WWE Elimination Chamber 2026: 7 Nightmares That Could Come True

WWE are expecting fans to get giddy for what boils down to a house show-level main event at Elimination Chamber this weekend. Maybe that's harsh. CM Punk vs. Finn Bálor is TV worthy (they clashed on the 19 January Raw), but there was never enough about the story to merit a PLE rematch. Besides, everyone knows that Roman Reigns is already waiting patiently in the wings for Punk at WrestleMania 42.

This could be troublesome despite the surefire knowledge that Chicago's masses will pop for Punk like it's Money In The Bank 2011 or that early episode of AEW Rampage in 2021. Ultimate apathy towards the World Heavyweight Title scene isn't the only nightmare that Triple H and his creative team face at Chamber.

Apparently, they all patted one another on the back after watching WWE Unreal and believe their own hype, because some of the booking since Royal Rumble has been so-so. Indeed, one of biggest lures surrounding this weekend's show is exactly what/who lurks inside a giant crate that's been shipped between Raw and SmackDown lately.

Stop the presses if you're an older fan and have heard this one before.

Both titular Chamber matches feel fairly flat going in, there are no guarantees in another undercard title showdown, the box gimmick could turn into a disaster, and WWE is struggling to build momentum heading into the biggest show(s) of the entire year. Was AJ Styles right when he said that 'Mania had lost some lustre?!

Here's the worst of the worst that could happen come Elimination Chamber.

The irony to this entry is that AJ Lee hasn't worked a singles match since doing the honours for Nikki Bella on the 16 March 2015 edition of Monday Night Raw. So, by the time Elimination Chamber airs, it'll be running close to 11 years since AJ's last 1v1. On Saturday night, she steps into the ring with a woman who's had literally hundreds of singles matches since 2015.

What could possibly go wrong? Hopefully, nothing, but one need only look back at Bella's own efforts since returning. Matches vs. Becky and Stephanie Vaquer (in particular) were a real struggle to sit through. The disaster in waiting here is that Lee suffers the same fate her 2015 opponent did during the second half of 2025.

Being brutally honest, the build towards Lynch vs. Lee has split opinion. Some like how AJ has been getting under Becky's skin, but others have suggested that the acting is high school drama class level at best, and they don't like how 'The Man' has lost all of her cool points. Then, there's AJ herself, who cuts a composed but dangerous figure - critics aren't sure that's cutting it either.

WWE probably have this pencilled in for WrestleMania 42 as well, so they better hope Chamber's clash lives up to the hype. It'd really suck if AJ was more Nikki Bella than those backstage would care to admit, because that'd make a 'Mania repeat feel challenging before it even happens.

They have to knock this one out of the park in Chicago. They just have to. Or else.