WWE Elimination Chamber 2026 – Best and Worst – Mystery reveal FLOPS, reason why Randy Orton beat Cody Rhodes

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#3. Best: Mami is heading back to the top

After Bianca Belair was officially ruled out of WrestleMania 42, WWE had to come up with a suitable alternative as Jade Cargill’s planned opponent. You can’t go wrong with Rhea Ripley. She is incredible in the ring and dependable on the biggest stage.

Mami winning the women’s Elimination Chamber Match was quite predictable, but that doesn’t make it the wrong decision. Sometimes, things are predictable for a reason. Ripley has been out of the Women’s Championship picture since SummerSlam, and she hasn’t held a world title in a year. Claims of her being overpushed are way off the mark.

WrestleMania is about getting the biggest names in the biggest spots, as much as it is about creating new ones. With Stephanie Vaquer vs. Liv Morgan already set, WWE needed an established main eventer opposite Jade Cargill. Someone who can give her the best match possible. Rhea Ripley was the only suitable option to win at Elimination Chamber.

#2. Worst: Very nice, very feeble

WWE actually promoted a mystery reveal for a comedy wrestler on a premium live event just before WrestleMania 42. Danhausen did not need to debut at Elimination Chamber. In fact, he probably would have been a better fit for NXT rather than the main roster.

Nevertheless, he’s here now. The AEW star’s debut didn’t go as planned, particularly in terms of the crowd’s reaction. The initial pop for Danhausen and his many female dancers quickly died down. There was confusion among the fans, and they eventually booed loudly. Not the greatest start, but the only way from here is up.

#2. Best: Couple goals at Elimination Chamber

Say what you will about the shenanigans at the end of AJ Lee vs. Becky Lynch, but it was cool to see the former Divas Champion hold gold once again. AJ won the Women’s Intercontinental Title and got to celebrate with her husband, CM Punk, in the ring after his match.

The World Heavyweight Champion had an absolute war with Finn Balor at Elimination Chamber. It was physical and intense, with Punk looking absolutely knackered by the end of it. It was heartwarming to see him and AJ Lee lift their titles together. This moment was an impossible fantasy not too long ago.

#1. Worst: What was that match?!

The men’s Elimination Chamber Match was bonkers, and not entirely for the right reasons. There were a lot of issues with it, including Logan Paul’s dominance.

The Maverick had no business being as successful as he was in the Chamber, eliminating Je’Von Evans, Trick Williams, and LA Knight. This spot was undoubtedly created for Bronson Reed to go on a tear before getting stomped by Seth Rollins. Unfortunately, his injury prevented that from happening, and WWE opted to stick with the original layout of the Elimination Chamber Match.

The entire masked man angle was also overbooked. A decoy was caught and unmasked, before Rollins sneaked his way into the Chamber to cost Logan Paul. It’s great to see him back in time for WrestleMania 42, but there surely was a better way to do this.

Meanwhile, LA Knight may have been the biggest loser on the entire card. He struggled to do anything of note and botched a big spot before getting low-blowed and eliminated by Paul. However, the main event wasn’t all bad.

#1. Best: Drew saves WrestleMania

He may have broken his own dreams in the process, but Drew McIntyre’s involvement at Elimination Chamber may have saved WrestleMania 42. The prevailing expectation was that Cody Rhodes would win and challenge The Scottish Warrior at The Show of Shows. Thankfully, that’s not what happened.

McIntyre’s interference distracted Rhodes enough for Randy Orton to sneakily RKO him and win the match. Nick Aldis has already taken action and forced the Undisputed WWE Champion to defend his title against The American Nightmare on next week’s episode of SmackDown. There are two possibilities here.

Jacob Fatu, who has also been screwed by Drew McIntyre, could ruin the title match and demand one for himself. This would lead to him and Cody Rhodes being added to the WrestleMania 42 bout, making it a fatal four-way. This sounds more appealing than the original direction.

Alternatively, WWE may give The American Nightmare his belt back, potentially with Fatu costing McIntyre. We’d get two huge singles matches for WrestleMania 42 in this scenario, including the long-awaited feud between Cody Rhodes and Randy Orton.

The Viper winning at Elimination Chamber was the only way WWE could have made the Undisputed Title picture feel fresh ahead of The Show of Shows.