What exactly is everyone's job there, anyway? I know that Steph and Gerwitz are head writers, so what the heck does everyone else do, 'specially if they can't speak up?
In WWE land, you save HIAC for the big blow-offs. Umaga-HHH is because Cena messed plans up. Cage is suitable. They'll likely save HIAC to blow UT/Batista or Shawn/Orton off down the line.
Besides, we all know the vote would be for HIAC if they did that.
They can do that leave one pod empty and everybody wondering who he is going to be and when that wrestler is suppose to come out have Jericho's music come on
You could do that. Or you could do something which doesn't ruin what little point there is to an Elimination Chamber (i.e. everyone starts in there, you remain in there until you are eliminated).
Could always just tint the "glass" of the pod that the mystery man is standing in...
And how would you hide his identity before he gets to the ring?
Mask?
Only reason crowds are dead sometimes during Punk's matches is because ECW isn't seen by too large of a home crowd, and generally the Smackdown crowd live sits on their hands for most of ECW/leaves because of that. They really need to move ECW off of SCi-Fi.