WWE Elimination Chamber 2017 Matches: Booking Decisions That Must Be Made at PPV

Stories have to matter more than steel at WWE Elimination Chamber 2017.

There will be no shortage of nasty collisions inside the metal structure that gives Sunday's SmackDown-exclusive pay-per-view its name. Big spots and brutality will be the talk of the event, but for WWE to maximize Elimination Chamber, it needs to build on brewing narratives.

The surging aggression that has marked the Nikki Bella vs. Natalya tale needs to continue. 

Dolph Ziggler must continue his knavery when he takes on two enemies in a handicap match. The Elimination Chamber match for the WWE Championship needs to produce a logical, exciting bout for the WrestleMania 33 main event.

In many cases, the winners and losers don't matter at the PPV as much as the chapters WWE crafts for the stories of wrestlers like Natalya, Ziggler and John Cena.

Patience with the Tag Teams

Match: Tag Team Turmoil (American Alpha vs. The Vaudevillains vs. The Ascension vs. The Usos vs. Heath Slater and Rhyno vs. Breezango)

The clash over American Alpha's tag team gold needs room to breathe. It will involve six tag teams, at least three of which are starving for momentum. 

WWE's natural inclination will be to hurry this bout along and to feature quick eliminations to reach the climax.

That's the wrong move. The tag team title scene will benefit in a big way if this is a memorable, compelling match. That can only happen with some decent time.

If duos like Breezango fall in mere seconds, it further hurts their cause. It makes them look like pushovers. That's something SmackDown has done too often with Breezango and the rest of the lower-level squads.

Showcasing Ziggler's Dark Side

Match: Dolph Ziggler vs. Apollo Crews and Kalisto 

The result of the Handicap match isn't as important as its tone and the lasting image it creates.

This needs to be a showcase of Ziggler's wickedness. The entire story to this point has been about The Showoff's changed attitude, as frustration has turned him into a belligerent predator. He laid out both Crews and Kalisto with steel chairs in recent encounters.

That behavior has to continue on Sunday's PPV.

This is the new Ziggler. These cheap attacks have defined his character. Now that the stage is bigger, it's time to display how low he will go in order to win.

Ziggler has to do something memorably villainous.

Perhaps he injures Kalisto's leg with a chair shot or clobbers the referee after the bell. The Showoff's story of a dark descent is just beginning. The Elimination Chamber PPV is a chance to provide ample momentum for that storyline.

A Knock-Down, Drag-Out Climax

Match: Nikki Bella vs. Natalya

These rivals cannot begin the bout with a collar-and-elbow tie-up. There is no room in this battle for headlocks or rest holds.

Bella and Natalya's animosity is overflowing to the point that only a slobberknocker will suffice.

Natalya has unleashed the most personal of insults. She brought Bella's personal life and future as a mother into the mix. 

The two women have brawled on the floor, at the Talking Smack desk and atop the merchandise table. Their collisions have left them dripping with bad blood. 

The only logical next step is for their match to be intense and personal, with hair-pulling, eye-rakes and every nasty trick in each wrestler's bag.

Anything less will be a disappointment.

Spotlighting Baron Corbin

Match: Elimination Chamber match for WWE Championship (John Cena vs. AJ Styles vs. Baron Corbin vs. Dean Ambrose vs. The Miz vs. Bray Wyatt)

Whether he is the victor inside the Elimination Chamber or not, Corbin has to be a major focus of the match.

The rising star has made it clear that he belongs on SmackDown's highest rungs. His character compels, and his ring work has improved by leaps and bounds. As Will Pruett of ProWrestling.net wrote, "Corbin has been one of the victories of SmackDown's creative efforts since the draft."

WWE has to take advantage of that in The Lone Wolf's biggest match to date.

Corbin can eliminate intercontinental champ Ambrose, clobber Cena or pile up the most eliminations. He just has to inflict some memorable damage.

This is a chance to craft a huge moment for him and to propel a future cornerstone forward. 

Anyone but Cena

Match: Elimination Chamber match for WWE Championship

Randy Orton's Royal Rumble win means he's waiting for whoever emerges from the Elimination Chamber.

Now that the Viper has earned a WWE title shot in WrestleMania's main event, his opponent can't turn out to be Cena. There is no spark to that meeting. They have faced off so often in the past that a WrestleMania showdown would be met with a collective sigh.

In fact, Orton just battled Cena on the last SmackDown before Elimination Chamber. 

As John Canton wrote for The Comeback, "They did the match because it isn't going to be a WrestleMania match, nor should it be."

Hopefully, Canton is right. Cena taking on Orton at The Show of Shows would be the biggest head-scratcher in years.

Bray Wyatt vs. Orton makes a ton of sense, as WWE could build on continuing implosion of The Wyatt Family. AJ Styles vs. Orton would be a fresh matchup, one that celebrates a star who deserves a major bout at WrestleMania. Even The Miz vs. Orton would be interesting, thanks to how far the former has come along as a performer in the past year and a half.

The only option that shouldn't be considered is Cena retaining inside Satan's Prison.