The Elimination Chamber is the last grasp for those wanting to headline WrestleMania in its marquee matches and to challenge for world championships. The final premium live event before the “Granddaddy of ’em All” hits Toronto this weekend in what is slated to be a monumental show!

As of now, the Elimination Chamber only has 4 matches scheduled. Whenever WWE dedicates legitimate time for two matches, this is a common practice. Last year’s Elimination Chamber had four matches on the main card, Survivor Series 2024 had five matches, and the Royal Rumble earlier this month had 4. Rather than squeezing six-plus matches into a rushed show or keeping the audience there 4-5 hours, Triple H takes the “less is more” approach.

There’s obviously the Women’s and Men’s Elimination Chamber Matches, but what about the other two?

Trish Stratus & Tiffany Stratton vs. Candice LeRae & Nia Jax

You read that right. Trish Stratus is wrestling in 2025. At 49 years old, Stratus stepped into the ring for the first time in the Women’s Royal Rumble Match since her feud with Becky Lynch in September 2023. Nearly 18 months later, she finds herself involved in the feud between Tiffany Stratton and Nia Jax.

Stratton is the current WWE Women’s Champion and cashed in the Money in the Bank briefcase on Nia Jax to win her first championship, only after Nia Jax recruited Candice LeRae to assist her in more of her matches. Nia Jax won’t be getting another opportunity anytime soon, considering Tiffany Stratton will have to shift her focus to defending the WWE Women’s Championship against Royal Rumble winner Charlotte Flair at WrestleMania.

This match is a nod to Toronto’s own Trish Stratus in her hometown, the same place she retired from full-time in-ring competition back in 2006. Nineteen years later, she teams with the present and future of the women’s division. I expect Triple H gives the fans something to be happy about. After the Montreal Screwjob in 1996, to Sami Zayn falling short to Roman Reigns in 2023, the Canadian fans need some positive outcome. There’s no way Trish Stratus loses in Toronto, and no way Tiffany Stratton loses before her first title defense at WrestleMania.

Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn in an Unsanctioned Match

Speaking of Canada, these two are synonymous with Canadian wrestling and both careers have been intertwined since their childhood, to their Ring of Honor days, arriving in NXT, all the way up to the main roster where they’ve fought alongside each other and vehemently ripped one another apart. That’s exactly what could happen in this Unsanctioned Match in Toronto.

If you have never watched a Kevin Owens versus Sami Zayn match, I recommend you do some research on Peacock or YouTube. Any of their ROH, NXT, or WWE bouts can suffice, because they all set the bar for Saturday’s fight.

Kevin Owens has hit the brutal piledriver on Randy Orton, Cody Rhodes, and now Sami Zayn. Owens lost his business to Cody Rhodes before directing his attention to Sami Zayn, who he blames for losing his opportunity to win the WWE Championship. Sami Zayn might win this match, but with the help of a returning Randy Orton, setting up an Orton-Owens match at WrestleMania.

Zayn has fallen before in Canada, but it won’t happen this time. I see a scenario where Randy Orton, with the unsanctioned rules, brings out his banned move: the punt kick. Orton punts Owens, puts the Prizefighter out of action for a few weeks, leading to Sami Zayn dropping to a pinfall.

Alexa Bliss vs. Bayley vs. Bianca Belair vs. Liv Morgan vs. Naomi vs. Roxanne Perez

in the Women’s Elimination Chamber Match

The winner of this Elimination Chamber Match goes on to wrestle Rhea Ripley for the Women’s World Championship. Keeping this in mind, we have to play the process of elimination. Roxanne Perez seems to be the easiest competitor to dismiss. Perez just made it to the main roster, had a very impressive showing in the Women’s Royal Rumble Match this month where she set a new duration record, and will have an impressive showing in this match… just not the win.

There’s Bianca Belair and Naomi, who just lost their WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships to Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez. Jade Cargill is rumored to be coming back any day now with rumors to feud with Bianca Belair and/or Naomi. If this is a WrestleMania feud, this would rule out Belair or Naomi challenging Rhea Ripley. But side note, Bianca Belair versus Rhea Ripley is a future WrestleMania headliner and should happen sooner rather than later.

Liv Morgan could be a feud revisited with Rhea Ripley, but we watched that feud for the entire 2024 calendar year. With Liv Morgan recently winning the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships with Raquel, I could see that being Liv Morgan’s focus and not winning the Elimination Chamber.

We’re then down to two: Alexa Bliss and Bayley. Alexa Bliss returned at the Royal Rumble after being gone two years and has joined the SmackDown brand. Bliss shows signs of continuing the late Bray Wyatt’s legacy in some way, paying homage to his Fiend character. The Wyatt Sicks were also moved to the blue brand, which could complicate the WrestleMania picture with Rhea Ripley strictly being on Monday Night Raw. I can’t imagine people booing Rhea Ripley right now, nor can I see fans turning on Alexa Bliss.

The only other option is the woman who walked out of WrestleMania 40 as WWE Women’s Champion, Bayley. While WWE could get away with this battle of babyfaces, Bayley is a worthy opponent of Ripley, a first-time match, and believable as a WrestleMania opener. What happens when the two winners at last year’s WrestleMania collide this year? Hopefully we get to find out!

As far as storylines progressing, expect Roxanne Perez to have an impressive showing, a potential Jade Cargill sighting, and more Wyatt Sicks influence on Alexa Bliss.

CM Punk vs. Damian Priest vs. Drew McIntyre vs. John Cena vs. Logan Paul vs. Seth Rollins

in the Men’s Elimination Chamber Match

The winner goes on to challenge SmackDown’s Cody Rhodes for the WWE Championship. I shared earlier this week why John Cena shouldn’t win this match. Unfortunately, that might be the case and I wouldn’t be entirely surprised.

The one person I can rule out is Seth Rollins. Rollins has enough beef with Roman Reigns or CM Punk to start a new feud with Cody Rhodes, so expect Rollins to be at WrestleMania in some capacity against Reigns and/or Punk instead.

The next person you can use the process of elimination against is Damian Priest. Priest is a babyface and is finally finding his footing as a singles star. Priest against the company’s top babyface would hinder his progress.

Logan Paul would hopefully not win this match. A celebrity headlining WrestleMania would not go over well with fans in a Triple H Era. If Vince McMahon never pulled that stunt, Triple H wouldn’t with an emphasis on rewarding the hardest workers throughout the year. With Jey Uso being rewarded this year, and Bayley and Cody Rhodes being rewarded last year, I doubt Triple H gives that coveted spot to a part-timer.

This leaves three options who could win: CM Punk, Drew McIntyre, or John Cena. My personal pick would be Drew McIntyre, rewarding him for a solid 2024 heel run. The option that seems most inevitable is CM Punk or John Cena. We could see a world where Punk or Cena wins the Elimination Chamber, but the other finds their way into that match to make it a triple threat. Again, I explained earlier this week why this move wouldn’t be best for business, but I want you prepared.

Either way, I expect there to be more clarity for these six men and their path to WrestleMania. Does Priest cost McIntyre his moment twice, or does McIntyre get revenge on Priest? Do CM Punk and Seth Rollins get in each other’s way with their bad blood? Who does Logan Paul upset that leads to a WrestleMania showcase match?

Cody Rhodes Answers The Rock

And last but not least, we would be remissed without mentioning The Rock’s invitation to Cody Rhodes. The Rock showed up to Friday Night SmackDown to announce WrestleMania 42 being held in New Orleans in 2026, while also enticing Cody Rhodes to be “The Rock’s Champion” as The Rock covets Cody’s soul.

While these words were super vague, one can only imagine how this will play into the WrestleMania picture. Obviously, Cody Rhodes will not turn corporate and join The Rock. Instead, he might be the “New People’s Champion,” playing on words of what The Rock once was.

But the people of Toronto get to see Cody Rhodes and The Rock? I’m sure that sell-out crowd will not be disappointed by this in-ring segment or the matches on the show.

What are your expectations for this weekend’s Elimination Chamber? While they should be high, let us know in the comments what you’re looking forward to seeing!