Cook’s Elimination Chamber 2017 Prognosis

If you’re anything like me, these two-week windows between WWE Network events don’t seem anywhere near long enough to digest everything going on. It’s WrestleMania Season, and there’s no rest for the weary. Two weeks after the Rumble, SmackDown Live’s Superstars are going to meet up in Phoenix, Arizona to take part in the 2017 edition of Elimination Chamber. Six of them will step inside the Chamber to decide who will be WWE Champion as the road to WrestleMania continues. It’s one of the toughest tests that any champion can face, and any challenger that should emerge with the title has definitely earned the distinction of champion.

Today we’ll break down the special six competitors and figure out who has what it takes to emerge victorious this Sunday at the Talking Stick Resort Arena.

John Cena
Age: 39
Height: 6’1
Weight: 251 lbs.
Titles Held: WWE Championship (13 times, current), World Heavyweight Championship (3 times), WWE United States Championship (5 times), WWE Tag Team Championship (2 times), World Tag Team Championship (2 times), Royal Rumble Winner (2008, 2013), Money in the Bank Briefcase Holder (2012)
Elimination Chamber Record: 3-2

Why He’ll Win: When isn’t John Cena the favorite to win any match he’s in? He’s on the shortlist of greatest wrestlers in WWE history. He’s accomplished more than just about anybody that’s set foot in a wrestling ring. He has much more experience inside the Chamber than anybody in this match, and he’s won more Chamber matches than anybody except Triple H. He’s returned from his hiatus extremely confident & motivated, and anybody in his path is in a world of trouble.

Why He’ll Lose: Cena’s the biggest star in this match, and the biggest target in this match. All five of his opponents’ first objective will be to eliminate John Cena. And when you put all of the notoriety that goes with beating Cena aside, these guys just don’t like the guy. AJ Styles has been feuding with Cena for months now. Bray Wyatt wrestled Cena at a WrestleMania and that feud didn’t end to his liking. Baron Corbin recently lost to Cena on SmackDown Live and is still stewing over it. The dislike between Cena & Miz goes back ages. Heck, Dean Ambrose doesn’t like the guy either. He won’t see any friendly faces inside the Chamber.

AJ Styles
Age: 39
Height: 5’11
Weight: 218 lbs.
Titles Held: WWE Championship (1 time)

Why He’ll Win: Styles is new to the Elimination Chamber, but everything else during his first year in WWE was new to him and he didn’t have problems with much of it. AJ’s time in TNA Wrestling got him acclimated to matches with crazy stipulations. He’s had Lethal Lockdown matches, King of the Mountain matches, Ultimate X matches, Elevation X matches, pretty much anything you can think of. Nothing he sees in the Elimination Chamber will faze him. He’s also arguably the most motivated man in the match, fresh off a loss to his bitter rival Cena at the Royal Rumble. He got used to being WWE Champion, and he wants that title back to prove he’s the best.

Why He’ll Lose: I hate to be that guy talking about how size matters in pro wrestling, especially when I’ve spent much of my writing career talking about how it shouldn’t. But when you’re in the Elimination Chamber and you’re a smaller guy, everything hurts more. Can Styles endure the punishment that he’s sure to be in for? Also keep in mind that AJ has a one on one WWE Championship match coming to him at a yet to be determined date, so if he loses here it isn’t the end of the world. He may choose to play it safe here, well, as safe as someone can be inside the Chamber.

Bray Wyatt
Age: 29
Height: 6’3
Weight: 285 lbs.
Titles Held: WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship (1 time)

Why He’ll Win: Bray Wyatt has never really focused on championships until recently. He’s always had other things on his mind like personal rivalries and the idea of getting the world to do his bidding. Titles didn’t seem like a priority to him. He’s discovered the power that they hold, and now he realizes that being champion will make it easier for him to attain other goals. Once Wyatt sets his mind to something, it’s almost impossible to stop him. Five other guys and an Elimination Chamber won’t be enough.

Why He’ll Lose: It’ll be awfully tough for other Wyatt Family members to get inside the Chamber. It certainly isn’t impossible, but it won’t be terribly easy either. Furthermore, Wyatt’s army of followers has never been smaller. Luke Harper is currently out on his own thanks to an inability to get along with Randy Orton. If Luke has his way, Randy Orton won’t be able to help Bray in this match since he’ll have taken him out earlier in the evening. If Bray is going to win this match, he will have to be ready to do it on his own, something he isn’t accustomed to.

Baron Corbin
Age: 32
Height: 6’8
Weight: 275 lbs.
Titles Held: Andre the Giant Memorial Trophy (2016)

Why He’ll Win: Corbin is an extremely confident individual. Regular viewers of Talking Smack know that Baron Corbin is very positive about his future in pro wrestling and his chances against anybody else in the business. He won’t get down on himself when times get tough inside the Chamber. He also has a distinct height advantage over the other competitors in this match & knows how to use his size to his advantage. His big win on SmackDown Live this week over Styles, Miz & Dean Ambrose in a Fatal 4-Way will only boost his confidence even more.

Why He’ll Lose: Inexperience has cost Corbin in other big-time matches with the top stars on the SmackDown Live brand. Corbin has less ring time than anybody else in this matchup and absolutely no experience in any type of a cage match. It’s an environment he’s never been in before against some veteran performers, some of which have forgotten more about wrestling than he’s ever known. He’s been in some big multi-man matches and done well, but they haven’t taken place in an Elimination Chamber.

The Miz
Age: 36
Height: 6’1
Weight: 221 lbs.
Titles Held: WWE Championship (1 time), WWE Intercontinental Championship (6 times), WWE United States Championship (2 times) WWE Tag Team Championship (4 times), Money in the Bank Briefcase Holder (2010)
Elimination Chamber Record: 0-1

Why He’ll Win: The Miz has never been better than he is right now. He owned the better part of 2015, dominating the Intercontinental Championship scene and restoring that title’s legitimacy. His interactions with Daniel Bryan have been must-see television, and Bryan’s rejection of Miz has motivated the A-Lister to reach new heights. He recently lost his beloved IC strap, but now he has an opportunity to reclaim an even bigger prize and return to the main event scene where many observers say he belongs. His in-ring performance is at its peak and he might reach new heights in the Chamber.

Why He’ll Lose: Gimmick matches have never been Miz’s forte. He’s more about straight-up, one on one matches that don’t involve foreign objects or cages. Aside from his Money in the Bank ladder match victory in 2010 & his victory over Jerry Lawler in a TLC match in 2011, his track record in multi-man & gimmick matches has not been very good. Plus, I don’t think getting Maryse into the Chamber would be a very wise idea or something she would be down with, so Miz is going to have to come up with something else.

Dean Ambrose
Age: 31
Height: 6’4
Weight: 225 lbs.
Titles Held: WWE Championship (1 time), WWE Intercontinental Championship (2 times, current), WWE United States Championship (1 time), Money in the Bank Briefcase Holder (2016)

Why He’ll Win: Out of everybody in this match, Ambrose has the least to lose. His Intercontinental Championship isn’t on the line in this match. He’s never stepped into the Chamber before, but his time in the independents introduced him to every type of stipulation, including cage matches. He’ll feel right at home inside the Elimination Chamber.

Why He’ll Lose: He’s the most reckless competitor in the match by a pretty wide margin. Recklessness leads to mistakes, and mistakes inside the Elimination Chamber lead to certain doom. If he goes flying out of the ring like a maniac he’ll land on that cold, hard steel, or maybe he’ll fly through the glass of one of those pods. To survive in the Chamber you need to know when to be cautious, and Ambrose doesn’t know what “cautious” means.

So who do I think will win? We can rule AJ Styles out since he’s due to get a title shot sometime soon. (Will he? I guess we’ll have to find out.) Dean Ambrose already has a championship and I don’t think he’s getting another one. Baron Corbin isn’t ready yet. The Miz would be an interesting choice but I don’t see it happening. It comes down to two guys…it’s always tough to pick against John Cena, but I already said Bray Wyatt & Randy Orton: WrestleMania Bound. I’ll stick with that pick.

For more of Steve Cook’s thoughts on pro wrestling, along with his thoughts on the Cincinnati Bengals, Cincinnati Reds, Nashville Predators, Tottenham Hotspur & University of Louisville sports teams, follow him on Twitter.