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Michael Cole, Wade Barrett and Mark Nash are looking after their respective duties today. (Wade has been in the pod before, so he can offer experience.)

That square design actually started back in 2017 to make it easier to hang in different arenas, but seeing it tonight in the United Centre, it really stands out how different it is from the original “Pod of Death” circular look.

Opener: Women’s Elimination Chamber Match

• Why: It’s high-energy, and with stars like Rhea Ripley and Tiffany Stratton, it’s the perfect way to “wake up” the United Centre crowd. Alexa got a great pop coming out, but the pop for Rhea was just as big.

Mid-Card: Becky Lynch vs. AJ Lee

• Why: This is AJ Lee’s homecoming in Chicago. Placing it here gives the crowd a “second wind” after the first Chamber match. This match has everything, even an impromptu Street Fight. Becky played the heel to perfection.

Co-Main Event: CM Punk vs. Finn Bálor

• Why: In Chicago, Punk is always a main-event level attraction. This sets the stage for the final “big fight” feel of the night. There was not really anything special about the match. It was steady, and both had their time to shine. I get Finn plenty of respect; he did it on his own.

The Reveal: The Mystery Crate

• Why: WWE loves to put these non-wrestling segments right before the main event to give the ring crew time to reset the Chamber cage. It was DanHausen. The whole thing actually was a big bomb in my book.

Main Event: Men’s Elimination Chamber Match

• Why: The Cody/Drew saga is the biggest story on SmackDown. Ending with Cody surviving the “Vision” and the interference to face Drew at Mania is the classic “happy ending” finish. No one even imagined how this story would end for now.

Women’s Chamber Match

The winner faces Jade Cargill at WrestleMania 42.

1. Tiffany Stratton — (Looking for her Tiffy Time moment) # 2 Chambers
2. Rhea Ripley — (The favourite to reclaim her throne), if Rhea wins, it would be her 5th title match
3. Alexa Bliss — (The wild card with the supernatural edge) Won the original in 2018
4. Asuka — (The Empress who can’t be counted out) Won in 2023
5. Kiana James — (The strategist) #1 Match. Kiana did great for her first time, especially taking that hit on the floor earlier.
6. Raquel Rodriguez — (The powerhouse), #3 Chamber.

Alexa enters at #1; she enters the match at #4. Eliminated by Kiana with the help of Mist from Asuka.

Asuka enters at #2; she enters the match at #3. Eliminated by Raquel

Raquel enters at #3. She enters the match at #6. Eliminated by Tiffany

Rhea Ripley #4. She enters the match at #5

Tiffany and Kiana will start the match. Kiana was eliminated by Raquel.

The Mist Factor: The match took a dark turn when Asuka blinded Alexa Bliss with her signature green mist. This allowed Kiana James to swoop in for a quick roll-up, making Bliss the first person eliminated.

Raquel’s Rampage: Once “Big Mami Cool” entered last, she absolutely dismantled the field. The highlight was Raquel hitting a running powerslam on Kiana James that sent her crashing through the plexiglass pod wall.

The Double Elimination: Raquel followed up that pod-smashing moment by hitting a Tejana Bomb on Asuka right on top of Kiana, pinning them both at the same time!

The Final Three: It came down to Rhea, Raquel, and Tiffany. In a high-risk spot, Rhea Ripley leapt off the top of a pod with a massive cannonball to take out Raquel. This left Raquel vulnerable for Tiffany Stratton to hit “The Prettiest Moonsault Ever” and eliminate her.

The Finish: It came down to “Mami” vs. “Tiffy Time.” Tiffany looked to finish it with another moonsault, but Rhea shoved her off the top rope directly into a pod. Rhea then nailed the Riptide to secure the win.

With the win, Rhea Ripley has punched her ticket to WrestleMania 42. She stood tall while Jade Cargill, who was watching from a luxury suite, raised her title belt. We are officially getting the powerhouse clash everyone wanted: Rhea Ripley vs. Jade Cargill on the Grandest Stage of Them All.

Women’s IC Title: Becky Lynch (c) vs. AJ Lee. This will not be a pretty match by any means. There should be a huge pop for AJ. I love that she is still skipping to the ring. (Jessika Carr is the ref. The same Ref who Becky has had issues with. You can see Becky is letting the frustrations show. Well, the saying”You play, you pay” Well, that is what happened with Becky; she tried every heel move in the book, even taking out Jessika to try to steal the win. At that point, the rulebook went out the window—it turned into a pure Chicago Street Fight with free rein for both women. In the end, the bare turnbuckle would be Becky’s undoing as AJ would put her in the Black Widow for the win.

World Title CM Punk (c) vs. Finn Bálor. Wade just told that Dirty Dom and JD from Judgement Day are in the building. This is going to get interesting, Finn said in an interview with Cole that he needs to take the crowd out early to stand a chance. Punk has a busted lip or lips. Finn has been working on Punk’s midsection, trying to take out the possibility of the “go to sleep” I hate to say this, nothing really special about this match. It was steady, and both Finn/CM had their moments, but in the end. Punk Retains. I have to give the respect due to Finn for the match today. AJ Lee joined CM in the ring.

Attendance is 19,346

The Reveal — Adam Pearce & Nick Aldis reveal the contents of the Mystery Crate. Danhausen was in the box, but the segment just bombed in the worst way.

Men’s Chamber Match

The winner faces Drew McIntyre at WrestleMania 42.

1. Cody Rhodes — (The target of everyone’s “bullshit”)His first time in the Chamber in 14 years.
2. Randy Orton — (The veteran who could easily play spoiler)#10 in the Chamber
3. LA Knight — (The crowd favourite who wants that WrestleMania moment) #2 Chamber.
4. Logan Paul — (The last-minute “Vision” replacement) #3 in the Chamber
5. Je’Von Evans — (The young powerhouse who could surprise everyone) #1 Je’Von is younger than the Chamber. He is 21 years old.
6. Trick Williams — (The “hottest superstar” in WWE right now)#1st Chamber

Trick Williams — Enters at #1 to the Chamber, Enters the match at #3. Eliminated by Logan Paul.

L.A.Knight — Enters at #2 to the Chamber, Enters at #5, Eliminated by Logan Paul

Logan Paul — Enters at #3 to the Chamber, Enters the match at #4. Stomped by the Masked Man and Pinned by Cody. Mask man turned out to be Seth Rollins.

Randy Orton — Enters at #4 to the Chamber, Enters at #6

Je’von Evans — Enters at #5 to the Chamber. Starting the match. Eliminated by Logan Paul.

Cody Rhodes — Enters at #6 to the Chamber. Starting the match. Thanks to Drew McIntyre showing up, attacking Cody, Randy pins Cody for the win.

The energy in the United Centre was electric from the start, as Trick Williams was the first to enter the structure. The “Whoop That Trick” chants echoed through the building, giving Trick a massive opening pop that set the tone for the entire match. Starting at number one is the ultimate test, and with over 19,000 fans behind him, Trick looked ready to prove he belonged in the main event conversation.

The roof nearly came off the United Centre when LA Knight was revealed as the second entrant. The “YEAH!” chants rivalled the “Whoop That Trick” energy, creating an incredible atmosphere as the two most charismatic stars in the match started things off. Knight looked every bit the veteran, staring down the young Trick Williams as they prepared to navigate the “square” steel structure together.

The veteran of veterans, Randy Orton, drew the coveted number six spot, entering his record-breaking 10th Elimination Chamber as the final man in. While the younger stars like Je’Von Evans and Trick Williams had already felt the bite of the steel, the “Viper” sat back and watched from his pod, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. Entering last in this new, boxier structure gave Orton the ultimate advantage as he looked to punch his ticket to WrestleMania 42.

The history-making run for Je’Von Evans came to a screeching halt at the hands of Logan Paul. After a spectacular showing where the 21-year-old proved he could hang with the best in the business, the “Maverick” utilised the brutal environment of the square Chamber to eliminate the Young OG. It was a classic veteran heel move, snuffing out the brightest spark in the match and shifting the momentum back toward the established stars.

The “Maverick” continued his path of destruction, but this time it was as cheap as it gets. Just as LA Knight seemed to have the momentum to finish the match, Logan Paul utilised a blatant low blow, folding Knight like a lawn chair before scoring the elimination. The United Centre erupted in boos as one of the crowd’s biggest favourites was sent packing in the most disrespectful way possible. Logan is playing the ultimate spoiler tonight, and he’s doing it by any means necessary.

The heat in the building reached a fever pitch when Logan Paul pulled off his most brazen move of the night—stealing a pinfall right out from under Cody Rhodes. After Cody hit a massive Cross Rhodes and looked poised to finish his opponent, Logan swooped in, shoved the American Nightmare aside, and claimed the elimination for himself. It was a calculated, villainous act that left Cody stunned and the Chicago crowd in a state of absolute disbelief.

While Logan was busy playing the scavenger, he didn’t realise he had a target on his back that no amount of “Maverick” luck could avoid. The match took a surreal turn when a masked figure scaled the cage. Security scrambled to unmask the intruder—revealed to be a decoy named Don Furio—but the real trap was already set. A second masked man emerged from the shadows and delivered a devastating Stomp to Logan Paul, finally ending his night of thievery. When the hood came off, the United Centre erupted: Seth “Freakin” Rollins was back, and he had personally dismantled Logan’s WrestleMania dreams.

With Logan neutralised, Cody Rhodes capitalised, finally pinning the man who had spent the night stealing everyone else’s thunder. It seemed the path was clear for a Cody victory, but the “Viper” was coiled and waiting. As the chaos of the “Architect’s” return settled, Randy Orton struck with a terminal RKO “out of nowhere.” The 10-time Chamber veteran secured the pin, punching his ticket to WrestleMania 42 and leaving Cody staring at the lights in absolute heartbreak.

The frustration didn’t end with the bell, though. On the post-show, a visibly livid Nick Aldis made it clear he has had enough of the interference and the ego. In a move that set the wrestling world on fire, Aldis decreed that this Friday night on SmackDown, Cody Rhodes will get his chance at redemption when he challenges Drew McIntyre for the Undisputed WWE Championship. The “Scottish Warrior” might think he’s won the war, but Aldis just handed Cody a silver lining that could change everything before we even get to Mania.

To cap off the night of insanity, even Triple H weighed in, confirming the rumours that Drew McIntyre had been explicitly told to stay away from the Chamber. Drew chose to ignore the warning, proving that his ego has officially outgrown the locker room. Between defiance of management and costing Cody his dream, Drew has painted a massive target on his back. Nick Aldis isn’t just “livid”—he’s acting. This Friday on SmackDown, the “Scottish Warrior” has nowhere left to hide.