Backstage Speculation On CM Punk Losing World Title Match At WWE Elimination Chamber

Before CM Punk defends the World Heavyweight Championship against Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 42 this coming April, he will need to go through Finn Balor first, who challenges for the title at the Elimination Chamber in Chicago on February 28. Most fans believe Balor has a slim chance at winning the title, as Punk's match with Reigns seems to be set in stone, but Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful Select believes the "Prince" could be walking out of Elimination Chamber with the championship.

On Thursday, Sapp was asked whether there's "any world where Finn Balor gets the shock win over CM Punk?" Sapp replied "Yeah, I actually think there is," speculating that the "Best In The World" could win the title back before WrestleMania. Following Elimination Chamber, there would be nearly two months until the "Showcase of the Immortals," and with Reigns officially challenging Punk after winning the 2026 Royal Rumble, Sapp's idea would be for Balor to drop the title shortly after winning it in Punk's hometown.

If Balor defeats Punk at the Elimination Chamber, it will be the first time that he's held a world title since 2016, when he won the WWE Universal Championship at SummerSlam against Seth Rollins. Moreover, a Balor title win would mark the first time since 2021 that a world title has changed hands at the Elimination Chamber in a singles match. In addition to Punk's World Heavyweight Championship bout with Balor, Becky Lynch will look to defend the Intercontinental Women's Title against Punk's wife, AJ Lee, along with both the men's and women's Elimination Chamber matches scheduled to determine the final WrestleMania world title contenders.