Do the WWE Superstars now start their Road to WrestleMania at Elimination Chamber?

[Midgetmania619]

Think about it, it all starts at the Rumble. One superstar wins and is guaranteed to main event WrestleMania (unless you are John Cena; spend at No Way Out, still main event WM). Then you either end or start new feuds and/or championship reigns.
During the following SmackDowns and Raws feuds elaborate, etc, but at the Elimination Chamber what is the point of having one/both champions in one/two different Chambers? If a champ loses it gives very little time to feud unless they appear on both brands. It's also predictable for the champ to retain if they're in a heated rivalry.

Now, both Main Events and the headliner were started last year at the Elimination Chamber leaving the Rumble PPV pointless to consider it worthy to start the WrestleMania feuds.

1) Edge wins Rumble and beats jobbers such as Big Show, John Morrison and the like until Elimination Chamber where he states he'll face Jericho... wow, wait a month after winning?
2) Sheamus lost the WWE title and didn't get a second chance, it just went to Batista who defeated Cena. They then main evented WrestleMania.
3) Undertaker only accepted Shawn as his opponent after Elimination chamber, a while after. There was 1 RAW and 1 SmackDown before we found out he accepts.

So what point did the Royal Rumble serve? The champions retained their titles, only to lose them at Elimination Chamber. Sure, it gave Edge his World Title match but he only used his chance *after* Elimination Chamber. He could've gone to face Sheamus, or Undertaker again.

2007: Undertaker chooses his WrestleMania opponent after appearing on RAW, ECW and SmackDown individually, then having them all in the one ring the following week to decide who to face. Then, Taker and Batista teamed up at No Way Out (where Cena, HBK and Batista teamed up on Undertaker). Undertaker's Road to WrestleMania started at Royal Rumble, so did John Cena's in 2008. He lost his shot at main eventing Mania XXIV, b*tched about it and then got in the main event (thank God he lost). However, in 2009 Orton just hid behind Legacy and kicked down McMahon's until WrestleMania where he got it handed to him... Sorry, I got WAY off track.

If the Road to WrestleMania starts at the Royal Rumble, why do we have completely unrelated champions?
2008: Orton retains against Jeff Hardy at Royal Rumble, retains until WrestleMania where he still retains.
2009: Edge won the WWE title, but wins the WHC title at next PPV, where he loses it at Mania...and Cena wins the WHC, which he then loses at the next PPV, but at Mania wins the WHC.

See my point? Royal Rumble is becoming nothing but a way of making a certain main event.

What do you think?

 

[The Suplexer Perfecter]

"Road to Wrestlemania" doesn't mean the champions leaving the Royal Rumble must stay the champion until Wrestlemania.

Remember early 1999 with Rock and Mankind trading the title?

At the Rumble in 2001 Angle was champion and lost it at No Way Out to The Rock.

Eddie won the title too at No Way Out in 2004.

I don't think people complain about the end result of those title changes at their Wrestlemanias.

And having a PPV that guarantees no title changes is ridiculous.

The Rumble making a certain main event IS THE POINT. There was no law that said anything different.

 

[DeathClutch]

In jist the road to Mania starts at Survivor Series and has done for years, the Royal Rumble was the PPV that historically the PPV that announced the championship match for the big show.

With the influx of PPV's we've been treated to the Feb PPV to being a PPV that normally show cased A or B wrestler, and since Elimination Chamber we've ended up with the final road block to Mania.

WWE should cut some PPV's IMO and between Rumble & Mania have complete build up on tv shows.

 

[The Eighties]

The Road to Wrestlemania is about more than just the titles and like any road it has bumps and turns on it, my only real issue these days is I'd like the Rumble winner to start his feud with his chosen champion the night after the Rumble, like the awesome showdown between Shawn and Austin the week after Rumble 98.

This is why I'd prefer the Elimination PPV to just have one EC match and it be to establish the #1 contender for the other world title.

 

[Ruthless-RKO]

I understand where you're coming from.. It's true what you're saying as well.. I have noticed the last few years since the Elimination Chamber started taking place at No Way Out.. Both WHC and WWE champions get defended and the title always changes hands.. I think this is quite a problem, because the road to wrestlemania is supposed to start at the rumble... and now it is way too predictable.. especially last year.. the 3 main events for wrestlemania were all clear to us after the elimination chamber ppv..