WWE takeaways: Only one surprising outcome at Elimination Chamber

Randy Orton and Rhea Ripley were the last men standing in men’s and women’s Elimination Chamber matches to earn the right to challenge for the WWE title at WrestleMania 42 in April.

With some helpful interference from WWE Undisputed Champion Drew McIntyre and Seth Rollins returning from injury, Orton defeated Cody Rhodes, Logan Paul, Trick Williams, Javon Evans and LA Knight. In the women’s Elimination Chamber match, Ripley was victorious over Tiffany Stratton, Alexa Bliss, Asuka, Raquel Rodriguez and Kianna James. Ripley will now participate in WrestleMania for the seventh consecutive time. With the win, Orton will challenge the winner of Friday’s title match between McIntyre and Rhodes on “SmackDown,” while Ripley will go head-to-head with WWE Women’s Champion Jade Cargill.

Apart from this, in the card, CM Punk defeated Finn Balor again to retain the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. And Punk’s wife, AJ Lee, will also leave Chicago’s United Center with a title in hand after defeating Becky Lynch in a match for the Women’s Intercontinental Championship.

Here are the biggest takeaways from WWE Elimination Chamber in Chicago.

Ripley’s win was deserved, but not surprising

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Rhea Ripley books her ticket to WrestleMania by winning the Chamber Match

Rhea Ripley won the 2026 Women’s Elimination Chamber match to earn a title match against Jade Cargill at WrestleMania.

Rhea Ripley’s projected win isn’t the worst result, but it didn’t help the match.

To no one’s surprise, Ripley won the Women’s Elimination Chamber. Really, was there any other option? The result was made even more clear when Ripley vacated the Women’s Tag Titles on “SmackDown” the night before.

While predictable, it was the only way for a replay. She’s arguably the biggest star on the entire roster, and it wouldn’t feel right to not have her challenge for the world title at WrestleMania. Still, it would have been nice if WWE had found a way to cast doubt on the outcome by framing one of the other women as a viable option to win.

The end justified the means. Hopefully WWE will make the outcome less clear cut at next year’s Elimination Chamber. Chamber matches should provide an element of drama for fans rather than just eliminating the obvious obstacle.

Welcome back to the hilltop, AJ Lee

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AJ Lee wins first title in WWE in 11 years

AJ Lee forced Becky Lynch to tap to “Black Widow” to win the Women’s Intercontinental Championship.

Lee is now a champion, but can she help advance the women’s division?

Lee won his first singles match since ending his decade-long retirement last year. While it’s been great to see Lee back in a WWE ring, taking part in a women’s division she helped reach new heights in, she’s now tasked with carrying a title that was previously held by an incredible in-ring performer in Lynch. Lee’s return from retirement has officially left the new car smell, and he will be evaluated based on his body of work moving forward.

Lee’s match with Lynch was solid, but it was clear that she was doing something wrong throughout the match. For her part, Lynch has been very good at outclassing Lee, and her ring generalship has been exceptional. But Lee will now be without Lynch in the WrestleMania season. It will be interesting to see how WWE handles their next feud. She is 3-0 against Lynch in mixed tag matches, Survivor Series: WarGames, and now in singles competition. We’ll see who Lee faces in her first title defense and if she works with some of the young talent on the roster.

Is Finn Balor’s villainous streak about to end?

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CM Punk retained the title, confirmed a match against Roman Reigns at Mania

CM Punk defeated Finn Balor to retain the World Heavyweight Championship and set up his match against Roman Reigns at WrestleMania.

The Punk vs. Balor match served two purposes. Apparently Punk was supposed to get a homecoming match in Chicago before defending his championship against Roman Reigns in the main event of WrestleMania 42. Punk winning was no surprise, but it was great to see his nod to the Alan Parsons Project’s “Sirius” and the Michael Jordan-era Chicago Bulls starting lineup ceremony with announcer Ray Clay.

The match itself was a solid affair as Punk and Balor faced off to a standoff until Punk hit his second GTS of the night to pick up the win and then celebrated in the ring with his wife AJ Lee.

Another objective could be to turn Balor into a babyface and take him out of Judgment Day. Balor has been calling for his separation from the group for the past few weeks and demanding that he win or lose his match with Punk solely without the help of Dominic Mysterio or JD McDonagh. Balor lost on his own and due to him not being a heel, he later shook hands with Punk. This would certainly lead to his separation from the group and we could be moving towards a new era of Finn Balor in WWE.

The Randy Orton-Cody Rhodes story is not over yet

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Randy Orton wins the Chamber, sets up a match against Drew McIntyre at Mania

Randy Orton won the Elimination Chamber match to set up a match against Drew McIntyre for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania.

Orton is returning to WrestleMania in great style.

Rhodes felt like an absolute shoo-in to win the men’s Elimination Chamber match and move back into the main event of WrestleMania against his rival Drew McIntyre. Instead, McIntyre inserted himself into the match and attacked Rhodes when the last two competitors faced him and Randy Orton. Moving in to assist Rhodes, Orton hit McIntrey with an RKO. But just when Rhodes thought the coast was clear, he ate an RKO from Orton, following Rhodes’ successful cross on McIntrey. Three seconds later, and Orton is headed to WrestleMania in pursuit of his 15th World Championship.

Who he will face is still undecided as “SmackDown” General Manager Nick Aldis – who is fed up with McIntyre’s constant interference in matches – has announced that McIntyre will defend his Undisputed Championship against Rhodes this Friday.

Rhodes vs. Orton will be a new match for WrestleMania. This could be really interesting, as their history dates back to their time in the Legacy stable a decade ago, where Orton worked as a mentor to Rhodes. If they decide to have Rhodes defeat McIntyre for the Undisputed Championship on Friday, that’s the right move. But where does that leave McIntyre for WrestleMania?

Welcome back, Seth Rollins

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Seth Rollins revealed as the masked man helps eliminate Logan Paul in the Chamber

Seth Rollins has been revealed as the masked man after helping eliminate Logan Paul at Elimination Chamber.

After weeks of teasers it was finally revealed that the masked man was none other than Seth “Freaking” Rollins.

The former leader of The Vision got his revenge when he did a little baiting on Logan Paul and switched with another masked man. Paul was denied victory in the Elimination Chamber match due to interference from Rollins. Rollins takes off the mask to reveal himself, and now we have to find out where this is going.

Unfortunately, Braun Breaker and Bronson Reed have been sidelined with injuries, which has certainly put a halt to whatever the original plan was. Rollins and Paul faced off at WrestleMania 39, which Rollins won. Rereading that match three years later, it doesn’t seem like there’s any way to move forward, but WWE doesn’t have many options for Rollins at this point.

Hopefully, this is the end of the overbearing view of masked men.

Danhausen is WWE’s newest superstar

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Danhausen debuts in WWE by coming out of the mystery crate

The mystery crate is revealed to be Danhausen’s debut in the Elimination Chamber.

Danhausen was revealed to be in the box that has been a part of “Raw” and “SmackDown” storylines in recent weeks.

The reveal of the eccentric goth character was met with confusion among fans. On the surface, he doesn’t look very special with his small frame and unusual facial complexion. But you have to look at Danhausen’s antics to understand why he became a fan favorite in the independent wrestling scene. His dramatic humor is an acquired taste, and WWE will be tasked with connecting him with its fans. There is nothing straightforward about Danhausen, and Everything It’s tongue-in-cheek. He has called himself “a demon possessed by Conan O’Brien” in interviews, and this is a fairly accurate description of the wrestler known for breaking out the Pee-wee Herman dance in the middle of a match. You might not understand him right away, but Danhausen is in the perfect place to flesh out his character. Give it time, friends.