WWE Elimination Chamber 2021 put some of the pieces in place on the Road to WrestleMania. As promised, there were major stakes, huge surprises and some key moments that looked ahead to The Grandest Stage of Them All.

A month past WWE Royal Rumble, the Rumble winners clearly set their path to The Show of Shows. Edge made it clear that he wants to fight Roman Reigns after the despicable actions of The Head of the Table.

Bianca Belair tried to win gold with a woman she has worked so well with in the past, Sasha Banks. However, The Legit Boss allowed herself to get distracted, setting up a serious conflict between these incredible athletes.

The WWE Championship picture was made less clear. In fact, the scene has not been this unclear in several years. After The Miz threw a wrench into everyone's plans by winning the WWE Championship, anyone could be holding the gold by the time April comes around.

All of this was just a taste of what is to come in the runup to WrestleMania. 

The WWE Championship Scene Is in Complete Disarray

Going into the night, Drew McIntyre looked like he was in for a serious struggle inside the Elimination Chamber. However, it was not a competitor inside the structure who truly made the difference. Instead, it was The Miz, who waited until after the match to make his presence felt.

The Scottish Psychopath has long been sold as unbreakable. Even inside the Elimination Chamber, he felt like the odds-on favorite. While The A-Lister said he was watching, he was treated like a joke. He was not seen as someone who could actually hold the gold in this era.

Now that he has done the unthinkable, Miz is still not the obvious man to walk into WrestleMania. However, it is unclear who will take down The A-Lister. McIntyre has serious beef with the champion, but he does not have an automatic rematch and will have to contend with an angry Sheamus sooner rather than later.

Miz promised John Morrison the first shot at his title. He also clearly made a deal with MVP to enlist the help of Bobby Lashley to soften up McIntyre. The A-Lister's biggest rivals right now are Bad Bunny and Damian Priest, a story that continued backstage at Elimination Chamber.

Raw has opened the doors for any possibility. Anyone could walk into WrestleMania with the gold. It is all a matter of what stories the company wants to tell. Each week on the Road to WrestleMania should make this all the clearer.

Roman Reigns vs. Edge Is Set to Main Event WrestleMania

While Raw's world title scene is unclear, SmackDown just set the stage for the WrestleMania main event. Edge earned his opportunity to main event The Show of Shows, and he decided to challenge Roman Reigns after The Head of the Table took the easy road at WWE Elimination Chamber.

This match felt more or less certain a few weeks ago, even though WWE would not fully admit to it. The reason was that Edge clearly fit better working with Reigns over anyone else. This is a story that both men can truly sell.

WrestleMania is about selling the biggest stories possible. Reigns is the hottest heel in WWE by a solid margin. Edge is on the ultimate underdog story with his return from retirement and one last chance at regaining the gold he never lost.

The Rated-R Superstar can tell stories unlike just about anyone else. He will gladly sell his vulnerability against a young star known to exploit every injury. We could legitimately see Edge sell his neck in a way that feels truly genuine.

This is the biggest story of the year. This is the biggest match on the WWE calendar. There is no more time to tease anything else. This is the contest that will convince fans to tune into The Show of Shows.

Bianca Belair Has Beef with Sasha Banks That Will Be Settled at WrestleMania

Bianca Belair has remained unclear in her desire. Much like Edge, she would not tell anyone early who she would challenge at WrestleMania. However, the story is coming together for The EST to face the perfect woman to take her to the highest level possible.

Sasha Banks and Belair have chemistry. It has been showcased since Belair arrived on SmackDown. The two have been teaming together to hone their skills as a unit. Ultimately, it seems to have been the safest way for them to prepare for a monumental match that should main-event Night 1 of WrestleMania.

The EST has always built herself up with confidence, yet she has not been able to win the biggest matches. She failed to capture the NXT Women's Championship. It took until just before the Royal Rumble for her to defeat Bayley. She has not been able to win the WWE Women's Tag Team Championships, either.

Banks got in the way of her winning gold, so it only makes sense to sell that fully. Banks vs. Belair is a special contest that will make history for WWE. The women rarely get one-on-one title shots at WrestleMania, and it would be the first time two Black women got that shot together.

WWE Elimination Chamber sowed the seeds for the match to come. It will be interesting to see if it remains a friendly rivalry, or if Banks chooses to turn heel again with Reginald to back her up.

WWE Has No Idea What to Do with Asuka

Asuka was originally scheduled to defend her Raw Women's Championship against Lacey Evans at WWE Elimination Chamber. On Raw, WWE had to pivot with the announcement that The Sassy Southern Belle was pregnant.

It seemed like the right moment to put The Empress of Tomorrow in the ring with a fresh face. Peyton Royce, Mandy Rose, Dana Brooke, Nikki Cross or Naomi could have faced the champion in a one-off encounter in which both women have time to shine.

There was also an obvious story where Charlotte Flair could have demanded a shot at Asuka's title after The Queen saved her friend at WWE TLC 2020. All those possibilities were scrapped so that WWE could shorten the run time of the event.

At this point, no one is established as a challenger to The Empress of Tomorrow. The above list of challengers may have worked for Elimination Chamber, but WrestleMania needs to be special. Asuka needs a challenger with whom she can tell a great story.

Asuka vs. Charlotte may be the only option because WWE has failed to build up other talent. Rhea Ripley remains forgotten on the sidelines. It is unclear when Becky Lynch will return. The rest of the roster does not have the momentum.

WWE Elimination Chamber was not a good night for the women's roster, but it was especially a poor night for Asuka. She has been champion for 184 days and counting and defended her title five times. The Empress deserves better.