Wwe Elimination Chamber: Rhea Ripley wins Chamber; AJ Lee upsets Becky Lynch, Punk survives Balor
Rhea Ripley outlasted five challengers to secure a slot at WrestleMania 42 in Chicago, AJ Lee captured the women's Intercontinental Championship in a match marred by referee bumps and an exposed turnbuckle, and CM Punk emerged from a hard-fought bout with Finn Bálor with a WrestleMania title defense lined up. The wwe premium live event at the United Center delivered results that reshape the card for the Showcase of the Immortals.
Wwe predictions and streaming details from Mark Kaboly
WWE. com and Pat McAfee Show contributor Mark Kaboly published pre-show predictions ahead of the Elimination Chamber broadcast, noting the event streamed live from the United Center in Chicago on Saturday at 7 ET/4 PT on in the United States and on Netflix everywhere else. Promotional messaging emphasized that fans can watch every Premium Live Event and access WWE's premium content on devices everywhere, and guidance was provided about watching content on Netflix, signing in or signing up on Sony LIV, and viewing WrestleMania and other Premium Live Events on Flow. The pre-show predictions covered three title matches and the men's Elimination Chamber entrants.
Rhea Ripley — Elimination Chamber victory and match sequence
Labelled "The Eradicator, " Rhea Ripley won the women's Elimination Chamber to claim a WrestleMania 42 berth, outlasting Tiffany Stratton, Raquel Rodriguez, Asuka, Kiana James and Alexa Bliss. Stratton and James began the match, and Alexa Bliss produced a high spot by delivering Twisted Bliss from the top of one of the pods. Bliss's momentum was halted when she was blinded by the blue mist from The Empress of Tomorrow, which allowed Kiana James to score the first elimination.
Ripley and Raquel Rodriguez became focal points when they entered. Rodriguez pinned both James and Asuka to remove them from the match, and the one-two combination of "Mami and Tiffy" cleared out Big Mami Cool. Ripley then outlasted a battered Stratton, sent her face-first into a pod and finished the sequence with the Riptide to secure victory in what was described as a good match with strong action and a strong performance from the runner-up. The event at the United Center was the first premium live event at that venue since SummerSlam 1994.
AJ Lee defeats Becky Lynch for the Women's Intercontinental Championship
AJ Lee claimed the women's Intercontinental Championship by forcing Becky Lynch to submit in a match that featured referee bumps, a steel chair and an exposed turnbuckle. AJ Lee, who had teamed previously with Alexa Bliss, Charlotte Flair, Rhea Ripley and Iyo Sky to defeat Becky Lynch, Lash Legend, Nia Jax, Asuka and Kairi Sane at Survivor Series: WarGames on November 28, had not had a singles match in almost 11 years heading into this contest. Lynch had recently lost in the women's Royal Rumble on January 31.
Lee outwrestled Lynch early. Lynch recovered and dominated much of the bout but repeatedly failed to keep her opponent down. At one point Lynch removed a turnbuckle pad and referee Jessika Carr collided with the exposed area; later Carr was further taken out after catching a kick from Lynch. Lynch also used a steel chair but could not put Lee away. Moments later AJ Lee sent Lynch into the exposed turnbuckle, applied the Black Widow and forced the submission that made her the new champion.
CM Punk vs Finn Bálor — World Heavyweight title fallout
CM Punk removed a major question from the WrestleMania picture by surviving his match with Finn Bálor in Chicago; Punk will defend the World Heavyweight Championship against Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 42. Pre-show commentary emphasized Punk's Chicago hometown advantage and suggested a clean win would preserve a Punk–Reigns main-event plan. The match itself saw Bálor prove a focused, determined challenger who for much of the contest appeared the better man; the Irishman outwrestled Punk and dominated the action at times. A late-match attempt was unclear in the provided context.
Pre-show analysis also flagged interpersonal storyline elements: Dominik Mysterio, the Intercontinental Champion, has had problems with his Judgment Day brother and was predicted to play a role, with a forecast that Punk would defeat Bálor and then be attacked inside the ring by "Dirty" Dom.
Men's Elimination Chamber entrants and pre-match forecasts
The men's Elimination Chamber lineup listed Randy Orton, Cody Rhodes, Je'Von Evans, Trick Williams, Logan Paul and LA Knight. Pre-show predictions highlighted Je'Von Evans as a standout and forecast that Randy Orton would hit Evans with a spectacular RKO at some point. The prediction framed the finish as a three-way race between Orton, Cody Rhodes and LA Knight, and argued that LA Knight had a real chance even as the forecaster expected Cody Rhodes to figure into WrestleMania plans.
The pre-show rationale noted that Jey Uso had been taken out by a mystery man on SmackDown, which opened the door for Vision member Logan Paul to take the sixth and final Chamber spot over Jacob Fatu. That development was described as solidifying a Cody Rhodes vs Drew McIntyre title match at WrestleMania in the forecaster's view. The predictor also allowed that Rhodes could finally turn from a "good guy" to a "bad guy" but expected a straightforward, workmanlike performance from him.
What makes this notable is how the undercard outcomes and storyline twists at the United Center—championship changes, physical eliminations and a surviving champion—combine to reshape several paths to WrestleMania 42 and lock in at least one confirmed title defense.
