After weeks of getting it right, then getting it all wrong, then getting it right again, because the wrongness righted itself, the “Road to WrestleMania” has finally landed at Elimination Chamber. Which is in Perth this year. Meaning two things. A: It’s the home of one of my favorite authors, Tim Winton, and B: I have to wake up at [checks sundial] the interdimensional crossroads of my sleep paralysis demon and my night terror baba yaga if I want to watch it live.
It also means that more puzzle pieces will fall into place regarding other major matches at ‘Mania. While the whole Cody vs. Roman match (with possible table usurper The Rock looming) still needs tinkering and tonkering, we’ll at least finally know who’ll face both Seth Rollins (it’ll be Drew, or Sami, or both) and the winner of the Nia/Rhea match (it’ll be Rhea, if I can be sol bold as to enact/dust off the OPPOSITE MOMENTUM rule that, scientifically, is 83-86% accurate).
Before excavating all that though, let’s be clear: The Rock and Roman will clash. At some point. The Rock could wait to try and take the Bloodline from Roman or they could sort of do a rush job on it over the next month. Either way, no matter how quickly it moves, The Rock’s moving this way…
The fact that he was off to the side was notable. Of course, Roman should be in the center…but it’s The Rock. And his placement teases some small (or big) steps to the left while Roman gradually notices that the furniture’s slowly being moved. It could happen next week, it could happen the Raw After Mania, or Matt could just be a dumbo turd boy. All things are possible!
I know he’s on Raw, but as The Rock ushers in a power play I would love for Pat McAfee to do his football telestrator-sketch thing by drawing on the screen to show the important body movements. Also, I would like for The Rock to eventually say “The hierarchy of power in the Bloodline is about to change.”
Any and all Black Adam references as a heel are powerfully welcome. Hollywood Rock could blame us jabronis for the movie’s failure and cite it as a modern masterpiece, constantly quoting it. Oh, and then when he finds out Jimmy hasn’t seen it?…it gets tense. Rock comes out, mid-Jimmy match, and makes him walk to the back where he’s got Black Adam all set up. Jimmy takes the countout loss.
Let’s hone in then on the Women’s Elimination Chamber match. Obviously, Becky’s going to win. She’s Big Time Becks. Rollicking Rebecca. The one who, despite it being a point of contention on RAW this week, will wind up being in this particular marquee ‘Mania match. Mami vs. The Man(i). It prints money.
But man, the story’s just not there. Which doesn’t necessarily matter when it’s just two top stars but…isn’t a built-in story better? Hear me out. Story over stars. For once in our miserable lives. Liv Morgan is back and is on a warpath, fueled by her quest for revenge against Rhea Ripley. You could hand deliver this match to Becky, who I think is tremendous, don’t get me wrong, or you could think outside the bun and have Liv win the Chamber match.
Becky, technically, still hasn’t cleared Nia. She hasn't finished that feud. She’s still got red in her ledger. So she could still have an awesome, totally respectable grudge match with Nia at ‘Mania. Grudge matches are cool. They’re so gd grudgey. Technically, we don’t have a grudge match set for ‘Mania yet. Cody and Roman is more or less a grudge match but it’s so suped (souped? mmmm soup) up now with The Rock and Bloodline members always interfering that it feels like there are more difficult obstacles for Cody to overcome than Roman.
Becky vs Nia would be personal. And Liv vs Rhea would be grudgey as all get out. Also, Liv beating Rhea would spark a bigger pop, a bigger moment, than if Becky did it. Am I biased because Liv Morgan came on my podcast twice to specifically talk about Chucky movies? Absolutely. No doubt. But also she’s the match I want to see and the one, currently, who feels like she’s ready for her big “The Man” moment. You know, as an upper-tier wrestler who’s already been a world champion but never quite reached that big breakout part.
Liv doesn’t need a merch-perfect busted nose pose, per se, but she is definitely one inciting incident away from blowing up big. That being said, blood does help. When done right it can work like rocket boots. So if she’s not going to win the Chamber at least make it her “moment.” Make her the (bloody?) star of that match and then…use it. Follow it up. Don’t just make it a brief commentary talking point when she comes to the ring, actually light a fuse with it.
Maybe I’m pushing for this to happen sooner than later because the hierarchy of power in the women’s division is about to change when Jade Cargill – who is going to be a paradigm-shifter (I can’t wait) – comes in and tosses everyone and everything around like sacks of Petchow Rat Poison.
I guess when I write that Liv Morgan needs to “finish her story” – as a way of pointing out that she, like Cody, also has a storyline baked-in title win – I mean she needs to start her story. It’s hard, I know. Becky has a new hat. That’s difficult to top. But the Chamber provides us with ample opportunity to, perhaps, take a different path to ‘Mania.
Also, give Rhea the most land-down-under Australian entrance ever. Have Men at Work play her to the ring while War Boys hurl Vegemite into the crowd and then there’s, like, a run-in by Bindi Irwin and she hits Nia with a platypus and then (Perth’s own!) Tim Winton nails a Canadian Destroyer (which in Canada is just called a Destroyer). Bah gawd, he just hit him with the Cloudstreet!
KNEELIFT!
