WWE Elimination Chamber Match Card Picks Including Roman Reigns vs. Sami Zayn

The intense rivalry between Sami Zayn and Roman Reigns headlines Elimination Chamber. Credit: WWE.com

The Road to WrestleMania will make its latest stop in Montreal on Saturday night with the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view, headlined by the hotly anticipated Undisputed WWE Universal Championship match between Roman Reigns and Sami Zayn.

That contest, the product of eight months of superb storytelling, will be among the most emotionally fueled in modern WWE history and have fans hanging on every near-fall.

But will hometown hero Zayn do what no man has done in over two years by dethroning The Tribal Chief?

Find out with these predictions for the event.

Credit: WWE.com

At Extreme Rules in October, Finn Bálor defeated Edge in an "I Quit" match after The Judgment Day threatened to harm his wife, Beth Phoenix, with a con-chair-to.

Being the heels they are, they delivered the devastating move to The Glamazon anyway, putting her and The Rated-R Superstar out of action for four months.

The WWE Hall of Fame couple exploded back on screen at the Royal Rumble and will look to avenge their assault at the hands of Bálor and Ripley when they clash in a mixed tag team match on Saturday night.

For Ripley, there is more than a personal vendetta at stake. A loss could well halt the momentum she has built since winning the women's Royal Rumble match and cashing her ticket to a WrestleMania 39 showdown with Charlotte Flair.

It is that match and the creative team's determination to keep The Eradicator strong that makes this one tough to predict.

With the potential for a followup showdown between Edge and Bálor at The Showcase of the Immortals, it would make sense for the heels to squeak out a victory via chicanery and keep the heat on The Judgment Day.

Prediction: Bálor and Ripley

Credit: WWE.com

Bianca Belair does not yet have a challenger for WrestleMania 39, an issue that will be rectified Saturday night in Montreal when six talented wrestlers wage war inside the Elimination Chamber for a chance to compete against The EST of WWE.

Carmella and Natalya recently returned to the squared circle, Raquel Rodriguez and Liv Morgan have been holding it down on SmackDown every week, and Nikki Cross may be a wild card to score the biggest win of her career.

The reinvented Asuka, though, feels like the winner here.

She was dominant in the women's Rumble match and was one misfire away from winning it. She has been imposing, intimidating and unstoppable since her return and would provide Belair with another future Hall of Fame opponent on The Grandest Stage of Them All.

Sure, Triple H and Co. could roll with Carmella or push Rodriguez further over, but Asuka has always been one of The Game's favorite performers dating back to NXT, and this feels like an opportunity to make good after a few years of inconsistent booking.

Prediction: Asuka

Credit: WWE.com

Austin Theory will defend the United States Championship in the second Elimination Chamber match of Saturday night.

The field of challengers is mighty interesting, with rare singles opportunities for Montez Ford and Damian Priest, a return to form for Johnny Gargano, the first major opportunity for Bronson Reed to make a splash on the main roster, and the excellent Seth Rollins rounding it out.

As intriguing as those challengers may be, this feels like another opportunity for Theory to retain his title in a big spot.

Ford will show up and show out, Priest and Reed will be unstoppable forces, but the titleholder will eke out a victory by last defeating former NXT tag team partner Gargano.

Prediction: Theory

Credit: WWE.com

Sami Zayn is not defeating Roman Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship.

Anyone holding out hope for that outcome can stop now because you are only setting yourself up for disappointment.

With that said, this is going to be one of the most emotionally intense contests of the year, with a red-hot crowd behind one of the most beloved wrestlers on the planet.

Zayn is going to repay that support with an extraordinary performance while Reigns convinces the fans in Montreal that there is a chance he might actually lose, thanks to his understanding of the dramatic three-count.

There will be interference that ultimately costs Zayn the match and builds more heat for The Tribal Chief, all while protecting the hometown hero.

But make no mistake about it: Reigns is winning to set up the WrestleMania 39 showdown with Cody Rhodes.

Prediction: Reigns