Smackdown Preview 02.26.10

With the Elimination Chamber PPV results from this past Sunday, the Smackdown brand now holds both of the WWE's major titles. In the Raw Elimination Chamber, John Cena was victorious when he made Triple H tap out to the STF. However, Cena's title reign was short, as Chairman Vince McMahon announced Cena would immediately defend his newly acquired title against The Animal, Batista. Batista came to the ring and was able to easily defeat an already worn out and beaten down Cena, making The Animal the new WWE Champion. After weeks of bizarre behavior, it now appears obvious that Batista's plan was to cash in on a behind-the-scenes deal he made with Mr. McMahon for a title shot at anytime. Now, Batista will be on the road to Wrestlemania 26, but that road may become rocky. On Raw, John Cena was given the opportunity to earn his title rematch for Wrestlemania, but he would have to defeat Batista to do so. Batista immediately DQ'd himself with a kick to Cena's groin, then gave Cena a further beatdown outside the ring with repeated chair shots. What will Batista have to say on Smackdown regarding his actions? Will John Cena respond or not be able to after Monday's attack?

Also at the Chamber PPV, Chris Jericho captured the World Title, but only thanks to Shawn Michaels Sweet Chin Music on the Undertaker. Nonetheless, the brash and arrogant Jericho now is World Heavyweight Champion. While trying to brag and gloat in front of the WWE Universe on Raw Monday night, he was soon informed of his Wrestlemania 26 fate. Edge made it known after a Spear takedown on Jericho that he has chosen to face Jericho for the title at Wrestlemania 26. Edge certainly has retribution on his mind after what's gone down while he was rehabbing his injury for months. Jericho has also warned Edge to stay out of his way or he'd get hurt. Who will make the next move as these two prepare for the Road to Wrestlemania?

On Raw, fans learned that the first competitor in the Money in the Bank Ladder match for Wrestlemania 26 will be Raw's newest addition, Christian. With Christian in the match, he's already a favorite to pull down the MITB briefcase at Mania. However, there's 5-6 more wrestlers to be decided for the contest. In the past other names have included Smackdown stars John Morrison, Kane and CM Punk. Both Punk and Kane figured into last year's finals, with Punk able to knock Kane off a ladder in the late part of the match to win it all. CM Punk is in fact the winner of the last two MITB matches at Wrestlemania which helped him capture two World Heavyweight title reigns. Will the Straightedge superstar be part of the qualifying matches for WM26, or will he have a different agenda in mind for the biggest PPV of the year? Who will be the first Smackdown star to qualify?

Watch Smackdown tonight at 8PM EST on MyNetwork TV!