WWE Rumors: Mickie James Took ‘Elimination Chamber 2018’ Spot From Competitor, Per ‘Wrestling Observer’
In recent speculation raised by Wrestling Observer, longtime WWE superstar Mickie James received another newer competitor’s spot in the first-ever women’s Elimination Chamber 2018 match. The big match will arrive later this month with five women’s superstars inside the structure, each trying to win the WWE Raw Women’s title from current champion Alexa Bliss. Here are the latest details on who Mickie James is rumored to have replaced in the match.
The Cageside Seat‘s Randall Ortman reported on Saturday morning that Wrestling Observer has suggested Mickie James took a spot originally intended for Nia Jax in the historic chamber match. That put Mickie into a match with newer superstars such as Bayley, Sasha Banks, Mandy Rose, Sonya Deville, and the champion Alexa Bliss. Nia Jax seemed like an obvious choice for a match of this nature from the moment it was announced.
However, Raw General Manager Kurt Angle booked a separate match for Nia at the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view in which she’ll take on current undefeated superstar Asuka. The winner of that match gets to face whomever the WWE Raw Women’s Champion is at WrestleMania 34. Most fans and journalists are speculating that Alexa Bliss will somehow survive that match.
The match involving Asuka and Nia Jax sets up the potential for Asuka to suffer her first-ever loss on the main roster. However, there are continued rumors out there that Asuka will use her Royal Rumble victory to challenge Charlotte Flair for the WWE SmackDown Women’s title at WrestleMania. A first loss on the main roster makes her seem more “beatable” in the ring, should that be part of WWE’s plan for the Jax vs. Asuka match.
It’s still being speculated that Nia Jax will be part of that championship match against Alexa Bliss somehow, but it’s unknown if that means she’ll defeat Asuka. There’s probably plenty of reasoning behind the match, with one of the main angles being that Bliss and Jax are real-life friends whose lives are documented on Total Divas. That should give more footage for WWE to use behind the scenes as they will later reveal all the build-up to the two friends’ big match on “the grandest stage of them all.”
Meanwhile, the way the matches are booked will give Mickie James to be part of history once again, which is certainly deserved based on her career resume.
WWE’s Elimination Chamber 2018 pay-per-view is slated for Sunday, February 28, from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada with coverage available live online through WWE Network subscription service.
