2021 Elimination Chamber Predictions

In this edition of The Wrestling Estate roundtable, we discuss the 2021 Elimination Chamber and hot topics in WWE.

Should Eli Drake have been sent straight to the main roster?

Chad Gelfand: No, the best thing for the now LA Knight is for him to be in NXT. There used to be a time when people would say if your strength was character work and promo work, then you should go to the main roster, but look how that turned out for Bobby Roode and EC3. In NXT, Eli Drake will get the space and opportunity to do character, which is his strength.

Neal Wagner: We all know what happens when you go straight to the main roster. For the sake of his career right now, he needs to just stay in NXT where he can be used properly and get a main event spot by using his verbal and promo skills.

John Corrigan: Absolutely. Why waste time in NXT? I understand his talents will most likely be wasted on Raw and SmackDown, but at least his initial appearance would get lapsed fans like me to tune in.

Jack Goodwillie: Dummy, yeah! He’s already on the main roster *wink wink.*

If the question is should Eli Drake have been sent straight to Raw or SmackDown, the answer is no. This is one of the worst times for callups. Historically, you’d never see debuting talent come in around the Royal Rumble because the focus of WrestleMania season is generally going to be on the top four matches and everybody else fighting for scraps. However, it’s a little different these days with NXT. Now people can see their favorite superstars have a run in NXT, debut in the Royal Rumble and stay on the main roster because why not? But Eli Drake is someone who’s really only known to the avid wrestling fan, not WWE fan, and for that reason, he’s in a good spot being back on NXT.

Is the Hurt Business the best stable in wrestling today?

Gelfand: Since the New Day has been split up, I’m going to say yes. MVP is one of the best in the world with a mic in his hands. Bobby Lashley is gearing up for a main event run soon and Shelton Benjamin and Cedric Alexander have turned into a good tag team with Alexander antagonizing Benjamin.

Wagner: Yes, and also one of the most underutilized stables right now. These four should be booked like how Evolution was at the end of Armageddon 2003, all men walk out with titles to close a show. Benjamin and Cedric as Tag Team Champs, MVP with the U.S./IC Title and Lashley winning the World Title.

Corrigan: No, that’s Contra Unit, but the Hurt Business is definitely the best stable in WWE in recent memory.

Goodwillie: Well, it’s certainly no Evolution, but The Hurt Business does its job as a stable. A big reason for that? Continuity. WWE Creative has very little patience for stables that don’t immediately pan out to some sort of reaction. Remember Social Outcasts? Plus, think about how much change Retribution has seen since debuting, as much as I can’t stand them. As far as where Hurt Business ranks among modern-day stables, it’s hard to say. The Inner Circle held that title for a while, but that group has waned for several reasons. On the other hand, Eddie Kingston’s stable isn’t half bad. I can definitely settle on Hurt Business as the best stable in WWE, though.

How do you feel about the Lacey Evans-Ric Flair love affair?

Gelfand: At the start of the storyline, there was a zero % chance that it wasn’t going to be terrible and now that Lacey Evans is pregnant for real, I fear it’s somehow going to get worse.

Wagner: End it now. Honestly, thank goodness it’s going to have to end because of Lacey’s pregnancy because this ends this horrible storyline. It made no sense.

Corrigan: I don’t blame Lacey Evans for taking a ride on Space Mountain and I certainly don’t blame the Nature Boy for flopping for the Southern Belle.

Goodwillie: It’s funny because I can recall a confrontation between Charlotte and Lacey when Lacey had her first Royal Rumble. They had this staredown where each of them had a great presence of being tall, tan, jacked and blonde with a look on their face like they wanted to rip the other person limb from limb. “They could have been sisters,” I said to myself! Fast forward to 2021, and Lacey Evans is in a romance angle with none other than…Ric Flair, Charlotte’s dad. Vince McMahon has a bit of a history of incest-related angles that I won’t delve into today, but my general thoughts towards the Lacey-Ric love affair is that it’s in character for a WWE show. On a completely unrelated note, can anybody tell me why Charlotte was laughing maniacally after getting eliminated in the Royal Rumble this year? Still haven’t figured it out. Dummy, yeah! (points to self)

Who’s your pick to win the WWE Championship: Drew McIntyre, AJ Styles, Jeff Hardy, Randy Orton, Sheamus, or Miz?

Gelfand: Drew McIntyre retains. He’s carried the WWE Championship through nearly this entire pandemic era and his reward will be carrying the WWE Championship into WrestleMania in front of his first live crowd in a year.

Wagner: Sheamus wins. If they were booking smart right now for Mania, Sheamus wins in the Chamber, gets through Fastlane and then drops it back to Drew McIntyre so he gets his WrestleMania moment in front of fans this time.

Corrigan: Drew wins the 2021 Elimination Chamber, gets knocked out by Sheamus and Miz cashes in to the win the WWE Championship. Maybe we get a triple threat at WrestleMania.

Goodwillie: Well, a lot of people are going to say Drew retains, but it’s not quite that simple. Should anybody else happen to win, it can set up a return match for WrestleMania, which only makes sense logically. When you think of it that way, really, anybody can win this match. Ultimately, WWE will have Drew retain, but if it’s serious about having a compelling build to a match at WrestleMania with Sheamus, the Celtic Warrior should really go over here.

Do yourself a favor and watch Cesaro cut the promo of his life on #TalkingSmack this week. pic.twitter.com/kxJT8O9obX
— Ryan Satin (@ryansatin) February 13, 2021

Who’s your pick to win this 2021 Elimination Chamber: Jey Uso, Kevin Owens, King Corbin, Sami Zayn, Cesaro or Daniel Bryan?

Gelfand: Cesaro has been on a tear recently and there finally seems to be a renewed interest in pushing him, so I’m going with the Swiss Superman. However, whoever wins the Chamber will probably put on a really good 5 to 10-minute match with Roman Reigns before it ends with him choking them out.

Wagner: Cesaro wins, but loses to Reigns in the match. This can build to a straight up match at WrestleMania where they can finally face off one on one when Cesaro hasn’t already wrestled for 30 mins. Cesaro will win, too.

Corrigan: The Cesaro promo is a red herring. Daniel Bryan wins and we get an early match of the year contender.

Goodwillie: It’s an intriguing match because similar to the previous 2021 Elimination Chamber match, you can make a compelling argument for anybody in the match to get the win and go on to face Roman Reigns later in the night. Since that’s going to be a throwaway match, I can make a great case for Cesaro to get the win. A match with Roman Reigns was probably written into his new contract after all, and should he get the nod, I have no doubt he’ll give an epic performance. But at the end of the day, this spot is merely for Reigns to kill time until he and Edge begin their collision course towards Mania.