'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
On this week's episode of WWE RAW, Adam Pearce confirmed an Elimination Chamber match where Drew McIntyre will defend the WWE Championship against five former WWE Champions - AJ Styles, Jeff Hardy, Randy Orton, The Miz, and Sheamus at the upcoming pay-per-view. The Scottish Warrior has a huge task ahead of him, and he will look to walk out of the show with his gold intact.
In this article, we will take a look at five reasons why Drew McIntyre should defend his WWE Championship at the Elimination Chamber.
Trending
#1 Drew McIntyre could pick his first-ever Elimination Chamber victory
At the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view, Drew McIntyre can reach a new milestone in his WWE career. The Scottish Warrior has only made one appearance in an Elimination Chamber match, which happened 10 years ago. The upcoming pay-per-view will be a massive opportunity for McIntyre to claim his first-ever victory inside the Elimination Chamber.
McIntyre has enjoyed a great run in WWE ever since he won the last year’s Royal Rumble event. He defeated Brock Lesnar for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania and feuded with top superstars including Randy Orton. Most recently, he earned a huge victory over Goldberg to further establish himself as a dominant champion.
One of the best parts of Drew McIntyre’s title reign is the fact that he has been booked as a fighting champion. A successful title defense at the Elimination Chamber will add more a lot of credibility to that narrative, especially since he will face all those Superstars who have already held the WWE Championship beforehand.
Elimination Chamber matches account for an exciting stipulation. The matches are often brutal and work wonders when it comes to pushing top names as a resilient force. McIntyre has worked hard to carry himself as the leader of the RAW roster, often carrying the brand on his back for a better half of last year.
Despite the limited time that he has on the show, McIntyre does his best to deliver engaging matches. He should be rewarded with a memorable title reign. Elimination Chamber could very well be the last pay-per-view where Drew McIntyre is the favorite to walk out with the title. Thus, he should be allowed to put on a heroic performance for his gold before he eventually starts to prepare himself for a title loss as we inch closer to WrestleMania.
#2 None of his Elimination Chamber opponents have enough momentum ahead of the pay-per-view
Ahead of the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view, Drew McIntyre has a win over Goldberg and an incredible title reign to back his momentum. On the other hands, his opponents barely have enough build-up backing them up to make them look like credible threats. The Miz has the Money in the Bank contract, but the creative team might want to wait until WrestleMania to pull off that swerve.
Sheamus just turned heel and needs a little more time to develop his rivalry with McIntyre. A brief encounter between these two Superstars inside the Elimination Chamber should be used to fuel that fire. As good as Randy Orton is, he already had a long feud with McIntyre, and The Viper even had a run with the title last year.
Jeff Hardy is great, but he has mostly used his recent run on WWE to put over other talents. Finally, AJ Styles will be present inside the Elimination Chamber, and he also had a feud with Drew McIntyre towards the end of last year. Even though all these Superstars are bound to deliver a memorable match together, they do not have enough reasons pushing them as a serious contender individually.
#3 Gives a free pass to Roman Reigns at the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view
An Elimination Chamber match featuring some of the best names in the entire pro wrestling business is bound to headline the show. It should be the pay-per-view where Drew McIntyre gets to stay in the spotlight. For this one event, WWE need to keep Roman Reigns out of the picture, and a victory for McIntyre will help divert the attention.
At Royal Rumble, Roman Reigns defended his Universal Championship against Kevin Owens. We all thought that their feud had ended with that Last Man Standing match. However, Owens returned and attacked Reigns on WWE SmackDown last week, and it appears that the two Superstars will continue their rivalry on the Blue brand.
In fact, backstage reports have suggested that Owens could be Reigns’ WrestleMania opponent. If that is the case, then the creative team will be desperate to keep them from competing in another match since we have already seen them face each other for the title at the last two pay-per-views. As a result, Reigns might not feature at Elimination Chamber. However, he could still make a brief appearance during the show.
This sets up the perfect stage for Drew McIntyre to steal the show. Not so long ago, Reigns called McIntyre just a ‘backup’ champion. This would be the best opportunity for WWE to allow their biggest babyface to prove that he is just as good as their biggest heel. A proper showing of Drew McIntyre's mettle in a successful title defense inside the Elimination Chamber will certainly serve the purpose.
#4 WWE should build-up a singles match between Drew McIntyre and Sheamus
Sheamus will be one of Drew McIntyre’s challengers inside the Elimination Chamber. He turned heel by attacking McIntyre on the first episode of WWE RAW after Royal Rumble. The Celtic Warrior stated that he has his eyes set on the prize and is ready to sacrifice his friendship with McIntyre to get his hands on the gold.
The feud has been in the making ever since WWE first started focusing on the long history shared between the two Superstars that dates back to the early days of their careers. In fact, almost everyone that faced McIntyre warned him to be careful about Sheamus. While this heel turn was not as shocking, it is something that fans were excited about.
But there is still a lot more that needs to happen in this rivalry as Sheamus gets more and more desperate to get his shot at the title. He was clearly unhappy that he did not get a singles match against McIntyre at the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view. In addition, the latter also stated that he wants to face his friend-turned-enemy without anyone’s interference.
The creative team should book an extended feud between both Superstars after McIntyre retains his championship inside the Elimination Chamber. Given the chemistry between the two Superstars, this storyline needs a lot more build-up, and Sheamus deserves to be booked strongly before he officially challenges his former friend for the gold.
#5 Drew McIntyre defends his title at Elimination Chamber and carries it until WrestleMania
Drew McIntyre may have a huge match scheduled for himself at the Elimination Chamber, but he knows that sun is about to set on his run as the WWE Champion. The title that he has won, defended, lost, and won again in the last year, will eventually find a new shoulder. His memorable reign on RAW will come to an end. However, none of that will ever take away from McIntyre’s resilience and dedication towards the cause.
He should be the one who walks into this year’s WrestleMania with the WWE Championship. Between new challengers and a Money in the Bank cash-in, it wouldn’t be bad if he loses his title at The Grandest Stage of Them All. For all we know, McIntyre could find his next big feud inside the Elimination Chamber.
Two years ago, the Elimination Chamber match for the same title marked the beginning of Kofi Kingston’s incredible world title push. We could see something like that transpire once again, especially with Sheamus and The Miz's presence inside the ring. Knowing Drew McIntyre, he will do everything he can to put over other talents, and that might find us the next best title contender.
Not to forget, Edge will reveal his decision after Elimination Chamber. Interestingly, Edge was the one who walked out of the Elimination Chamber with the World Heavyweight title when McIntyre last competed in this match a decade ago. Hence, the creative team should have McIntyre successfully defend his WWE Championship at the Elimination Chamber because the positive implications of this decision are too good to ignore.
