 |
| photo courtesy: wwe.com |
The Elimination Chamber will serve as the arena for the gladiators battling for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.
To combat a throng of discontented fans, WWE not only put Daniel Bryan in a title match, but one that is overrun with potential. The emotional weight of Bryan's quest for the WWE title, star power and a history of great chemistry power a main event that appears to be a classic in the making.
On Monday's Raw, Bryan, Sheamus and John Cena defeated The Shield to earn a place inside the Elimination Chamber.
Randy Orton will be awaiting them, his hold on his championship suddenly tenuous. Eventually, two more Superstars will join those four men. The match is already looking to be a must-watch event.
History, Chemistry
Even with the field not complete, the championship match teems with animosity.
Bryan enters a match against the man who cheated him out of the title several times over, the man who embarrassed him at WrestleMania 28 and the wrestler who provided the biggest victory of his career.
There should be no issue with creating believable tension between Bryan and Orton once they meet in the chamber. Orton has been his torturer, the man cackling in his nightmares. Their best collisions have resulted in great matches.
That's even truer for Sheamus and Bryan, who clicked beautifully together at Extreme Rules 2012.
WWE knows that any combination of these entrants is bound to produce something special. Orton and Cena's rivalry has been ovqerused, but the company keeps going to that well because of their production together. The energy that those rivals built during TLC 2013's main event is now combined with the power of several other clashes.
The greatness of Cena vs. Bryan at SummerSlam promises that their next showdown will be fantastic.
Sheamus and Cena have a history to call upon as well, dating back to 2009. The buildup to Elimination Chamber can play up how Cena failed against "The Celtic Warrior" at TLC 2009 with the WWE Championship on the line.
Orton can brag about his many victories over Bryan and Sheamus and build on the tension they had before and after their partnership at WrestleMania 29.
Material is plentiful for WWE writers going forward with this match.
Once the warriors step inside the steel, things will only get better. What we've seen in the past from these Superstars' collisions points to this upcoming bout being thrilling and moving. That is even before the last two wrestlers are announced.
Star Power Sure to Grow
Men like The Great Khali, Santino Marella and R-Truth have battled in previous Elimination Chamber matches. This time around, only the top stars will enter the steel structure.
The match already features a returning headliner in Sheamus, the hottest star in the company in Bryan and Cena, whose presence makes any match feel bigger, as Orton's challengers. Rather than have another Orton vs. Cena match or pitting Bryan against "The Viper" again, WWE has instead gone the route of combining its biggest names in a single bout.
With the level of star power that has already been announced, one has to expect that the last two spots will be filled by wrestlers occupying the company's top tier.
The likeliest next entrant is Brock Lesnar. Paul Heyman conveyed his desire to clash with either Orton or Batista on Monday's Raw. His demands went unanswered and Lesnar took out his frustrations on a handful of chairs and the Rhodes brothers' vertebrae.
The self-proclaimed No. 1 contender would only add to the match's stock of star power.
Lesnar's light schedule makes each of his bouts feel especially significant. Should he enter the chamber, the level of intensity and violence of the action are sure to rise. He has never competed inside in this type of match and that novelty alone amps up excitement surrounding the main event.
Bryan's Dream Still Breathing
The anger about Bryan not being in the Royal Rumble was more about his exclusion from the WrestleMania main event.
As Steve Austin became WWE's most popular wrestler, he dethroned Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania XIV. Back in 1990, the increasing support for Ultimate Warrior pushed him to a WrestleMania title bout against Hulk Hogan.
After the Rumble, it seemed that Bryan would not get his own shot in the brightest spotlight.
The chamber match provides an alternate path for him to charge down, a way to make things right with a disgruntled fanbase.
Bryan does have to go through five other foes and a booking team that has kept yanking down as soon as he sits upon WWE's throne. Even so, the championship and the main event spot at WrestleMania are still within reach.
Going into the match, many fans will pull for Sheamus, Cena or perhaps Lesnar, but Bryan's unique connection with fans will have his support be of the electric, hearing-damaging kind. Rooting for Bryan in this match is rooting for the underdog, the best overall wrestler in WWE today.
Fans have watched him be cheated out of title matches from SummerSlam on. Every time that Bryan is knocked off the mountaintop, his supporters grow louder, hijacking the WWE product to voice their opinion.
A victory here is proof that WWE is in tune with its audience, the salve to the wounds of seeing a hero suffer.
Every moment that he appears close to being eliminated will hold the crowd's attention hostage. Should he make it to the final two, every near-fall will push hearts into throats and ensnare every eye in the building.
Getting fans to care about the outcome of a scripted match to that degree is pro wrestling's ultimate goal. With Bryan's inclusion, the quality of his competitors, the thrill of the gimmick match's uniqueness and the high stakes involved, the as-yet-incomplete Elimination Chamber main event has already accomplished that.
source: bleacherreport.com
