WWE Elimination Chamber 2012 Results: What's Next for SmackDown Chamber Losers?

Another Elimination Chamber pay-pay-view event has come and gone, and the resident vegan of the WWE, Daniel Bryan, is still your World Heavyweight Champion.

Bryan survived the SmackDown Elimination Chamber match and is all set to defend his title against Sheamus at WrestleMania XXVIII.

But what of the other five men who competed in this gruesome match?

Let us take a look at the unfortunate participants of the SmackDown Chamber and where they will stand in the days ahead.

Santino Marella

It is safe to say that Santino went from a "laughingstock" to a "rising stock" in a mere 30 minutes.

After a few segments of a training session that would make Rocky Balboa proud, Santino surprised the fans by entering the match and eliminating both Wade Barrett and Cody Rhodes.

The Milwaukee crowd chanted Santino's name as he faced Daniel Bryan one-on-one, and he got one of the biggest pops of the night after hitting his Cobra finisher on the champ.

Unfortunately for Santino, Bryan kicked out and immediately applied the LeBell Lock. He tapped out, but he only did so after nearly a minute of resistance.

Truth be told, Santino has never looked this strong.

Expect Santino to get a nice mid-card push, and perhaps a title shot at either the United States Title or Intercontinental Title.

Cody Rhodes

Regardless of what happened yesterday, Cody is still the reigning Intercontinental Champion.

He was unable to pull an "Ultimate Warrior" and carry the IC Title and a World Title concurrently, but he has proven why he deserves to be a mainstay in the bigger matches.

Once again, Cody demonstrated above-average ring ability and psychology during a pay-per-view, and he was able to use the walls of the Chamber to creative some nice-looking spots.

He also scored an unexpected pin on Big Show.

Although he was pinned with a roll-up by Santino Marella, Cody hit Santino after the call with his CrossRhodes finisher, getting the much-needed "last laugh."

Expect Cody to defend his Intercontinental Title in a spectacular match at WrestleMania.

Wade Barrett

Wade Barrett opened this match, and his longevity in the match was pretty good, proving that he can go for length.

He has frequently tagged with Cody Rhodes over the past few months and those guys go together well, both as partners and as opponents.

Wade's offense on Santino was also done well.

He is slowly making his case for the World Title scene.

Unfortunately, Sheamus is already set to headline WrestleMania, so Wade will have to wait in line for his shot.

It is very possible that Wade could move into a feud with the winner of the World Heavyweight Title match after WrestleMania.

Big Show

Cody Rhodes recently referred to the Big Show as the "Anti-Undertaker," taking a jab at his inability to pull wins at WrestleMania.

That moniker could also apply to his World Title matches.

Big Show was supposed to be a major threat in this match. He managed to put a thrashing on Daniel inside of his pod before it opened, but that was soon forgotten after he was pinned by Cody Rhodes.

In fact, Big Show was the second person to get eliminated from the night.

For the guy who dethroned Mark Henry, this is a serious decline.

At 40 years of age, Big Show could be done with the World Title scene.

Expect him to feud with younger guys until they move on to chase titles.

The Great Khali

Like many readers on Bleacher Report predicted, the Great Khali did absolutely nothing in this match.

He was in the match for less than a minute, but that was more than enough time for us to see his terrible offense and inability to sell his opponent's moves.

Why is this man still employed by the WWE?

They might as well have used only five men in the chamber, because Khali's input was completely forgettable.

Expect him to work in another stereotypical angle with Jinder Mahal or a comedy angle with Hornswoggle.