WWE Elimination Chamber 2026 Results As CM Punk Beats Finn Balor

At WWE Elimination Chamber 2026, World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk had one obstacle standing in his way before his expected WrestleMania 42 clash with Roman Reigns.

That obstacle? Finn Balor.

Punk reportedly requested to work with Balor, which explains the latter’s sudden main event push after a few years away from the world title scene. Last month, Punk beat Balor clean in a world title match on Raw in Balor’s home country of Ireland. After the match, Balor and Punk shook hands in a moment that seemed to ignite a babyface turn for the Judgment Day star.

But just a week later, Balor attacked Punk during his dream match against AJ Styles, which led to a rematch between the two stars at WWE Elimination Chamber 2026.

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WWE Elimination Chamber 2026 Results for CM Punk vs. Finn Balor

WWE Elimination Chamber 2026 seemed to be the last time and place for a potential World Heavyweight title change prior to WrestleMania 42, but CM Punk ensured that wouldn’t happen.

At the conclusion of a hard-fought battle with Finn Balor, Punk successfully retained his championship when he blasted Balor with a GTS to pick up the victory and cement his spot in the WrestleMania 42 main event. The win came in front of a raucous crowd in Punk’s hometown of Chicago, which erupted when Punk pinned Balor one match after his wife AJ Lee won the Women’s Intercontinental Championship.

Here are the key highlights of Punk’s successful title retention over Balor at WWE Elimination Chamber:

• The crowd erupted with loud chants of “CM Punk” as Punk made his entrance in his hometown. The first several minutes were slow-paced and uneventful until the two stars began to exchange Ric Flair-like chops. Balor eventually chopped Punk down to take control.
• Balor locked in the abdominal stretch, Punk got out, and the two stars collided with a double clothesline. The crowd came alive again when Balor and Punk had a punch-off in the middle of the ring. Punk hit hit patented comeback complete with clotheslines, running knee in the corner and running bulldog.
• Punk went for GTS, but Balor avoided and went to the outside. Punk hit a dive on the outside, sending Balor into the announce table. Back in the ring, Punk signaled for the GTS. He attempted it, but Balor wiggled out and regained control.
• Balor attempted to jump over Punk in the corner. Punk caught him and went for the GTS, but Balor rolled him up for a two-count. Punk blocked a suplex attempt and put Balor on the top turnbuckle. Balor knocked Punk off and Balor missed the Coup de Grace.
• Punk smashed Balor with a knee and then went to the top, blasting Balor with his patented elbow drop. The two stars exchanged pin attempts and then Balor hit the Slingblade. Balor loaded up for the running dropkick, but Punk nailed him with a big clothesline.
• Punk locked in the Anaconda Vice as Balor rolled through for a pinning attempt for two. Balor ultimately hit the Coup de Grace, but Punk kicked out at the very last second. Loud “CM Punk” chants erupted from the crowd. Punk picked up Balor and blasted him with the GTS, but Balor’s momentum carried him out of the ring onto the outside.
• Balor hit another Slingblade on the outside followed by a running dropkick that sent Punk crashing through the barricade. Back in the ring, Punk went for the GTS again, Balor countered and hit yet another Slingblade followed by the running dropkick. Balor went for another Coup de Grace, but Punk countered and immediately locked in a Sharpshooter. Balor got to the ropes for a rope break.
• Punk finally picked up Balor and demolished him with a big GTS. That was enough for the 1-2-3 and the victory.

WWE Elimination Chamber 2026 Results: What’s Next for CM Punk and Finn Balor?

WWE didn’t exactly build up to Balor’s sudden and unexpected main event push. In fact, Balor went more than 160 days without a win, which goes to show that his main event run really did come out of nowhere.

Although Balor never really stood a chance against Punk, his brief feud with the World Heavyweight Champion did accomplish one thing: reigniting fan interest in a Balor singles push. When Balor teased a full-fledged babyface turn in Ireland, it proved that he’s more than capable of being a long-term main event star again.

While that could prove to be difficult given WWE’s stacked roster, Balor now seems to be in line for a bigger singles spotlight and potential babyface turn. Signs are pointing toward the impending implosion of The Judgment Day, and a popular fan theory suggests that Balor will ultimately be at odds with the current Intercontinental Champion Dominik Mysterio, leading to a WrestleMania 42 match between the two.

With Balor quickly getting fans behind him as he teased a babyface turn, there’s reason to believe that Balor vs. Mysterio for the IC title would be quite the attraction on the WrestleMania undercard.

As for Punk, there was never any legitimate doubt that he would leave WWE Elimination Chamber with his World Heavyweight Championship. Despite minimal on-screen interaction with Roman Reigns, their feud is clearly WWE’s biggest rivalry heading into WrestleMania 42.

This isn’t one of those scenarios, like WrestleMania 41 last year or like on SmackDown this year, in which WWE’s biggest feud will be a three-way rivalry. The money is in Punk vs. Reigns in a straight-up singles match, and that’s where this is headed.

Punk did a great job of helping to elevate Balor both at and during the lead-up to WWE Elimination Chamber 2026, but now, Punk will take a leap to another WrestleMania main event while Balor remains near the upper midcard.