Ranking the chances of every WWE Superstar in the Intercontinental Championship tournament
With Sami Zayn opting to stay at home due to coronavirus and the uncertain nature of the current global situation, WWE had no choice but to strip him of the Intercontinental Championship. The title is back on the SmackDown horizon, with a tournament being held to crown the new Intercontinental Champion.
The tournament began on this week's episode of SmackDown, with Daniel Bryan and Elias winning first-round matches against Drew Gulak and King Corbin respectively.
Who is left in the Intercontinental Championship tournament?
While Bryan and Elias are already in the semi-finals, two strong contenders will join them. AJ Styles will face Shinsuke Nakamura, while Jeff Hardy and Sheamus will finally clash on next week's episode of SmackDown.
All six remaining Superstars in the tournament have a decent chance of becoming the Intercontinental Champion, with some having won it before. However, some of them are more likely to win it than others, taking ongoing storylines into account.
Here are the chances of every Superstar in the Intercontinental Championship tournament ranked, from least to most likely.
#6 Elias
After defeating his rival King Corbin, Elias has advanced to the semi-finals of the Intercontinental Championship tournament. A match against either AJ Styles or Shinsuke Nakamura is in the waiting for him.
However, it is very unlikely that Elias goes all the way and becomes the Intercontinental Champion. The strength of the rest of the field, along with the fact that his feud with Corbin might not be over, does not bode well for SmackDown's resident guitarist in the tournament.
From an in-ring and booking standpoint, Elias seems slightly out of place, especially since he's moved forward. His only title in WWE so far has been the 24/7 Championship. Couple that with the likely continuation of the King Corbin story, and the odds are very much against Elias.
Every other remaining competitor has a better chance of becoming the next Intercontinental Champion than him.