Elimination Chamber 2019: Predicting the quality of every match

Disclaimer: The author's views don't necessarily reflect that of Sportskeeda.

Unfortunately, 2019's version of Elimination Chamber has a card that's thoroughly underwhelming. I've said it before and I'll say it again, it truly feels more like a C-level pay per view of the kind you'd expect in July or October rather than one you'd see during the months leading up to WrestleMania.

The road to WrestleMania just hasn't felt terribly exciting this year so far, and this card is one of the major reasons why. Instead of using it to set up the Show of Shows, it's being used as a way to fill out TV time, more or less.

This just isn't a card that screams "must-see," but are there any matches you should go out of your way to take a look at? If you understandably don't want to watch the show live, which matches should you go back and see later?

Here's how things stand as far as the match quality should go.

#7. Braun Strowman vs. Baron Corbin

Why is this match happening at all? That's the question here. Braun Strowman has cooled at a rapid pace from his highs. Just a year ago, he was the most popular star in the company. Now look at him!

His feud with Baron Corbin has been heatless. Strowman already got his payback at TLC by ensuring that Corbin would be out of a job as Raw GM and he got his payback in an innovative way. WWE's reasons for continuing the feud amount to little more than a lazy way to fill TV time.

On top of a heatless feud, Strowman and Corbin's inherent limitations will expose themselves quickly when they're in the ring together. Perhaps surprises lie in wait, but by every conceivable measurement, this match stinks. It's pure filler and nothing more.

#6. Women's elimination chamber match

As much as WWE would like to get us excited about this match, the lineup is extraordinarily week. Sasha Banks and Bayley are the only top-level wrestlers in the match. The others are either not the finished item yet (Sonya Deville, for example), or just aren't good. (Nia Jax and Tamina).

Sasha Banks and Bayley are going to have their work cut out for them in carrying the others, but this match should last for a while, and it could become quite tedious. It has all the ingredients of being a disaster and it's truly fortunate indeed that Banks was cleared in time to compete.

Regardless of this match being a mistake, it's here, and while it might wind up surprising us in some ways, no amount of good planning can make up for the lack of top talent in the ring, especially in a match as long as this one is going to be. There will at least be long stretches of plodding action.

#5. Bobby Lashley and Lio Rush vs. Finn Balor

The handicap stipulation ensures one thing - there's going to be a lot of shenanigans in this match. Therefore, it's going to be used as a way to extend the feud rather than be a notable match in its own right. It's more an angle than a proper match - and that's assuming that things go well.

There will probably be some pacing problems in the match that interferes in the work rate. We'll get some hints about better potential things to come, but this encounter is going to mask them.

Ultimately, there will be a screwy finish that keeps Finn Balor in title contention while keeping the championship on Bobby Lashley. It's fine as a way to set up things to come (something this road to WrestleMania has lacked), but it doesn't do much for the night of Elimination Chamber itself.

#4. Ronda Rousey vs. Ruby Riott

Ruby Riott would have been much better used in the women's Elimination Chamber match, but here we are. A serviceable performer, she'll do well in her title match with Ronda Rousey, but this just feels like pure filler. Thoughts are inevitably going to turn to the ongoing saga with Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair, the latter of which will be sitting at ringside.

It's all going to overshadow the match. Ruby Riott is getting the short end of the stick here. It probably would have been better for Ronda Rousey to not defend her title at all, much like Asuka won't. This angle has already become overexposed and convoluted, and this pay per view should have been used to set up the other angles heading into MetLife Stadium on April 7th.

The action itself should be fine, at least.

#3. Shane McMahon and The Miz vs. The Usos

The Uso penitentiary almost became too real for comfort.

A tag team title match involving The Usos will have a high floor regardless of their opponents, and Shane McMahon and The Miz proved to be an entertaining tag team at the Royal Rumble, where they had a fun match with The Bar.

There are some lingering concerns that Jimmy Uso's latest legal problems could affect the booking of this match. Is it possible that Shane McMahon will squash the Usos in a parody? Such things have happened under less trying circumstances. The company might want to punish the Usos for Jimmy's latest indiscretions this past week.

Still, this match should be good at worst if it's given enough time. It's definitely filler, but it will be entertaining filler, at least. We might also see the beginning of dissension between The Miz and Shane McMahon.

#2. Buddy Murphy vs. Akira Tozawa

The fact that one of the best matches on the card is shunted to the pre-show where the audience is still filing in should be lamented but isn't surprising. That's as far as 205 Live goes, despite the routine clinics that the purple brand puts on. Akira Tozawa has had a lot of good matches in recent weeks and Buddy Murphy is always dependable to put on a show-stealer. That's why he's the Cruiserweight Champion, after all.

Tozawa vs. Murphy is a fresh matchup, too.

There's no chance that Murphy loses his championship here, but he shouldn't be losing it, anyway. This predictability shouldn't mar the match too much. We can expect a blistering pace between these two, with stiff attacks exchanged until one of them wins the war of attrition.

This match might well steal the show. Cruiserweight title matches often get into that territory.

#1. Men's elimination chamber match

It's unfortunate that Mustafa Ali couldn't compete here, but the company did a great job in heating Kofi Kingston up for this match this past week.

It's unsurprising that this match tops the anticipation list. We should see explosive action between some of the best stars in the company. There's no chance that Daniel Bryan is dropping the WWE title here, but his WrestleMania picture might get cleared up, depending on the course that this match takes. His challenger at MetLife will likely be one of these men and this is the perfect opportunity to begin to position one of them.

Samoa Joe stands as the most intriguing one of them, and it will be interesting to see how he fares in the Chamber. It's a match made for his style and persona of brutality, and it will be a treat to see how he uses it. Hopefully, he'll emerge as the star of the match.

Edited by Rahul Arun