WWE News: First King of the Ring semifinalist from SmackDown Live confirmed

Tonight's SmackDown Live from Norfolk, VA features the remaining two quarterfinal matches for the WWE King of the Ring 2019 tournament. In the first quarterfinal, Ali squared off against Elias to determine the third semifinalist.

Elias dominated the early parts of the match, but Ali regained control pretty soon. The match came to a conclusion when a missed 450 splash from Ali allowed Elias to hit the Drift Away and pick up the win.

The sweet sounds of victory 🎵🎵Even though @AliWWE gave an inspiring performance, it is @IAmEliasWWE who advances in the #KingOfTheRing Tournament! #SDLive pic.twitter.com/j1X30Tr0F7

— WWE (@WWE) September 4, 2019

WWE King of the Ring 2019 updated brackets

Last night on RAW, Baron Corbin defeated Cedric Alexander to advance to semifinals of this year's King of the Ring tournament. Later that night, the quarterfinal clash between Samoa Joe and Ricochet turned out to be a no-contest and the WWE management allowed both of them to advance to the semifinals, resulting in a triple threat match for crown one of the finalist.

From the Blue Brand, Elias defeated Kevin Owens and Ali to progress to the next round. He will be facing either Andrade or Chad Gable in the semifinals next week on SmackDown Live when WWE returns to Madison Square Garden.

Long live King Elias?

Elias, or 'The Greatest Acquisition of Smackdown Live' as he likes to call himself, is now in the semifinals of the coveted King of the Ring tournament. Elias faced Kevin Owens in the first round match up and snatched the victory with some aid from Shane McMahon. However, his recent encounter with Ali proved yet again that The Drifter can win on his own and he has what it takes to become the new King of the Ring.

Elias has had ups and downs throughout this year. Winning and then losing the WWE 24/7 Championship on multiple occasions, his feud with Kevin Owens and Roman Reigns has established him as one of the top Superstars of the Blue Brand but earning the title 'King of the Ring' is something that will actually elevate him to next level.

See WWE Smackdown Results, Highlights of event, & more on WWE Smackdown Results page