WWE will host yet another overseas spectacle on February 24 when Elimination Chamber heads to Perth, Australia for a blockbuster pay-per-view with WrestleMania ramifications.
Expected to provide a massive $33 million boost to the local economy, the 2024 Elimination Chamber event will also determine a handful of WrestleMania 40 matches. Among the biggest bouts on the card are the men’s and women’s Elimination Chamber matches. Those two matches will determine who faces Rhea Ripley—or Nia Jax—for the women’s World Championship and who challenges Seth Rollins for the World Heavyweight Championship.
Both matches are loaded with many of the company’s biggest stars, including Bianca Belair, Becky Lynch, Drew McIntyre and Randy Orton. With the WrestleMania 40 card undergoing numerous changes, including The Rock vs. Roman Reigns being scrapped by Rock himself, the domino effect from those changes could spill into both EC matches.
But based on recent booking and the trajectory for numerous top stars, these three men and three women are the favorites to win their respective Elimination Chamber matches.
MORE FROM FORBESWWE WrestleMania 40: 5 Possible Matches For The RockBy Blake Oestriecher
LA Knight
After qualifying for the men’s Elimination Chamber match, LA Knight immediately called out Rollins, and maybe that’s a sign of things to come.
Knight has also made it clear that he wants to be a champion and top star, and after missing out on two opportunities to dethrone Reigns, Rollins could be his consolation prize. With CM Punk’s injury and Brock Lesnar’s absence highlighting the plethora of changes altering the top portion of the WrestleMania card, the race to become the No. 1 contender for Rollins’ World Heavyweight Championship is wide open.
MORE FROMFORBES ADVISOR
Among the names in the men’s match, Knight is one of the most popular, and a win would be met with open arms by WWE’s fan base. The only issue is the timing of Knight’s rise not necessarily coinciding with a babyface vs. babyface build-up against Rollins. With Logan Paul holding the United States Championship on SmackDown, that’s a more likely target for Knight at WrestleMania.
Bianca Belair
Bianca Belair has competed in—and won—three straight women’s title matches at WrestleMania, and this might be the year where she’s finally the odd woman out. WWE has, after all, hinted at some sort of match either against or alongside Jade Cargill.
Then again, this is Bianca Belair we’re talking about.
WWE has pushed Belair to the moon for the past few years, and it’s difficult to envision her not being in a title match at WrestleMania 40. That is especially true considering that an Elimination Chamber win would likely set up a dream match against Ripley.
In a lot of ways, Belair and Ripley are the two cornerstones of the current generation, so even though Belair hasn’t really stood out as a contender for Ripley, she shouldn’t be counted out either.
Randy Orton
Despite Randy Orton’s unforgettable WWE Survivor Series return and the incredible crowd reactions he’s generated since then, there is no clear WrestleMania path for “The Viper.”
As a SmackDown star, Orton’s options at the top of the card are limited, which is what makes the Elimination Chamber so pivotal. The only way he can get a world title shot at WrestleMania 40 is to cross over to Raw, where he could rekindle his memorable rivalry with Rollins.
Although Rollins vs. Orton would be a babyface-babyface feud, they are both so over with the crowd right now that the bout would certainly be WrestleMania-worthy. And if there is one star on the same level as Punk, Rollins’ original WrestleMania opponent, it has to be Orton.
Liv Morgan
As was the case with the Royal Rumble, Liv Morgan is a fan favorite pick to win the Elimination Chamber match. Why? Well, it stems largely from fans’ theory that Morgan, who was sidelined in-storyline by Ripley last year, will avenge that injury by dethroning Ripley at WrestleMania 40.
Morgan came close to securing that match when she was the runner-up in the women’s Royal Rumble, and that, ironically enough, has been the story for much of her career: Always the bride’s maid and never the bride. Aside from one brief SmackDown Women’s title reign, Morgan has always been right on the cusp of breaking out without ever being firmly entrenched as a top singles star.
Even as a former world champion, that rather lackluster reign has made fans long for another title win for Morgan. That makes her both the sentimental favorite in Perth and—once again—the second most likely winner.
Drew McIntyre
The contract status of Drew McIntyre has been a captivating saga for the past year.
At last word, McIntyre hadn’t re-signed with WWE, but his strong push as the biggest heel on Raw has left many wondering whether he has actually inked a new deal. In fact, McIntyre is now being advertised to appear for WWE beyond his current contract expiration date.
McIntyre, however, reportedly is yet to put pen to paper on a fresh contract, although WWE has extended his contract beyond WrestleMania 40.
The way that McIntyre is pushed on Raw, however, indicates that WWE is, at the very least, extremely confident that McIntyre is staying. Even as a former two-time world champion, McIntyre is doing the best work of his career, and as the ideal antagonist opposite Rollins, that also makes him the prime candidate to win the men’s Chamber match.
Becky Lynch
Lynch and Ripley completely avoided one another on Raw for nearly an entire year. Then, over the past several weeks, they’ve had two major promo segments with one another, including that memorable one at the WrestleMania Kickoff press conference.
Surely that can’t be a coincidence, can it? The only thing that seems to be standing in the way of Lynch vs. Ripley at WrestleMania 40 is Lynch’s contract status. Much like McIntyre, Lynch’s deal is expiring soon, and even Lynch herself has been noncommittal—albeit optimistic—about reaching a new deal.
If Lynch loses at Elimination Chamber, perhaps that’s a sign that she and WWE are far apart on contract talks. But if she wins, that can be taken as one of two things: either it’s WWE’s way of enticing her to stay or a sign that she is sticking around for the long haul.
But given all the obvious signs pointing to Lynch vs. Ripley, it would be a shocker for the ages if Lynch doesn’t win the women’s Elimination Chamber.
