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The 2018 Men's Elimination Chamber was a great one. It created history as it was the first ever Elimination Chamber match to have seven participants. The match lasted over forty minutes with an immense amount of brutality. In the end, battling all odds, Roman Reigns emerged as the winner and is scheduled to face Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 34 for the Universal Championship.
However, this outcome has saddened many WWE fans, as most people believe there were better and worthy contenders for Brock Lesnar. Reigns received a lot of flak when he defeated The Undertaker at WrestleMania last year. Similarly, this decision of the WWE to crown Reigns victorious and give him an extra push will surely invite some backlash.
Let us have a look at the other six wrestlers from the match who could have won the contest and battled Lesnar for the Universal Championship at WrestleMania.
#6 Elias
Elias is certainly enjoying a lot of crowd support in the WWE owing to his persona. It may be his singing, or his 'Walk with Elias' promos, or bashing his guitar on fellow wrestlers. Whatever it is, he is doing everything right at the moment. Elias defeated both John Cena and Braun Strowman in a triple threat match on Monday Night RAW to be the last participant to enter the Chamber match.
Had he won the Elimination Chamber match, he would have the support of the fans going into Mania. He has never faced Lesnar, thus the crowd would be excited to see what these two competitors can bring forth to defeat each other. Elias also has momentum on his side, as he defeated a former World Champion, Seth Rollins. Thus he possesses all the ingredients a Champion should and him facing Lesnar could have brought a greater amount of delight amongst the fans than Roman Reigns.
#5 Seth Rollins
Rollins has previously feuded with Brock Lesnar over the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. The duo have battled each other mercilessly and have made each other suffer. Seth Rollins would have been a better choice as the winner in the Chamber match and could also build a better storyline against Lesnar.
Seth, at present, is not having a great run in the WWE. He lost the Tag Team Titles and has failed to capture them in a rematch as well. Thus him winning the Chamber and going on to fight Lesnar would have stirred more TRP and dynamism among the fans than with Reigns. Rollins has a fan following across the globe and thus the WWE audiences would get split up as to whom to choose between Seth and Brock.
Rollins previously won the WWE Championship by cashing his Money in the Bank contract against Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 31. Thus three years later, these two former rivals battling to establish the ultimate supremacy and gain the Universal Championship would have paved the way for new promos and storylines.
#4 The Miz
The Miz also deserved to win the Elimination Chamber match. Had he won, a match between him and Brock Lesnar would have been awesome. Miz has previously headlined WrestleMania when he fought and defeated John Cena at WrestleMania 27. Similarly, had he won the Chamber match, he would have headlined WrestleMania against 'The Beast'
Miz has won several Championships in the WWE, including the Intercontinental Championship, WWE Championship, and various other titles. If he had competed and won against Brock at WrestleMania, he could have been the first ever person to hold both the Intercontinental and the Universal Championship.
Also, the storylines, plots, feuds, rivalries that the Miz could have generated along with The Miztourage against Brock Lesnar, would have created more impact and entertainment for the WWE Universe than Roman Reigns can.
#3 Finn Balor
Balor is the first ever Universal Champion in the history of WWE. However, luck didn't accompany him as he succumbed to injury and had to vacate the title within twenty-four hours of winning it. Though time and again, he has voiced his desire to compete and grab the Universal Title back, the creative team and the management have not yet provided him with the necessary backup. There is no doubt that he is a classy wrestler and his winning the Elimination Chamber would have created a lot of new narratives for the Universal Title.
Finn Balor has not faced Brock Lesnar yet, and the WWE Universe would have been more eager to see a match between the two of them. While Brock is a combination of strength and dominance, Balor, on the contrary, is a blend of high-flying ability and innovative capability. If the two would fight each other, it would have been really difficult for the WWE fans to pick their idol.
Thus, the WWE Universe would have preferred Balor vs Lesnar much more to Reigns vs Lesnar.
#2 John Cena
The only person inside the Elimination Chamber who has the esteemed record of defeating Brock Lesnar in two back to back PPVs is John Cena. John Cena is a former sixteen time World Heavyweight Champion. Cena was definitely the most adored wrestler inside the Chamber who should have won the match and competed against Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 34.
Brock and Cena have feuded previously and the entire WWE Universe loved their rivalry. The plots and feuds they create and the intensity with which the duo fight one another cannot be compared to any other pair in the locker room. Both of them know each other inside out and thus they produce classic matches in the WWE.
Though Cena has won dozens of other titles, he has not yet won the Universal Title ever since the Championship made its debut in the WWE. Therefore, this match could have been the best title match ever in WrestleMania history.
#1 Braun Strowman
If anyone was the most deserving to win the match, it was none other than Braun Strowman. Throughout the match, Strowman dominated every wrestler who came across his path and tossed them around like bags of hay. He created history as he eliminated 5 of the other competitors in the match. No wrestler alone inside the chamber could handle the monstrous Strowman and his inhuman strength.
Though Braun has been given a lot of push by the management, he has not yet won any Championships in the WWE. Had Strowman won, it would have been a perfect ending to the match. Braun Strowman has previously made it clear that he fears none, and he would not settle down until he lays his hands on the Universal Championship.
Braun certainly deserves to headline WrestleMania and a one-on-one encounter between him and Brock for the title at WrestleMania would have sounded like a happy fairy tale. Thus a competition between the 'Beast' and the 'Monster Among Men' for the most prestigious title would have garnered high viewership for WWE.
