WWE Elimination Chamber 2012: Gimmick PPV Adds Spice to Wrestlemania Buildup

While WrestleMania is going to command all the attention from the WWE and fans over the next two months, there is the little matter of the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view that has to set up some of the top matches at the big show. 

This year's Chamber is in a unique position, in that the top two matches for WrestleMania are already set—or will be in the coming weeks—so this show has to set up everything else. 

In case you weren't aware, the top two matches at WrestleMania are John Cena vs. The Rock and Triple H vs. The Undertaker. 

Based on what we have seen on Raw the last two weeks, the WWE championship match will be CM Punk vs. Chris Jericho, but we don't know who the champion will be going in. 

Punk is the one carrying the title right now, but it would seem to make sense, based on the booking, for Jericho to win the Raw Elimination Chamber match and then get back his moniker of the "The Best in the World at What I Do."

In addition to that feud picking up steam after this pay-per-view, we will also learn who the world champion will be and who Sheamus will be wrestling. 

It is hard to imagine WWE putting Randy Orton in that spot, simply because there are already two matches on the show with a babyface vs. babyface matchup. It might sound strange, but Vince McMahon might not want too many matches like that on one card. 

Daniel Bryan deserves the spot based on his work for the last month, but WWE could pull a swerve and give it to someone like Cody Rhodes or Wade Barrett since 'Mania is not going to be sold based on the World Championship match. 

There is not going to be a lot of internal hype for this show, simply because WrestleMania needs the promotion to do the kind of business that everyone expects it to do.

That said, there are a number of spicy storylines that could come out of this show to get fans excited for what is to come on April 1.

It would be better if the top two matches on WrestleMania could be affected by something that happens at Elimination Chamber, but this is the situation that we have been presented with. As long as the matches are good, and there is some storyline to build for 'Mania, all will be right with the world. 

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