WWE Elimination Chamber Had Major WrestleMania Implications

Elimination Chamber gave Chicago exactly what they wanted, even if the event did not live up to expectations. From title changes to debuts to interferences, WWE kept its audience on its toes. We are officially in WrestleMania season, so let us check out where the landscape lies ahead of the biggest show of the year.

Let us address one thing before getting to the matches. For weeks, a crate has appeared at both Raw and SmackDown, giving Adam Pearce and Nick Aldis a headache. 

It said, “Do Not Open Until 2/28/26”, which was the day of the Elimination Chamber. Fans and critics speculated who could be in the box, and some got it right on the money. When both Aldis and Pearce opened the crate, there was a coffin inside. Then a bunch of dancers came out, and Danhausen appeared. He came down to the ring and gave Michael Cole and a jar of teeth, before entering the ring without saying anything. When the lights went out, you could hear the boos as fans were expecting The Rock or Chris Jericho. Instead, they got someone who has not appeared at a pro wrestling show for over two years. The verdict is still out on this debut, but having to debut out of a crate is a strange way to get introduced to the WWE Universe.

Elimination Chamber was hosted by Chicago, who serenaded their hometown heroes, AJ Lee and CM Punk. Lee had a match with Becky Lynch for the Women’s Intercontinental Championship, and it was not that good. Before the two locked arms, Lee looked very nervous. The match involved an exposed turnbuckle and a ref bump. With the ref down, Lynch tapped out to the Black Widow. Eventually, the referee had enough of Becky’s antics, and that led to the demise of the IC champ. AJ Lee moved out of the way, and the Irish Lass Kicker hit the exposed turnbuckle, leading to a submission victory by Lee. This is her first championship in over 11 years, and the crowd loved it.

Her husband, CM Punk, had his match next. Punk walked backstage to the arena to the Chicago Bulls, “Sirius” by The Allen Parsons Project. Then he entered the stage to his iconic “Cult of Personality” theme, and the fans went bonkers. However, that is where the excitement stopped. This match was neither man’s greatest nor memorable. Finn Balor took out the champ on the barricade before starting at the belt nearby, looking to accomplish the feat. That did not work in his favor, as CM Punk hit him with a GTS for the win. Balor shook Punk’s hand afterwards signaling a babyface turn. Then, AJ Lee entered the ring to celebrate with her husband in front of the Chicago crowd. We may have a new power couple in WWE.

Elimination chamber matches

That leaves us with the two Elimination Chamber matches, starting with the women’s. 

Before the match started, Rhea Ripley entered her pod and started doing pull-ups in a funny moment. The bout began with Kiana James and Tiffany Stratton. Asuka was the first out of the pod and played a part in the first elimination. She hit Alexa Bliss with the mist before Kiana James took advantage with a roll-up pin. Then, Raquel Rodriguez put James through a pod with a running powerslam. Rodriguez stacked up Asuka and Kiana James for a double elimination. She had a very strong performance inside the structure. However, she was taken out by Rhea Ripley from the top of the pod before Stratton hit her with the Prettiest Moon Sault Ever.

Either Ripley or Stratton was going to WM to face Jade Cargill for the WWE Women’s Championship. Tiffany’s aerial abilities proved costly as Rhea caught her on the top rope and pushed her into the pod. Then she dragged Stratton into the ring and picked up the win with the Eradicator. Rhea is the biggest female superstar in WWE, so having her win makes plenty of sense.

Now onto the main event. Six men entered the chamber, and two more snuck in to cost their rivals. Logan Paul was the only real heel in this match, and it showed. Upon entering, he jumped by Rhodes, Williams, and Evans. However, Paul had three eliminations: Evans, Trick, and LA Knight. What happened next was where things got wild. With three men remaining, a masked man scaled the cage from the outside before being escorted to the exits by the refs. He was unmasked and looked to be a decoy. Then, another masked man snuck into the structure and hit Paul with a curb stomp.

This led to Logan being eliminated by Rhodes, and the payoff to this mystery man. It was revealed that Seth Rollins was the mastermind behind the attacks on the Vision; Paul Heyman was taken aback. So was Cody Rhodes. Meanwhile, the crowd was eating it all up as Seth Rollins was back in time for WM season. Just when you thought that was it, WWE Champion Drew McIntyre hits Rhodes with his belt and proceeded to beat him down. This leads to Orton and Rhodes hitting their finishers on the champ. Then, without any hesitation, the Viper gives the American Nightmare an RKO and picks up the win.

During the Post-Show, Nick Aldis announced Drew McIntyre will defend his title against Cody Rhodes on Friday Night Smackdown. Expect there to be plenty of shenanigans in the main event, as it is rumored WWE is having a multi-man match for the WWE Undisputed Championship. Then, Triple H had an interview with Jackie Redmond backstage, and fans booed him. I mean when you have this much uncertainty heading into the biggest event of the calendar year, fans grow restless and want some clarity.

Where we go from here is a good question. Expect Rollins to appear on Raw and address his return. Also, Brock Lesnar is still without an opponent for WM, and it is expected that either Oba Femi or LA Knight will answer the open challenge. Stay tuned for the aftermath of Elimination Chamber this week and get ready as it is officially WrestleMania season!