Rhea Ripley, Randy Orton, Real Winners and Losers of WWE Elimination Chamber 2026 Match Card

The United Center in Chicago hosted the 2026 Elimination Chamber, a show promising to clearly establish the main event picture for WrestleMania 42.

Rhea Ripley won the women's Elimination Chamber match, last eliminating Tiffany Stratton, to earn the next shot at Jade Cargill.

AJ Lee won her first singles match back in WWE to claim the Women's Intercontinental Championship from Becky Lynch.

CM Punk successfully defended his World Heavyweight Championship against Finn Bálor, making sure he will face Roman Reigns in the main event of 'Mania.

Thanks to the interference of Drew McIntyre, Randy Orton pinned Cody Rhodes after an RKO to win the men's Elimination Chamber match.

The following are the real winners and losers of WWE Elimination Chamber 2026.

Loser: Alexa Bliss

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The story of Alexa Bliss in 2026 has been focused on her revitalization. She and Charlotte Flair have made each other better.

They are the two best-established babyfaces on SmackDown, and both would have made sense to challenge Jade Cargill at WrestleMania.

Instead, she was the first eliminated from the women's Elimination Chamber match, taken out by Kiana James after Asuka's mist blinded her.

This likely puts The Goddess and Flair in further conflict with The Kabuki Warriors into 'Mania, possibly both going after the Women's Tag Team Championships.

This is a solid spot for Bliss but not nearly as high as she could have reached.

Rhea Ripley, who already had a clear direction on Raw into The Show of Shows, was trusted to work with The Storm more than Bliss and Charlotte.

Winner: Rhea Ripley

Rhea Ripley is officially going to WrestleMania 42 to challenge Jade Cargill.

The option became almost painfully obvious on Friday when The Eradicator and Iyo Sky dropped the Women's Tag Team Championships to Lash Legend and Nia Jax.

Still, it was the right call for WWE. Ripley is the most reliable big-match performer in the company right now.

The Storm is a relative unknown in spots like this, as she has rarely worked longer than 10 minutes.

The Eradicator will give Cargill the ultimate challenge of her career. If this is not a standout match at WrestleMania, The Storm may not get many more chances for a featured singles match at a PLE.

Ripley is safe no matter what, as she has already proved herself, and she could very easily be on track to win her fourth world championship at The Show of Shows.

Loser: Becky Lynch

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For the past six months, since the return of AJ Lee, Becky Lynch has put over The Black Widow again and again.

In Chicago, Lee made Lynch tap out not once but two times in the same match after making her do the same in their mixed tag clash and WarGames collision as well.

WWE has set up arguably the most successful woman in the company's history to be embarrassed by a 38-year-old who has not looked comfortable in the ring in any of those matches.

When Lynch put over Maxxine Dupri, she was setting up a 28-year-old to rise, hoping to maximize her future prospects in WWE.

These losses to Lee have done nothing but make Lynch look like she is the one past her prime.

Lynch is 39 years old and has done enough to be a Hall of Fame headliner upon retirement, but losses like this hurt her legacy.

Lynch's booking since her return to WWE reflects poorly on the creative team, which does not seem to view The Man as the top star she is.

The only option at this point would be for Lynch to move away from her eccentric heel character and turn face as soon as possible.

Loser: AJ Lee

It may sound odd to call the new women's intercontinental champion a loser coming out of Elimination Chamber, but her win was preordained.

What mattered most on this night was for Lee to look good against Becky Lynch, a woman who has brought the best out of everyone she competes with.

The Black Widow looked like she was always trying to keep up with The Man despite Lynch slowing to match her speed.

It was clear that Lynch was calling the shots while Lee struggled to stay on time.

This is a nice moment for AJ's legacy, winning gold for the first time in 4,116 days, but if The Black Widow could not have a good match with Lynch in her singles return, who can she work well with?

That is an especially tricky question on the road to WrestleMania 42, where the Women's Intercontinental Championship should be defended.

Loser: Finn Bálor

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What is Finn Bálor going to do at WrestleMania 42?

Over the past month, The Prince has collided with CM Punk in a hopeless attempt to finally win a world championship.

He failed and, in the process, seemingly turned babyface by shaking the hand of The Best in the World.

It was easily the best pure wrestling match of the night, but it was a predictable contest, laid out in predictable fashion.

The Prince never truly pushed the drama to sell an upset nor made a statement enough to require a major spotlight at The Show of Shows.

It was a forgettable night for Bálor, just set up for Punk to compete in Chicago before his next real challenger steps up (Roman Reigns at WrestleMania).

Winner: Danhausen

Danhausen has arrived in WWE, days removed from the end of his All Elite Wrestling contract.

He did not get repackaged or sent to the Performance Center. Instead, he is on the main roster immediately after emerging from the mystery box.

While Very Evil, Very Nice did not have much success in AEW, he was a major merchandise seller in the company as well as on the independent wrestling scene.

His gimmick is more akin to an earlier era of over-the-top personas in WWE like Goldust, Papa Shango or, a bit more recently, The Boogeyman.

WWE has given him a chance to immediately sell his gimmick to a fresh audience, and the first impression came on a major stage.

While Chicago did not seem to fully know how to react to Danhausen, he should continue to get strong spotlights to attempt to sell himself to a new audience.

Winner: Seth Rollins

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Seth Rollins made his surprise return, revealing himself to be the true man behind the mask messing with The Vision.

This was a nice spot for The Visionary not only to cost The Vision after taking him out, but also to show he was healthy enough to compete at WrestleMania 42.

Reading likely too far into the hints WWE has already set, Rollins could be returning as The Messiah, helped by multiple followers in recent weeks to attack The Vision.

This sets the stage for Rollins vs. Logan Paul, or a tag team match in which The Visionary recruits a loyal "disciple" to contend with both The Maverick and Austin Theory.

Either way, the stage is set for Rollins to still make an impact at The Show of Shows, which is good news for WWE and The Visionary himself.

Winner: Logan Paul

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Logan Paul was not even supposed to compete in the men's Elimination Chamber. His spot was likely going to Bronson Reed before his injury.

With the change, The Maverick has made a clear statement of his importance to the brand, picking up the rare three eliminations in one Chamber match.

This was a massive boost for Paul, who had looked like a third wheel in The Vision behind Bron Breakker and Reed before their injuries.

Whatever Seth Rollins is up for at WrestleMania, it will certainly involve The Maverick.

Moreover, Paul will represent Raw's biggest heel group going forward as the top man at least until Breakker returns.

Winner: Randy Orton

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While Cody Rhodes feels like the man positioned most clearly as the biggest loser out of Elimination Chamber, it is also clear that Randy Orton is the biggest winner.

The Viper's direction into WrestleMania 42 was undefined before winning the men's match.

Now, Orton has solidified himself as one of the greatest Chamber performers of all time and guaranteed himself a spot in the Undisputed WWE Championship match at 'Mania.

This result and Drew McIntyre's frequent interference in recent weeks to set it up likely set the stage for a multi-man title match at 'Mania.

The best bet at this stage would be: McIntyre vs. Rhodes vs. Orton vs. Jacob Fatu vs. Aleister Black. Sami Zayn might even get involved.

Regardless of the lineup of challengers for The Scottish Warrior, The Viper is now guaranteed a spot.

In the Elimination Chamber post-show, Nick Aldis announced Rhodes will face McIntyre with the title at stake on SmackDown this Friday.