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Bobby Lashley defends the Intercontinental Championship against Finn Balor at Elimination Chamber on Sunday night, but he will have the added comfort of knowing that Lio Rush is also in his corner for the match.
In recent weeks, Lio Rush and Balor have had an interesting feud on Raw and it's highly likely that Lashley will allow Rush to battle Balor throughout the match whilst he watches on from ringside and only steps in if Balor looks like he could pick up the victory.
Of course, the issue with handicap Championship matches is that the Champion doesn't have to be pinned, so if Balor is able to take Lashley out of the fight and pin Lio Rush then there could be some dissension in the ranks between the two men who have been on the same page over the past few months.
This is the way The Authors of Pain lost their Championship on Raw when Drake Maverick was pinned instead of any of the current Tag Team Champions so it's highly unlikely that WWE would allow the same thing to happen in the space of a few months.
#5. Bobby Lashley retains the Intercontinental Championship
Bobby Lashley has held the Intercontinental Championship ever since he was able to defeat Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins on Monday Night Raw ahead of The Royal Rumble and Lio Rush has helped to ensure that The Almighty continues to reign supreme.
This Sunday the odds are stacked against Finn Balor, much like they were when Balor faced Brock Lesnar back at The Royal Rumble where The Demon King was able to put in an impressive showing.
The odds here should state that Lashley and Lio Rush come out on top since they have the advantage, so it will be interesting to see if Lashley is able to scrape past Balor one more time.
#4. Finn Balor becomes the Intercontinental Champion
Finn Balor is a former Universal Champion, but it was a title that he only held for a day and he has since been unable to recapture it. Balor has never held a mid-card title and this Sunday could finally be the day that the former NXT Champion is able to lift gold, his first belt in almost three years.
Balor has always been able to come out on top when the odds are stacked against him and many fans believe that the addition of Lio Rush could be the wild card that Balor has been looking for when it comes to finding a weakness in Lashley's game.
It will be interesting to see if Balor is able to pull it out this weekend and then book his place in another Intercontinental Championship match at WrestleMania 35.
#3. Lio Rush costs Bobby Lashley the Championship
This is WWE, which means that Lio Rush hasn't been added to this match as an oversight, he is there for a purpose. Either Lio Rush is going to help Lashley retain the title and this could then cause a few issues when he asks The Almighty for a title shot in the future, or he will be the reason that Lashley loses it.
There are a number of combustible elements in this match, it's unknown as to whether or not Rush and Lashley will have to tag in and out of the match, which means that this could be a match that's over in minutes if both men are allowed in the ring at the same time.
Either way, there is a reason why Rush has been added instead of him lurking at ringside, so prepare for a storyline swerve of some kind.
#2. Disqualification
Lio Rush and Bobby Lashley are no strangers to getting disqualified since the two men have opted for this way out a number of times. Heels often choose to get disqualified if they know that the odds are out of their favor and if Lashley and Rush are forced to tag in and out of the match on Sunday night then there could definitely be room for a disqualification.
DQ would allow the feud to push forward into Fastlane where the match would then be no disqualification and it would open the door for interference or even returns since there are a lot of stars who have issues with Lashley at present including Kurt Angle, Braun Strowman, Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens.
This would be the cheat's way out, but it would give Lashley the heat he needs and give Balor a reason to ask for a rematch without rules.
#1. The return of Sami Zayn/Kevin Owens
Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens have been sidelined for the best part of a year because of Bobby Lashley; the Intercontinental Champion put Zayn on the treatment table back at Money in the Bank last year before he targetted Kevin Owens and was the storyline reason why he was forced to undergo double knee surgery.
The rumor now is that Owens could return to WWE as a babyface, which means that he's the most likely to come out and level the odds here in the match between his longtime friend and rival and someone who has cost him a lot of in-ring time.
Balor and Owens had a fantastic feud in NXT, so it would be interesting to see if they could reach the same hype as a team, of course, don't rule out a Sami Zayn return either since Zayn also has a problem with Lashley and is reportedly ready to return to TV.
