Tag: elimination chamber 2026

CM Punk stars in WWE Elimination Chamber opening video

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Chicago native CM Punk stars in the opening video for WWE Elimination Chamber 2026.

On Saturday, WWE heads to the United Center in Chicago for one of the last major stops on the road to WrestleMania. Punk has a World Heavyweight Championship defense against Finn Balor at the PLE — and he’ll also be featured at the start of the broadcast in the cold open. WWE uploaded the Chicago-themed video to its social media channels today:

“People ask me, ‘Does pressure bother you?’ Pressure feels like this city I grew up in,” Punk says. “Like the walls that shake when the trains go by, the wind that hits you head on. Growing up here, you learn how to stay calm when it’s loud. To think straight when everything is closing in. That’s why the Chamber never rattled me. Whether it’s one-on-one on the outside or a battle on the inside, when that door slams shut and the world goes quiet, everyone feels that weight. Getting through it isn’t a win, it’s the price for chasing what matters most. So all this pressure? Feels like home.”

If Punk retains against Balor, he’ll head to WrestleMania 42 to defend the World Heavyweight Championship against Roman Reigns.

AJ Lee could add gold to the Punk family at Elimination Chamber, where she’s challenging Becky Lynch for the Women’s Intercontinental Championship. It’s Lee’s first singles match in more than a decade and only the third time she’s wrestled since coming out of retirement in 2025.

The United Center is the home of the NBA’s Chicago Bulls and NHL’s Chicago Blackhawks. Elimination Chamber marks the first WWE PLE/PPV to be held at the venue since 1994. Since then, WWE’s major Chicago-area shows have typically been held at Allstate Arena in nearby Rosemont, Illinois.

With a start time of 7 p.m. Eastern, Elimination Chamber will stream live on the ESPN app in the United States and on Netflix internationally. Here is the announced card:

WWE Elimination Chamber 2026 (Saturday, February 28) —

  • Men’s Elimination Chamber match: Cody Rhodes vs. Randy Orton vs. Je’Von Evans vs. Trick Williams vs. LA Knight vs. Jey Uso
  • Women’s Elimination Chamber match: Rhea Ripley vs. Asuka vs. Raquel Rodriguez vs. Tiffany Stratton vs. Alexa Bliss vs. Kiana James
  • World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk defends against Finn Balor
  • Women’s Intercontinental Champion Becky Lynch defends against AJ Lee

AJ Lee ‘a little nervous’ for WWE Elimination Chamber match

Posted on by Joseph Currier

AJ Lee is feeling “a little nervous” ahead of her return to WWE singles competition.

At Elimination Chamber this Saturday, Lee will wrestle her first singles match since 2015. She’s challenging Becky Lynch for the Women’s Intercontinental Championship at the PLE. To promote the event, Lee and her husband CM Punk appeared together on ESPN’s First Take.

“Yeah, in over a decade,” Lee said while discussing her singles return. “A little nervous. I got back in in a tag match with the Best in the World. And I had the best tag team in the world the last one. So, on my own this time.”

Lee came out of retirement in 2025 and has worked a limited schedule so far. She and Punk teamed up for a mixed tag match in her return, then Lee took part in WarGames at Survivor Series. This match against Lynch will be the third of Lee’s comeback run.

“I keep saying, I’m proud to say I’m the best of my generation. [Becky] is the best of her generation,” Lee told First Take. “So if you put the two of us together, nobody else to help us out, what’s going to happen? Who comes out on top? I really think that I’m going to leave the United Center with the Intercontinental Championship.”

Whatever happens on Saturday, it’s expected that Lee and Lynch’s feud will continue through WrestleMania.

Elimination Chamber is taking place in Chicago, where Lee and Punk live. Punk has a World Heavyweight Championship defense against Finn Balor at the PLE. The show streams live on the ESPN app in the United States and Netflix elsewhere starting at 7 p.m. Eastern on Saturday (February 28).

Triple H reveals official WWE Elimination Chamber poster

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Two hometown stars are featured on the poster for WWE Elimination Chamber 2026.

Paul “Triple H” Levesque unveiled the poster on social media today, with it showcasing Chicago native CM Punk and his wife AJ Lee. The PLE is taking place at the United Center in Chicago on February 28. Punk and Lee’s plans for the show are already confirmed. Punk has a World Heavyweight Championship defense against Finn Balor, while Lee is challenging Becky Lynch for the Women’s Intercontinental title.

Lynch vs. Lee being announced for Elimination Chamber was a surprise given that it was expected to be part of the WrestleMania 42 card. But a WrestleMania matchup between Lynch and Lee is likely still in the cards. This will just build on their story in advance of WrestleMania.

WWE has already announced Punk vs. Roman Reigns as one of the main events for Mania, so it would be a surprise if he were to lose to Balor in Chicago.

SummerSlam 1994 was the last time WWE held a PLE/PPV at the United Center. The Allstate Arena in nearby Rosemont, Illinois has traditionally been the location for WWE’s major events in the Chicago area.

Elimination Chamber, with a start time of 7 p.m. Eastern, will stream live on the ESPN app in the United States and on Netflix elsewhere.

WWE Elimination Chamber 2026 (Saturday, February 28) —

  • World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk defends against Finn Balor
  • Women’s Intercontinental Champion Becky Lynch defends against AJ Lee
  • Women’s Elimination Chamber match: Tiffany Stratton vs. Rhea Ripley vs. TBD vs. TBD vs. TBD vs. TBD
  • Men’s Elimination Chamber match: Randy Orton vs. LA Knight vs. TBD vs. TBD vs. TBD vs. TBD

WWE announces Elimination Chamber 2026 location

Posted on by Joseph Currier

WWE is officially bringing Elimination Chamber to Chicago in February 2026.

It was announced today that Elimination Chamber 2026 will be held at the United Center on Saturday, February 28. WWE’s Chicago-area events are usually held at the Allstate Arena in nearby Rosemont, but this PLE will be held inside the city itself at the home of the Chicago Bulls and Chicago Blackhawks.

This is the first WWE PPV/PLE to be held at the United Center since SummerSlam 1994.

“WWE, in partnership with Choose Chicago, the city’s official destination marketing organization, today announced that it will return to the United Center in Chicago, the largest indoor arena in the United States, for Elimination Chamber on Saturday, February 28, 2026,” a press release said.

“This marks the first WWE Premium Live Event to be held at the United Center in more than three decades. In August 1994, SummerSlam made history as the first sports event to open the iconic venue. Elimination Chamber 2026 builds on Chicago’s rich history of hosting WWE events, including WrestleMania, Survivor Series, Money In The Bank, Backlash and more.”

Hometown hero CM Punk is featured front and center on WWE’s graphic for the show, with Cody Rhodes, Jade Cargill, Stephanie Vaquer, Rhea Ripley, Becky Lynch, Bron Breakker, Jey Uso, IYO SKY, and Tiffany Stratton also featured.

The United Center was where Punk made his return to pro wrestling in 2021 with AEW. He is now the current World Heavyweight Champion in WWE.

A ticket pre-sale will begin on Wednesday, November 19 at 10 a.m. Central time. The general public on-sale will then begin on November 20.

Elimination Chamber is happening on the road to WrestleMania 42, with Las Vegas set to host that two-night event on Saturday, April 18 and Sunday, April 19. The Chamber card will likely feature men’s and women’s Elimination Chamber matches with WrestleMania implications.