A mere two weeks removed from WWE Royal Rumble 2017, SmackDown Live will present the seventh annual Elimination Chamber pay-per-view. Needless to say, that isn't nearly enough time to properly promote an event, but the blue brand has more than made the most of it thus far.
On Tuesday night, four matches were made official for the card, including an Elimination Chamber match for the WWE Championship. Given the incredible crop of talent stepping inside Satan's Prison, it will be difficult to predict a victor, but the rest of the card appears to be equally stacked.
A number of the Superstars who will be in action at Elimination Chamber are fresh off losses at Royal Rumble last weekend. As the Road to WrestleMania officially gets underway, these are the best booking decisions for those who fell short of victory at the latest pay-per-view.
AJ Styles
Following a four-month reign as WWE champion, AJ Styles was unsuccessful in his efforts to beat John Cena for a third time, losing the title to him at Royal Rumble. However, he will have his chance to regain the gold when he competes in the Elimination Chamber match for the championship.
As discussed in another article recently, The Phenomenal One would be the best possible pick to come out on top with the title in tow. It was understandable to allow Cena to become a 16-time world champion and tie Ric Flair's record at Royal Rumble, but he shouldn't walk into WrestleMania as the titleholder.
Styles has been a major focal point of the blue brand since the dawn of the WWE draft last summer, and he should continue to be prominently featured in the months ahead. That could still be possible if he isn't champion, but he is at risk of dropping down the card and getting lost in the shuffle during WrestleMania season.
Although a Styles vs. Shane McMahon match could be fun, Styles deserves better on the grand stage this year. That said, he should be involved in the title match, and having him defend against Randy Orton would be a significant improvement over Orton vs. Bray Wyatt for the strap.
Elimination Chamber will be his last shot to win back the belt, so he must be the one to survive the demonic structure and leave as champion.
Baron Corbin
Baron Corbin will also find himself inside the Elimination Chamber next Sunday, battling for the WWE Championship. As a rising star with plenty of potential, it is too soon for him to be holding a world title.
However, that shouldn't prevent him from having a strong showing against the elite athletes of SmackDown Live. Corbin has been riding a wave of momentum in recent months and has held his own against the likes of Cena, Styles, Dolph Ziggler and other top-tier talent.
Of all the SmackDown stars who took part in the 2017 Royal Rumble match, Corbin lasted longer than almost all of them at nearly 32 minutes. It was only after The Undertaker clotheslined him over the top rope that he was sent to the back.
Once he enters the Elimination Chamber, he should continue his reign of terror by scoring several eliminations. In fact, Corbin eliminating Cena from the bout would solidify him as a star in one night.
If Cena and Corbin aren't destined to do battle at WrestleMania 33, Corbin pinning Dean Ambrose would be a wise way of setting up their likely program, earning him a future Intercontinental Championship match in the process.
Alexa Bliss
Although Alexa Bliss is in possession of the SmackDown Women's Championship, she has lost more matches than she has won of late. It started at Royal Rumble, where she was pinned by Naomi, and continued again on SmackDown Live two days later, both times in tag team action.
It was announced that same night on Talking Smack that Naomi would finally receive her one-on-one shot at the strap at Elimination Chamber. She has a decent chance of capturing the championship, but Bliss must retain her title to maintain the hot streak she has been on for months now.
As of this writing, the SmackDown women's title match at WrestleMania 33—assuming it will be defended—is not yet set in stone. It's plausible that Nikki Bella could contend for the title following her feud with Natalya, or Bliss could square off with Becky Lynch and Mickie James in a Triple Threat match.
Either way, it is imperative Bliss maintains her possession of the prestigious prize coming out of Elimination Chamber. She has done an exceptional job in taking the blue brand's women's division to new heights, whereas Naomi has struggled to find an identity for herself.
Naomi can have an impressive outing and look credible in defeat, but whether it be by nefarious means or in clean fashion, Bliss should have her hand raised to ensure she is SmackDown women's champion come WrestleMania 33.
Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, is a Digital Journalism major at Endicott College. Visit his website, Next Era Wrestling, and "like" his official Facebook page to continue the conversation on all things wrestling.