WWE SmackDown Preview: Randy Orton Injured, Elimination Chamber and More

It’s Friday, and you know what that means, right? That’s right; it’s time for a new episode of WWE SmackDown.

Last week the company presented a decent show, but with the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view just two days away this should be a good one.

On Monday Night Raw, WWE confirmed a rematch between Daniel Bryan and Randy Orton, but with the Viper’s injury, that match is most likely off.

With one match confirmed for the show, here are a few more things to consider.

Will Tamina Snuka Prove to be a Worthy Challenger for Beth Phoenix?

WWE Divas champion Beth Phoenix has beaten every single Diva on the active roster at least once throughout her four month title reign.

There has been one woman on the roster, though, that Beth has yet to cross paths with. That is until now.

Tamina Snuka has been with the WWE since 2010 but since they were on different brands or both heels, they have never gone one-on-one.

Last week on Monday Night Raw, Beth took notice of Tamina when she picked up the win in an eight-Diva tag match.

Four days later on SmackDown, Beth dismantled Alicia Fox and was about to continue the job when Tamina made the save. The two stared each other down afterwards.

This past Monday on Raw, the daughter of the Superfly took out Brie Bella as Beth looked on approvingly.

Has Beth Phoenix finally found the challenge she was looking for or will she mow down Tamina Snuka much like all the others?

David Otunga Has a Plan; Will John Laurinaitis Be the General Manager of SmackDown?

Many of the heels on SmackDown have been threatening Teddy Long by going to the board of directors for quite some time.

Every threat just seemed like a bluff as he is still the general manager of SmackDown.

This past Monday on Raw, though, the WWE Universe heard some news pertaining to that.

The interim general manager of Raw John Laurinaitis was given a performance review and almost fired but the board of directors decided against it.

Johnny Ace is still in charge of Monday Night Raw and he could be in charge of Friday Night SmackDown as well.

Laurinaitis’ legal adviser David Otunga told him that he had a plan that put him in charge of both shows. Otunga didn’t reveal his plan but this could not bode well for Teddy Long.

How long will Teddy Long be general manager of SmackDown, and if he does get fired, will his replacement be Mr. Excitement?

What’s in Store for the Competitors of the Elimination Chamber Match?

With Randy Orton vs. Daniel Bryan off, that leaves the world heavyweight champion with nothing to do tonight.

This past Monday on Raw, Bryan got involved in the Orton/Big Show match, which was the very match that saw the Apex Predator get injured.

Will the Big Show be looking for revenge for his match getting interrupted?

He may be, but he'll be busy tonight. The Big Show is scheduled to team with the Great Khali to take on Cody Rhodes and Wade Barrett.

Does that leave the world champion with the night off? Maybe not as Teddy Long always has something in store for the cocky Daniel Bryan.

With the other four chamber competitors scheduled to compete, will Teddy Long replace Randy Orton to keep Daniel Bryan busy? If so, will the champion try to weasel his way out of it?

Who Will Replace Randy Orton Inside the Elimination Chamber

With Randy Orton out of the Elimination Chamber match, that gives another superstar a golden opportunity.

A wrestler who normally wouldn’t get a shot at the World Heavyweight Championship could be given the chance for glory and head into WrestleMania as SmackDown’s champion.

That begs the question: how will Teddy Long deal with the situation?

Will he simply award the spot to someone or will there be some sort of match?

Could the WWE Universe see the returns of Mark Henry or Christian to fill the void of an injured Viper? Will ignored Raw superstars get a shot at the big time on SmackDown?

Only time will tell I suppose.

With the injury to Randy Orton, this episode of SmackDown now has a lot of intrigue to it.

We could see anyone take his spot, or Orton could ignore doctor’s orders and compete anyway.

This episode of SmackDown should be quite the interesting one!

Will it be? Tune in to find out!