WWE Elimination Chamber: Ranking PPV's Most Exciting Matches

Although much of the focus is currently on WrestleMania, there is one pay-per-view to get through prior to the company's marquee event. Elimination Chamber will take place on Sunday, and it certainly has major 'Mania implications in terms of who the titleholders will be come April 1.

While there will likely be a few unadvertised matches added to the card, there are currently only four bouts to analyze. The most anticipated matches for most wrestling fans are the six-man Chamber melees for the WWE and World Heavyweight Championships, respectively.

Here is a power ranking of the most exciting matches on Sunday's card.

1. RAW Elimination Chamber

The Chamber matches are obviously foremost on the minds of most, but the RAW match in particular should be a good one. While there are only two people who can realistically win in the form of WWE Champion CM Punk or Chris Jericho, there is more unpredictability than the SmackDown contest. Although The Miz, Dolph Ziggler, Kofi Kingston and R-Truth are all filler, they are also all credible workers who will add some substance to the match.

Obviously, the main focus of the match is going to be Punk vs. Jericho, as all signs point to them facing off at WrestleMania. There is plenty of intrigue, as this match could go either way between Punk and Jericho. In order to make their 'Mania match more compelling, though, I expect Y2J to win the match and capture the title.

2. SmackDown Elimination Chamber

Originally, I thought that the SmackDown Chamber match was going to be the best on the card by far, but a few amendments have weakened it considerably. Mark Henry was originally slated to be in the match from a storyline perspective, but an injury is going to keep him out, so The Great Khali took his spot. Also, Randy Orton suffered a concussion on RAW, opening the door for Santino to replace him after he won a wild-card battle royal.

Both Khali and Santino are throwaways, although the core of World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Bryan, Big Show, Wade Barrett and Cody Rhodes still make for a great match. It seems quite obvious that Bryan is going to find a way to win, especially with the seeds being planted on SmackDown for a feud between him and the Royal Rumble winner, Sheamus. Even if the result is obvious, it will be interesting to see how the match plays out.

3. John Cena vs. Kane

Although the John Cena versus Kane feud has mostly been lame to this point, it admittedly got more intriguing on RAW, with Eve planting a wet one on Cena while Zack Ryder watched. Cena and Kane will do battle in an ambulance match on Sunday, and it would seem as though the match is meant to bring a resolution to the rivalry, at least for now, as Cena will soon have to start to build toward his match with The Rock at WrestleMania.

Kane's goal throughout this feud has been to get Cena to embrace hate. That has many people hoping for Cena to turn heel. That is doubtful, but if Cena can go wild on Kane, beat him brutally and ultimately win the match on Sunday, we could see an evolution of his character on Sunday. It will also be interesting to see how things play out with Ryder and Eve and whether either makes an appearance. I personally feel as though Kane and Eve are secretly working together, but that may not be revealed until later.

4. Beth Phoenix vs. Tamina Snuka

It should come as no surprise that the Divas match is listed last, but this one should actually be better than most. Beth Phoenix will defend her Divas Championship against Tamina, who was recently rebranded as "Tamina Snuka" as an homage to her father, "Superfly" Jimmy Snuka, and as a way to get her more crowd support. Beth and Tamina are two of the top workers in the company as far as females go, so they can put on a decent match if given some time.

It's very obvious to me, and it has been for quite some time, that the creative team is building toward a feud between Beth and Kharma. Beth has annihilated all challengers and said that she'll never lose the belt. I expect another win for Beth on Sunday, but after the match, look for Kharma to come out and make her presence known. She hasn't appeared since being a surprise entrant in the Royal Rumble, but Elimination Chamber seems like a good stage for her to make her full-time return.