WWE Takeaways: Only one surprising result at Elimination Chamber

Randy Orton and Rhea Ripley were the last ones standing in the men’s and women’s Elimination Chamber matches to earn the right to compete for the WWE titles at WrestleMania 42 in April.

Orton defeated Cody Rhodes, Logan Paul, Trick Williams, Jevon Evans, and L.A. Knight, with some helpful interference from Undisputed WWE Champion Drew McIntyre and Seth Rollins, who returned from injury. In a women’s Elimination Chamber match, Ripley defeated Tiffany Stratton, Alexa Bliss, Asuka, Raquel Rodriguez, and Keanna James. Ripley will now compete in her seventh consecutive WrestleMania. With this victory, Orton will challenge the winner of Friday’s title match between McIntyre and Rhodes on SmackDown, while Ripley will face WWE Women’s Champion Jade Cargill.

Also on the card, CM Punk defeated Finn Balor – again – to retain the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. Punk’s wife, AJ Lee, will also leave the United Center in Chicago with the title in hand after submitting Becky Lynch in a match for the Women’s Intercontinental Championship.

Here are the highlights from WWE Elimination Chamber in Chicago.

Ripley’s win was deserved, but not surprising

He plays

Rhea Ripley booked her ticket to WrestleMania by winning the Chamber Match

Rhea Ripley won the 2026 Women’s Elimination Chamber match to win the title match against Jade Cargill at WrestleMania.

Rhea Ripley’s expected win isn’t the worst result, but it didn’t help the match.

To the surprise of absolutely everyone, Ripley won the Women’s Elimination Chamber. Seriously, was there any other option? The outcome became clearer when Ripley dropped the Women’s Tag Titles on “SmackDown” the night before.

Although it was expected, this was the only way for Ripley. She’s without a doubt the biggest star on the entire roster, and not challenging for a world title at WrestleMania wouldn’t be good. However, it would have been nice if WWE found a way to cast doubt on the outcome by building up one of the other women as a viable option to win.

The end justifies the means. Hopefully WWE will make the outcome less clear at Elimination Chamber next year. Chamber matches should provide an element of drama for fans rather than remove an obstacle to the obvious.

Welcome back to the top of the hill, AJ Lee

He plays

AJ Lee wins his first WWE title in 11 years

AJ Lee forces Becky Lynch to tap Black Widow to win the Women’s Intercontinental Championship.

Lee is now champion, but can she help carry the women’s division?

Lee won her first singles match since ending her decade-long retirement last year. While it was great to see Lee back in the WWE ring, competing in the women’s division that she helped take to new heights, she has now been tasked with carrying the title that once was held by one of the amazing wrestlers in Lynch. The new car smell of Lee’s return from retirement has officially gone, and she will be judged by how well she moves forward.

Lee’s match with Lynch was solid, but it was clear that she was shedding some rust throughout the match. For her part, Lynch was great in hiring Lee, and her overall leadership in the ring was exceptional. But Lee will now be without Lynch for WrestleMania season. It will be interesting to see how WWE handles her upcoming feud. She is now 3-0 against Lynch in a mixed tag match, Survivor Series: WarGames and now singles competition. We’ll see who Lee faces in her first title defense and if she works with some of the younger talent on the roster.

Is Finn Balor’s heel career coming to an end?

He plays

CM Punk retains the title and enhances his match against Roman Reigns at Mania

CM Punk defeated Finn Balor to retain the World Heavyweight Championship, setting up his showdown against Roman Reigns at WrestleMania.

The Punk vs. Bálor has two purposes. The obvious one was for Punk to make his homecoming match in Chicago before defending his championship against Roman Reigns in the main event of WrestleMania 42. Punk’s win wasn’t a surprise, but it was nice to see his nod to the starting lineup ceremony for the Michael Jordan-era Chicago Bulls, complete with “Sirius” from the Alan Parsons Project and announcer Ray Clay.

The match itself was intense as Punk and Bálor battled to a stalemate until Punk hit his second GTS of the night to pick up the win and celebrate in the ring with his wife AJ Lee afterwards.

Perhaps the second goal was to turn Balor into a babyface and get him out of Judgment Day. Balor has been teasing his breakaway from the group over the past few weeks and demanding that he win or lose his match with Punk entirely on his own, without the help of Dominik Mysterio or JD McDonagh. Balor lost alone, and in an awkward move, shook hands with Punk afterwards. This would certainly lead to his split from the group and we could be heading into a new era for Finn Balor in WWE.

The Randy Orton and Cody Rhodes saga may never end

He plays

Randy Orton wins The Chamber, setting up a match against Drew McIntyre at Mania

Randy Orton wins an Elimination Chamber match to clinch a match against Drew McIntyre for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania.

Orton returns to WrestleMania in amazing fashion.

Rhodes felt like a favorite to win the men’s Elimination Chamber match and return to the main event of WrestleMania against rival Drew McIntyre. Instead, McIntyre inserted himself into the match, attacking Rhodes when it was up to him and Randy Orton as the final competitors. Seeming to help Rhodes, Orton hit McEntry with an RKO. But when Rhodes thought the coast was clear, after Rhodes’ successful crossover on McIntrier, he ate an RKO from Orton. Three seconds later, Orton heads to WrestleMania seeking his 15th World Championship.

Who he will face is still up in the air as SmackDown General Manager Nick Aldis – fed up with McIntyre’s constant interference in matches – announced that McIntyre will defend his Undisputed Championship on Friday against Rhodes.

Rhodes vs. Orton will be a new match at WrestleMania. It could be really interesting, given their history dating back to their time in the Legacy Stable over a decade ago, where Orton served as a mentor to Rhodes. It’s the right move if they decide to have Rhodes beat McIntyre for the undisputed championship on Friday. But where does that leave McIntyre at WrestleMania?

Welcome back, Seth Rollins

He plays

Seth Rollins is revealed as a masked man, and helps eliminate Logan Paul in The Chamber

Seth Rollins was revealed as the masked man after he helped eliminate Logan Paul at Elimination Chamber.

After weeks of teasers, it has finally been revealed that the masked man is none other than Seth “Freaking” Rollins.

The former leader of The Vision got his revenge when he stomped on Logan Paul, after a bit of bait and switch with another masked man. Rollins’ interference seemingly cost Paul the win in the Elimination Chamber match. Rollins takes off his mask to reveal himself, and now we have to see where this is going.

Unfortunately, Bronbreaker and Bronson Reed were sidelined due to injuries, which certainly derailed whatever the original plan was. Rollins and Paul faced off at WrestleMania 39, which Rollins won. Revisiting that match three years later doesn’t seem like the ideal solution, but WWE doesn’t have many options for Rollins at this point.

Hopefully this is the end of the masked men angles.

Danhausen is WWE’s newest star

He plays

Danhausen makes his WWE debut stepping out of the mystery box

The mystery box was revealed to be Danhausen’s first appearance in Elimination Chamber.

Danhausen’s presence in the box has been revealed to have been part of the “Raw” and “SmackDown” events in recent weeks.

The reveal of the eccentric gothic character was met with confusion from fans. On the surface, he doesn’t look very special with his small frame and unusual facial paint. But you have to see Danhausen’s antics to understand why he’s become a fan favorite in the independent wrestling scene. His theatrical sense of humor is an acquired taste, and WWE will be tasked with connecting him with its fans. Nothing is straightforward about Danhausen Everything It is tongue in cheek. He has called himself “a demon-possessed Conan O’Brien” in interviews, which is a pretty accurate description of the wrestler known for doing the Pee-wee Herman dance mid-match. You may not understand him now, but Danhausen is in the perfect place to showcase his personality. Give it time, people.