WWE Elimination Chamber 2015: Full Card Predictions After Payback

With the embers set alight at Payback not yet cooled, it's already time to start charging toward WWE Elimination Chamber 2015.

The short turnaround between pay-per-views means that, for the most part, the event will feature stories already in progress. Ongoing feuds will push rivals into the Elimination Chamber; a rematch is on its way.

The vacant Intercontinental Championship will find a new home. Early rumblings point to The Celtic Warrior taking home that prize. Who will join him inside Satan's Prison? Who will Seth Rollins and John Cena face after vanquishing their foes at Payback?

Hints WWE has laid out, the current arc of narratives and evaluating the company's options helps answer those questions and create a picture of what to expect at the returning Elimination Chamber pay-per-view.

Tag Team Championship Elimination Chamber Match

• The New Day
• Cesaro and Tyson Kidd
• Los Matadores
• The Ascension 
• The Lucha Dragons
• Erick Rowan and Luke Harper 

The New Day will face the majority of the tag team division in the group's latest attempt to retain its gold. WWE announced on its official website that Big E, Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods will "defend their titles inside the Elimination Chamber."

In an interview after their win at Payback, Kingston griped about the team having to squeeze into a single pod. That sure sounds like WWE is running with a six-team setup inside the chamber.

That's good news for the likes of The Ascension and Los Matadores. WWE is going to need to fill a lot of spaces with a small number of teams to choose from.

The Ascension's win at Payback is likely enough to get them rolling toward contention. The Lucha Dragons were in the title discussion before Payback, so likely move back into it quite easily. As for Rowan and Harper, the buzz over their reunion will net them a spot as well.

Ryback vs. Bray Wyatt

Bray Wyatt and Ryback walloped each other in Baltimore. Their clash was hard-hitting, intense and certainly seemed to hint at future collisions to come.

This story has just begun. Wyatt has spent so much time calling Ryback out that it makes little sense to have him brush him aside after just one meeting. Expect another round at Elimination Chamber.

Wyatt being in line for a shot at the Intercontinental Championship would be a welcome sight, but that's not the direction WWE is headed.

Wyatt vs. Ryback promises to get more intense and more personal. Look for both men to get a solid amount of spotlight as this narrative continues to unfold. 

Naomi vs. Paige (Divas Championship)

Nikki Bella will find it tough to remain Divas champ en route to Elimination Chamber. Naomi has already laid out a challenge, promising in a backstage interview to seek the title on the post-Payback edition of Raw.

WWE keeps having Naomi accumulate non-title wins against Nikki. Adding Tamina Snuka to her side only increases the chances of her following that up with a victory with the championship on the line.

And if WWE crowns Naomi, there's a ready-made story to lead into next with Paige. 

It was Naomi who forced Paige out of action. The English warrior had just won the right to challenge Nikki when the former Funkadactyl attacked her and put her out of commission.

Paige is now back. As Pro Wrestling Torch noted, she returned to action over the weekend at a house show in Pennsylvania. That promises to be the precursor to her seeking revenge on Naomi and looking for the title bout she was promised before her storyline injury..

Intercontinental Championship Elimination Chamber Match

• Dolph Ziggler 
• Sheamus
• Bad News Barrett
• Neville
• Stardust
• R-Truth

Whoever follows Daniel Bryan as champ will have to win a hellacious fight to do so. As announced on WWE.com, "The next Intercontinental Champion will be crowned on May 31, when six yet-to-be-named Superstars vie for the vacant title inside the Elimination Chamber."

A trio of rivalries is poised to fill that structure.

Barrett was supposed to face Bryan for the title at Extreme Rules, but the bout was cancelled due to injury. That gives the new King of the Ring a viable argument to join this fray. If his name gets called up, Neville will surely follow him.

Those two have been clashing aplenty lately, and WWE is sure to want to continue that inside the Elimination Chamber.

A similar situation has Ziggler and Sheamus join them. PWInsider's Mike Johnson writes, "There's a ton of talk that Sheamus ends up with the Intercontinental title." If that's the case, The Celtic Warrior (as well as his current rival Ziggler) is all but assured a spot in the match. 

Stardust and R-Truth get the final two spots, with the company choosing to plug in midcarders here and have potential contenders like Dean Ambrose battle in singles action instead.

John Cena vs. Adam Rose (United States Championship)

This is admittedly the most out-of-left-field option on this list. With John Cena now done with Rusev, though, the options for his next challenger are limited.

Payback was billed as the final chapter in the Rusev-Cena feud. What lies ahead for the champ now is unclear.

The list of heels left to step up to the champ is not long. If Bray Wyatt is busy with Ryback and the Intercontinental Championship match has men like Bad News Barrett and Stardust otherwise engaged, WWE is going to have to go an unexpected direction.

What Rose has going for him is that he hinted on last week's SmackDown that his character is headed toward darker territory. Creating so much buzz as the key subject of ESPN's WWE: Behind the Curtain special helps his chances of getting this opportunity as well.

By the time SummerSlam rolls around, expect Cena to get a foe with a bigger name. A low-priority show like Elimination Chamber, however, is a chance for WWE to take a chance on a guy like Rose.

Dean Ambrose vs. Roman Reigns (No. 1 Contender's Match)

The Baltimore crowd turned electric when Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns locked horns at Payback. Their collision was one of the bout's biggest highlights.

WWE surely noticed that. It also has to recognize that doesn't have time to begin a whole new feud for either man. Having them compete for the right to face Seth Rollins at Money in the Bank is an easy, feasible solution.

And it's not like Reigns hasn't earned his way to a title match by facing a fellow babyface before.

The company knows it has an intriguing contest here with great potential. It gives Elimination Chamber something fresh and opens the door for WWE to go full-throttle with the story of Kane and Rollins' animosity.

Seth Rollins vs. Kane (WWE World Heavyweight Championship)

While putting Kane in the main event of a pay-per-view at this stage in his career isn't sound booking, it's a safe bet that WWE goes that route anyway.

The last two times Seth Rollins defended the world title, Kane was a central part of the storyline. At Payback, he was once again one of the biggest focuses. After The Director of Operations helped Rollins keep his gold, it looked as if the two members of The Authority had gotten over their differences.

Then Rollins fired more shots at the big man.

In a backstage interview following Payback, Rollins had more disparaging things to say about his supposed ally. It appears, then, that this angle is still ongoing. 

WWE has teased for weeks that Kane will break away from The Authority. That has to lead to somewhere, and as unappetizing as it sounds, that somewhere is likely a one-on-one meeting between Rollins and the man he has irked for so long.