Elimination Chamber 2026 preview: Who will book their tickets to WrestleMania 42?
Cody Rhodes previews the Elimination Chamber against Randy Orton, LA Knight, Je'Von Evans and Trick Williams, readying to punch his ticket to WrestleMania. (1: 04) This Elimination Chamber 2026 primer lays out the match structure, the qualifiers and the likely outcomes ahead of the event at the United Center in Chicago on Saturday at 7 p. m. ET.
Elimination Chamber 2026 at United Center
The match takes place at the United Center in Chicago on Saturday at 7 p. m. ET. The ring will be surrounded by a giant steel structure that covers it from the floor up to a metal roof. Glass booths are stationed in each corner of the ring; the containers are referred to as pods. Two wrestlers start in the ring while four begin inside the pods; at predetermined intervals the pods open one at a time to introduce a new opponent. There are six participants in each of the men's and women's matches. Combatants are eliminated by pinfall or submission. There are no disqualifications in the Elimination Chamber, a rule underscored when an "eliminated" Seth Rollins stomped CM Punk's head to set up John Cena's win at last year's Chamber. It's been a year since John Cena's shocking heel turn at Elimination Chamber. Where have you gone, Travis Scott?
Men’s Chamber participants
The men's Elimination Chamber field named in previews and predictions includes Randy Orton, Cody Rhodes, Je'Von Evans, Trick Williams, Logan Paul and LA Knight. Cody Rhodes is explicitly framed as readying to punch his ticket to WrestleMania. Predictors note two guarantees: Je'Von Evans will wow the crowd at some point, and Randy Orton will catch Evans with a spectacular RKO. One writer cast the outcome as a three-man race between Orton, Cody Rhodes and LA Knight, and argued that WrestleMania 42 appears unlikely to take place without Cody Rhodes in a main-event title match. The same writer linked Jey Uso being taken out by a mystery man on SmackDown to Vision member Logan Paul taking the sixth and final spot over Jacob Fatu, and said that if Fatu had slid in to the Chamber it might have changed the picture. The prediction set lists Rhodes as the likely Chamber winner who would go on to a title match with Drew McIntyre at WrestleMania, though an incomplete fragment in the prediction copy leaves the final phrasing unclear in the provided context.
Women’s Chamber qualifiers
For the women's Elimination Chamber, six qualifiers were determined in triple-threat matches on Raw and SmackDown. The six women named are Tiffany Stratton, Rhea Ripley, Alexa Bliss, Asuka, Kiana James and one other implied by the chamber lineups. Tiffany Stratton defeated Chelsea Green and Lash Legend on the Feb. 6 episode of SmackDown; commentators recall that Jade Cargill ended Stratton's title reign of over 300 days with a win on Saturday Night's Main Event in November 2025. Rhea Ripley defeated Ivy Nile and Lyra Valkyria on Raw on Feb. 9; Ripley has not held the WWE Women's Championship since 2021, and her one and only reign lasted 379 days. Alexa Bliss defeated women's United States Champion Giulia and Zelina on Feb. 13 SmackDown, pinning Zelina after a Sister Abigail in the middle of the ring; Bliss is a three-time Women's Championship holder. Asuka defeated Bayley and Nattie on Raw three days later to earn her place in the Chamber; she has never won a match at WrestleMania. Kiana James was a surprise entrant after pulling the upset on both Charlotte Flair and Nia Jax on the latest episode of SmackDown; the context notes that James slid underneath while Flair was doing her bridge figure four th — unclear in the provided context.
Championship implications and selections
The winner of each Elimination Chamber match will receive a championship match at WrestleMania 42. After Roman Reigns won the Royal Rumble in January, he selected world heavyweight champion CM Punk as his WrestleMania opponent. On a Monday episode of Raw, fellow Royal Rumble winner Liv Morgan selected women's world champion Stephanie Vaquer; the write-up made clear that by "selected" it meant Morgan sucker-punched Vaquer in the face with the mic in her hand. That framing means the winner of the men's Elimination Chamber will wrestle for the Undisputed WWE Championship, currently held by Drew McIntyre, and the winner of the women's Elimination Chamber will earn a shot at the WWE Women's Championship, currently held by Jade Cargill.
Predictions and notable matches
A published predictions package lists several specific match calls. The World Heavyweight Title match is CM Punk (c) vs. Finn Bálor; the prediction favored Punk defeating Bálor cleanly and then being attacked inside the ring by "Dirty" Dom, identified elsewhere as Dominik Mysterio, who is the Intercontinental Champion and has had issues with his Judgment Day brother. In the women's Intercontinental Championship match the matchup listed is Becky Lynch (c) vs. AJ Lee; predictors noted that AJ Lee has not had a singles match in almost 11 years and ultimately picked AJ Lee to defeat Becky Lynch, invoking Roddy Piper's line: "Once you think you know that answers, I change the questions. " One ancillary note: a crawl of available feeds included the message "429 Too Many Requests. "
Elimination Chamber 2026 will test contenders and reshape the WrestleMania 42 card depending on outcomes and post-match activity; several predictions expect Cody Rhodes to emerge for a title shot and expect Punk to retain in Chicago, while the women's field remains wide open.
