This week’s episode of WWE SmackDown was the final before Elimination Chamber: Chicago. This was the last night for chamber entrants, not to mention the numerous championship matches on the card.
WWE SmackDown opened straight into a backstage incident involving an ambulance. Jey Uso was taken away in that ambulance, raising questions about Elimination Chamber. Trick Williams was on the scene, as happy as can be. WWE World Heavyweight Champion Drew McIntyre then took to the ring for a promo, claiming he had nothing to do with the entertaining commotion.
Cody Rhodes rushed into the ring and challenged McIntyre to a fight. The champ fled the scene before Randy Orton appeared. It wasn’t long until Williams, Je’Von Evans, and LA Knight joined. A brawl ended the segment involving Elimination Chamber participants. Will Uso make it? Of note, Jacob Fatu is the one who joined him in the ambulance.
The first match of the evening was Solo Sikoa versus Uncle Howdy. The match was fairly uninteresting, with few reversals or false finishes. Howdy won the match, but the MFTs attacked him post-match to steal his lantern once again, an ode to his late brother, Bray Wyatt.
Asuka was scheduled to take on Tiffany Stratton next in a battle of chamber participants. That is, until she swapped in Kairi Sane at the last moment. Outside of a reversal or two it was a glorified squash match.
Oba Femi versus The Miz was next. After an extended, unnecessary period of discussion, fans were forced to another glorified squash match. This is a lazy mirroring of their appearance last week.
WWE United States Champion Carmelo Hayes had another open challenge on SmackDown. This time answered by Matt Cardona. The challenger was in control for most of the match, but succumbed to just a single finisher. The open challenges with Hayes lack the intensity brought by his predecessor, Ilja Dragunov.
Candice LeRae and Jordynne Grace faced off in singles action. WWE is murdering the myth that once was NXT Johnny Gargano. His depression caused enough of a distraction for Grace to pick up the victory.
The WWE Women’s World Tag Team Championship was on the line in the next contest of SmackDown. Iyo Sky and Rhea Ripley defended against the Irresistible Forces (Nia Jax and Lash Legend). They may be imperfect at the moment, but credit to Ripley for noticeably working in a few new moves over recent weeks. Makes one ponder why she feels the need to wear a pleather bikini with spikes.
The finish saw Ripley showing her strength. Picking up the bigger Jax for a Riptide, she didn’t see Legend coming. One Lash Extension later, the WWE Universe had new WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions.
After briefly inserting himself into the Elimination Chamber picture upon Uso’s departure in an ambulance, Logan Paul weaseled into a match against Fatu to determine the man to get the spot left by the injured superstar. At one point, Paul Heyman jumped on the apron to cause a distraction, leading to a low blow. This set up a tense false finish on SmackDown.
The masked man attacked once again, but Paul finally exposed his face. The thing is, nobody knew who it was. All of this provided Fatu enough time to heal, only to be dropped by McIntyre, who hit him with his championship.
To the dismay of many, Paul was given the final chamber spot over Fatu. There’s more to this story, and fans are eagerly waiting.
Elimination Chamber is today, and the WWE Universe will soon know their WrestleMania main events, along with other interesting stories, such as Fatu, McIntyre, and The Vision.
Fresh Takes Sports Podcast Tues 8:15 PM ET Live Here | Stadium Rant Articles by Howe Fresh | The Real Fresh Channel On X Here
If you enjoyed this article, subscribe to our newsletter here. Check out Stadium Rant Original shows on our Youtube channel and subscribe! Give our socials Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok a follow for more great content!
