At WWE Elimination Chamber, World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Bryan will defend his title against five other Superstars in the SmackDown Elimination Chamber Match. With a chance to headline WrestleMania at stake, Bryan will be challenged inside the massive structure by Wade Barrett, Intercontinental Champion Cody Rhodes, Big Show, The Great Khali and Santino Marella.
The World Heavyweight Champion will truly have the odds stacked against him once again when he steps into the Elimination Chamber on Feb. 19. Each Superstar participating will draw a number from one to six. The competitors who pick one and two will start off the match, while the other combatants will be locked in individual pods, waiting to enter the melee at regularly scheduled intervals. Superstars will be eliminated if they are pinned or submit. The last competitor standing will walk into WrestleMania the World Heavyweight Champion.
Bryan has never been inside the Elimination Chamber. However, the champion has managed to escape every predicament he’s found himself in in recent months. At the Royal Rumble, Bryan was trapped inside a steel cage with Big Show and Mark Henry. The World Heavyweight Champion wriggled free from the grip of The World’s Largest Athlete and escaped, still in possession of the title. Unfortunately for him, there is no escaping the Elimination Chamber. Can the crafty champion still find a way to retain his title?
Wade Barrett is tailor made for this type of showdown. The Superstar behind the Barrett Barrage holds the ideal combination of ruthless nature, English tenacity and unbridled ambition. Having never won a World Title, the Elimination Chamber could be the perfect opportunity for him to finally rise above.
SmackDown’s Elimination Chamber Match features not one, but two giants. The presence of Big Show and The Great Khali will make winning a tall task for anyone in their path. The World’s Largest Athlete will be looking to get his hands on Bryan, who ended his most recent World Title reign in a mere 90 seconds and has not let him forget it since. Khali, a replacement for the suspended Mark Henry, has his eyes set on becoming a two-time World Heavyweight Champion and will try to demolish anyone brave enough to attempt stopping him.
Cody Rhodes may have the most to gain in this match. The Intercontinental Champion has made it known that he intends on simultaneously adding the World Heavyweight Championship to his trophy case. This may be his best chance to accomplish that goal, though he is also competing in his first Elimination Chamber Match.
Although Randy Orton was originally slated to compete in the Chamber, a concussion on the Feb. 13 Raw SuperShow would prevent him from doing so. This paved the way for Santino Marella to leave the WWE Universe in a state of shock. The Italian Stallion overcame competitors from Raw, SmackDown and WWE NXT in a grueling Elimination Chamber Wild Card Battle Royal set up by SmackDown General Manager Theodore Long to earn the right to replace The Viper. Is the enthusiastic former Intercontinental Champion up to the challenge that awaits him on the most chaotic stop on The Road to WrestleMania?
With the World Heavyweight Championship hanging in the balance, these WWE Superstars are sure to put it all on the line in this career-altering bout. The Road to WrestleMania runs through Elimination Chamber, live on pay-per-view, Feb. 19 at 8 ET / 5 PT.
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