WWE Elimination Chamber 2017: Biggest Unanswered Questions Going into Event
On Sunday, the WWE Elimination Chamber 2017 emanates from Phoenix, where SmackDown Live's top stars will battle for one last shot at competing at WrestleMania. Three championships will be on the line, and the results could leave most of the roster on the outside looking in at Mania.
These matches have been built up so directly to feature almost SmackDown's entire roster that they have left little in the way of clear indications of what WWE is planning for WrestleMania. The questions are not just who will be SmackDown's champions at Mania but which of those champions will perform on the main stage.
This pay-per-view event will also be a rare occasion in which six women compete in three unique singles matches on the main card, making up almost the majority of the seven-match card on their own. No one knows how this will change the complexion of this show, as there has never been a PPV with three times as many women's singles matches as male.
The following are the five most pressing questions that should be addressed by the events of WWE Elimination Chamber 2017. They are based upon how important the questions are to the future of the SmackDown brand.
Can a Heel Turn Reinvigorate Dolph Ziggler's Career?
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A shift to SmackDown Live has been a significant upgrade for Dolph Ziggler, giving him a stronger spotlight over the past months, but he has still failed to fit in on the main roster for a while now. It was time for a change, which came when Ziggler turned heel, ending an over three-year run as a face in WWE.
This shift has made Ziggler's story more of an integral part of SmackDown week to week as he helps develop Kalisto and Apollo Crews as future stars for the brand. This rivalry has led to Elimination Chamber, where Ziggler will be facing Crews and Kalisto in a handicap match as retribution for his attacks on both men.
The question still left to answer is whether a heel turn by Ziggler can truly be the catalyst to return him to prominence on a brand in need of fresh stars near the top. With WrestleMania season now in full effect, Ziggler could have very well missed the card entirely without a change of pace.
If he can prove his worth alongside Kalisto and Crews, could they all get a major spot on the Mania card? Perhaps against Dean Ambrose for the Intercontinental Championship. Whatever the result, Ziggler's showing at Elimination Chamber could determine his future.
Can American Alpha Carry This Division Without Adding More Teams?
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At Royal Rumble 2017, SmackDown was represented by two contests beyond the Rumble match while Raw had five matches on the card, including a tag team championship match. American Alpha missed the card entirely after pinning the Rumble winner a few weeks before the event.
Most of this comes from a lack of confidence in the tag team division as a whole on SmackDown, with a severe deficiency of quality threats on the roster to battle American Alpha. SmackDown has yet to build up The Ascension, The Vaudevillains or Breezango as credible heels, while Alpha have already feuded with The Usos.
At Elimination Chamber, Alpha will be forced once more to do the heavy lifting for a division that feels too light in a tag team turmoil match, but it is possible that this match could help new threats emerge. If the match is strong enough and the right team is built up by the result, SmackDown will have a much better chance to get a strong tag title match at Mania.
Still, it has not been made clear which teams on SmackDown that WWE actually trusts. If Alpha simply dominates and the match is quickly forgotten, it may bode poorly for the whole division and the current champions' future.
Will the Women Be Able to Carry the Show?
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Elimination Chamber has condensed the main event scene on SmackDown to one WWE Championship match this year, which left a pay-per-view card in need of a strong midcard. Thus WWE turned to its women, setting up three unique singles matches for the event that should dominate the show's run time.
While they will likely be unable to outshine the Elimination Chamber match itself, these three matches will need to keep fans invested throughout the show before the main event. Since no show has ever put this much focus on an entire women's division, it is difficult to say what the end result will be.
Alexa Bliss will defend her women's championship against Naomi, and they both are fairly new to the title scene. Becky Lynch vs. Mickie James should be a surefire hit, though it will be their very first outing. Meanwhile, Natalya vs. Nikki Bella has the most buildup of the trio, but the two veterans have never had an outstanding match together.
These three matches may be the most important test of WWE's commitment to changing perceptions of the women's division to date, and it will be up to the women to deliver. If all three contests can build up the show and make it easy to forget that this is an unusual situation, it should only be the first of many times the women carry a PPV.
How Much Confidence Does WWE Have in Alexa Bliss as Champion?
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When Lynch won the championship at Backlash 2016, she seemed destined to carry the championship for the long haul, as the SmackDown women's roster was largely unproven. When she lost the title 84 days later at TLC: Tables, Ladder & Chairs 2016, it was a shock, especially as the winner was Alexa Bliss, who was still a main roster rookie.
Bliss has held the championship two months with multiple good matches with Lynch, but she must now prove herself as a champion without Lynch as her rival. Her match with Naomi at Elimination Chamber will be a battle of two women with little experience in this situation, so they will both have to show more than they ever have.
Moreover, she will have to contend with two other women's matches on the same card. While her match with Naomi should be treated with the most respect, it is possible WWE will actually put Lynch vs. Mickie on after them as it will likely be the strongest match. How WWE treats Bliss at Elimination Chamber and whether she retains the title against Naomi will say a lot of its confidence in her.
With Charlotte still the Raw Women's Champion, it is hard to imagine Raw won't get a spot on the WrestleMania card. SmackDown's women should also be able to take a spot, but only if WWE believes Bliss is a big enough star to be worthy of what could be a limited main card.
Who Will Be in the Main Event for SmackDown Alongside Randy Orton?
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When Randy Orton won the Royal Rumble, it set up a surprising conundrum. In past years, it has been easy to tell what direction WWE was taking with its championships going into Mania. Now, all that is clear involving the WWE Championship is that its holder will challenge Orton on the Grandest Stage of Them All.
With six wrestlers all contending for the championship inside the Elimination Chamber, the potential matchups are clear, but a favorite is less certain. Bray Wyatt vs. Orton has the most story behind it, but this would only come to pass if WWE was ready to crown Wyatt as WWE Champion, a title he has never held.
John Cena vs. Orton has always been a money match for WWE, even though it has been wildly overused to this point. The only other clear possibility would be a bout with AJ Styles, which is a match Styles and Orton have both talked up in the past, including in an interview from Styles with ESPN.com's Tim Fiorvanti.
It will only be clear after the Elimination Chamber who will battle against Orton in representing SmackDown at the top of the Mania card. Whether the winner is Wyatt, Cena or Styles, this match's result will make this last PPV for SmackDown before The Showcase of Immortals an intriguing watch.
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