New York, and became the new champion. He held the NXT UK title for a record-setting 870 days.
Since making his main roster debut, Gunther has already captured the WWE Intercontinental Championship, which he has now held for over 235 days and counting, as of this writing.
Gunther has only gotten better since moving up to the main roster. The Elimination Chamber could save a spot for the Intercontinental Champion, especially considering his recent performance at The Royal Rumble. It would not be surprising to not only see Gunther in the Chamber, but to see him win and become a dual champion.
Bayley gives us a HUGE update on a top Superstar's upcoming return RIGHT HERE.
