Why It's OK John Cena Is Guaranteed to Lose at WWE Elimination Chamber 2018

John Cena will limp out of WWE Elimination Chamber 2018 with his head hung low, his body beat up and his confidence waning.

But while his path to WrestleMania 34 will be unclear, his disappointment will prove to be a valley before a peak. Cena's loss inside the ominous steel structure will be but a means to set up a marquee showdown on WWE's biggest stage.

On Sunday, Cena will join six other combatants in the Elimination Chamber, with each man looking to earn the right to face Brock Lesnar for the Universal Championship at WrestleMania.

Going into Sunday's pay-per-view, the 16-time world champ has talked of the uncertainty of his spot at WrestleMania. Cena sees Satan's Prison as the only way to be a part of that event.

After failing to take down Seth Rollins in Monday's Gauntlet match, Cena laid out what's at stake for him at Elimination Chamber:

He essentially told fans the same thing on Raw the previous week.

He won't win. This won't be one of those times when the powerhouse defies the odds.

The men's Elimination Chamber match will belong to Roman Reigns.

If anyone else makes it out of that unforgiving match to take on Lesnar in New Orleans, it will be a shocker. As Raj Giri of Wrestling Inc pointed out, Reigns is the heavy favorite in terms of betting odds.

Reigns vs. Lesnar is the matchup fans saw coming months ago. The Big Dog has main-evented the past three WrestleManias, and there's little reason to believe it won't happen again this year.

And while Reigns and Lesnar's story has not reached its climax, The Beast Incarnate's feud with Cena has. Lesnar and Cena have feuded a number of times. WWE isn't going to revisit that narrative when a rematch with Reigns is up for grabs.

The last time Reigns collided with the universal champ, he looked to have him on the ropes, closing in on dethroning him at WrestleMania 31. Rollins, though, charged in with his Money in the Bank briefcase in hand and stole the moment and the WWE title. Redemption awaits Reigns.

As for Cena, he's not missing WrestleMania. That idea is pure fiction—something to give Cena motivation. Injury has been the only reason he hasn't made the card since he chopped down Big Show at WrestleMania XX.

He's one of the biggest attractions WWE has at its disposal. And on its biggest night, he's getting something significant to do.

This "where will I fit into the WrestleMania picture?" angle will lead to a frustrated and uncertain Cena after the Elimination Chamber. Perhaps he gets into a heated exchange with Raw general manager Kurt Angle that builds to a match between them. Or else, when Cena laments about not having a worthy challenge at WrestleMania, Undertaker will return to offer him a fight. 

On the most recent edition of Raw, Cena seemed to be teasing a showdown with Undertaker (aka The Deadman) when he talked about the effect WrestleMania could have on "the dead":

If the old gunslinger is coming back for one more duel, Cena's the man for the job. 

Cena vs. Undertaker is one of the final dream matches left for either man. And if it ends up being The Phenom's retirement match, WWE would want to go with a star of Cena's caliber to send him off.

The promotion is not going to have one of its household names talk about not making the WrestleMania cut unless there's a story to exploit there. That dramatic unease is narrative fodder. We will see Cena dig into that after a loss at Elimination Chamber.

Failure in Satan's Prison will prove to be a precursor to another dance under the brightest of spotlights.