April 7. Alberto Del Rio will defend his World Heavyweight Championship against Chamber Match
conqueror Jack Swagger, and The Rock will defend the WWE Title against his old foil, John Cena, in a rematch of their epic clash at last year’s WrestleMania.
So with the final preparations for WrestleMania beginning Monday, what does this mean for champions, challengers and everyone in between? Well, here are five potential developments to watch out for.
Punk’d
It looks like that’s all she wrote for CM Punk’s reign as WWE Champion. Despite his best efforts to reclaim the precious championship from The Rock through means both conventional (winning the match) and underhanded (absconding with the actual, physical title and declaring himself champion), The Straight Edge Superstar fell short against The Brahma Bull for the second straight month. And barring further shenanigans, Punk finds himself out of the WWE Title picture for the first time since November 2011. But given that this is CM Punk we’re talking about, further shenanigans are likely to ensue. What trickery will the former WWE Champion pull off to facilitate his return to the mountaintop?
(EXCLUSIVE: HEYMAN REACTS TO PUNK’S DEFEAT)
'Justice' league
In The Shield’s second sanctioned WWE bout at Elimination Chamber, the imposing trio of Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins & Roman Reigns conquered a veritable “super team” in John Cena, Sheamus & Ryback — a chilling victory in the name of what the imposing trio calls “justice.” The Shield now casts its collective gaze down the final stretch of The Road to WrestleMania … and the potential targets that are known only to the black-clad triumvirate.
Patriot games
That’s one way to punctuate a return. The rejuvenated Jack Swagger scored a surprise victory in the Elimination Chamber Match and punched his ticket to Springsteen country, where he’ll challenge Alberto Del Rio for the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania in MetLife Stadium. Swagger’s turnaround from his disappointing (and ultimately cut-short) 2012 has been outstanding, and victory in the Chamber — not to mention the tutelage of Zeb Colter — seems to have finally put him on the proper path back to World Title glory. How will the “Real American” kick off his WrestleMania journey?
The opportune moment
Of course, there is still one wrinkle left in the World Heavyweight Championship picture: Dolph Ziggler and that ubiquitous Money in the Bank contract he’s been toting around since July. The Showoff has proven himself a most patient player when it comes to cashing in his contract, having waited out three separate World Champions — Sheamus, Big Show and now Del Rio — thus far. But WrestleMania is quickly approaching, and there’s no bigger show for Ziggler to steal. Will he look to redeem his free pass at the “Big Gold Title” before The Show of Shows? Or does he have a larger scheme in mind?
WWE Championship Match set for Grandest Stage
Looks like it’s down to The Rock and John Cena again. Only this time, the stakes are higher than anyone could have ever predicted, and the WWE Championship — not merely bragging rights — is what’s up for grabs on The Grandest Stage of Them All. With The Rock having fought hell and high water to claim his eighth WWE Championship and Cena having vowed to make 2013 his year, the only question remaining is who wants the victory more in the biggest rematch in history? Monday will give us our first semblance of an answer.Of the NXT standouts’ opponents at Elimination Chamber, it was Ryback who appeared most frustrated in the wake of his team’s loss, storming up the entrance ramp and leaving his bewildered allies puzzled in the ring.How will Ryback respond to his defeat at the hands of The Shield or, perhaps most importantly, who would be foolish enough to get in the juggernaut’s way on Raw?
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