Rasslin’ Roundtable: WWE Elimination Chamber 2015 PPV Predictions & Preview

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WWE has a bonus PPV tonight – Elimination Chamber 2015!

Here are the Pulse Wrestling crew’s predictions for the six announced matches.

sethdean
WWE World Heavyweight Title
Seth Rollins (c) vs. Dean Ambrose

CB: While I would love to see the Age of Ambrose begin this Sunday, it’s still way too soon for Rollins to lose the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. Something tells me Roman Reigns inadvertently costs Ambrose here and Rollins retains as a result, setting up Ambrose-Reigns tension heading into Money In The Bank.
Winner: Seth Rollins

Spain: I’ve been very impressed by the way Ambrose has been handled over the last couple of months. His character has been great, and the offence he gets in matches has all been on point. Alas, the belt must remain around the waist of Rollins: as much fun as Ambrose would be as our champion, the WWE will and must see things through with Seth, and after Ambrose and Owens’ little almost-interaction, there’s plenty possibility of interference causing Dean’s loss. That being said, looking forward to this contest.
Winner: Seth Rollins

Pat Metalhead : While the match should be fine, if they unleash Ambrose, it seems a bit bereft of suspense as nobody (including me) seems to think Rollins can loose the title at this point. I don’t expect a clear victory though, probably some shenanigans that will give Ambrose an excuse to add himself to the Money in the bank ladder match. We’ll see, I pray for not too much overbooking, let them tell a clear and simple story for once.
Winner : Rollins cause Lesnar is waiting.

Paltrowitz – Rollins will win this, presumably to set up a Lesnar-Rollins match. A shame since Ambrose has the potential to be the face of the company.
Winner: Seth Rollins

Brittney – I hate to say it but WWE is going to screw Ambrose out of the win, whether it’s J&J, the Authority or someone else, Rollins will retain in a sneaky way.
Winner: Ambrose

Penny Marie Sautereau – I’d LIKE to see Ambrose go over here. The crowd digs him, he’s over, he moves a decent enough amount of merch, he puts asses in seats. But I don’t see the ‘E giving up on the Seth Rollins experiment just yet, and it’s admittedly fun watching to see who will finally overcome the clusterf**k odds of the Authority and finally get his goose. Besides, I think he’s being fed to Lesnar at Summerfest. What? Sorry, it’s fun making fun of Jeremy Piven!
Winner: Seth Rollins

Widro – There seems to be some steam behind the idea of Roman turning on Dean to cost Dean the title. The announcers have gone overboard pointing out how Reigns is Ambrose’s “only” friend. No matter what happens, Rollins will retain.
Winner: Rollins

cenakoi
John Cena vs. Kevin Owens

CB: Kevin Owens, if booked properly, will one day cross paths with Brock Lesnar, leading to a HUGE moneymaking feud. It starts this Sunday with a convincing KO win over Cena.
Winner: Kevin Owens via Knockout

Spain: Another intriguing match. I’m going to flick through the back catalogue of Owens matches in order to psyche myself up for this. I can’t see Owens going over, and I feel like it’s not the usual case of ‘LOLCenaWins’: Owens has already made a great impression in each of his WWE showings, and one loss to a hugely established guy isn’t going to wreck him. I see Cena proving why he has held the spot he has for so long, but I expect Kevin Owens to take him to his limit.
Winner: John Cena

Pat Metalhead : Many have looked with optimism at the way Owens was introduced. Call me a cynic but I don’t share it, because history has proven that it’s very difficult to set oneself apart when fighting Cena. This is not a dig at Cena himself, but more at the way he has been booked for… well… forever. This will be one of those nightmarish booking decisions ,that will leave everyone dissatisfied i’m afraid, I’m thinking No contest. Or they have Cena win again which would be even worse, but I wouldn’t put it past them. I hope I’m wrong.
Winner: Mr No Contest cause giving the new guy a clear win is passé apparently.

Paltrowitz – Great for Owens to be getting such a push, but I think he should have squashed a few people before getting to this level. As we’ve seen since Cena won the U.S. Title, a loss to Cena can still make someone look strong.
Winner: John Cena

Brittney – Cena stepping down to midcard but still being a big merchandise sale means he will most likely win, he always wins big matches. However, this time, he’ll receive a beat down before pulling off a victory.
Winner: Kevin Owens

Penny Marie Sautereau – I dare say I think they might actually pull the trigger on this. I don’t think Owens will actually win the US Title, as there will be some kind of shenanigans ending to spare Cena a clean loss, but I don’t think they’ll just feed Owens to Cena like they did with Wyatt either.
Winner: Owens

Widro – It makes sense to put Owens over, but if he wins here and joins the main roster, there isn’t much of a place to go. I’ll pick Cena.
Winner: Cena

ic
WWE Intercontinental Title Elimination Chamber
Dolph Ziggler vs. Sheamus vs. Ryback vs. R-Truth vs. King Barrett vs. Rusev

CB: Rusev Ankle. Rusev Crushed. Rumor is Bray Wyatt will replace Rusev if he can’t go on Sunday due to the ankle injury he suffered on SmackDown! It won’t change the result.
Winner: Sheamus

Spain: This is difficult for me to call. Any one of these guys, minus Truth, would be a great IC Champ. Ryback has yet to hold a belt, and has been holding his own against Rusev as of late. Barrett’s the King of the Ring which, in a perfect world, would imply some kind of upward motion. Sheamus has been a badass since coming back; Ziggler elevated the belt like hell the last time he had it and Rusev at least got some mileage out of being a champion. I’m guessing that Dolph, as a guy with a grudge against two competitors in this match, is going to come out of this on top and can go on to feud with Rusev.
Winner: Dolph Ziggler

Pat Metalhead : The IC title has completely fallen off the radar by now, strange for a title WWE wanted to reinvigorate (and yes there probably is a bit of sarcasm in there somewhere). Difficult to predict, Rusev is out apparently, R-Truth is there to make up the numbers, Barrett’s profile has fallen even further since he became King and I don’t even know if the Ryback/Wyatt thing is over or not. That leaves Sheamus or Ziggler, which will probably be the first feud for whoever of those two becomes champion. Déja vu ? Yes I know, but there it is. I’m going for Ziggler because of his popularity.
Winner Ziggler cause he’s Bryan version B+

Paltrowitz – Rumor is that Rusev is out due to injury and Bray Wyatt is in. I foresee Sheamus winning this one, unfortunately, because of leaked advertising that called him the Intercontinental Champion.
Winner: Sheamus

Brittney – Potentially a show-stealing match given the rivalries here, especially with Rusev and Ziggler. I wonder if Lana will make an appearance outside the chamber and if that will effect the outcome of the match. Ultimately though one of the more brutal contenders will walk away with the title. My money is on the Celtic Warrior.
Winner: Sheamus.

Penny Marie Sautereau – My money’s on Zigglypuff.
Winner: Dolph Ziggler

Widro – This should be a great match. I feel like the plan might have been to put the IC belt on Rusev, but since he’s injured, I’ll go with Sheamus.
Winner: Sheamus

tag
WWE Tag Team Title Elimination Chamber
The New Day (c) vs. Tyson Kidd & Cesaro vs. The Ascension vs. Los Matadores vs. The Prime Time Players vs. The Lucha Dragons

CB: IT’S A NEW DAY PEOPLE!
Winners: The New Day

Spain: I do not know who came up with this idea, but I would like some of the drugs that they’re taking. And I’ve never taken drugs, so that’s a hell of thing for me to say. People are going to fucking die in this match, I swear. But, oddly enough, it doesn’t feel like a title-changer: it’s almost too gimmicky. Maybe the New Day has way more to get out of a championship run: I won’t argue against that. I think we’re seeing them sneak the win somehow.
Winners: The New Day

Pat Metalhead : Oh dear, this will be a clusterfuck if there ever was one. New Day hasn’t been bad at all as heel champions, so they could easily retain and no-one would be the worst for it. Lucha Dragons, could score an upset and winning would of course be a great way for the PTP to get back into the mix. The other two teams are there to… Oh who knows. Cesaro and Kidd are my favorite though because I still think they’ve got one more run in them before the traditional break-up and feud.
Winner Cesaro/Kidd because we need more latex Natalya.

Paltrowitz – I’m glad that the tag team division is getting a prioritized match like this, even if it’s clear that a few of the times aren’t at all prioritized by the WWE. The New Day haven’t shown any weakness yet, so I can’t imagine them losing.
Winner: The New Day

Brittney – Is the New Day part of the Authority? Or was it all a fluke? I think they’ll lose the title on Sunday though, either to The Lucha Dragons or Kidd& Cesaro. Personally, I see Kidd & Cesaro pulling off a win in this type of match where your strength will help, but being fast with your attacks may be better.
Winner: Kidd & Cesaro

Penny Marie Sautereau – No way to really call this given the teams involved, but I’m guessing most likely will be Kiddsaro, and my whacky dream pick are the Lucha Dragons.
Winner: Lucha Dragons

Widro – It’s amazing WWE could put together 6 teams that actually are teams! New Day should pull this out, as they are over as go-away heels right now and this isn’t a good stage to have a triumphant title win for a new team.
Winner: New Day

divas
WWE Divas Title
Nikki Bella (c) vs. Naomi vs. Paige

CB: WWE has gotten everything they could out of Nikki Bella as Divas Champion. It’s time for Naomi to get the title so she and Paige can feud for a bit longer.
Winner: Naomi

Spain: For the Divas division, this is some nuanced storytelling. And yes, I’m saying that because there are three competitors involved in a feud, not just two. But hey, I’ll take a match with three solid female wrestlers any day. I do, however, think that Nikki is going to retain the belt: she’s held it for quite a while, and I think when she does lose it, it’s going to be in a hard-fought singles match. I have nothing to back this up with other than a gut feeling, but that’s who I picked in the TRA Open, so that’s who I’ll pick here too.
Winner: Nikki Bella

Pat Metalhead : Paige’s return is not a bad thing, I know some consider her overrated, and she might be, but I still feel she hasn’t reached her full potential yet. Naomi has been competent in her heel role and she could grow in a more than adequate heel champion. In fact I don’t really care which of those two win as long as someone takes that title away from Miss Bella.
Winner : Naomi because she’ll be one of those heel champions I’ll cheer for.

Paltrowitz – Nikki Bella has held the title for a while and…I don’t know.
Winner: Paige

Brittney – I can dream all I want about what will happen in the Diva’s division but right now it looks like things will stay the same overall and that means Nikki Bella will retain. Change is on the horizon but I don’t think it’ll take place this Sunday.
Winner: Nikki Bella

Penny Marie Sautereau – Nikki is WAY overdue for time off to rehab that nagging leg injury, and Paige has already had a couple goes as champ, so I’ll guess maybe they give Naomi the deuce here to see if she can hold on to her heel momentum as champ. (Quiet aside; Anyone else notice the blissful silence from Michael Cole regarding Tamina’s lineage since she returned?
Winner: Naomi

Widro – WWE seems intent on keeping Nikki as the champ to outlast AJ Lee’s reign as longest Divas champ
Winner: Nikki

nevillebo
Neville vs. Bo Dallas

CB: Neville will get the win here, with Bo getting his heat back immediately thereafter.
Winner: Neville

Pat Metalhead : Ermh… Neville ? Obviously ? Anything else ?
Neville because if he doesn’t win me and the cats riot.

Paltrowitz – I like Bo Dallas, but man, have they positioned him as a jobber. This match should be on “Superstars” rather than a “special event.”
Winner: Neville

Brittney – .A feud stretching back to NXT days but if you never saw them compete before this match will be a pleasant surprise. The pair have good chemistry but it seems they are floundering in the sea of superstars and half-formed story lines. I’d like a solid feud here, we’ll just have to see.
Winner: Neville

Penny Marie Sautereau – Neville, unless they decide this is the match they flip the bird at the audience with.
Winner: Neville

Widro – Very random match to feature on PPV, but should be a good one, as Bo is underused and Neville has been stellaer
Winner: Neville

Jonathan Widro is the owner and founder of Inside Pulse. Over a decade ago he burst onto the scene with a pro-WCW reporting style that earned him the nickname WCWidro. Check him out on Twitter for mostly inane non sequiturs