Chicago’s United Center is the home of the NBA’s Bulls and the NHL’s Blackhawks. But in less than two weeks, the United Center will be a home game for Windy City residents WWE World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk and his wife, AJ Lee.
Last Monday on Raw, the two appeared in matching segments, though their roles were reversed. Lee interrupted Women’s Intercontinental Champion Becky Lynch and goaded Lynch into granting her a title match at Elimination Chamber, reminding Lynch of past wins at Wrestlepalooza
and Survivor Series: WarGames.
Later in the show, Finn Bálor appeared just before Punk’s promo segment to demand a world title rematch. Raw General Manager Adam Pearce initially refused, wary of jeopardizing the WrestleMania main event between Punk and Roman Reigns. Punk, however, welcomed the challenge — especially in Chicago, which Bálor requested. Reluctantly, Pearce made it official.
Now comes the twist: will Elimination Chamber flip the script again, this time in favor of the champions? Punk is expected to retain and head to Las Vegas for WWE’s biggest show of the year. A Lee–Lynch rematch at WrestleMania still looms, likely with Lynch retaining to raise the stakes — potentially spoiling a Punk-Lee victory parade through Chicago.
Who Will Advance to WrestleMania?
In addition to two title matches, Elimination Chamber will feature a pair of Chamber matches, where the winners will advance to a championship match at WrestleMania. Randy Orton, LA Knight, and Cody Rhodes have qualified on the men’s side, while Tiffany Stratton, Alexa Bliss, and Rhea Ripley are in for the women.
Rhodes currently appears to be the favorite, as his issues with Undisputed WWE Champion Drew McIntyre remain unresolved after McIntyre beat him for the title and later cost him the men’s Royal Rumble. Last Friday, McIntyre tried to keep Rhodes from winning a Chamber qualifier against Jacob Fatu and Sami Zayn, only for the plan to backfire on him.
Despite his efforts to avoid Rhodes, it seems like McIntyre may be delaying the inevitable at WrestleMania.
The men’s Chamber winner earns a shot at McIntyre’s Undisputed WWE Championship, SmackDown’s top prize. Interestingly, Raw’s LA Knight is also in the field. While he’s a dark horse, recent buzz links him to a WrestleMania showdown with Brock Lesnar, who will appear on Raw’s go-home episode before Elimination Chamber.
On the women’s side, the only certainty is a WrestleMania world title match. 2026 Royal Rumble winner Liv Morgan has yet to choose between World Champion Stephanie Vaquer and Women’s Champion Jade Cargill. Morgan has taunted both — disrespecting Vaquer in Spanish and staging a Valentine’s date with Dominik Mysterio during Cargill’s defense against Jordynne Grace.
Morgan has done an excellent job of creating interest in a confrontation with either woman at Mania. By delaying her decision, WWE keeps intrigue high — and the women’s Chamber outcome uncertain.
SummerSlam ’94: The Beginning
Chicago’s famed United Center opened its doors in 1994, but neither the resident Bulls nor Blackhawks hosted the arena’s first major event. Instead, the arena welcomed WWE and its fans for SummerSlam.
Held on August 29, 1994 — just 11 days after the ribbon-cutting — the event featured a steel cage match for the WWE Championship between Bret Hart and his brother Owen Hart. In the main event, The Undertaker defeated The Undertaker, a battle between an original and an impostor that resembles WWE’s current storyline between the classic El Grande Americano and his doppelganger.
At the time, few realized SummerSlam ’94 would be WWE’s last premium live event at the United Center, as the company returned to the historic Allstate Arena for future live events, television, and premium specials.
That changes this year with Elimination Chamber, as WWE returns to the building it helped inaugurate, bringing a signature stop on the road to WrestleMania.
“More than 30 years ago, the United Center opened its doors with a historic SummerSlam event, and we’re thrilled to welcome the return of a WWE Premium Live Event to the arena,” said United Center EVP and COO Joe Myhra in a press release in November.
How to Watch
Elimination Chamber streams on the ESPN app on Saturday, Feb. 28, at 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT. Internationally, fans can catch all the action on Netflix. Additionally, fans can catch the action on the big screen at select movie theaters nationwide through Fandango.
