WWE Elimination Chamber 2018: B/R Expert Match Picks, Predictions and Analysis

Sunday's Elimination Chamber pay-per-view is going to be another historic night for two reasons: The women's division will participate in its first Chamber match and the men's bout will include seven instead of the usual six Superstars.

In addition to those big matchups, Ronda Rousey will appear to officially sign her WWE Raw contract.

Here is a full breakdown of the card, according to WWE.com:

• Rousey signs her WWE contract.
• Asuka vs. Nia Jax.
• Matt Hardy vs. Bray Wyatt.
• Alexa Bliss vs. Bayley vs. Sasha Banks vs. Sonya Deville vs. Mandy Rose vs. Mickie James for the Raw Women's Championship inside the Elimination Chamber.
• John Cena vs. Seth Rollins vs. Roman Reigns vs. Braun Strowman vs. The Miz vs. Finn Balor vs. Elias for a shot at the Universal Championship at WrestleMania 34 inside the Elimination Chamber.

Bleacher Report's lineup of writers will go through each feud and provide predictions for all of the matches. Our group is made up of the following:

• Anthony Mango (AM) (@ToeKneeManGo)
• Aaron Bower (AB) (@AaronBower)
• Jeff Johnson (JJ) (@JeffJSays)
• Kevin Berge (KB) (@TheBerge_)
• Ryan Dilbert (RD) (@RyanDilbert)
• Yours truly (CM) (@BR_Doctor)

Let's go through each bout to see if we can correctly predict which directions WWE will go with their major feuds heading into WrestleMania on April 8.

Asuka vs. Nia Jax

Q: Asuka has already been established as nearly unbeatable through years of proper booking, but Nia Jax has struggled to portray herself as the dominant force she should be. Would it be more beneficial to keep Asuka's streak intact so she goes to WrestleMania undefeated or would it be better to have Jax be the one to hand Asuka her first loss?

CM: Asuka's undefeated streak should continue but only in the sense that nobody has beaten her in the ring. Allowing Jax to win by count-out or disqualification would be the best thing for both competitors because it puts Jax in a main event position while keeping The Empress of Tomorrow looking strong.

Prediction: Jax wins by count-out or DQ to make the WrestleMania title match a Triple Threat.

AM: All of that depends on WWE's plans for both of them, Charlotte Flair and Rousey for 2018. If Jax isn't going to be prioritized, it does no good overall for her to upset Asuka's winning streak, and that should be the main focal point. If this is a four-woman show between that group, Jax would need that accolade to step up to the same level Rousey, Flair and Asuka will be pushed.

Prediction: Asuka will remain undefeated, but somehow it won't matter at all.

RD: Asuka's streak is too valuable a commodity to end now. Her first loss is a WrestleMania-worthy moment. WWE can build up Jax any number of other ways.

Prediction: Asuka wins a hard-fought bout.

JJ: Asuka needs to keep the streak until the right time to break it develops. She is the most dominant superstar in WWE, and there isn't a logical reason to have her lose to Jax. Imagine if Goldberg lost to Curt Hennig before defeating Hulk Hogan for the title. A victory over Jax should elevate Asuka's mystique culminating in a Wrestlemania title win and a new era in women's wrestling.

Prediction: No one can stop Asuka!

AB: Asuka's streak has to survive for now. It's a fair comment to suggest Jax's booking has been somewhat underwhelming, and she should be a far more fearsome prospect than she is. But WWE has played itself into a position with Asuka where ending her unbeaten streak now would make little sense. It should continue for a good while yet, probably into at least the latter part of 2018. But if WWE believes in Jax, having her be the one to beat her when the time comes would make sense.

Prediction: Asuka.

KB: WWE has rushed this whole story too much for Jax to be the one to end Asuka's undefeated streak. While she has recently gained some momentum as The Irresistible Force, she has lost too much to suddenly be the one Asuka cannot overcome. WrestleMania would be much more interesting with Asuka challenging either champion still undefeated.

Prediction: Asuka makes Jax tap out to the Asuka Lock.

Men's Elimination Chamber Match

Q: If you were booking this match, who would you have win and go on to challenge Brock Lesnar for the Universal title at WrestleMania and why?

AM: Since we've already seen Reigns and Lesnar, and Rollins needed to be a mercy third option to save that from an angry crowd, there's no reason to think people would be more receptive of it now, with it being a rematch.

Strowman, on the other hand, is very popular with the crowd and WWE can't keep giving him title shots and have him fall short, as that's what happened with Ryback. If given the keys to the kingdom, I would definitely put The Monster Among Men in the winner's circle and give him the Universal Championship at WrestleMania. By this point, it's well-deserved and the crowd would enjoy it more than the Reigns outcome that will just be booed.

Prediction: Reigns is victorious, or he shares a win with Strowman to make it a Triple Threat at WrestleMania. Either way, Reigns is a winner.

RD: Strowman is the guy; it's time to pull the trigger on him. His popularity is soaring and he'd flourish as the champ. And a loss here could be the catalyst for Reigns' long-awaited heel turn.

Prediction: Reigns last eliminates Rollins to take the win.

JJ:  Braun! At this point, if we're not going to strap the rocket on his back, then when? The "smart" money is on Roman, but I'd love the universal title to be held by Strowman and commence the "Get These Hands" era in WWE.

Prediction: Reigns is winning this, so get your boos out now.

AB: Strowman. All seven guys are future main eventers on Raw, and I'm sure they will all be in the headline slot in the next year or so. But the crowd is totally into Braun right now, and he is by far the most popular star on Monday nights. Strowman should win, go on and headline WrestleMania and be the one to loosen Lesnar's grip on the Universal Championship. However, I think most of us know it won't end that way.

Prediction: Reigns

KB: I would take the predictable route and book Lesnar vs. Reigns II. It may sound boring, and the inevitability of the clash has gotten dull. However, the story of the two men who defeated The Undertaker at 'Mania fighting after a year of complete dominance from Lesnar as Raw's top champion is WrestleMania-worthy in a way the other matchups this Chamber could provide are not.

Prediction: Reigns survives by last eliminating Rollins.

CM: The issue here is choosing opinion or logic. Reigns or Strowman would be the logical answer, but I would love to see someone like Finn Balor get the chance to shine on the biggest show of the year. If I have to choose, I would pick Strowman just because he has the greatest momentum out of all seven competitors.

Prediction: Reigns wins and the crowd boos him out of the building.

Bonus Question

Q: Up to this point, which Elimination Chamber match has been the best of all time and what made it so special? 

KB: I will always be partial to the 2011 World Heavyweight Championship Elimination Chamber match. Before his career renaissance, Drew McIntyre had only this match to showcase just how good he could be with a vicious show-stealing performance, plus the Chamber has rarely, if ever, had a better final two war like Edge vs. Rey Mysterio. In a time when WWE was overusing the gimmick, this match proved it could still be improved.

CM: I am partial to tag team wrestling, so my personal favorite was that tag team Chamber match from 2015. Not only did it include some innovative offense, it gave several people who would never be booked in a singles Elimination Chamber a chance to shine with the stipulation. Even El Torito created a highlight-reel moment.

AM: To be honest, they're all a blur to me by now and harder to distinguish than even Royal Rumble matches. Some of the fun moments, such as Edge attacking Kofi Kingston to steal his spot, are hard to remember what year it took place in, let alone the pacing of the fight and such. It's a great gimmick, but no matches stand out to me as any more memorable than the previous year to be able to think of any favorites, let alone pick one above the rest.

RD: The first one is going to be hard to top. The match was the perfect vehicle for Shawn Michaels' comeback story.

JJ:  Survivor Series 2002 Chamber. That HHH survived the RVD Frog Splash spot, almost crushed his trachea and was the last man eliminated is incredible enough. You also had Y2J, Booker T, Kane, and Shawn Michaels in the match doing what they do so well. One of my favorite "gimmick" matches ever.

AB: I still think the inaugural Chamber match takes some beating, but two of the best individual performances of all time inside the Chamber were John Morrison and CM Punk's efforts in 2011. They were incredible, and while neither man scored the decisive victory, they established themselves as elite competitors in my eyes that night. For overall entertainment, Survivor Series 2002 takes the prize.

Matt Hardy vs. Bray Wyatt

Q: What do Hardy and Wyatt have to do to make people care about this feud?

JJ: Short of setting each other on fire, I don't know. We've been waiting for this confrontation since Matt "broke" in TNA. They shotgunned it for the RAW anniversary, and now I'm over it. The booking didn't favor the superstars at all.

Prediction: Wyatt wins and turns Woken into Broken.

AB: Move on from it quickly, build some momentum and return to it in the summer. Honestly, that's the only way I can see fans giving any attention to this rivalry at any point: it's been a disaster. As so many people feared, WWE has failed to handle Hardy's gimmick effectively. Wyatt continues to suffer from poor, inconsistent booking, so it's time they went away, sharpened their focus and tried again in the summer. The sooner this ends, the better.

Prediction: Bray Wyatt

KB: They need to fully embrace the wackiness. The Broken gimmick did not originally get over because Matt talked and laughed funny, but rather because every time he appeared the situation got more insane. Until these two get away from the static promos and escape into the world they are trying to sell, nothing will work in this rivalry.

Prediction: Hardy catches Wyatt with the Twist of Fate and gains a victory.

CM: This might sound strange, but WWE should just give Wyatt and Hardy creative control over this feud and see what happens. Both of them have creative minds and could take this feud and make it something completely original.

Prediction: Hardy avenges his loss at Raw 25 with a win.

AM: They need to go back in time, and not just in the loopy kayfabe sense, but in reality. At this point, this feud has dragged on long enough without anything other than Hardy laughing and Wyatt cutting the same tired promo he's done for years, so it hasn't felt like anything different, which is exactly what people were looking forward to.

Right from the start, this should have been a weird, wacky adventure and not just a regular feud, so they'd have to go back in time and start fresh. By now, the potential is gone and it's doubtful anyone would be willing to approach it with fresh eyes.

Prediction: Hardy gets the win.

RD: It's WWE Creative that has to step up, not the wrestlers. This feud has not been nearly innovative or bold enough. The "woken" angle has been a waste to this point.

Prediction: Wyatt wins again, leading to one last showdown at WrestleMania.

Ronda Rousey

Q: Some fans have said Rousey's contract signing will overshadow the women's Chamber match. Do you agree? 

AB: That fear is probably born out of the awful way WWE handled the first women's Royal Rumble, and it's an understandable fear to have. Where it sits on the card will determine whether it overshadows the match itself; hopefully, WWE makes it happen just after Asuka has beaten Nia Jax, and right before the women's Chamber bout. That way, it will sit fairly nicely and won't take the limelight from those competing in the title match.

KB: I completely disagree. The contract signing is merely a brief story moment meant to pull in more casual fans on a night that will be dominated by wrestling. If the women put on a great performance inside the Chamber, few people will be talking about Rousey by the end of the night.

CM: It all depends on where WWE puts each segment on the card. Rousey's contract signing should come before the women's Chamber match so the last thing the fans remember from the show is which Superstars made history inside the Elimination Chamber, not Rousey signing a piece of paper and pointing to the WrestleMania sign.

AM: I absolutely agree and we have the Royal Rumble as evidence to back that theory up. WWE has always given a spotlight to Brock Lesnar and other talents such as him over the regular workhorses, so why should we expect anything different with Rousey?

There will likely be one segment referencing the Elimination Chamber match on Monday Night Raw, but a recap of Rousey's contract-signing moment one or more times every hour, and it will be touted as something over-the-top amazing even if the crowd chants that it's boring. Meanwhile, the Raw Women's Championship will just seem like another thing that happened and is over and done within no time.

RD: Nope. They are two separate entities. And we can count on one of the Raw women using the contract segment to grab some spotlight of her own.

JJ:  I disagree. The Rousey spectacle will supplement the event, but people will want to see what happens in the chamber. The signing should happen after the women's match, just to be safe.

Women's Chamber Match

Q: If Alexa Bliss were to lose this match, who is most likely to defeat her for the title and why?

RD: Banks is the best bet here. She's a four-time champ and the most compelling option for Asuka's WrestleMania opponent.

Prediction: Banks lasts eliminates Bayley to win.

JJ: The only person I could possibly see pinning Alexa is Banks. Even though The Boss already lost to Asuka (like everyone else), if they truly wanted to make the match a Triple Threat or Fatal 4-Way, Jax would be the biggest name to add to the match.

Prediction: Bliss retains

AB: Probably Sasha Banks, but only because I could totally get behind another Asuka-Banks match at WrestleMania. It's quite easy to strike a line through a few participants here, namely the likes of Rose, who isn't yet ready for the championship picture. James also has little chance, though her alliance with Banks on Monday night does add an interesting dynamic to the mix. All in all, though, Bliss should retain.

Prediction: Bliss

KB: The only wrestler in the Chamber match WWE has invested in other than Bliss is Banks. As long as she stays healthy, The Boss can be the top woman on Raw, and a match with Asuka or Bayley at WrestleMania would steal the show. While I would not bet against Bliss retaining, Banks could certainly take the title.

Prediction: Bliss retains her championship, last eliminating Banks.

CM: This comes down to picking the best opponent for Asuka at WrestleMania. Bliss is a strong talent who could give her a good match, but the best person for The Empress of Tomorrow to face would be Bayley. She and Asuka have established chemistry and even a short reign with the belt would help get The Hugger back on the right track.

Prediction: Bliss retains.

AM: More so than anybody in the Elimination Chamber itself, I feel like that honor would go to Jax, who would somehow find a way to get booked into the match by taking a different competitor out of commission and replacing her, or by appealing to Kurt Angle for a seventh spot like Rollins was able to do.

She's the only person other than Bliss herself who can do something at WrestleMania this year that wouldn't be a rehash of what we've seen before with The Four Horsewomen or with two newcomers such as Rose and Deville who aren't ready for that spotlight, while James just doesn't get that kind of attention anymore, sadly.

Prediction: Bliss retains the championship.

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What are your Elimination Chamber predictions?