WWE Championship Match Announced for Elimination Chamber

SmackDown Live closed out this week with a major announcement from Triple H — WWE Champion Daniel Bryan will have to defend his title inside the Elimination Chamber at the Elimination Chamber event on Feb. 17.

Bryan opened the final segment of the show standing alongside his new associate in (Erick) Rowan, and explained that the two were intellectual peers when it came to conservation. He then cut a promo on the WWE Championship itself, saying that by wearing leather made from the hide of a cow he himself was a hypocrite. He tossed the title into the garbage and pulled out a new championship, made entirely out of “100 percent organic hemp” and wood from a fallen oak tree.

One-by0one AJ Styles, Randy Orton, Jeff Hardy, Mustafa Ali and Samoa Joe all made their way out to the ring staking their claim at the title, leading to a brawl while Bryan stood on the commentary table and yelled at the men inside. The scene was finally broken up by Triple H, who appeared on the Titantron to announce that Bryan would take on all six men inside the metal structure.

Bryan was enraged by the announcement, while the other wrestlers decided to continue fighting to close out the show.

After turning heel days before Survivor Series in November to capture the WWE Championship from AJ Styles, Bryan has since successfully defended the title twice against “The Phenomenal One” at TLC and Royal Rumble. His most recent win on Sunday came after Styles accidentally knocked out the referee with a kick, allowing a returning Rowan to come him and chokeslam him before Bryan could make the cover.

Other matches announced for the Elimination Chamber event include the new SmackDown Tag Team Champions Shane McMahon and The Miz taking on the Usos. The latter team earned their shot at the titles on Tuesday after beating The New Day, Heavy Machinery and The Bar in a four-way elimination match.

Another match, one that will also take place inside the titular metal structure, will crown the new WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions. On Raw this week both Nia Jax and Tamina and The Riott Squad qualified for the match, while Sonya Deville and Mandy Rose simply announced they were in the match on Tuesday.

Elimination Chamber will take place at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas.