Quick Takes: Bad Bunny in WWE, AEW's Sammy Guevara, Cesaro's Singles Push, More

Even with WrestleMania 37 not getting underway until April 10, WWE has done an effective job lately of setting the stage for what fans can expect to see in the buildup to The Show of Shows. One person who is bound to be a big part of it is none other than Bad Bunny.

Spotify's No. 1 artist in 2020 initially appeared at January's Royal Rumble pay-per-view and has continued to make appearances on Raw alongside Damian Priest. Not only has his recent role garnered some mainstream attention, but it's also benefited the former NXT North American champion right out of the gate.

Before Bad Bunny likely steps in the ring at WrestleMania, fans have Elimination Chamber to look forward to Feb. 21. Two huge Chamber matches were announced for the event this past week, both with major 'Mania implications.

Over in All Elite Wrestling, Sammy Guevara had the wrestling world talking coming out of Wednesday's Dynamite when he quit Inner Circle. The moment marked the culmination of a lengthy character arc for him and seemed to indicate that a babyface run is in his immediate future.

The Spanish God's potential as a fan favorite will be discussed in this installment of Quick Takes along with the Bad Bunny-Damian Priest alliance and an explanation for why Cesaro must win the SmackDown Elimination Chamber match. Other topics include the AEW World Women's Championship Eliminator tournament and last-minute predictions for NXT TakeOver: Vengeance Day.

The Damian Priest and Bad Bunny Alliance Is Mutually Beneficial

Not every fan was familiar with rap artist Bad Bunny when it was announced he would be performing his hit single "Booker T" at January's Royal Rumble pay-per-view, but that didn't stop him from making an immediate impact in the WWE world.

Following his performance alongside the WWE Hall of Famer, Bunny resurfaced later in the night to help Damian Priest eliminate The Miz and John Morrison from the men's Royal Rumble. The next night on Raw, Bunny once again aided Priest to victory when he beat Miz one-on-one.

Mike Johnson of PWInsider reported earlier in February that Bunny was spotted training at the WWE Performance Center, likely for a match at WrestleMania. That made his latest appearance on Raw less surprising, as he stole Miz's Money in the Bank briefcase and celebrated Priest's win over Angel Garza.

Bad Bunny is a bigger name than some people may think, and if he's going to be sticking around during WrestleMania season, it's smart to pair him up with someone who could use the momentum boost like Priest. WWE doesn't ordinarily make the most of NXT call-ups right away, but this partnership has seen the Archer of Infamy get off to a solid start.

Priest mentioned on the Feb. 8 edition of Raw Talk that he and Bunny have similar backgrounds, so it isn't a random pairing. In fact, Priest is the perfect person to help endear Bunny to the hardcore audience thanks to his likeability factor, and Bunny will get Priest maximum exposure. It's a win-win situation.

Britt Baker Is the Undisputed No. 1 Contender to the AEW Women's Title

Following her hard-fought victory over Thunder Rosa the Feb. 3 edition of AEW Dynamite, it's more apparent than ever that Britt Baker is next in line for a shot at the AEW World Women's Championship—and that a tournament to determine a new No. 1 contender isn't necessary as a result.

AEW's women's division has been subject to much criticism since its inception. Rightfully so. The promotion hadn't treated it like a priority up until it was announced that there would be a massive No. 1 contender's tourney featuring talent from both inside and outside of the company.

It kicked off with a bang on the Feb. 10 episode when Thunder Rosa defeated Legit Leyla Hirsch and the rest of the matchups should be great as well. It's encouraging that AEW is finally starting to dedicate more time to its female wrestlers, but the tournament is pointless because Baker should already be owed a shot at the strap.

Hikaru Shida has been AEW women's champion since May, and although she's had a handful of title defenses in that time, her reign has been less than stellar because of her lack of direction. She hasn't had one standout rivalry and isn't featured on Dynamite nearly as enough as she should be.

Baker and Shida had an incredible encounter last year that ended with Shida busting open Baker's nose. It would be booking malpractice for AEW to not revisit that and have Baker emerge with the title.

Sammy Guevara Has Major Breakout Babyface Potential

From his brash confidence to the underhand tactics he utilizes in his matches, Sammy Guevara is as natural a heel as it gets. Despite that, he's about to become one of the biggest babyfaces in AEW after what went down on Wednesday's Dynamite.

Guevara's Inner Circle departure had been teased for many months, but fans—in addition to everyone else in Inner Circle—never thought it would happen until it did. Months ago, he vowed to quit the group if his issues with MJF persisted, and it become impossible for them to coexist within the same faction.

The Spanish God received a massive ovation when he walked out on Inner Circle and established that he was flying solo from that point forward. He teased that he might be taking a bit of a break, but upon his return, AEW would be foolish to not transition him into a full-fledged babyface role.

It's been well-documented here on Quick Takes that the stable ran its course a year ago. Guevara hasn't had much luck with them, so going off on his own is probably his best bet, specifically as a babyface because of the fanfare he has right now.

That would set him up for feuds with MJF and Chris Jericho before long, as well as potentially AEW World champion Kenny Omega down the road. He's been booked like a stepping stone in AEW up to this point, but turning face could be what sends his career in a positive direction.

Last-Minute Predictions for NXT TakeOver: Vengeance Day

NXT TakeOver never ceases to deliver, and with what's on tap Sunday, Vengeance Day should be no exception.

The night will feature three blockbuster championship matches in addition to the finals of the men's and women's Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic tournaments. Those should be won by Grizzled Young Veterans and the duo of Shotzi Blackheart and Candice LeRae, respectively.

The NXT Women's Championship will also be on the line in a loaded Triple Threat match between Mercedes Martinez, Toni Storm and champion Io Shirai. With Raquel Gonzalez still waiting in the wings for a shot at the strap, Shirai must retain in order for that match to make sense.

Johnny Gargano will defend his NXT North American Championship against a man who has been a significant thorn in his side lately in Kushida. That's guaranteed to be great, but Gargano should hold on to the gold because it's still too soon for him to dropping it.

Finally, Finn Balor will have his hands full when he takes on Pete Dunne with his NXT Championship up for grabs. Karrion Kross is most likely next in line for a title opportunity, rendering Dunne a filler challenger and ensuring Balor's reign will extend past Valentine's Day.

All in all, expect another excellent night of action from the black-and-gold brand.

Cesaro Must Win SmackDown's Elimination Chamber Match

While Drew McIntyre's WWE Championship will be at stake in Raw's Elimination Chamber match, SmackDown's Elimination Chamber match will be used to determine universal champion Roman Reigns' opponent for later on in the pay-per-view.

The combatants are Kevin Owens, Jey Uso, King Corbin, Sami Zayn, Daniel Bryan and Cesaro. Uso and Owens make some sense from a storyline standpoint given their history with Reigns, but by no means should they be afforded another opportunity after already losing to The Tribal Chief on multiple occasions.

Corbin and Zayn are two top heels on the blue brand but aren't interesting opponents for Reigns at the moment. That leaves Bryan and Cesaro as the only logical winners. And of the two, Cesaro would be the stronger choice.

Bryan vs. Reigns is a rivalry that deserves to be built up over the course of a few weeks or months, not thrown together on the spot. Cesaro vs. Reigns, on the other hand, doesn't have a ton of history behind it yet is exciting enough to warrant it happening on pay-per-view.

Cesaro has enjoyed a small push in recent weeks, and having him overcome the odds in the Elimination Chamber would be the best way for him to continue building momentum. He's far from a fresh face, but he's new to the main event scene and could turn a ton of heads with an eye-opening performance against one of the best in the business today, even in defeat.

Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, has specialized in sports and entertainment writing since 2010. Visit his website, WrestleRant, and subscribe to his YouTube channel for more wrestling-related content.