Wrestling news: Randy Orton, AJ Lee shine in Elimination Chamber as WrestleMania 42 takes shape
The United Center in Chicago played host to WWE’s final stop on the Road to WrestleMania as two more superstars punched their ticket to Las Vegas and AJ Lee became champion again.
Here, Sports News Blitz writer Mosaddek Abu discusses the key takeaways from a busy Elimination Chamber.
Rhea Ripley the safe option for Jade Cargill’s Wrestlemania match
The Eradicator enters her seventh WrestleMania, and by the time April 18th and 19th hit, Rhea Ripley will have competed for a belt at every single one of them.
Last year was good for Ripley – her in-ring work has gone up another level, and her tag team work with Iyo Sky has presented quality action on weekly tv.
She has been out of the main-event picture for long enough, and with no clear choice to face Jade Cargill, Ripley provides a fresh option.
She won the women’s Elimination Chamber match, eliminating Tiffany Stratton in the final two and will now get ready for a first-time match-up against Cargill for the WWE Women’s Championship.
WrestleMania is always about putting on the biggest and best matches possible.
No need to look further than Cargill vs Ripley, then: two powerhouses, two household names who will provide pure chaos, and a first-ever match on the grandest stage of them all.
It’s fresh, it’s exciting, and it makes the point of Ripley being the safe option.
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AJ Lee gets a deserved moment in Chicago
On Saturday night, AJ Lee wrestled her first singles match in 10 years, which just so happened to be in her second home of Chicago.
But it felt like a moment she has earned after so many years.
During Lee’s first run, she was part of an era when the women’s division wasn’t stacked like it is today or even taken seriously.
Lee is an inspiration to some in the women’s division, yet she’s unrecognised for her role in helping launch a women’s revolution in WWE.
Making Becky Lynch tap out and winning the women’s Intercontinental Championship was a sign of recognition and a way for her to celebrate her hard work and the comeback she’s currently on, not to mention a way for the fans to celebrate her and say thanks.
Finn Balor is ready to be back in the Main Event scene
In the last few weeks, we have been getting accustomed to seeing Finn Balor back in a singles role.
He had that match in Ireland against CM Punk for the World Heavyweight Championship, and it reminded everyone how good a singles wrestler he is.
In Chicago this past Saturday night, it was no different: a physical, gritty battle that showed us a guy we had not seen in quite a while.
It was another stellar in-ring performance, proving Balor can still go at the highest level.
For a good four years, he has been part of Judgement Day and taken a backseat role in helping the likes of Damien Priest, Rhea Ripley, Dominik Mysterio, and Liv Morgan all find success.
But now it’s time for Balor to find success again.
He has also started to cement the babyface turn after he shook hands with Punk post-match, with him likely headed for a showdown with “Dirty Dom” Mysterio for the Intercontinental Championship.
Balor remains popular with the fans, and his recent title matches were living proof that the crowd finally want him back in the title picture, competing with the best of the best.
The 44-year-old has helped others achieve success, but it’s now time for the Prince to get back into title contention, finally.
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Seth Rollins’ return from injury is a nice surprise, but his path is directionless
Having been sidelined with a torn rotator cuff since October, Seth Rollins returned to a euphoric reaction from the Chicago Crowd.
There was no return date for when the visionary would be back, but behold: at a sold-out United Center, Rollins returned from injury, took out Logan Paul, and got him eliminated from the Chamber match.
Now, whilst it’s a welcoming sight to see Rollins back, I can’t help but feel he has no direction heading into WWE’s biggest show of the year.
Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed are both out due to injuries.
They could have offered a one-on-one match to continue the story of The Vision excommunicating Rollins from the group and The Visionary looking to get revenge on them.
The only real option is Logan Paul, but even then, this match has already been done at WrestleMania, three years ago in Los Angeles.
Unless Breakker is ready to go within a month, until WrestleMania, there’s no path forward for Rollins unless they want to revisit a past rivalry with Brock Lesnar, who announced on Raw that he’s sent out an open challenge.
So there is that option, but it wouldn’t feel that interesting.
Would it get Rollins on the card at Allegiant Stadium? Yes, but it still screams lack of direction.
Rollins’s return is a huge boost for WrestleMania season, but there is unfortunately no path forward for him.
Randy Orton’s victory adds chaos to the title scene
On Saturday night, the WWE’s apex predator, Randy Orton, punched his ticket to a WWE championship match at WrestleMania.
Admittedly, it came with some unlikely assistance from the champ, Drew McIntyre, as he thwarted Cody Rhodes from winning.
So yes, Orton wins and is getting a title shot, but it might not be against McIntyre one-on-one.
This coming Friday on SmackDown, it’s McIntyre vs Rhodes for the WWE title.
Orton will be waiting in the wings, but there is also the Jacob Fatu element – he, just like Rhodes, has been screwed out of opportunities and has been waiting to get his hands on McIntyre, whom he claims attacked him a few months back.
What originally started as a feud between Rhodes and McIntyre has descended into chaos, with so many different elements involved.
It’s going to stay this way too as I don’t expect the match between Rhodes and McIntyre to go smoothly on Friday night.
Reports have come out that plans for the WWE title match have changed many times due to the negative reception around a rumoured match between Rhodes and McIntyre at WrestleMania.
A multi-man match is the direction it’s headed towards, and we’ll see how they play it out on tv.
But it was the right call to have Orton win the Chamber match, because now we have people talking, speculating, and guessing which direction the WWE title match will go.
They can especially use the fact that The Viper is trying to chase his 15th title and go close to Cena’s record.
Plus, chaos can sometimes make for good programming and get fans really enjoying it.
It has been refreshing to see Rhodes in chase mode and Orton finally back in the title picture is great too.
Perhaps the first fuse is lit in what could be a big programme down the line between Rhodes and Orton, given how the finish of the Chamber went.
The main-event scene on the blue brand has descended into chaos, and Orton’s win adds another element to it.
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CM Punk must continue as World Heavyweight Champion after WrestleMania
The current reign of World Heavyweight Champion has been the best run of the belt since its return in 2023, when Seth Rollins first held it.
Perhaps even better, Punk has proved to be the right choice, a popular choice, with nothing but praise to come for his run as champion so far.
Two great matches with Finn Balor, a physical battle with Bron Breakker on the first Raw of the year, and it continues to be a must-watch whenever he’s given time on the mic.
The face of Raw on Netflix and the top guy on Monday nights, he has an incoming second consecutive WrestleMania main event against Roman Reigns for the world title.
But there is still more to come from Punk as the show works with him being there weekly, defending the title frequently, and there could be more classic matches to come if he remains as the champion.
If Reigns were to win the title, it would feel too soon given that it has only been two years since he held a title, which lasted over 1,316 days.
Plus, given Reigns’ part-time schedule, the belt that is dubbed the workhorse champion, the working man’s belt, would lose all its meaning if Reigns wins.
Punk has set the bar for what it means to be a World Heavyweight Champion – the show fits around him perfectly and he continues to make others shine whilst in the ring with him, Balor being the recent example.
It doesn’t feel like we’ve reached an ending. Rather, it feels like we are still in the middle and that there is more to come.
Elimination Chamber fails to put WrestleMania season into gear
Two events have now passed by on the Road to WrestleMania, and there is still no excitement for the show of shows.
It doesn’t feel like we are on the road to the biggest show of the year – it feels like we are building up to any normal PLE.
The United Center was a great venue for WWE to visit, but they failed to generate any excitement or hype.
The two winners were the correct choice, but neither of the Chamber matches was memorable or felt like they were fighting over a spot at WrestleMania.
The card is starting to shape up now. Still, creative indecisions, injuries, a stale product for the past year, and slow ticket sales mean the 2026 Elimination Chamber will go down as a forgettable event and one that hasn’t painted a clear picture of what’s to come at WrestleMania.
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