WWE Elimination Chamber 2021: 5 Biggest news stories - Edge picks his WrestleMania opponent, major title changes

By Kartik Arry
Modified Feb 22, 2021 16:17 IST
The Elimination Chamber matches led to some major plot developments.
The Elimination Chamber matches led to some major plot developments.

From entertaining Elimination Chamber matches to a last-minute replacement, WWE Elimination Chamber 2021 featured many contrasting moments.

One of the most beneficial outcomes from WWE's ThunderDome era has been the reduced length of pay-per-view events. Elimination Chamber marked another good addition to WWE's recent series of pay-per-views. The event included a couple of newsworthy moments as well. However, Elimination Chamber was one of those rare shows where fans preferred to see an extra match or two.

The women's division seemed like an afterthought. The only women's match of the night was marred by a poorly booked finish. But that's just a relatively small nitpick from a predominantly enjoyable event.

What are your thoughts on this year's WWE Elimination Chamber pay-per-view? Leave your opinions in the comments section below.

Here are the five biggest news stories from WWE Elimination Chamber 2021.

#5 Daniel Bryan defied all odds and won WWE SmackDown's Elimination Chamber match

Daniel Bryan was a fan-favorite to win both the Royal Rumble and Elimination Chamber matches this year. In the latter case, WWE gave the fans what they wanted.

WWE SmackDown's Elimination Chamber match was the first bout on the main card. The multi-man contest kicked off with Bryan and Cesaro as the first two participants in the ring. As a whole, this was a well-executed Chamber match. Even King Corbin impressed viewers with his role in the bout.

Jey Uso conveniently entered last, which added more to the narrative of backstage politics with Paul Heyman and Roman Reigns. Uso scored the most eliminations in the match. Kevin Owens and Cesaro, two of the favorites in this contest, were eliminated by Uso via pinfall.

It all came down to Bryan and Uso in the end. Despite being the first entrant, Bryan managed to outlast the rest of his opponents inside the Chamber.

It's hard to find any legitimate faults with Bryan winning the Elimination Chamber match. The fans asked for it, and that is exactly what they got. Moreover, the match itself met everyone's expectations.

#4 Edge challenged Roman Reigns for the Universal Championship at WWE WrestleMania 37

Roman Reigns got his wish for a WWE WrestleMania 37 match against Edge. But the challenge was accepted by The Ultimate Opportunist when Reigns least expected it.

After Daniel Bryan won WWE SmackDown's Elimination Chamber match, his title clash against Reigns took place immediately after the multi-man contest was over. Bryan clearly looked exhausted, which is why his title shot ended rather quickly at the pay-per-view. Reigns vs. Bryan lasted for 92 seconds. Despite Bryan's heroic efforts, his chances to win were squashed by The Tribal Chief with a Guillotine choke.

Bryan didn't exactly look weak here. This is because the circumstances of the event were manipulated in such a way that Reigns' victory was inevitable.

After the match ended, The Tribal Chief's victory celebration was interrupted by Edge. The Rated-R Superstar hit a Spear and pointed towards the WrestleMania sign.

The buildup to Reigns and Edge's eventual clash at The Show of Shows has been good regardless of the predictable plot developments. WWE Fastlane is the last main roster pay-per-view before WrestleMania. Could Reigns and Bryan face each other in a proper rematch at Fastlane?

#3 Riddle became the new WWE United States Champion in a match that featured a last-minute replacement

Bobby Lashley, Riddle, and Keith Lee were scheduled to wrestle in a triple threat match for the WWE United States Championship at Elimination Chamber. However, Lee was ruled out of the bout with an injury.

John Morrison, Elias, Mustafa Ali, and Ricochet were booked in a fatal four-way match during the pre-show to determine a competitor for Lee's spot. Morrison won this bout, and he went on to wrestle Lashley and Riddle later in the night.

This was an entertaining match that effectively showcased Lashley's dominant nature. Although he lost the US title, Lashley looked strong in defeat. This is because it was Morrison who got pinned by Riddle, as the latter star became the new US Champion.

If Lee was in this match, perhaps he could have become the new champion instead. It seems unlikely that the higher-ups would have booked The Limitless One to take a pinfall loss in the middle of his WWE push.

Lashley couldn't break up the pin in time, but it was established that Riddle and Morrison weren't able to match his superiority in the ring. Despite the loss, Lashley wasn't done for the night, though.

#2 Drew McIntyre fought in a WWE Elimination Chamber match that was packed with surprises

WWE RAW's Elimination Chamber match was the main event of the pay-per-view, and Drew McIntyre faced a tough task ahead of him.

Jeff Hardy and Randy Orton kickstarted the proceedings. Orton's arc in the match was disappointing, to say the least. There were numerous theories and possible ways through which The Fiend or Alexa Bliss could have influenced The Viper's role in the match. Surprisingly, this WWE storyline didn't factor into the multi-man contest in any capacity. Instead, Orton was the first participant to be eliminated with a roll-up pin by Kofi Kingston.

The rest of the match was quite engaging in terms of action. Despite the predictions stacked against Hardy, he had an impressive showing in this bout. There was an entertaining spot where Omos was ejected from ringside. This occurred after the giant bodyguard ripped off the plexiglass from AJ Styles' Chamber pod.

Sheamus was the last one to enter as per the stipulation. However, The Celtic Warrior couldn't make it to the end.

Styles and McIntyre were the ones who ended up being the final two competitors. The hard-hitting match concluded after McIntyre delivered a mid-air Claymore Kick to The Phenomenal One.

The Scottish Warrior retained his WWE Championship in the Elimination Chamber contest. However, the main twist of the night occurred after the main event came to an end.

#1 Drew McIntyre lost his WWE title as part of a plan executed by The Miz and Bobby Lashley

Drew McIntyre fought hard to retain his WWE Championship at Elimination Chamber, but his post-match celebration was short-lived.

Earlier in the night, MVP and The Miz engaged in a backstage conversation after Bobby Lashley lost his United States title. The exact details of their conversation weren't revealed. However, it became clear that The Miz and The Hurt Business had plotted against McIntyre towards the end of the pay-per-view.

After the main event, Lashley ambushed McIntyre and delivered a beatdown to The Scottish Warrior. Soon after, The Miz came out with the MITB briefcase and cashed-in his contract. McIntyre's fighting spirit couldn't help him retain the title once again, as Miz capitalized on an exhausted opponent to become the new WWE Champion.

The A-Lister is now a two-time WWE Champion. It's fair to say that there are a lot of questions and possibilities heading into Monday Night RAW. Will Lashley get a WWE title match as a favor in return? What is next for Drew McIntyre? How does The Miz now fit into the overall landscape of RAW on the Road to WrestleMania 37? Could Bad Bunny become the next WWE Champion?

Jokes apart, it looks like The Miz's WWE title victory has created some interesting conversation on the Road to WrestleMania. Perhaps McIntyre was booked to lose the world title so that he can regain it in front of a crowd at WrestleMania. That seems like an optimistic guess at this stage.

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