Elias out of WWE King of the Ring tournament

Elias has to pull out of the King of the Ring tournament due to an undisclosed injury.

In a stunning turn of events, Elias has been pulled out of the King of the Ring tournament. WWE reported Elias has an injury that will prevent him from competing in his semifinals match versus Chad Gable. Just hours before SmackDown Live is scheduled to air, the looming question is who will be the replacement?

The early favorite in rumors seems to be Shane McMahon, playing off his “Best in the World” gimmick and inserting himself into the tournament. Given the recent run of Gable, it’s kind of tough to envision McMahon versus Corbin for the crown. But it would be the perfect troll job for the McMahon family to flex their control over what’s been an exciting tournament.

Seeing McMahon order Corbin to lay down for a pin would invoke all types of emotions from fans. Though going this route would completely undermine the legendary tournament that’s been absent from WWE programming for five years.

Then there’s Gable, who is living up to the underdog role. After all the bracket busters, many expected Gable to defeat Elias in the semifinals. That would lead to Corbin versus Gable in the finals at Clash of Champions, and would continue the story of a larger athlete hovering over the smaller Gable.

Gable could simply advance as Elias now forfeits the match. Though the more logical move here would be a second-chance battle royal. This would feature Kevin Owens, Buddy Murphy, Ali, Apollo Crews, Shelton Benjamin and Andrade. The winner would then face Gable in the main event of SmackDown Live for the opportunity at the final.

With this method, WWE solves two problems: they would feature Superstars in a suspenseful match, and it still gives Gable competition to earn his trip to the finals. In this scenario, it would be awesome to see Gable versus Buddy Murphy, a match that would get fans out of their seats in the main event.

Again, a second chance battle royal is a logical decision. We know logic isn’t always the case with WWE. There’s a strong chance Greg Hamilton will be summoning his vocal cords for the “Best in the World,” Shane McMahon.