What's Next for Cody Rhodes, CM Punk, More at WrestleMania After WWE Elimination Chamber?
Fans looked forward to finding out what the rest of the Road to WrestleMania had in store for several Superstars coming out of WWE Elimination Chamber 2026. Some directions were set in stone while others remain a mystery.
It's slowly starting to look like even WWE isn't entirely sure what they want to do at WrestleMania. Most of the projected lineup feels thrown together with not a whole lot of enthusiasm or interest from fans.
Elimination Chamber did an effective job of establishing what the key matches will presumably be for the upcoming event, but there is still much more work to be done as far as building up a compelling card.
Let's look at what's next for Cody Rhodes, CM Punk and other top talent following Saturday's show in Chicago.
CM Punk Shifts Focus to Roman Reigns
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CM Punk vs. Roman Reigns for the World Heavyweight Championship was made official for WrestleMania as early as the post-Royal Rumble Raw. Punk continuing to feud with Finn Bálor hardly put that mega match in jeopardy.
Despite the obvious result, Punk had an absolute war with Bálor at Elimination Chamber. He proved himself as a fighting champion, which will play perfectly into his story with Reigns considering how infrequently Reigns appears on the programming.
Their first and only verbal exchange so far on the Road to WrestleMania was a smashing success. Both men delivered fantastic mic work and sold plenty of viewers on their 'Mania matchup.
The only question now is whether they can top themselves between now and The Show of Shows, and we won't have to wait long to find out with Reigns returning to Raw this Monday. If anyone can kick the WrestleMania hype into the next gear, it's them.
Cody Rhodes Isn't Done with Drew McIntyre
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To say the Drew McIntyre vs. Cody Rhodes rivalry has grown stale would be the understatement of the century.
They've been at odds since early August. There really is no reason for WWE to still be dragging out their issues, other than for them both to be involved in the WrestleMania Night 1 main-event.
Randy Orton winning the men's Chamber instead of Rhodes was at least an intriguing development, and seems to confirm that we'll be getting some sort of multi-man match for the Undisputed WWE Championship at 'Mania.
Rhodes, McIntyre, Orton and Jacob Fatu would be a fun four-way, but how WWE gets there without defying all logic remains to be seen. In the meantime, Rhodes will challenge McIntyre for the coveted title on Friday's SmackDown.
It's unlikely The American Nightmare walks away with the gold (nor should he), but whatever chaos that ensues in that championship clash should set up the four-way affair for WrestleMania.
Becky Lynch Will Seek Revenge on AJ Lee
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The bad blood between Becky Lynch and AJ Lee is far from over despite Lee (again) giving Lynch her comeuppance at Elimination Chamber by beating her for the Women's Intercontinental Championship.
That's essentially been the story of their entire feud. Lee tapped out Lynch at Wrestlepalooza, for a second time at Survivor Series, and for a third time on Saturday night.
This latest loss to Lee will only drive The Man further into insanity.
Lee seemingly isn't a full-timer, so her reign is bound to be short-lived. The endgame has to be Lynch getting the belt back at WrestleMania, but they'll have the tall task of keeping matters interesting over the next month-plus.
It's possible Maxxine Dupri and Nattie are factored into the title scene as well, but the big blow-off for Lynch vs. Lee works better as a standard singles match.
Danhausen Has Arrived
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The mystery box contained none other than the debuting Danhausen, who is best known for his stints in AEW and Ring of Honor.
With wrestling fans naturally expecting a surprise the caliber of The Rock or Chris Jericho, a portion of those in attendance at Elimination Chamber weren't thrilled with the reveal, based on the audible boos he received when the segment was over.
It was a polarizing reaction both in the arena as well as online. WWE didn't spend a ton of time hyping up the reveal, but if he isn't going to be a pivotal part of the Road to WrestleMania, then perhaps there were better ways of introducing him.
Regardless, anyone familiar with the very nice, very evil Danhausen is aware that he shines more so with the character work than he does in the ring. He should excel in backstage segments and will be best in smaller doses.
Putting him in a match at WrestleMania isn't ideal when the roster is as stacked as it is, but having him serve as the host could make for entertaining television.
Rhea Ripley's Win Leaves Iyo Sky Directionless
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It's understandable that some fans would be fatigued by Rhea Ripley being in yet another championship match at WrestleMania. However, the reality is that she's still one of WWE's biggest stars—male or female—and therefore she belongs in that elite spot.
Ripley vs. Jade Cargill for the WWE Women's Championship is an attraction. There's no story there, though, and WWE will need to come up with something strong extremely soon to avoid souring fans on the two unstoppable forces facing each other.
Moreover, what does this mean for Ripley's tag team partner Iyo Sky?
The uber-popular duo known as RHIYO dropped the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship to Nia Jax and Lash Legend on Friday's SmackDown. All signs point to them being done as a tandem for the time being, but Sky is too tremendous of a talent to not be included in the card in some capacity.
The sole bout that make sense for Sky would be for her to take on Asuka, with whom she has unfinished business dating back to late last year. That would be a WrestleMania-worthy encounter, provided WWE reheat the rivalry so the audience is invested again.
Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, has specialized in sports and entertainment writing since 2010. Visit his website, WrestleRant, and subscribe to his YouTube channel for more wrestling-related content.
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