The last major stop on the road to “WrestleMania 42” takes place on Saturday. WWE “Elimination Chamber 2026” will emanate from the United Center in Chicago. That means it’s time for predictions, and the oddsmakers have Cody Rhodes as a clear favorite to win the men’s chamber match, but will WWE throw a curveball going into its biggest annual show?
Of course, there’s also the women’s chamber match. Big names such as Rhea Ripley, Alexa Bliss, and Asuka will be locked inside the chamber structure in an effort to secure a WWE Women’s Championship opportunity at “WrestleMania 42” in April.
There will also be two title matches at “Elimination Chamber 2026.” WWE World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk plans to defend his gold against Roman Reigns on “The Grandest Stage of Them All,” but Finn Balor has other ideas. Balor will be Punk’s last challenger before “WrestleMania.” The other title match will see Becky Lynch defending her WWE Intercontinental Championship against AJ Lee.
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Men’s Elimination Chamber Match
It’s clear that WWE has been teasing a triple threat match involving Undisputed WWE Champion Drew McIntyre, Cody Rhodes, and Jacob Fatu on the road to “WrestleMania 42.” While Fatu isn’t in the men’s chamber match, I wouldn’t be surprised if he made his presence felt on Saturday.
As for some other participants, expect Je’Von Evans to pull off some wild stunts using the chain links in the chamber. Trick Williams may score a big elimination early. Jey Uso reportedly wasn’t scheduled to be in the men’s chamber match before Bronson Reed’s injury, so either an early elimination or a replacement could be in play here. If WWE runs an injury angle to explain Uso’s absence, the culprit could be Brock Lesnar to possibly set up a feud with LA Knight.
Many believe the wild card in this match is Randy Orton, who is currently involved in a storyline with Aleister Black. Over the past few weeks, Black has been trying to get Orton to snap back into his ruthless heel persona. While Orton is a popular choice among fans as the potential culprit who knocked Fatu’s teeth out, I don’t think we’re getting any payoff here.
I expect a win for Rhodes here with McIntyre and Fatu getting involved either during the match or after the match. “The American Nightmare” gets his hand raised.
Prediction: Cody Rhodes
Women’s Elimination Chamber Match
Jade Cargill has had just one defense of the WWE Women’s Championship in over 100 days. There was no drama when the 2026 women’s Royal Rumble winner, Liv Morgan, chose Stephanie Vaquer as her “WrestleMania” opponent because Cargill simply had no momentum. This has made predicting the winner of the women’s chamber match a bit difficult, and not in a good way.
Rhea Ripley would normally be the easy pick, but she is currently one half of the WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions along with Iyo Sky. Unless WWE has something up its sleeve for Sky at “WrestleMania,” the tag champs are defending their gold on the show. This would rule Ripley out as the winner of the chamber match, even though it would easily be the biggest match WWE can book Cargill in this April.
Alexa Bliss could make sense given her name recognition and her current relationship with Charlotte Flair. While Bliss qualified for the women’s chamber match, Flair did not. A win for Bliss could lead to Flair being jealous and possibly inserting herself into the title picture by the time “WrestleMania” rolls along. This may not be the best idea if the plan is to have Rhodes, McIntyre, and Fatu in a triple threat match in Las Vegas this spring.
That would leave Tiffany Stratton as the most obvious choice. Some fans will groan as she mixed it up with Cargill several times last year. In their most recent title match, Cargill destroyed an injured Stratton to take the WWE Women’s Championship. Like it or not, WWE might once again be running this one back.
Prediction: Tiffany Stratton
CM Punk (c) vs. Finn Balor – for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship
It’s about time Finn Balor has been doing something more than playing babysitter with The Judgment Day. Whether or not WWE keeps Balor’s name in the main event picture after “Elimination Chamber” remains to be seen. The top professional wrestling company already announced that CM Punk will be facing Roman Reigns at “WrestleMania 42,” so there’s no way Punk is taking a loss here.
There are some questions to be had about how things will play out, however. Could The Judgment Day interfere and potentially cost Balor due to miscommunication? Balor and Dominik Mysterio have had tension throughout their time with the “Monday Night Raw” faction and if WWE is ready to ruffle even more feathers in storyline, now is the time to do it.
The other question would be, will Reigns show up after the match is over? Following a hard-fought win for Punk, having him laid out with a spear in his hometown would be a great way to close out “Elimination Chamber” and firmly establish that “WrestleMania” time has begun.
Prediction: CM Punk
Becky Lynch (c) vs. AJ Lee – for the WWE Women’s Intercontinental Championship
It’s hard to believe that AJ Lee wouldn’t be featured on the “WrestleMania 42” card in some way, which could mean her feud with Lynch won’t be over after Saturday. Lynch submitted to Lee in a tag team match at “Wrestlepalooza” back in Sept. 2025. She then lost the WWE Women’s Intercontinental Championship to Maxxine Dupri thanks to interference from Lee. Eventually, “Big Time Becks” got her belt back.
What’s one more embarrassing moment before the rematch at “WrestleMania?” Expect Lee to stun Lynch by securing a flash roll-up pin on Lynch to become the new women’s intercontinental titleholder. This will push Lynch to her breaking point, leading to a title rematch at “WrestleMania 42” with a stipulation.
Prediction: AJ Lee
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