Kofi Kingston Replaces Mustafa Ali Inside WWE Championship Elimination Chamber
WWE was pressed to replace the injured Mustafa Ali in Sunday's Elimination Chamber bout for the WWE Championship, due to Ali suffering a reported concussion.
Speculation over Ali's replacement ran rampant, as names like Rey Mysterio and Andrade were suggested as suitable substitutions. However, on Tuesday night's SmackDown Live, it was Kofi Kingston that would be given the nod into the match.
The match will mark Kingston's fourth appearance in an Elimination Chamber bout. Previously, Kingston fell short in WWE Championship bouts inside the Chamber in 2010 and 2012, but would win the first ever tag team Chamber bout in 2015 as part of The New Day.
Kingston took part in a six-man gauntlet match on Tuesday night's show to determine who would get to enter the Chamber last. He would heroically make it through WWE Champion Daniel Bryan, Jeff Hardy, and Samoa Joe in succession before losing to AJ Styles. Styles was then quickly ambushed and RKO'ed by Randy Orton, who earns the right to enter Sunday's match from the final position.
Speculation over Ali's replacement ran rampant, as names like Rey Mysterio and Andrade were suggested as suitable substitutions. However, on Tuesday night's SmackDown Live, it was Kofi Kingston that would be given the nod into the match.
The match will mark Kingston's fourth appearance in an Elimination Chamber bout. Previously, Kingston fell short in WWE Championship bouts inside the Chamber in 2010 and 2012, but would win the first ever tag team Chamber bout in 2015 as part of The New Day.
Kingston took part in a six-man gauntlet match on Tuesday night's show to determine who would get to enter the Chamber last. He would heroically make it through WWE Champion Daniel Bryan, Jeff Hardy, and Samoa Joe in succession before losing to AJ Styles. Styles was then quickly ambushed and RKO'ed by Randy Orton, who earns the right to enter Sunday's match from the final position.
Written by Justin Henry
In addition to writing lists and commentaries for Cultaholic, Justin is also a features writer and interviewer for Fighting Spirit Magazine, and is co-author of the WWE-related book Titan Screwed: Lost Smiles, Stunners, and Screwjobs.
