WWE Elimination Chamber: Toronto is a few weeks away. There’s a lot on the line, as the winner of both the men’s and women’s chamber matches get a title shot of their choice at WrestleMania 41. For everyone involved, this is their last chance at getting to a title shot on the biggest show in wrestling. As both matches take shape, one man needs to win this match more so than anyone else involved. CM Punk has the most riding on the 2025 Elimination Chamber match.
CM Punk returned with one big goal in mind. He wants to main event a WrestleMania, an accolade he’s yet to add to his resume. He’s failed taking the Royal Rumble route, and now he must go through the Elimination Chamber. Another loss here ends his 2025 campaign at getting the main event.
Breaking down the rest of the Elimination Chamber field
It would make sense to look at Punk as the odds-on favorite to win this match. Drew McIntyre is a top heel in the promotion but wouldn’t make much booking sense being in the title picture this year. John Cena is on a retirement tour that should see him capture the WWE Championship one last time. But his current “character” arc is him wondering if he can still “win the big one.” Seeing him lose again in a big match furthers that angle.
Then there’s Logan Paul. While fans detest him, they need to prepare themselves for his big moment. WWE will put a title around his waist at some point and it’s going to be one of the most controversial moments in wrestling.
Expect Damian Priest and Seth Rollins to be added to the match, as they are two of the names in the final qualifying matches. Neither one of them should be looked at as a favorite, as they have their own angles going on that do not involve the championship. Rollins will be the last man in the match with Punk, but he’ll fall to the Chicago native once again.
CM Punk has that one favor with Paul Heyman
On the other hand, there’s the favor that CM Punk has from Paul Heyman. The one he earned by helping The Bloodline at the latest edition of WWE Survivor Series: WarGames. If Punk loses in the Elimination Chamber, will he use that favor to get a main event at WrestleMania? Rumors were that WWE was looking to book Seth Rollins vs CM Punk vs Roman Reigns. That’s a major match that doesn’t need a championship for the story to make sense. And it still has the name cache to be a main event match.
WWE has done a great job developing stories where the outcome isn’t always clear. Predictability can be good for pro wrestling, but there’s a point where the element of surprise also helps. See Jey Uso’s win at the Royal Rumble as an example. Still, the direction of WWE’s creative paints CM Punk as the favorite to win the Elimination Chamber match.