WWE Elimination Chamber 2026 Predictions After Royal Rumble: Gunther Will Maim CM Punk

WWE Elimination Chamber 2026, the last pit stop before WrestleMania 42, is the talk of the town in the pro wrestling community now that the Royal Rumble is in the rearview mirror. Roman Reigns and Liv Morgan are this year’s Royal Rumble Winners. This means that they have a guaranteed world title shot against a world champion of their choosing at WrestleMania 42. Henceforth, the Elimination Chamber Winners will pick the remaining world champs who are not yet chosen.

Since Liv Morgan is a heel and her Judgment Day pal, Raquel Rodriguez, is currently feuding with Stephanie Vaquer for the world title, it is more likely that she picks the babyface champion, Stephanie Vaquer, to finish the story with Judgment Day. Likewise, contrary to the popular belief that he will pick CM Punk, since Roman Reigns is a babyface, it is more likely that he picks the heel Drew McIntyre to finish the Bloodline story that has been lingering without sufficient closure for years.

With that being said, the Elimination Chamber matches this year will be geared towards determining the number one contenders for SmackDown’s WWE Champion Jade Cargill, and Raw’s World Heavyweight Champ, CM Punk. Since Elimination Chamber is taking place at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois, it is expected that hometown boy, CM Punk, will be featured heavily on this PLE, especially in the main event. Without further ado, here are the Elimination Chamber 2026 Predictions.

AJ Lee vs. Becky Lynch vs. Natalya vs. Tiffany Stratton vs. Charlotte Flair vs. Bianca Belair [Women’s Elimination Chamber]

Usually, the Chamber will comprise three superstars from Raw and three from SmackDown. The three top candidates from Raw would be AJ Lee, Becky Lynch, and Natalya. After betraying Maxxine Dupri, Natalya said that she is here to decimate, not elevate, talent. Unfortunately, that statement will age well because she will still have the lowest chances of winning this match. Becky Lynch was eliminated by Natalya in the Rumble, so she will definitely send a receipt with an elimination here.

However, Becky will have to watch her back with her main rival, AJ Lee, who has had her number since returning to the WWE. AJ made Becky tap out in their mixed tag match with Punk and Rollins at WrestlePalooza, made Becky tap out in her War Games Match at Survivor Series with their respective teams, and will once again make Becky tap out inside the Elimination Chamber to get one step closer to the IC Title at Mania 42. Since the IC Title is AJ’s main target, she won’t win this chamber.

The three real threats are: Tiffany Stratton, Charlotte Flair, and Bianca Belair.

The wrestlers who are targeting the WWE Title are all on the SmackDown side of things. Tiffany Stratton never got her rematch for the WWE Title after losing it to Jade Cargill at SNME XLI. She is 1-1 against Cargill, and WWE could always book the tiebreaker at Mania to finish that story. However, Stratton really needs a break from the world title scene. She should consider targeting the U.S. Title in the mid card after planting seeds for a future feud with Giulia during her world title reign.

Charlotte Flair, who was actually Stratton’s opponent for the World Title at last year’s WrestleMania, has a proclivity of being inserted in the title picture at every WrestleMania. However, Charlotte has a more personal “frenemy” feud with Alexa Bliss to focus on for the road to Mania. There is a strong chance that Bliss could break into this chamber and screw Charlotte as a receipt for getting eliminated by Charlotte in the Rumble. This would set up a singles match between them at Mania.

Finally, that leaves Bianca Belair, who surprisingly did not return at the Rumble from her debilitating finger injury. However, she will show up for the Chamber and win the match. Her main target will be Jade Cargill due to the dramatic car attack storyline they had with Naomi. As her former tag partner and friend, Belair will be puzzled at Cargill’s new villainous attitude. Recently, Cargill has been bullying all the women backstage, and Belair will undoubtedly call Cargill out on her malicious behavior.

Prediction: Bianca Belair

Drew McInCrier (c) vs. Cody Rhodes vs. Jacob Fatu [WWE Title]

There are rumors going around about Drew McIntyre dropping the title back to Cody Rhodes. Quite frankly, the head bookers in WWE need to stop going out to Costco to buy expired milk. When there is fresh 2% reduced-fat milk sitting right in their faces, they refuse to buy it and allow their fans to consume it. In other words, as great as Rhodes has been for the company, he already had his time in the spotlight. It is McIntyre’s time now, and WWE needs to stop relying on what worked in the past.

Instead, they need to start taking risks on what can change the game for the future. McIntyre is a needle mover and has really done some compelling work in his chase for the title. As for his title reign so far, his match and in-ring storytelling with Sami Zayn actually stole the show at Royal Rumble. That was not difficult to accomplish since Royal Rumble was an absolute snooze-fest with “surprises” that were not worth more than a Filet O’ Fish at McDonalds. However, it should still be recognized.

This match should happen at Elimination Chamber, not WrestleMania 42.

With that being said, this triple threat match is rumored for Mania. However, this is not a WrestleMania worthy match. It is more suitable for Elimination Chamber. Granted, WWE planted many seeds for this bout. Jacob Fatu was originally scheduled to battle McIntyre to determine the next contender for Rhodes’ WWE Title back in 2025 until he got his teeth knocked down his throat by a mystery attacker. The culprit could be either McIntyre or Rhodes, as they probably saw Fatu as a threat.

Therefore, when Fatu returned to SmackDown from tooth surgery, he attacked both McIntyre and Rhodes in the 3 Stages of Hell WWE Title Match out of frustration with the fact that he felt he belonged in that title match. Fatu did not intend to screw Rhodes, but it happened that way since Rhodes attacked Fatu from behind when Fatu was focused on attacking McIntyre inside the steel cage. Now that McIntyre is champ, Rhodes and Fatu battled each other at SNME XLIII to get closer to the title.

That match never kicked off because they fought before the bell rang and McIntyre stopped the fight by destroying both of them. McIntyre added more insult to injury by illegally screwing Rhodes out of the Royal Rumble to assure that Rhodes never gets his title rematch. As indicated here, this match definitely has a strong storyline but it’s not enough to garner interest on a WrestleMania stage. McIntyre must retain here and battle Roman Reigns in what will be a bigger storyline at WrestleMania.

Prediction: Drew McInCrier

Stephanie Vaquer (c) vs. Roxanne Perez [World Title]

Stephanie Vaquer already has a Philly Street Fight title defense set against Smiley Raquel Rodriguez. She will retain the title there and battle another Judgment Day member in Roxanne Perez before reaching the final boss, Royal Rumble Winner Liv Morgan, at WrestleMania. The story may be lackluster to an extent, but the trajectory is simple. Vaquer is clearly running through every member of the Judgment Day in banger matches before dropping the title to the final boss on the big stage.

Since Roxanne Perez is the daughter of CM Punk and AJ Lee, she could get a huge pop in their hometown of Chicago, Illinois. However, since she has to compete with The Devil’s Kiss, that is probably not gonna happen. This will definitely be a show-stealing match from an in-ring standpoint, as both women are eminently talented in between the ropes. Even teasing the idea of Roxanne battling Liv Morgan would be worthwhile, as they have had tension over Dominick Mysterio in the clubhouse.

However, it would actually be more intriguing to see Roxanne win the Money In The Bank Contract this year after Liv Morgan wins the world title from Vaquer at Mania. The idea of Roxanne teasing a cash-in on Liv Morgan would make for some good television, just like WWE did with Tiffany Stratton and Nia Jax in 2023. That would also be the best time for WWE to pull the trigger on Roxanne breaking away from Judgment Day and carving her own path as a top singles star in the division.

Prediction: Stephanie Vaquer

Jade Cargill (c) vs. Jordynne Grace [World Title]

Jade Cargill has been bullying every woman, like Chelsea Green, Alba Fyre, Mia Yim and B-Fab, backstage since winning the WWE Title, but she had no clear challenger or credible threat until Jordynne Grace showed up. Since getting called up from NXT, Grace has already defeated Alba Fyre and Chelsea Green and acquired 3 eliminations at the Rumble, which WWE considers to be enough momentum for Grace to get a world title shot in what is an infinitesimal division without a backbone.

Seeing two powerhouses go at it should be a spectacle for the fans. Due to the lack of build and storyline potential, they should not have a title match at Mania 42. However, due to their immense star power, they should not be relegated to a title match on a random SmackDown. Elimination Chamber is a good sweet spot for this title match to be added to the card. Since it is too early for Grace to win the world title after getting called up to the main roster recently, Cargill will evidently retain.

As mentioned earlier, the long-term plan for Cargill is a world title match at WrestleMania against Bianca Belair, who is a strong betting favorite to win the Elimination Chamber after a big return from her debilitating finger injury. As for Grace, she will likely seek a consolation prize in Giulia’s U.S. Title on the road to Mania as she continues her feud with Chelsea Green and company. The mid card belt is the perfect momentum booster for recent NXT call-ups, and Grace fits that bill like a glove.

Prediction: Jade Cargill

Gunther vs. LA Knight vs. Bron Breakker vs. Randy Orton vs. Trick Williams vs. Damian Priest [Men’s Elimination Chamber]

Again, the Chamber will comprise three superstars from SmackDown and three from Raw. The three top candidates from SmackDown would be Randy Orton, Trick Williams, and Damian Priest. These three superstars lost to Sami Zayn in a Fatal Four Way Number One Contender’s Match at SNME XLIII, but they are more qualified than anyone else on the SmackDown roster since they qualified for those spots. Since Zayn already failed his title shot at the Rumble, he will go to the back of the line.

While Trick Williams and Damian Priest belong in the mid card battling for Carmelo Hayes’ U.S. Title, Randy Orton should be battling the only superstar he actually has a storyline with: Cody Rhodes. The Legacy history alongside all the seeds they planted this past year alone should warrant a WrestleMania match between those two. Nonetheless, whether WWE books that match or not, these three stars won’t even sniff a world title anytime soon with their lackluster momentum as of late.

The three real threats are: Bron Breakker, LA Knight, and Gunther.

The real threats in this chamber are from Raw. Bron Breakker already got a World Title shot against CM Punk on the first Raw of 2026. Since he lost clean, getting another title shot against Punk without an extra layer added to the storyline would be boring. Breakker should instead be focused on figuring out who the new masked man is after getting screwed in the Rumble match. Like Austin Theory, the masked man is delivering the Curb Stomp, which could mean he is working for Seth Rollins.

LA Knight, who has been feuding with The Vision for the past few months, has felt directionless when it comes to targeting the world title. He has had segments here and there with CM Punk that never truly materialized into a substantial storyline. With rumors of Triple H “hating” LA Knight, it could mean that Knight is cooked to the highest degree. The degree is so high that the meat on the grill is more than well done. It’s burnt, Knight is damaged goods, and the ship has unfortunately sailed.

Finally, there is Gunther. While LA Knight is incredibly over with the fans, Gunther has all the heel heat in return. Gunther is on a mission to end the careers of old-timers like John Cena and AJ Styles. Meanwhile, Punk is trying his hardest to defend the legacies of those old timers and appreciate them for their years of commitment to this great sport. The story speaks for itself, as Gunther aims to redeem himself from his SummerSlam World Title loss to Punk and win the title back at Mania 42.

Prediction: Gunther

CM Punk (c) vs. Pin Balor [World Title]

If the Elimination Chamber matches do not main event the show, CM Punk will main event the show in his hometown by defending the title against Finn Balor. Balor ruined the World Title match between Punk and AJ Styles after losing his world title shot to Punk in his home country of Ireland. Despite losing that night, Balor described that moment as the best moment in his career. He even shook hands with Punk and showed signs of a babyface turn but threw that all away in a week.

In fact, Punk even advised Balor to leave Judgment Day and carve his own path. Punk could once again be a catalyst of a major storyline that could benefit Balor on the road to WrestleMania. When Balor lost to Edge at WrestleMania 39, he was seen as a weak leader of the Judgment Day. Ever since that day he never got his mojo back. His alter ego, The Demon, was dead in the water, and he was relegated to being a hot tag with JD McDonagh and playing video games in the clubhouse with Carlito.

Finn Balor really needs to get back in the ball game before it’s too late.

It came to a point where Liv Morgan, the greatest Royal Rumble Winner ever and true leader of the Judgment Day, called Balor out for slacking on the job. Balor has lost himself in what seems to be a mid-career identity crisis. Without the Demon to fuel him, he is no longer a main event player. With the Judgment Day, he has become a complacent hot tag. However, he is still a workhorse and there is still space for him in the mid card for the workhorse title, the InterContinental Championship.

Granted, Balor will want to get revenge on Punk by dethroning Punk in his hometown of Chicago after losing to him in his home country of Ireland. However, Dirty Dom will return from injury and screw Balor because Judgment Day sees Balor as the weak link. That was clear ever since Dom stole Balor’s IC Title victory from him at Mania 41 last year. Ever since that moment, Balor has been bitter and trying to throw Dom off his game by getting him into a love triangle with Roxanne and Liv.

Dom and Liv always saw right through this and they will make Balor pay for it. It will be up to Balor to bet on himself, like Punk advised him to do. He must win that IC Title from Dom at WrestleMania to prove that he really is “that guy.” As for Punk, he won’t be seeing sunshine and rainbows after this retention. Instead, he will be seeing stars when Elimination Chamber Winner, Gunther, maims him for heel heat in front of his hometown crowd of Chicago and puts the master of the GTS to sleep.

Prediction: CM Punk

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