Here’s all the information you need for the February 12, 2019 edition of WWE SmackDown Live.
The final stop before Sunday’s WWE Elimination Chamber has some late-breaking news that has a major potential impact on one of that event’s signature matches. Let’s take a look at what’s in store for this week’s edition of SmackDown Live.
The WWE Championship match this Sunday will take place inside of the dreaded Elimination Chamber. Unfortunately, one participant may have just watched his opportunity slip right out of the doctor’s office. Mustafa Ali, who has been one of the biggest upstarts to the Tuesday night roster, has been plagued with injuries this year. According to Fightful, Ali had been working through an injured tailbone that was reaggravated at last month’s Royal Rumble.
Now, it may very well be that he won’t be medically cleared in time for Sunday’s event on the WWE Network. That brings us to the topic of this week’s SmackDown. A gauntlet match is scheduled for the show, with a very interesting stipulation: The participants of Sunday’s Elimination Chamber for the WWE Championship will compete against each other, with the winner given the chance to be the last superstar to enter the chamber match.
BREAKING: A high-stakes #GauntletMatch will take place this Tuesday on #SDLive to determine who will enter last in #WWEChampionship #EliminationChamber Match! https://t.co/XPNm8dAZOF
— WWE (@WWE) February 10, 2019
WWE Champion Daniel Bryan will get an early taste of what he’s in for, as he will face all five opponents: AJ Styles, Jeff Hardy, Randy Orton, Samoa Joe, and (possibly) Ali. His involvement will hopefully be revealed during tonight’s show, resolving what will happen on Sunday.
The thought of replacing Ali could be an option. You could have the likes of Rusev or Shinsuke Nakamura as a backup. The two had been in a series of heated battles over the United States Championship recently, before teaming up. Either of the two would be championship-caliber for this match. There is also Andrade. He has had a measure of success since his debut, and some exciting matches against Rey Mysterio. But could he hang with the rest of the field without Zelina Vega at his disposal?
Date: Tuesday, February 12, 2019
Time: 8:00 p.m. ET
Location: Toledo, Ohio
Venue: Huntington Center
TV Info: USA Network
Live Stream: USA Live
There is also a wild card entry that could come in the form of Bray Wyatt. Nobody has seen him on TV in months, and nobody would think WWE would pull the trigger and throw him into a shot for the WWE Championship. It’s a brilliant notion, but way above the pay grade of anyone associated with this writing. Either way, we’ll have to see what happens on the USA Network this week.
As if the drama from all of that wasn’t enough, you’ll also see current United States Champion R-Truth, as well as The Usos being special guests on MizTV (or, rather, McMiz TV, as The Miz will be joined by fellow tag team champion Shane McMahon), and possibly another return that could wreck the aforementioned gauntlet match.
The road to WrestleMania is in full swing. And if you’re a fan, things start getting very interesting and worth following every step. But for now, we look to Sunday and the Elimination Chamber.