Notable Superstars Missing from the Card
Note: This is not a full list of everyone on the roster who is not scheduled for the show. It excludes some people who wouldn’t have normally been expected to appear on the show for some fashion, such as some jobbers, injured talent, etc.
The Street Profits = Outside of fighting for the tag titles, of which they aren’t the No. 1 contenders, whatever they would do would be superfluous.
Alpha Academy / Randy Orton = RK-Bro has their opportunity for the tag titles, but since Riddle is in the Elimination Chamber match, that match has to be put on hold until at least Monday Night Raw.
Damian Priest = No United States Championship defense?
Edge = Sitting this out to save up for WrestleMania, I guess. I’m okay with it.
Finn Balor = The Prinxe doesn’t seem to have much going on for him these days. Whether it’s just some time off for the sake of it and plans will circle back around closer to WrestleMania, or if he’s given up knowing WWE won’t push him, this could go any number of ways.
Omos = Nothing for the big man? That’s not a good sign.
Veer Mahaan = This guy has been “coming to Raw” for months, despite already having wrestled there. It boggles my mind what WWE does sometimes.
The New Day = Big E just keeps falling further down the list of priorities. At this point, it’s looking like it may even be hard to find a spot for these two at WrestleMania. How sad is that?
Jinder Mahal and Shanky = Jinder Mahal is such a great example of how WWE shouldn’t give the title to someone they don’t have faith they’ll care about in another year or two.
Mansoor = The most shocking absentee, by far. Mansoor’s always a part of this and typically given a featured role. To not have anything at all happening this time is surprising.
Rick Boogs and Shinsuke Nakamura = If Sami Zayn were working these events, the Intercontinental Championship match against Shinsuke Nakamura likely would have happened here. Instead, it’s a SmackDown match. That makes sense.
Cesaro, Ricochet / Ridge Holland and Sheamus = We don’t need another tag team match or anything else between these guys. They’ve ran it into the ground.
Raw Women’s Division Absentees = Alexa Bliss, Carmella, Dana Brooke, Tamina Snuka, Queen Zelina Vega. Elimination Chamber only has six spots.
Half of SmackDown Women’s Division (Mostly Everyone) = Aliyah and Natalya, Sasha Banks, Shayna Baszler, Shotzi and Xia Li are out of the event. There just isn’t enough room for everyone, it seems.
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