WWE SmackDown results, recap, grades: Elimination Chamber match set as Roman Reigns games the system

Reigns managed to secure the easiest path to a title defense at the upcoming pay-per-view event

Unlike WWE champion Drew McIntyre, Roman Reigns will not be defending his universal championship inside the Elimination Chamber. Reigns, along with representative Paul Heyman, worked contractual angles on Friday night's edition of SmackDown to ensure the champion would have the easiest path to success at the Feb. 21 pay-per-view event.

Reigns will now defend the title at Elimination Chamber against the winner of a Chamber match that takes place that same night. By the end of the night, the six participants for the Chamber were revealed to be Sami Zayn, King Corbin, Daniel Bryan, Cesaro, Kevin Owens and Jey Uso.

CBS Sports was with you the entire night, bringing you results and highlights of all the action from the ThunderDome inside Tampa's Tropicana Field.

Elimination Chamber participants set as Reigns games the system

Roman Reigns, Jey Uso and Paul Heyman opened the show, walking to the ring where WWE official Adam Pearce was already waiting. Reigns told Pearce that he doesn't call the shots and he won't wait on him, just like he won't wait on Royal Rumble winner Edge to decide on his WrestleMania opponent. Pearce notified Reigns that he would be defending his universal championship inside the Elimination Chamber. Heyman said that Reigns' contract with WWE only states he has to wrestle at Elimination Chamber, not inside the Chamber itself. Heyman said that the there would be a match in the Chamber and the winner would face Reigns that same night and there was nothing Pearce could do about it. Pearce said there would now be qualifying matches through the night, but two men didn't need to qualify: Jey Uso and Kevin Owens.

Elimination Chamber Qualifying Match -- Sami Zayn & King Corbin def. Dominik & Rey Mysterio via pinfall after Zayn hit Dominik with a Helluva Kick. Pearce announced that the tag match had two spots in the Chamber up for grabs. The unlikely team of Zayn and Corbin was able to take enough shortcuts to lock up spots in the Chamber.

Elimination Chamber Qualifying Match -- Cesaro & Daniel Bryan def. Robert Roode & Dolph Ziggler via submission when Cesaro forced Ziggler to submit. Similar to the earlier match, elimination chamber spots were awarded to the winners. After the match, Jey Uso, King Corbin and Sami Zayn attacked Bryan and Cesaro before Kevin Owens ran in to hit everyone in the ring with stunners, sitting down in the middle of the ring and asking if Roman Reigns was watching as the show came to an end. That cements the Chamber field as Uso, Owens, Zayn, Corbin, Bryan and Cesaro.

If there's any one thing that has made Reigns so effective, it's that for all his huge talk -- and even dominant in-ring performances -- this version of his character is a horrible coward. Ducking a defense in the Chamber and awarding the winner a title match the same night they survive one of the most grueling matches of the year in WWE is a coward's move, and it's fantastic. The field for the match is solid, but feels as though it can only lead to one more match between Reigns and Owens as it's not enough of a build to a Bryan vs. Reigns match and Cesaro as the only remaining face isn't established as a world title threat. Grade: B+

What else happened on WWE SmackDown?

• Intercontinental Championship -- Big E (c) def. Shinsuke Nakamura via disqualification. Intercontinental champion Big E was ready to issue an open challenge for the title when he was interrupted by Apollo Crews. Big E refused to give Crews another title shot, saying they were done and bringing out the next challenger, Nakamura. Crews hung out at ringside and dropkicked Big E as he was going for the Big Ending for the DQ.
• Seth Rollins made his return to SmackDown. As the entire locker room surrounded the ring, Rollins claimed that he had been changed by becoming a father for the first time during his two-month absence. Rollins said he sees the talent on the roster and has been left wondering where he fits in, but realized that he is the great leader that SmackDown needs to push the brand to greatness, leading the roster to walk off. In a rage, Rollins attacked Cesaro, hampering him ahead of his Elimination Chamber qualifying match later in the night.
• Bayley def. Liv Morgan via pinfall with the Rose Plant. An argument at ringside between Billie Kay and Ruby Riott caused a distraction that cost Morgan the match.
• The Street Profits def. Otis & Chad Gable via pinfall when Montez Ford hit a frog splash on Gable. This was the first Profits match since they lost the tag tiles on Jan. 8.
• Sasha Banks and Bianca Belair took out Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler after the women's tag team champions interrupted Belair and Banks discussing a potential WrestleMania match.