Predicting the elimination order in the Elimination Chamber match

We are less than 4 days away from Elimination Chamber PPV and everybody’s eyes are set on the big match: The Elimination Chamber match. Randy Orton is defending his WWE World Heavyweight Championship against WWE’s best men: Daniel Bryan, John Cena, Cesaro, Christian and Sheamus. The inclusion of all the big names makes this match one of the toughest in Elimination Chamber’s history, and Orton will have to give his best in order to resist an upset at the hands of the big guns: Bryan, Cena and Sheamus, who have a nearly equal chance of being in the final two. Making a prediction about these superstars’ elimination order will give a clear picture of where these men stand prior to WrestleMania XXX because the longer they last, the higher will be their heat heading into the ‘Grandest Stage of Them All.’

Elimination #1 – Christian

When the names of all six Elimination Chamber participants were confirmed, Christian and (especially) Cesaro were quickly pointed out as the weak contestants. While Cesaro improved the betting odds on him with his spectacular performances against Orton and Cena over the past week, Christian has failed to establish himself as a legitimate challenger, as he suffered defeats at the hands of Orton and Bryan, being the only man who lost to Orton in last 3 weeks.

Although, Christian is the weakest man of all six, one can still expect him to survive inside the Chamber for quite some time. And if he enters late in the match, then probably he mightn’t be the first one to get eliminated.

Elimination #2 – Cesaro

Of late, Cesaro has impressed everyone with his great performances against the official and unofficial faces of the WWE, Randy Orton and John Cena. Three weeks ago, no one would have even expected Cesaro to compete in the Elimination Chamber match and now he has become the dark horse of the match. A win is a very unrealistic result for him, but he is surely going to deliver a memorable performance, and one can bet on it.

Many might say that Cesaro would be the first one to get eliminated, but it doesn’t look like that WWE will make the man who defeated Orton and gave a great fight to Cena be the first one to walk out of the Chamber. Being in the final 4 doesn’t look like happening for Cesaro because we have got guys like Bryan, Cena, Orton and Sheamus to fill those 4 places.

Elimination #3 – Sheamus

Sheamus was the World Heavyweight Champion for a long time in 2012, and his momentum was on a career high even until last year. But after suffering a serious injury at Money in the Bank, Sheamus missed out half of 2013, and because of that he lost all his momentum and probably even a chance to be a champion during that time. No doubt, Sheamus will be a champion again someday, but February 23 doesn’t look like that day.

Sheamus, upon his return, has been as dominating as before but it’s hard to imagine WWE booking him ahead of the champion, Orton, Cena or the fan-favorite, Bryan. He will definitely dominate the match but it’s hard to see him break into the final 3.

Elimination #4 – John Cena

If Vince has taken enough hints from the WWE Universe then he won’t give the fans another Orton-Cena ppv by making them the last two men left in the Elimination Chamber. Daniel Bryan seems to be a better choice over Cena, because that’s what fans want to see. A duel between Orton and Bryan with the winner getting the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.

Cena might be one of the best Elimination Chamber participants ever, but it’s time to give the limelight to an upcoming talent. With Punk gone, Bryan is the only fan-favorite left in the WWE who can deliver an exploding main event match.

Elimination #5 – Daniel Bryan

It will be heartbreaking to see Bryan come this close to winning the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, but still losing against Orton, but I believe this is exactly what we will see. WWE brought Batista back so that they can make a match between him and Orton for the Unified Championship at WrestleMania XXX. That’s why Batista won the Royal Rumble ahead of Punk, Reigns and Bryan (who didn’t even participate).

Bryan’s focus is not only on the Elimination Chamber match, but also on his current feud with Kane and his upcoming feud with Triple H (for WrestleMania XXX). So, you can expect interference from the Authority during the match, that would cause Bryan a title win. It also looks like the ideal restart for the Triple H-Bryan feud.

Winner – Randy Orton

Yeah, it’s getting a bit monotonous, but this is exactly what’s going to happen. Randy Orton will retain his title after outside interference from the Authority, with Bryan lying on the mat. And then we will have Batista walking down the ramp and then entering the ring to confront Orton. Triple H might be added in the mix.

There is another reason why Orton would win the match, in his 5 matches with all his Elimination Chamber opponents, Orton has won just one which was against Christian. With just one win out of a possible five, WWE won’t show the ‘face’ of their company so weak, especially on the road to WrestleMania. The Elimination Chamber win will make the fans forget about his recent poor form and rather concentrate on his upcoming feud with Batista.