Elimination Chamber 2012: Will Raw or SmackDown Have the Better Chamber Match?

Following the most recent SmackDown tapings this past Tuesday in Omaha, the card for this month’s Elimination Chamber is starting to take shape for the final pay-per-view stop on the road to WrestleMania.

From ProWrestling.com:

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It was announced at the beginning of last night's WWE SmackDown tapings in Omaha that Daniel Bryan would defend the World Heavyweight Title against Mark Henry, Randy Orton, Wade Barrett, Cody Rhodes and Big Show in the SmackDown Elimination Chamber match.

WWE then did an angle between Teddy Long and Mark Henry where Henry ended up being suspended indefinitely. Henry is apparently being written off TV for a while to deal with injuries.

Later in the tapings, The Great Khali was announced as Henry's replacement. 

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Between the two Elimination Chamber matches, I think SmackDown has more people in their match who have a chance to win the title than Raw, as it seems just a precursor to CM Punk vs. Chris Jericho at WrestleMania 28.

In addition to more believable winners in the SmackDown match, the last couple of Elimination Chambers for the blue brand have been much more brutal and entertaining than the ones for the red brand.

Now, on to the participants of the SmackDown match.

After suffering numerous injuries the past few months, the removal of Mark Henry is a good move for the former champ, but the WWE could have found a better replacement than the Great Khali as the sixth superstar in the match.

During the history of the WWE’s World Heavyweight Championship, the Great Khali, without a doubt, was the worst champion when he won the title in 2007, as he seems very stiff when he’s in the ring on SmackDown.

As we move away from Khali, the inclusion of Randy Orton and Wade Barrett into the SmackDown Elimination Chamber match leads me to believe the WWE will stretch their rivalry into a match at WrestleMania this April.

For Cody Rhodes and the Big Show, the Elimination Chamber match will be just a stepping stone before their matches at this year's WrestleMania.

There have been rumors the Intercontinental Champion might face his brother Goldust in a title vs. career match while Show might face former four-time NBA Champion, Shaquille O'Neal.

With the WWE Championship match likely set between Punk and Jericho for Miami, Sheamus will use his victory in the 2012 Royal Rumble to challenge the World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Bryan as the current champ continues his recent heel turn.

I think this year’s WrestleMania is shaping up to be one of the best events in recent memory with Punk/Jericho, the likely matchup of Bryan/Sheamus, the return of the Money in the Bank match to WrestleMania and the likely last match in the career of the Undertaker this April.

Before jumping ahead to WrestleMania, which match do you believe will be the best Elimination Chamber match on Feb. 19th: Raw or SmackDown?

Chris Humphrey is a WWE Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. You can become a fan of him on Facebook or follow him on Twitter @_CBH_.