Top Star OUT Of WWE Elimination Chamber 2019?

The WWE Championship match finds itself a man down.

by Andy H Murray
Mustafa Ali Eye
WWE

Bad news for anyone who was looking forward to seeing rising star Mustafa Ali get his big chance in this weekend's WWE Championship Elimination Chamber match: it looks like the former 205 Live standout is out of the clash.

This is according to a new report from Fightful's Sean Ross Sapp, who writes that mounting injury problems have gotten the better of the 32-year-old and he won't be cleared in time to compete on Sunday's big pay-per-view.

Per Sapp, Ali had been worked through an undisclosed tailbone issue that was re-aggravated while competing in last month's Royal Rumble match, in which he lasted 30 minutes. He then left last week's SmackDown sporting a nasty shiner on his left eye after sitting up into a Randy Orton stomp, and another injury was reportedly exacerbated while competing on a house show this Sunday.

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WWE will apparently turn this into a storyline, with Orton taking the blame. Ali has warred with 'The Viper' and Samoa Joe lately and this will give him a readymade programme to ease back into whenever he's ready to return.

There's currently no word on who might replace Ali in the Elimination Chamber match.

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Andy has been with WhatCulture for six years and is currently WhatCulture's Senior Wrestling Reporter. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.