WWE Elimination Chamber 2026 predictions, expert picks for Saturday’s action

With the Royal Rumble in the rearview mirror, there is only one path to a world championship match at WrestleMania, and that path is to win the title. Elimination Chamber. The event takes place Saturday at the United Center in Chicago.

Six men and six women will enter the Elimination Chamber, with the winners of the men’s and women’s matches attempting to win a world title. With men’s Royal Rumble winner Roman Reigns already picking World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk and women’s winner Liv Morgan picking Women’s World Champion Stephanie Vaquer, that leaves WWE Champion Drew McIntyre and WWE Women’s Champion Jade Cargill for Elimination Chamber winners.

The men’s match had a late lapse in the SmackDown finale before the event. Jey Uso, who earned a spot in the match with a win Monday over Bronson Reed and El Grande Americano, was taken out backstage by an unknown assailant. This led to SmackDown General Manager Nick Aldis booking an impromptu match between Jacob Fatu and Logan Paul for the final spot in the Chamber, which Paul won with outside help.

Also Saturday, CM Punk will put his World Heavyweight Championship on the line against Finn Balor. The two staged an epic match in Balor’s home country of Ireland earlier this month. Balor requested a rematch after failing and if successful, he would take Punk’s place in the main event at WrestleMania 42 against Roman Reigns.

Additionally, Punk’s wife AJ Lee will compete in her first singles match in over a decade when she faces Becky Lynch for the Women’s Intercontinental Championship. Lee teamed with Punk against Rollins and Lynch last year in Lee’s first match with the company. She is now looking to earn her first singles victory since 2015.

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Shakiel Mahjouri

Let’s take a look at who CBS Sports experts think will emerge victorious on Saturday in Chicago.

WWE Elimination Chamber 2026 Predictions

Men’s Elimination Chamber Match – Randy Orton vs. LA Knight vs. Cody Rhodes vs. Je’Von Evans vs. Trick Williams vs. Logan Paul: Quite often, picking a winner in a match like this means eliminating who wouldn’t I be a winner. Evans and Williams are not currently at the level where they will compete one-on-one for a world championship at WrestleMania. Orton is a legend, but not someone who is in a place where he makes sense as a headliner at WrestleMania in 2026. That leaves Knight and Rhodes, only one of whom has an ongoing problem – which some might argue has gone on for far too long – with McIntyre. This makes the result quite obvious. Pick: Cody Rhodes wins – Brent Brookhouse (also Shakiel Mahjouri)

Women’s Elimination Chamber Match – Tiffany Stratton vs. Rhea Ripley vs. Alexa Bliss vs. Asuka vs. Kiana James vs. Raquel Rodriguez: The winner of this match will challenge WWE Women’s Champion Jade Cargill at WrestleMania. These issues contribute to narrowing the field. The champion looks like a box office star, so WWE should choose a challenger with star power and experience. Asuka and Cargill are both heels, and while that works sometimes, it doesn’t work well here. Bliss fits the bill, but she’s more interesting teamed with Charlotte Flair. Ripley vs. Cargill screams WrestleMania, a collision between two of the most powerful women in WWE. Ripley’s status as women’s tag team champion complicates things, but there are more benefits here than retreading Cargill vs. Stratton. Choice: Ripley wins — Mahjouri (also Brookhouse)

World Heavyweight Championship – CM Punk (c) vs. Finn Balor: It’s nice to see Balor position himself as a major player again, and equally nice that this signals the end of his time on Judgment Day, but there’s simply no way WWE can go from Punk vs. Reigns at WrestleMania to Balor vs. Reigns. It was good to see WWE finally address the bizarre ending of Balor vs. Reigns at Extreme Rules 2021, but it’s not enough of a basis for a WrestleMania main event. Choice: CM Punk retains the title — Brookhouse (also Mahjouri)

Intercontinental Women’s Championship – Becky Lynch (c) vs. AJ Lee: Punk will make things right for Chicago after a rough start for their adopted hero Lee. The Women’s Intercontinental Champion needs a successful title defense, especially with the potential for another WrestleMania showdown. Lee wrestled twice in 10 years, defeating Lynch at WarGames and in a mixed tag team match with their husbands. Expect Lynch to earn victory through nefarious means before a one-on-one rematch in Las Vegas. Pick: Lynch retains title — Mahjouri (also Brookhouse)