CM Punk Wants WWE to End Longstanding Elimination Chamber Tradition

CM Punk isn’t just preparing to defend the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at Elimination Chamber — he’s critiquing the blueprint of the show itself.

With Punk set to face Finn Bálor on February 28, 2026 in Chicago — alongside men’s and women’s Elimination Chamber matches and AJ Lee challenging Becky Lynch for the Women’s Intercontinental Championship — the stakes are already massive.

But during an appearance on Morning Moshpit on February 27, 2026, Punk shifted attention away from match hype and toward something he believes WWE needs to fix immediately. When asked what wrestling trope he would eliminate, Punk didn’t hesitate.

“A wrestling trope? How about this one — can the guys who are wrestling each other form a tag team and get along on the road to, say, WrestleMania 42?”

The Second City Saint made it clear he has no interest in playing along with that storyline formula.

“I’m not trying to tag with Roman over the next eight weeks. ‘Can they coexist?’ Man, shut up. The answer is no. And I’ll see you in Las Vegas.”

That wasn’t the only tradition in his crosshairs. Punk also took aim at the long-running Elimination Chamber event structure — specifically the format of opening and closing the show with Chamber matches.

“Here’s another trope — we start the show with an Elimination Chamber, and we end the show with an Elimination Chamber. Let’s get rid of that too.”

Instead, Punk suggested that major singles title matches might deserve prime positioning: “I think either myself and Finn, or Becky and AJ, could benefit from possibly going first.”

That’s a bold pitch considering Elimination Chamber has historically revolved around the namesake stipulation matches anchoring both ends of the card. Punk, however, appears ready to shake up the formula.

With his World Heavyweight Championship defense against Bálor a day away— and WrestleMania 42 in Las Vegas on the horizon — Punk isn’t just fighting challengers. He’s challenging the structure of WWE storytelling itself.

Do you agree with CM Punk about eliminating the “can they coexist?” angle and changing the Elimination Chamber format, or are those traditions part of what makes WWE work? Let us know your thoughts.

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