Randy Orton is back, and he’s focused on Kevin Owens.
After Owens defeated Sami Zayn in an unsanctioned match at Elimination Chamber, Owens wasn’t done and proceeded to peel off a ring mat on the outside. He continued to attack Zayn, preparing a piledriver in the exposed area when Orton’s music played. Owens met Orton in the ring and was soon taken out with an RKO. Orton went to the corner and prepared for the running punt, but just as he was about to execute multiple agents and security ran in to stop the mayhem, allowing Owens to escape. Orton then posed to the crowd to end the segment.
Back in November, Owens gave Orton a piledriver that wrote him off television, with announcers citing his history of neck problems. In the months since the attack on Orton, Owens has used the package piledriver to take out a number of his rivals, including Cody Rhodes and most recently Sami Zayn on an episode of Raw.
After Owens’ assault, Zayn told Adam Pearce he wouldn’t leave the ring until he got a match against Owens at Elimination Chamber. Pearce agreed, but said it would be an unsanctioned match.
Bianca Belair has secured a WrestleMania 41 title shot.
By winning the women’s Elimination Chamber match on Saturday night, Belair has earned the right to challenge for the Women’s World Championship at WrestleMania this April. She will be facing either Rhea Ripley or IYO SKY for the belt. Ripley is the current champion but has a title defense against SKY on Raw this coming Monday.
Liv Morgan, Alexa Bliss, Roxanne Perez, Bayley, and Naomi were the other participants in the women’s Chamber match. The last three remaining at the end were Belair, Morgan, and Bliss. A Twisted Bliss almost eliminated Belair, but Morgan immediately pinned Bliss after she hit the move. Belair and Morgan then went back and forth until Belair got the victory with the KOD.
In storyline, Belair had to overcome an emotional start to Elimination Chamber. She watched on from her pod as the returning Jade Cargill beat down Naomi, with it being indicated that Naomi was Cargill’s mystery attacker who took her out in November 2024. Belair & Cargill were the WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions when Cargill was forced out of action. Naomi replaced Cargill as Belair’s partner, but they recently dropped the tag titles to Morgan & Raquel Rodriguez.
A confrontation between Belair, Ripley, and SKY took place on the stage after Belair’s win. If Ripley retains against SKY, Ripley vs. Belair at WrestleMania will be the first time they have ever faced off in a televised one-on-one match on the WWE main roster.
Jade Cargill is back — and it looks like the identity of her attacker has been revealed.
Before returning tonight, Cargill had been away from WWE programming since being taken out by a mystery attacker in November 2024. She returned at the start of Elimination Chamber with revenge on her mind. As Liv Morgan and Naomi were about to begin the women’s Elimination Chamber match, Cargill’s music hit and she made her way down to the ring. WWE teased that she was going to go after Morgan, but Cargill beat down Naomi instead.
The indication given was that Naomi is turning heel and was Cargill’s mystery attacker. Cargill’s beatdown included kicking Naomi into a Chamber pod and slamming the cage door into her head. Naomi was then stretchered out and removed from the Elimination Chamber match.
From her Chamber pod, Bianca Belair was emotionally distraught watching the attack. Belair & Cargill were the WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions at the time Cargill was taken out last November. In Cargill’s place, Naomi teamed with Belair as her new partner. They dropped the belts to Liv Morgan & Raquel Rodriguez recently.
Cargill did have a legitimate injury when she was temporarily written off WWE TV last November but is now cleared to compete.
Dave Meltzer and I are back with our Friday episode of Wrestling Observer Radio, talking about all the big news from today’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
John LaRocca and I are back to talk about the major topics in the world of wrestling on this week’s Fight Game Podcast. Jeremy Finestone, co-host of Speaking of Strong Style, joined us to break down the New Japan Cup. You can watch his latest episode on YouTube.
We kicked off the show by giving out our Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down winners and losers of the week before going into our Top Five topics which included:
10-time Grammy nominee Travis Scott will appear at Saturday’s WWE Elimination Chamber PLE.
WWE’s chief content officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque revealed in a social media post on Wednesday that the rapper/singer/songwriter/producer Scott will appear live in Toronto at the Saturday, March 1 event.
Scott appeared with Triple H at ComplexCon last November where WWE’s CCO presented him with a Hardcore Championship belt. Scott returned the favor with an appearance at WWE’s Raw on Netflix debut in January where he made a memorable entrance with Jey Uso.
Elimination Chamber streams live on Peacock in the United States and on Netflix in most of the rest of the world on Saturday, March 1 from the Rogers Centre in Toronto. The lineup for the show:
Cody Rhodes will answer The Rock in person as to whether or not he will be “his champion”
Men’s Elimination Chamber match: John Cena vs. CM Punk vs. Drew McIntyre vs. Seth Rollins vs. Logan Paul vs. Damian Priest
Women’s Elimination Chamber match: Bianca Belair vs. Naomi vs. Liv Morgan vs. Bayley vs. Alexa Bliss vs. Roxanne Perez
Qualifying matches for the Elimination Chamber PLE will continue on the February 10 edition of WWE Raw.
In a men’s chamber match qualifier, WWE Hall of Famer Rey Mysterio will face Logan Paul on next week’s show. Two of six spots are currently filled for the men’s chamber match after John Cena declared for the bout at Saturday’s Royal Rumble press conference, plus CM Punk defeated Sami Zayn in this week’s Raw main event to qualify.
The winner of the men’s chamber match will challenge for whichever World title Rumble winner Jey Uso elects not to pursue. Uso vs. Gunther for the World Heavyweight title seems to be the likely direction, but Uso will also appear on this Friday’s SmackDown to tease challenging Cody Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE title.
A women’s chamber qualifier is also set for next week’s Raw, with Bayley facing Women’s Intercontinental Champion Lyra Valkyria.
Liv Morgan is the lone woman to qualify for the women’s chamber match to this point after defeating IYO SKY by disqualification in a qualifier on this week’s Raw.
Another men’s qualifying match was announced without a date for the bout, as Seth Rollins revealed in a promo on Raw that he will face Finn Balor in a qualifier “in a couple of weeks.”
AJ Styles was announced as the newest member of the Raw roster on this week’s show, and he will make his first appearance since joining the roster on next week’s episode.
The announced lineup for the Monday, February 10 WWE Raw:
Men’s Elimination Chamber qualifying match: Rey Mysterio vs. Logan Pau
Women’s Elimination Chamber qualifying match: Bayley vs. Lyra Valkyria
WWE Raw General Manager Adam Pearce has announced the winners of the men’s and women’s Royal Rumble matches will be on Monday’s show.
Pearce posted a video to social media on Sunday revealing that in addition to appearances by Jey Uso and Charlotte Flair, Elimination Chamber qualifying matches will also take place on the show, although specific match-ups have not been announced.
Pearce said:
“Congratulations to Jey Uso and Charlotte Flair, your 2025 winners of the Royal Rumble, punching their ticket to the main event at WrestleMania and I can confirm that both will be live tomorrow night on Monday Night Raw from Cleveland. Plus, we’re less than a month from the Elimination Chamber. Let the qualifying matches begin, and they will in earnest tomorrow night live from the rock and roll capital of the world.”
WWE Raw on Monday, February 3, 2025, is scheduled for the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland, Ohio. Nothing else has been announced for the show thus far.
WWE Raw announced lineup for Monday, February 3, 2025:
2025 women’s Royal Rumble winner Charlotte Flair to appear
2025 men’s Royal Rumble winner Jey Uso to appear
WWE Elimination Chamber qualifying matches to begin
A former WrestleMania venue is set to host WWE Elimination Chamber 2025.
The company revealed today that Elimination Chamber will emanate live from Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada on Saturday, March 1, 2025. Ticket information has not been announced yet, but fans can sign up to receive pre-sale details when they become available.
Rogers Centre (formerly known as the SkyDome) hosted WrestleMania VI in 1990 and WrestleMania X8 in 2002. In 1999, Raw had the largest crowd in show history with more than 40,000 fans attending an episode at the SkyDome.
“Canada is an amazing place to host our biggest Premium Live Events, with its passionate fans and rich history that spans decades,” Paul “Triple H” Levesque said in a press release. “On the heels of a record-breaking Money In The Bank this past July, we are excited to return to Toronto for an even larger event in 2025.”
The United Kingdom was originally rumored to be the front-runner for Elimination Chamber 2025 before Toronto emerged as the destination. This marks the second straight year that the PLE has been an international stadium event. Back in February of this year, Elimination Chamber took place from Perth, Australia.
Elimination Chamber 2025 is taking place on the road to WrestleMania 41 with just over a month between the events.
WWE’s recent run of international PLEs will apparently continue as a new report out Thursday has next year’s Elimination Chamber event heading to England.
First reported by WrestleVotes and also confirmed by Bryan Alvarez, the show will take place this March with Birmingham and Manchester as the front-runners for the show. The venues were not reported, but are likely either the Utilita Arena Birmingham or the AO Arena, respectively.
It will be the final PLE before WrestleMania at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Once finalized, it will be the fourth-straight Elimination Chamber event to take place on international soil and also the fourth overall in the 15 Chamber events.
The first took place in February 2022 in Saudi Arabia, followed by Montreal, Canada, in February 2023, and Perth, Australia, in February 2024. It’s unknown if holding an event in March would mean the creation of a new PLE for February.
WWE/TKO leadership has been increasingly vocal about site fees, but it’s unknown at this time how much of a factor that is in deciding between the two cities.
Rodriguez was one of the participants in the women’s Elimination Chamber match in Australia on Saturday. Becky Lynch won the match and will challenge Rhea Ripley for the Women’s World Championship at WrestleMania 40.
In an Instagram post after the event, Rodriguez revealed that her MCAS flared up on the flight to Perth. Rodriguez’s face turned swollen and pink, but she was still able to compete as scheduled. Rodriguez expressed her appreciation for WWE’s medical team. She also thanked her family and friends for checking in on her:
If you had told me that on the long flight to Perth Australia for the first time it was gonna blow my face up and turn me the same color as my pink satin pillow case (might have been the makeup on Monday too) I would have still jumped on that flight! Maybe my trip didn’t go as planned but I’m still learning this new body of mine. A big part of being a female Wrestler for WWE is getting to sit in that makeup chair with our amazing makeup team who I love so much and getting to get dolled up. It’s part of being a girl. It’s part of feeling fully the part. At the end of the night, I’m proud I went out there Alicia Keys style. Even if this trip didn’t go as planned I am still grateful that I was blessed to be in Elimination Chamber in Perth Australia with 5 other talented women! And I got to hug a koala bear so it was a win for me thank you so much to the lovely Vanessa of @lymphaticmassageperth for seeing me last minute 3 times to help me feel my best for the chamber. Your grace, kindness and knowledge was a Godsend
Thank you to @westozwildlife for the hugs and animal love! A big thank you to the entire WWE medical team! And so much love to my family & friends for the late and early phone calls, prayers and constantly checking on me los amo! On to a long flight home
Before returning on Raw this past Monday, Rodriguez had been out of action since December due to MCAS. Rodriguez won a battle royal on Raw to become the final participant to qualify for the women’s Elimination Chamber match.
Rodriguez noted after her return that she had finally gotten some answers about what caused the MCAS, but it’s going to be a while until she can get the condition fully under control.
MCAS “is a condition that causes mast cells to release an inappropriate amount of chemicals into your body. This causes allergy symptoms and a wide range of other symptoms.”
Lynch, Rodriguez, Bianca Belair, Liv Morgan, Naomi, and Tiffany Stratton were the six wrestlers who took part in the women’s Elimination Chamber match.
At Elimination Chamber in Australia on Saturday, Rhea Ripley had a successful homecoming.
Ripley retained her Women’s World Championship by defeating Nia Jax in the main event of Elimination Chamber. After delivering a superplex near the end of the match, Ripley lifted up Jax and hit Riptide to get the victory.
Ripley’s family, including her mother, father, and sister, were in the front row for the main event. It was said on commentary that Ripley had 13 family members there.
The Women’s World Championship match for WrestleMania 40 is now set following Elimination Chamber. It will be Ripley vs. Becky Lynch for the title at WrestleMania. Lynch defeated Liv Morgan, Bianca Belair, Raquel Rodriguez, Tiffany Stratton, and Naomi in the women’s Elimination Chamber match on Saturday.
In an emotional post-show interview, Ripley reflected on her Elimination Chamber homecoming. Ripley also addressed her upcoming match against Lynch. Ripley called facing Lynch at WrestleMania a “bucket list moment.”
Cody Rhodes has laid out a challenge to The Rock ahead of WrestleMania 40.
During Elimination Chamber on Saturday, Rhodes and Seth Rollins appeared together on the Grayson Waller Effect. Rhodes declared that he wants to face The Rock one-on-one. Rollins said he admires Rhodes’ challenge, but there’s no such thing as one-on-one when it comes to The Bloodline. Rollins promised that he’ll have Rhodes’ back.
Rhodes: Rock, you indeed slapped me across the face. And at WrestleMania 40 I am wrestling Roman Reigns in the main event. But until then, I am wide open. So let’s make it official: Rock, I want to wrestle you one-on-one, anytime, any place.
Rollins: What do you say, Perth? I think it’s time we cut the head off the snake once and for all. Cody, I admire your challenge to The Rock. But when it comes to The Bloodline, you know, the entire world knows, there is no such thing as one-on-one. So if and when The Rock decides to take you up on that challenge, just know you won’t be fighting that battle alone.
The Rock wasn’t at Elimination Chamber. He’ll be on SmackDown next Friday (March 1) to respond to the challenge. It will be Rock’s first appearance since officially joining The Bloodline last week. Rock called himself and Roman Reigns the most dominant duo in sports and entertainment.
Rhodes and Rollins’ appearance on the Grayson Waller Effect ended with them laying out Austin Theory as Grayson Waller watched on.
During the segment, Rollins announced that he’s “just days away” from being cleared to return to the ring. Rollins suffered a torn MCL and partially torn meniscus while facing Jinder Mahal on Raw last month.
Reigns vs. Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship has been made official for WrestleMania 40. Rollins will defend his World Heavyweight Championship against Drew McIntyre.
WrestleMania 40 is a two-night event that’s taking place on Saturday, April 6 and Sunday, April 7.
If it wasn’t for his triceps injury, CM Punk would have been in Australia on Saturday competing at Elimination Chamber.
Punk had been announced for Elimination Chamber and was planned to be one of the participants in the men’s Elimination Chamber match. Punk was supposed to win the match, setting him up as Seth Rollins’ World Heavyweight Championship challenger for WrestleMania 40.
But Punk suffered a torn triceps in the Royal Rumble and will likely be out of action for 6-8 months. Punk has vowed that his comeback will be the greatest of all time.
On his Instagram stories, Punk commented on having to miss Elimination Chamber. Punk said it was a rough day mentally. He wishes he was in Australia performing for the fans. Punk told the fans to enjoy the show and that he appreciates them:
Had a rough day mentally today. My heart and spirit are in Perth. Just a hard day staying positive and nobody wishes I was there performing for the fans more than me. Enjoy the show, appreciate you all.
Rollins’ WrestleMania challenger will now be Drew McIntyre. McIntyre defeated Randy Orton, Logan Paul, Kevin Owens, LA Knight, and Bobby Lashley in the men’s Elimination Chamber match on Saturday.
WWE has set up a Punk vs. McIntyre feud for when Punk is able to return to the ring. While Punk was addressing his injury last month, McIntyre attacked Punk and targeted his triceps.
With Elimination Chamber being held in Australia, the event includes big moments for some hometown stars.
Rhea Ripley will have one of the highlights of her career as she defends the Women’s World Championship against Nia Jax in her home country. Grayson Waller is hosting a Grayson Waller Effect segment with Cody Rhodes & Seth Rollins. And Indi Hartwell was involved in a Women’s Tag Team title match on the pre-show.
But Bronson Reed is one Australian wrestler not featured. Reed was left off the card after losing an Elimination Chamber qualifying match to Bobby Lashley.
In a social media post during Saturday’s event, Reed explained that he was originally supposed to be on Elimination Chamber, but plans changed. Reed revealed that his wife has given birth to their first child:
FULL DISCLOSURE:
Originally, I was set to be at #WWEChamber
It would have been an incredible moment. Unfortunately, plans changed.
But everything happens for a reason. My wife and I have had our baby early, I was supposed to miss the PLE to make sure I’m here for my family.
Thank you for all your support. To all my friends and family who have reached out.
Congratulations @BRONSONISHERE. Family is everything and fatherhood is amazing. I am proud of you for not only your work, but for the journey you’re now embarking on. Enjoy every moment.
You’re exactly where you needed to be!
Drew McIntyre, Randy Orton, Lashley, LA Knight, Kevin Owens, and Logan Paul are the competitors in Saturday’s men’s Elimination Chamber match. The winner receives a World Heavyweight Championship shot against Seth Rollins at WrestleMania 40.
