The Road to WrestleMania has reached its final prelude. WWE has just one PPV left before the greatest show of them all in April and that’s the Elimination Chamber.
WWE returns to Chicago on Saturday night for the epic event where two superstars will punch their ticket to WrestleMania 42 by outlasting five others inside the sadistic structure.
The men’s match has some massive names looking to return to a headlining role at WrestleMania (Cody Rhodes, Randy Orton and Jey Uso) but it also has some men looking to make their mark and earn their first headlining spot (LA Knight, Je’Von Evans and Trick Williams).
On the women’s side, four former champions are set to compete in Tiffany Stratton, Rhea Ripley, Alexa Bliss and Asuka while two newer competitors look to make a splash in Kiana James and Raquel Rodriguez.
The other two matches are near and dear to the fans in Chicago. World heavyweight champion CM Punk puts his title on the line in front of his hometown fans when he takes on Finn Balor. And Punk’s wife, AJ Lee, challenges Becky Lynch for the women’s intercontinental title in her first singles match in more than a decade.
Take a look below at the verified matches for Elimination Chamber and take a glance at the crystal ball of what may come. The event streams live on ESPN Unlimited on Saturday with the main card starting at 6 p.m. ET.
2026 WWE Elimination Chamber matches
World Heavyweight Championship — CM Punk (c) vs. Finn Balor: Balor returned to the main event scene after Judgment Day ally Liv Morgan accused him of complacency. Balor fell short of defeating the world heavyweight champion in Balor’s home nation of Ireland. The respect Punk and Balor showed each other after the match fizzled out after Balor was denied a rematch by Raw general manager Adam Pearce. Balor took matters into his own hands, attacking Punk and provoking the champ into granting him a rematch.
Elimination Chamber match — Randy Orton vs. LA Knight vs. Cody Rhodes vs. Je’Von Evans vs. Trick Williams vs. Jey Uso: An undisputed WWE title shot awaits the winner of the men’s Elimination Chamber match. Orton qualified by beating Aleister Black and Solo Sikoa in a triple threat match. Knight defeated Austin Theory and Penta to earn his spot. After Rhodes earned his spot with a win over Jacob Fatu and Sami Zayn, Evans became the biggest surprise entrant in the match by defeating Gunther and Dominik Mysterio on Raw. Williams earned the penultimate spot by beating Carmelo Hayes and Damian Priest. Uso was the final man to qualify, partially as a result of a legitimate injury suffered by Bronson Reed during the qualifying match against Uso and El Grande Americano.
Women’s Intercontinental Championship — Becky Lynch (c) vs. AJ Lee: Punk isn’t the only adored superstar coming home to Chicago. Lee seeks to join her husband as an active champion at Elimination Chamber. Lynch proposed the match, but only agreed to defend her women’s intercontinental title after Lee refused to wrestle her otherwise. Lee is 2-0 against Lynch since ending her 10-year retirement, beating her in a mixed tag team match and in WarGames.
Elimination Chamber match — Rhea Ripley vs. Tiffany Stratton vs. Alexa Bliss vs. Asuka vs. Kiana James vs. Raquel Rodriguez: Stratton advanced to the Elimination Chamber by beating Lash Legend and Chelsea Green on SmackDown. Ripley qualified by overcoming Lyra Valkyria and Ivy Nile on Raw. Bliss defeated Giulia and Zelina Vega to grab a spot in the match, and was joined by Asuka, who defeated Bayley and Nattie. James snuck a pinfall over Charlotte Flair in their match with Nia Jax. Rodriguez has the chance to join Judgment Day Liv Morgan in challenging for a world championship at WrestleMania after defeating Iyo Sky and Kairi Sane in the final qualifier.
