WWE Elimination Chamber Preview: Can Sami Zayn Do The Impossible?

The storyline between The Bloodline and Sami Zayn over the past year hasn’t just been the best thing WWE has done in ages but has set the stage for what could be an all-time moment for the company tonight at WWE Elimination Chamber.  That is… if the company wants it.  And that’s the real mystery heading into tonight’s show in Montreal.

Roman Reigns has been Champion for 901 days now, and as WWE’s top star, you would think there’s nothing standing between him and the main event of April’s WrestleMania.  But there’s a problem with that, and his name is Sami Zayn.  Zayn has become the most popular star in all of WWE, and someone fans are emphatically behind after his turning on Reigns at last month’s Royal Rumble.  And now he’ll be challenging Reigns for his title tonight at WWE Elimination Chamber.

Yes, WWE Elimination Chamber is the last Premium Live Event before WrestleMania, and that would almost ensure there wouldn’t be a title change under normal circumstances.  But if we can hop in our DeLorians and fire up our Flux Capacitors, let’s head back to early 1999 for a moment.  “Stone Cold” Steve Austin battling The Rock for the WWF Title in the main event of WrestleMania XV was written in stone, but there was a detour on the road to WrestleMania named Mankind.

Mick Foley‘s most empathetic personality had gotten way over with fans through his intense battles with The Rock and Vince McMahon‘s Corporation, and with rival WCW still breathing down their necks, WWF needed a big moment.  An all-time moment.  That moment came on the January 4, 1999 edition of Raw Is War, when Mankind defied all of the odds (with a big assist by D-Generation X and ol’ Stone Cold himself) and beat The Rock to become WWF Champion.

Mankind won the WWF Championship not once but twice before WrestleMania XV and was not in the main event of the show.  My point is we have six weeks to go before WrestleMania, and while Roman Reigns versus Cody Rhodes appears full steam ahead, that doesn’t mean we can’t get an amazing swerve before we get there.  A moment for fans to explode with excitement.  An all-time moment.  Could that come tonight in Sami Zayn’s hometown of Montreal at WWE Elimination Chamber?

But wait, there’s more!

Along with that, tonight at WWE Elimination Chamber, we will see the United States Championship on the line in the Men’s Chamber Match when Austin Theory defends against Montez Ford, Johnny Gargano, Bronson Reed, Damien Priest, and Seth Rollins, the Women’s Chamber Match with Carmella, Nikki Cross, Raquel Rodriguez, Liv Morgan, Natalya, and Asuka battling it out to determine who will face Bianca Belair for the Raw Women’s Championship at WrestleMania, Edge will team with his wife Beth Phoenix to face the team of Finn Balor and Rhea Ripley, and Bobby Lashley will take on Brock Lesnar.

Will we see a Miracle in Montreal tonight at WWE Elimination Chamber, or will we see this generation’s version of the Montreal Screwjob?  Our staff is divided on this one, with some of us saying Zayn will get close but get screwed in the end, while others think WWE will actually pull the trigger and let him win the big one and figure out WrestleMania after.

To find out, catch WWE Elimination Chamber live on Peacock in the U.S. and the WWE Network elsewhere at 8 pm EST.