Watch United States Champion Antonio Cesaro vs. The Miz Elimination Chamber 2013 Online

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Watch United States Champion Antonio Cesaro vs. The Miz Elimination Chamber 2013 Online

Less than 24 hours after Antonio Cesaro brutally and repeatedly swung him into ringside barricades on Raw, The Miz’s week perked up considerably with the news Tuesday that he has been granted a U.S. Title Match against the Swiss-born champion at WWE Elimination Chamber.

For The Awesome One, this Sunday’s title bout offers a chance to even the score with the abrasive Cesaro. More importantly, perhaps, the contest also represents for The Miz a treasured second opportunity in as many months to regain the prestigious title he’s held twice before.

Since their supremely competitive U.S. Championship bout on the Royal Rumble Pre-Show, which Cesaro narrowly won after exploiting a minor knee injury sustained by The Miz mid-match, the two Superstars have become all but obsessed with trying to one-up each other.

Donning the zebra stripes the day after the Rumble for a special “Guest Referee Match” between Cesaro and Randy Orton, The Miz maintained an air of impartiality until an illegal eye rake by Cesaro prompted him to take action. A subsequent shoving match between the two gave way to an RKO by Orton and a rare pinfall loss for Cesaro. The Miz then added the cherry on top, delivering a Skull-Crushing Finale to the U.S. Champion.

From there, The Awesome One and The Swiss Superman have appeared simply unable to be in the same room without a brawl breaking out. Having interrupted Matt Striker’s backstage interview with The Miz on the Feb. 8 edition of SmackDown, it wasn’t long before Cesaro found himself on the ground and trying to fend off punches from an irate Miz.

Days later on Raw, while Cesaro sat at the commentators’ desk to observe The Miz in action against Cody Rhodes, this long-brewing rivalry hit a new level of viciousness. Cesaro abandoned the table, and though his initial attempt at an attack was stalled by a swift kick from The Miz, he returned seconds later to plow his foe face-first into the ring post. With herculean strength and no shortage of callousness, the U.S. Champion then lifted The Miz into a giant swing and rammed his upper body into the thinly padded ring barriers more than a half-dozen times.

Although there’s little doubt The Miz will be mentally prepared for his rematch against Cesaro this Sunday, it is unknown whether he will be fully healed once the bell rings. Will the always-game Awesome One, galvanized by his increasingly large following, be able to overcome whatever wear and tear he endured Monday night? Or was the Swiss Superstar’s premeditated attack a strategic windfall? The answer will be clear this Sunday, Feb. 17, at WWE Elimination Chamber.