5 Things WWE Subtly told us at Elimination Chamber: Another major betrayal against Roman Reigns teased, 32-year-old star to get a major singles push post-WrestleMania 39? (February 18th, 2023)
Welcome to the special edition of things WWE subtly told us at Elimination Chamber. It was a solid Premium Live Event, being the last PLE stop on the road to WrestleMania 39.
WrestleMania's main event is now official, and there were a lot of subtle teases regarding superstars who are next in line to get a big push. But before we get to that, let's start with the incredible main event and what was subtly teased:
#5. The drama of the Elimination Chamber main event
The Elimination Chamber 2023 main event certainly delivered. Fans in Montreal were waiting for hometown hero Sami Zayn to dethrone the Undisputed Universal Champion Roman Reigns.
It took a lot of time for the match to begin, but it made sense as WWE wanted fans to soak in the reaction - the organic reaction to Sami Zayn and Roman Reigns. Ultimately, Zayn would fall short after a failed interference from Jimmy Uso, and an accidental move by Jey Uso led to Sami Zayn spearing him.
This allowed Reigns to hit Zayn with multiple chair shots, winning the match and deflating the crowd.
It was interesting because, for a moment, The Tribal Chief naively turned his back on Jey Uso, who teased betraying him. This seems to be an inevitable storyline, and we expect it to happen at some point in 2023. Kevin Owens' return confirms that he will team up with Sami Zayn to face The Usos for the Tag Team Titles at WrestleMania.
It's going to be interesting to see the interaction between Jey and Sami on the Grandest Stage of Them All.
#4. WWE teased a future push for Raquel Rodriguez in the Elimination Chamber match
The Women's Elimination Chamber match was a solid one, won by Asuka as expected. Asuka's dominance before the Chamber made it seem like she wasn't going to win, but ultimately, she stood tall and is the right opponent for Bianca Belair at WrestleMania 39.
But Raquel Rodriguez, and not Liv Morgan, was booked as the biggest threat of the match aside from Asuka. Carmella and Asuka had to team up to take out Raquel, and Carmella was the runner-up, getting eliminated not long after.
We were a bit surprised that Liv Morgan was eliminated as early as she was, but Raquel's time might come sooner than we think - perhaps post-WrestleMania 39.
#3. Is Brock Lesnar vs. Bobby Lashley 4 inevitable?
We were admittedly not happy with the finish of Brock Lesnar vs. Bobby Lashley at Elimination Chamber. The two have yet to have a banger of a match and perhaps need a stipulation to up the intensity.
The Beast uncharacteristically got himself DQ'd by hitting Lashley in the nether regions with his leg after he was unable to escape The Hurt Lock. While it did well to establish the All Mighty as a threat, it left a lot to be desired.
There is no other direction they can go apart from Lashley vs Lesnar 4. Where does Bray Wyatt fit into the equation?
#2. A Rated-R plan for Edge at WrestleMania 39
It was a good night for Edge and Beth Phoenix as they got the better of The Judgment Day's Finn Balor & Rhea Ripley in a mixed tag team match. Unfortunately, it was a botch-filled match, although the "F-- you Dominik" chants were admittedly hilarious.
It was a disappointing match, and with Beth Phoenix likely not available for WrestleMania, we wouldn't be surprised to finally see Edge vs. Finn Balor Hell in a Cell match happen at WrestleMania 39.
#1. 2 major stars have a singles push tease in the Men's Elimination Chamber
Austin Theory won the Elimination Chamber match by last eliminating Seth Rollins, who was attacked by Logan Paul to confirm their WrestleMania 39 match. But it wasn't very subtle - it was direct.
What was subtle, however, was WWE doing their best to fix Bronson Reed, so he gets a reaction, and it worked. Despite being the first person eliminated, it took multiple stars to do so - presenting him as the biggest physical threat of the match. The Chamber proved to be the perfect match to show fans what Reed is capable of.
The second star to benefit from the defeat was Montez Ford, who was eliminated second to last. Although we're not a fan of spots where superstars gather together to take an obvious bump, it certainly looked good.
This, if anything, was a tease of Montez Ford's potential as a singles star - something we expect to unfold at some point in 2023.