SOME SPOILERS HIDDEN AMIDST ARTICLE.

The final WWE pay per view leading up to WrestleMania is coming up on Sunday, and there’s a huge change in the line-up, and a replacement has been determined through a Battle Royal.

According to reports, former World Champion Randy Orton will not be able to participate in the Elimination Chamber for Smackdown on Sunday’s pay per view. Early indications are that the injury is a concussion which he sustained on RAW during his match against Big Show.

Yet unclear whether it was part of television tapings for Smackdown or will be treated as part of an non-televised event, WWE.com is already announcing that a Battle Royal has taken place to determine the individual who will replace Randy Orton in the Elimination Chamber.

[spoiler show=”Show Spoiler” hide=”Hide Spoiler”]They’re also reporting that Santino Marella is the individual who won that Battle Royal and will be taking Orton’s spot.
“The Italian Stallion surpassed competitors from Raw, SmackDown and WWE NXT to win the right to replace Randy Orton – who is out of action with a concussion – in Sunday’s Elimination Chamber clash for the World Heavyweight Championship. In the bout’s final, tense moments, Santino sent Raw’s David Otunga tumbling over the top rope to get the victory.”[/spoiler]

The initial backlash from Twitter and various other sources indicate that fans aren’t particularly pleased with the replacement, naming several other competitors who would be preferred options.

A decade from now when WWE creates a DVD/BluRay/Space-Age-Tech home video recapping the career of Randy Orton, it will be interesting to find out what might’ve happened had Orton not been forced off the card and WWE was able to go with its original plan.

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