WWE Smackdown Live: The 10 for February 12, 2019
A 10-point breakdown of everything notable that went down on this week’s episode of WWE SmackDown Live, featuring Kofi Kingston’s hour-long attempt at running the gauntlet.
WWE SmackDown Live came to us from Toledo, Ohio this week and like the episode of Monday Night Raw that preceded it, the majority of the action focused on Sunday’s Elimination Chamber pay-per-view. Naturally, there was also fallout from what happened the night before, with Charlotte Flair being subbed in for a Vince McMahon-suspended Becky Lynch in the WrestleMania main event match with Ronda Rousey.
But it was the six-man gauntlet match between the contenders for Daniel Bryan’s WWE Championship to determine final position to enter Sunday’s Elimination Chamber match that took up half of the two-hour show that stole the show. Here is The 10 for this week’s episode of SmackDown Live.
1. Charlotte explains it all
With Charlotte Flair taking Becky Lynch’s place at WrestleMania against Ronda Rousey, it was only natural for the Queen to open the show. Wearing all black — Charlotte’s most powerful heel look — she explained that Lynch is just a “flash in the pan” and that Vince McMahon hand-picked her as Lynch’s replacement to make a “smart business decision.”
Charlotte has positioned herself as the “backbone” and “franchise player” of WWE’s Women’s Division (something that is, truth be told, hard to argue against) and has reframed The Man as the underdog, the unwanted, the beneficiary of luck and timing but ultimately someone with unsustainable momentum. The fans and the crowd may disagree, but that is just temporary while Charlotte is forever.
The promo drew “you suck” chants from the crowd, which means the intention of the segment landed successfully. For now, the most intriguing revelation to come from Charlotte’s segment is that she will be ringside for Ronda’s Raw Women’s Championship defense against Ruby Riott on Sunday, which will provide another narrative mile-marker on the road to WrestleMania.