WWE: Good Week, Bad Week - Samoa Joe and Baron Corbin star
AJ Styles will head into Elimination Chamber on a loss
By Phillipa Hopwood
Last Updated: 09/02/17 5:55pm
There’s action everywhere you look in WWE at the moment.
The winner of Sunday's Smackdown Elimination Chamber Match will walk into WrestleMania 33 as the WWE Champion for a title defence against Royal Rumble victor Randy Orton.
The Raw roster, meanwhile, is preparing for its final pay-per-view on the Road to WrestleMania - Fastlane on March 5 - where Goldberg will challenge Kevin Owens for the Universal Championship.
It's an exciting time of year for the WWE Superstars but only a select few are enjoying their current position…
GOOD WEEK
Baron Corbin
The Lone Wolf eliminated Braun Strowman from the Royal Rumble a few weeks ago and was then announced as a participant in the Elimination Chamber Match for the WWE Championship. Corbin proved he deserved that spot on Tuesday when he pinned former WWE Champion AJ Styles in a Fatal Four-Way also involving The Miz and Dean Ambrose.
Corbin must be now considered a dark horse going into his first Chamber Match. The winner of last year's Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal has not had an easy route to the main-event picture on Smackdown but now he's there, he will be hoping to take full advantage of the opportunity.
Samoa Joe
The Samoan Submission Machine made his main-roster debut last week, working for Triple H to take out Seth Rollins. This week, he signed his official Raw contract, much to the annoyance of Roman Reigns.
A match was made between the two, with Joe not only wrestling in the main event but also defeating Reigns. The Big Dog is considered one of the biggest stars on the Raw roster, so for Joe to notch a win like this suggests the future is bright for the former NXT Champion.
The Ascension
The former NXT Tag Team Champions have looked lost since they were called up to WWE's main roster and have failed to make any kind of impact since being drafted to Smackdown last July. That changed this week…
Konnor and Viktor teamed with The Usos and The Vaudevillians in a six-team tag match against American Alpha, Breezango and Heath Slater and Rhyno, with Viktor earning the win for his team. The Ascension will now compete in Sunday's Tag Team Turmoil Match.
BAD WEEK
AJ Styles
Styles controlled the Smackdown brand the entire time John Cena was on hiatus but he has been in freefall since he lost the WWE Title to Cena at the Royal Rumble. He will now head into Sunday's Elimination Chamber bout off the back of that defeat to Corbin.
Five months ago, Styles was on top of the world and the undoubted Superstar of the Year for 2016, but with WrestleMania looming, the future is not looking too bright for The Phenomenal One.
The Shining Stars
The Shining Stars, one of the most underrated tag teams on the Raw roster, faced former Tag Team Champions The New Day this week. Primo and Epico were beaten, but they put on a fantastic show, something that did not go unnoticed by the commentators.
Primo and Epico didn't have much luck as Los Matadores, but they could use these new characters to their advantage if they are to continue pursuing a rivalry with The New Day.
Nikki Bella
The longest-reigning Divas Champion of all time hasn't risen back to the top of the Smackdown women's division and has instead become embroiled in a personal feud with Natalya - the former friends will now collide at Elimination Chamber this weekend.
Bella and Natalya had a sit-down interview on Tuesday night, with Natalya coming out on top and forcing her opponent to walk away. There are also rumours that Bella, who underwent neck surgery last year, may take some time off after WrestleMania in April.
