WWE Elimination Chamber 2026 – Review With Star Rating

The past few weeks of build have led us to this night. WWE has been paving the Road to WrestleMania, and we have reached our last stop. The City of Chicago has been buzzing for weeks, and the United Center is jam-packed with screaming fans. The anticipation is dripping from every corner of the arena as the world waits.

Only four matches are involved in tonight’s card, but each one of them has massive implications as we inch closer to the Show of Shows. Two Elimination Chamber matches determine who will challenge for the World Championships at WrestleMania. In contrast, two others will decide which wrestlers will walk into the biggest show of the year with titles around their waists.

The table is set for an incredible night of wrestling, but only after the show is over will we know if it is a success. With that being said, the lights are up, and the Elimination Chamber is ready to begin. Let’s sit back and enjoy the show.

Women’s Elimination Chamber Match: Tiffany Stratton vs Asuka vs Alexa Bliss vs Kiana James vs Rhea Ripley vs Raquel Rodriguez (4.75/5)

WWE should bookend this show with the Elimination Chamber matches, so it makes sense to have the women start the night. Judging from what we saw, it also makes sense because these women were up to the challenge of warming the Chicago crowd.

This was a fantastic opener. James and Stratton were the perfect choice to start the match. They showed off some fun chain wrestling to whet our appetites. It didn’t take long before the chamber came into play, and throughout the match, every woman used it well. This was a gimmick that was heavily involved in the match, with each spot selling the brutality that WWE wants us to see.

Nothing felt forced, and there were some stiff shots as the women threw each other into the cage and pods—a special shoutout to the Prettiest Moonsault, Twisted Bliss, and Running Bulldog spots.

All six women looked strong in this match. The booking was great, as each woman got a chance to get their offense in. It’s refreshing to see each participant taken seriously, and all should feature prominently at WrestleMania.

Having Rhea Ripley and Tiffany Stratton finish off the match with a tight couple of minutes was on point. They were the two favorites, and both had some fun near-falls in their finale. Rhea Ripley is the logical choice for the victor here. Her and Jade Cargill are the type of big-money program that WWE wants as they head into their biggest show of the year. It should be a banger between two powerhouses in Las Vegas.

Women’s Intercontinental Championship Match: Becky Lynch vs AJ Lee (3.25/5)

The question on everyone’s mind heading into this match was whether AJ Lee would show any ring rust after a decade away from singles competition. It was a question we didn’t wait a long time to have answered, as Lee crushed it in the first few minutes. To quote Michael Cole, we got vintage AJ Lee as she dominated Becky Lynch in the opening salvo.

Lynch and Lee have chemistry surrounding everything they do, and they are two of the best at portraying their emotions to the crowd. We could feel what both women were going through as the match progressed, adding another layer to the contest. The match slowed in the middle portion, but that is more than likely due to giving this woman something to add to another match down the road.

The drama with Becky Lynch and referee Jessika Carr seems to continue, and it was a cheap way to get them to the finish. This will give Becky Lynch ammunition in her quest to regain the championship, but there are other ways they could have reached this finish. AJ Lee’s win was a big deal, but it didn’t have to have the cheap heat associated with it. These two will do battle again.

World Heavyweight Championship Match: CM Punk vs Finn Balor (3.5/5)

These two men engaged in a great match only a few weeks ago. It was expected that they would run back this greatness, and with the Chicago crowd buzzing, it only helped to hyped up each man’s tremendous entrance. Special shoutout to CM Punk’s Chicago Bulls-style entrance to the match. For those of a certain age, hearing that familiar music blasted through the United Centre created some massive goosebumps.

CM Punk and Finn Balor turned in the usual fantastic performance. Their battle in Dublin, Ireland, was top-notch, and this match was on par with everything great about their first match. It was a stiff match that was back and forth the entire way.

We saw some great psychology with the injured midsection of CM Punk being exploited by Finn Balor. The action slowed at some points, but the selling job by CM Punk was enough to bridge into the more exciting portions of the contest.