On Friday, Feb. 27 at the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Kentucky, WWE SmackDown served as the final Elimination Chamber go-home show. An apparent backstage attack left Jey Uso laid out and removed from his Chamber spot, prompting an impromptu main event in which Logan Paul replaced Uso and defeated Jacob Fatu after Undisputed WWE Champion Drew McIntyre interfered. The evening also featured a title change when The Irresistible Forces took the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship from RHIYO, and several undercard matches that further shaped storylines heading into Saturday’s pay-per-view.
Key takeaways
- Date and venue: SmackDown aired Feb. 27, 2026, from KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Kentucky, as the last weekly before Elimination Chamber.
- Backstage incident: Jey Uso was found attacked and unable to compete; the angle followed Bronson Reed’s torn bicep on Monday’s Raw, which also removed Reed from Chamber plans.
- Main event change: Logan Paul was inserted into an impromptu match versus Jacob Fatu and won after Drew McIntyre struck Fatu with the Undisputed title belt.
- Masked man unmasked: A returning masked attacker was revealed during the finish; the identity was shown to be an unknown individual, leaving the mystery unresolved.
- Title change: The Irresistible Forces (Nia Jax & Lash Legend) defeated RHIYO (Rhea Ripley & Iyo Sky) to become the new WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions.
- Other results: Carmelo Hayes retained the U.S. Championship against Matt Cardona; Jordynne Grace, Tiffany Stratton, and Oba Femi won singles matches; Uncle Howdy beat Solo Sikoa.
- Overall grade: The broadcast earned a middling reception — overbooked finishes and unresolved angles tempered otherwise solid in-ring moments.
Background
SmackDown’s Feb. 27 edition functioned as the final broadcast before the Elimination Chamber event, making it a decisive night for storyline adjustments and last-minute shifts. The show followed Bronson Reed’s reported torn bicep suffered on Raw (earlier in the week), which WWE has acknowledged altered the planned path for certain qualifying matches. Reed’s injury appears to have set off a chain reaction in booking, including the sudden removal of Jey Uso after he was found attacked backstage.
Secret attacker storylines are a recurring WWE device to build suspense ahead of major shows; similar angles have been used in the past to either elevate a returning star or create new rivalries. In this instance, the mystery provided the mechanism to place Logan Paul into a high-profile spot on SmackDown’s card, while also leaving open multiple narrative threads — from McIntyre’s interference to possible motives for the backstage assault.
Main event
The main event was an unscheduled Logan Paul vs. Jacob Fatu match that developed after the Uso attack. Early in the bout Fatu dominated with power offense and near finishes, but repeated external interferences shaped the closing stretch. Theory and Paul exchanged runs of advantage, and a masked figure reappeared to neutralize Theory late in the sequence.
As Fatu mounted momentum and readied finishing maneuvers, Drew McIntyre appeared at ringside and struck Fatu with the Undisputed WWE Championship belt. That distraction allowed Paul to roll up Fatu and secure the pinfall. The finish was controversial: it protected Paul with a win while furthering McIntyre’s role as a disruptive champion on the go-home show.
The masked man was unmasked in the chaos; the person revealed was not an established roster star and was presented as an anonymous male. The unmasking resolved the visual element but failed to meaningfully answer who engineered Uso’s attack or why the masked return occurred now. The result advanced several short-term booking beats but left the central mystery intact.
Analysis & implications
Booking an impromptu Paul insertion served multiple functions: it kept a high-profile name in the final televised slot, protected Fatu from a clean loss (via interference), and reinforced McIntyre’s recent pattern of influencing qualifier matches. However, the outcome also raises questions about momentum heading into Elimination Chamber — a show that typically benefits from clear, decisive storytelling rather than convoluted finishes.
RHIYO’s loss and the Irresistible Forces’ new title reign change the women’s tag landscape immediately. Rhea Ripley’s team losing the gold the night before her Elimination Chamber appearance suggests creative interest in shifting Ripley back toward singles championship pursuits, possibly targeting Jade Cargill’s Women’s Championship. Ripley’s visible back-selling in the tag match offers an in-storyline explanation for a title drop and an easy narrative exit if needed.
Midcard booking on this show felt transactional: Carmelo Hayes retaining the U.S. title keeps that program on course, while wins for Jordynne Grace, Tiffany Stratton, and Oba Femi preserve their momentum. The evening also highlighted LA Knight and Trick Williams as a pair with clear star chemistry; their interaction could be a natural springboard into a major singles or tag storyline if WWE commits to it.
Comparison & data
| Match | Result |
|---|---|
| Logan Paul vs. Jacob Fatu | Logan Paul def. Jacob Fatu (pin; McIntyre interference) |
| Women’s Tag Team Championship | The Irresistible Forces def. RHIYO (new champions) |
| Jordynne Grace vs. Candice LeRae | Jordynne Grace def. Candice LeRae |
| U.S. Championship | Carmelo Hayes (c.) def. Matt Cardona |
| Oba Femi vs. The Miz | Oba Femi def. The Miz |
| Tiffany Stratton vs. Kairi Sane | Tiffany Stratton def. Kairi Sane |
| Uncle Howdy vs. Solo Sikoa | Uncle Howdy def. Solo Sikoa |
The card demonstrates a mix of title retention (U.S. Championship) and sudden title turnover (Women’s Tag Team titles). Compared with recent go-home shows, this event relied heavily on interference finishes and angle setups rather than unequivocal in-ring conclusions. That pattern can protect characters in the short term but risks diluting the stakes if it continues into the pay-per-view without resolution.
Reactions & quotes
“And new!”
Live broadcast call on the Women’s Tag Team title change
“The masked man was unmasked — it was just an unknown male, which leaves the core question unanswered.”
Live blog summary (Drake Riggs / Yahoo Sports)
“McIntyre’s interference continues to shape qualifier outcomes and the champion’s role on go-home programming.”
Wrestling analyst reaction
Context for the quotes: the live broadcast delivered the title-change moment with typical announcer emphasis, the live-blogging coverage described the unmasking as revealing an anonymous individual, and analysts noted the cumulative effect of McIntyre’s repeated interference on match outcomes and upcoming Chamber storylines.
Unconfirmed
- The full identity and motive behind the masked attacker remain unconfirmed; the individual shown was not a named roster star and WWE has not provided an official explanation.
- Reports that Bronson Reed had been slated to win his qualifying match before suffering a torn bicep come from backstage reporting and remain unverified by an official WWE booking statement.
- Whether Rhea Ripley’s back-selling is part of a planned storyline to justify the tag title loss or reflects an actual injury has not been independently confirmed by medical or WWE official updates.
Bottom line
SmackDown on Feb. 27 accomplished several immediate booking goals — it created a last-minute main event spot for Logan Paul, launched a fresh women’s tag reign, and kept Drew McIntyre prominent ahead of Elimination Chamber. But those short-term moves came at the cost of clear answers: the backstage attack angle produced more questions than conclusions, and overbooked finishes diluted the gravity of several outcomes.
Heading into the Elimination Chamber, WWE now has multiple narrative threads to resolve: the masked attacker mystery, the champion’s continuing interference, and the consequences of RHIYO’s title loss for Rhea Ripley’s singles trajectory. If WWE chooses to follow through with decisive resolutions at the pay-per-view, the booking risks of the go-home show can be redeemed; if not, the crowd may encounter another PPV built on ambiguity rather than payoff.