WWE Elimination Chamber Match Losers in Danger of Missing WrestleMania 40

WWE held its annual Elimination Chamber premium live event Saturday in Perth, Western Australia, with Drew McIntyre and Becky Lynch cashing their tickets to WrestleMania 40 and a chance to win championship gold by way of their victories inside the unforgiving steel structure.

While the industry buzzed about their high-stakes victories, there were five men and five women who saw their dreams of competing for gold on wrestling’s grandest stage dashed, their paths to Philadelphia and the Showcase of the Immortals unclear.

Which of those Elimination Chamber match losers are in danger of seeing their dreams of competing in the most prestigious event in pro wrestling go up in smoke and why?

The answers may surprise you.

Liv Morgan’s second, consecutive runner-up finish has her on the brink of missing out on a spot on the WrestleMania 40 card.

She returned at the Royal Rumble after six months on the shelf, hellbent on avenging the assault that put her there by Rhea Ripley. She finished second, the last woman eliminated by eventual winner Bayley.

At Elimination Chamber, she again saw her dreams dashed by the eventual winner, Becky Lynch, who ended her night and the match with a Manhandle Slam.

Perhaps Morgan’s quest for revenge on Ripley will manifest itself further down the line, the latest attempt by Triple H and this creative regime’s efforts to play the long game. If so, the eventual match will be red-hot. That does not make up for missing the WrestleMania card, something that is a real possibility sans a clear path to Philadelphia.

There is clearly a story at play here. Morgan would not have been booked so strongly as to be the last woman eliminated in both of the aforementioned matches if there was not. Whether that story manifests itself in the form of a spot on what already looks to be a jam-packed WrestleMania card in which Superstars such as Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins may compete on two separate occasions, is the question.

Morgan may ultimately get her revenge on Ripley but it may have to wait until after the biggest show of the year. At this point, her best shot of an appearance on The Showcase of the Immortals may be in a multi-competitor match, not unlike the tag matches from a year ago.

WWE would never have The All-Mighty miss out on a WrestleMania match twice in a row, right?

Maybe.

Bobby Lashley is currently in the midst of a feud, with partners The Street Profits, against The Final Testament. It has been mostly one-sided to this point, with Karrion Kross and the Authors of Pain physically dominating the former WWE and tag team champions to this point.

Considering last year’s WrestleMania featured eight and seven matches, respectively, across two nights, one would think that the program would have the opportunity to culminate in Philadelphia, potentially in a gimmick match of sorts.

It is not a given, though.

It will be up to Triple H and his creative staff to decide what is prioritized, especially on a show where time is at a premium and special entrances, video packages, and other vignettes eat up run time.

The All-Mighty has not quite reached the world title level he had been in previously, but he remains one of the more popular competitors on the roster. It is difficult to imagine a scenario in which he is left off of the card completely, as was the case a year ago, but with all that is expected to go down in The City of Brotherly Love this year, it would not be surprising to see at least one major star and former world champion left watching from the sidelines.

Tiffany Stratton, the undisputed breakout star of the entire Elimination Chamber premium live event, had the social media world abuzz following her stellar performance in the show’s namesake match.

She had the fans in Optus Stadium chanting her name and jeering, loudly, when she was ultimately eliminated by Liv Morgan. It was a defining night for the spoiled brat heel, one that could very well catapult her to championship gold by the end of 2024.

It was also one that would leave the decision to keep her off the WrestleMania card that much more controversial.

As it currently stands, though, there is no clear direction for her entering The Showcase of the Immortals.

She could engage Naomi in a rivalry leading into the event, but the question then becomes whether that is a match that can make the card on its own merits or if it would have to settle for one of the messy multi-competitor matches that are usually added to the card late in the process to justify multiple wrestlers making the show.

That may be her best path to the biggest show of the year. Otherwise, we may be talking about Stratton as one of those stars destined to breakout in post-WrestleMania WWE, a decision that would stir up controversy given how often she has risen to the occasion to this point in her pro wrestling career.

Raquel Rodriguez returned to WWE on the Raw before Elimination Chamber, won a battle royal to earn her way to the premium live event, and turned in another physically dominant performance inside the unforgiving steel structure.

She may not have won, but she once again showed why WWE officials have been so high on her over the last two or so years.

The question coming out of the chamber, though, is whether there is a place for her on the WrestleMania card.

She does not have the ongoing story that someone like Morgan does, nor did she have fans in Perth chanting her name and demanding a win like Stratton.

One would imagine at this place, based on fan reaction and recent creative tendencies, Morgan and Stratton would be favored over Rodriguez if there was a spot or two to open or a difficult creative decision to be made.

Like those two women, Rodriguez may be best suited to make the card in the annual “get as many Superstars on the show as possible” multi-competitor or team matches, if not in a battle royal of some sort.

It is not the most inspired booking for anyone involved, but it at least gets them the payday so many strive for.