WWE Elimination Chamber is this Sunday (yes, it is!) and that means it’s time for Steve Cook to place some wagers! (For Entertainment Purposes Only, of course…)

The Elimination Chamber event has been more friendly to underdogs than most WWE events. Which makes sense, as it’s usually the last major stop before WrestleMania, and the best time for some curveballs to be thrown. We’ve got FastLane to deal with this year, but I’m still seeing some opportunities for y’all to make some picks for entertainment purposes only on this show.

The fact that WWE’s booking for this show has been pretty haphazard just gives folks in the know more of a chance to make some money. So let’s break it down.

Raw Women’s Championship Match?
Asuka vs. Lacey Evans

This match is still being advertised on WWE.com even though Lacey announced on Monday night that she was pregnant. BetOnline has removed the match from its listings, I don’t know if other services are still allowing you to bet on it or not. Maybe it’s just me, and there’s a good chance this all gets taken care of in the time between the posting of this column & the show itself, but isn’t it a little strange that this match hasn’t immediately been postponed?

Something’s going on here. Either Lacey & Ric Flair have a replacement in mind to take on Asuka, or somehow Lacey Evans has pulled the wool over our eyes and she isn’t actually pregnant. That might be a heavy accusation, but it wouldn’t be the only time this week that the Internet jumped to some major conclusions based off of something they thought they saw.

Not sure what exactly is going down here, and I sure wouldn’t put any money in this direction, but I’ve got the feeling we’ll see a new Raw Women’s Champion crowned on this show. Not like they’re doing anything with Asuka anyway.

United States Championship Match
Bobby Lashley (-175) vs. Keith Lee (+165) vs. Riddle (+400)

Speaking of matches that are up in the air, the scuttlebutt surrounding this one involves the status of Keith Lee. Lee might end up being removed from the match according to the latest backstage rumors. He was not on Monday’s Raw episode. Might end up being much ado about nothing, but definitely something to keep an eye on.

Another thing to keep an eye on: Riddle’s odds. I expect that to go down as we get closer to the show. He hasn’t had the best track record against Lashley or Lee, but he keeps getting put in these matches for some reason. I wouldn’t be shocked if Riddle goes over on Sunday night, and he’s definitely the best bet if you want to make some money. We at least know he’ll be in the match.

SmackDown Men’s Elimination Chamber
Kevin Owens (-125) vs. Cesaro (+150) vs. Daniel Bryan (+450) vs. Jey Uso (+1000) vs. Baron Corbin (+5000) vs. Sami Zayn (+5000)

KO has gotten plenty of shots at Roman lately, and it’s not like they’ve been particularly clean victories for the champion. I wouldn’t fault WWE for giving Owens another title shot, or even for taking the Owens/Reigns issue to WrestleMania, where hopefully handcuffs won’t be involved.

We’re here to talk about options that make you some money though. Cesaro had that money promo on Talking Smack, and I’d certainly have no problem with him getting the push. Daniel Bryan is always there for a title program, and you’d make some pretty good money off of him at +450. Then there’s Jey Uso. The long-term story for Roman Reigns would seem to involve Jey Uso, unless Jey is just happy being Roman’s lapdog for the rest of his life. Maybe he is, I don’t know Samoan culture. I just feel like eventually, Jey Uso will end up being the top contender, and that’s when all hell breaks loose. So that’s your best bet on making money here.

Universal Championship Match
Roman Reigns vs. Winner of SD Men’s Elimination Chamber

BetOnline doesn’t currently have this one on the board. BetWWE.com has Roman listed at -1430 to his opponent’s +600. Which is probably why its not on the board in some places. Seems like an even more foregone conclusion than most of Reigns’ title matches, especially since the contender will have been in an Elimination Chamber match earlier in the evening. I don’t expect a title change here, but I do expect somebody to be built for a match later on, maybe at WrestleMania if Edge opts to stay away from the Head of the Table.

Raw Men’s Elimination Chamber
Drew McIntyre (-200) vs. Sheamus (+250) vs. AJ Styles (+600) vs. Randy Orton (+700) vs. Kofi Kingston (+4000) vs. Jeff Hardy (+5000)

Most of us have given up on the idea of Drew losing the WWE Championship prior to WrestleMania at this point. Sheamus has the best shot at it since he’s the last guy in. And, if we’re being honest, this is a pretty sorry field. Sure, they all held the WWE Championship at some point, but they’re also part of the age problem WWE has that people tell me they don’t have. I still don’t know what Jeff Hardy did to be involved in this, other than he’ll take a stupid bump. I would usually tell you to jump on Randy Orton at +700, but we know his WrestleMania destiny involves the Fiend, and let’s all hope the WWE Championship stays far away from that stupidity.

To be honest, I might throw a few bucks on Kofi Kingston at (+4000) and hope Vince has some nostalgia for 2019. What the hell? Maybe Kofi wins the match, Miz cashes in on him right after in a shocking swerve that still makes sense with the issues between New Day & Miz/Morrison. You’d still get your money since Kofi won the Chamber match. I like it! Not sure how thrilled I would be to see it play out, Kofi Kingston is the best bet of this whole show by a few miles.