WWE Championship match set for Elimination Chamber

The 26th annual Royal Rumble is behind us, and we are now on the road to Wrestlemania 29 in New Jersey. However, before we get to the “Granddaddy of ‘Em All”, there is one major stop on the road, that being the Elimination Chamber. Well, the main event for the show was made official this past Monday night on RAW, and new WWE Champion The Rock will defend his title against the former champion, CM Punk.

Punk is looking for redemption in this match. He was defeated by the Rock at last Sunday’s Royal Rumble pay-per-view event, ending the former champion’s 400-plus day reign with the title, a historic run to say the least. It was considered somewhat of an upset when you take into account that, in the last almost nine years, this was only the third match for The Rock. Regardless, he picked up the duke, and his 8th WWE Championship in the process.

Punk wants his belt back, and as the former champion, he has a “rematch clause”, which grants him at least one guaranteed rematch for the championship. On Monday Night RAW, Punk made it clear that he wants the belt back, and wants it back now. As a result, he is taking his championship match at the pay-per-view, which takes place on February 17th from the New Orleans Arena in New Orleans, LA.

What is interesting here is that, as of this moment, this will be a straight, one-on-one match with no stipulation. While this would normally not be a big deal, considering that it’s taking place at the Elimination Chamber event, it’s a little surprising. Traditionally, both the WWE and World Heavyweight Championships are contested at this event in Elimination Chamber matches, which feature each champion defending their title against five different competitors. The Rock only has one challenger this year in the former champion.

It will be interesting to see what happens with the PPV now. While the current reports state there will only be one Elimination Chamber match this year, that could change at the last minute, with possibly a second added in order to determine a new number-one contender for the World Championship. Although he hasn’t made his announcement yet, it’s painfully clear that Royal Rumble winner John Cena will choose to face The Rock for the WWE title in a rematch from last year’s Wrestlemania, rather than take on Alberto Del Rio (or whomever may be champion at the time) for the World title.