Roman Reigns won this year’s Men’s Royal Rumble, allowing him to pick his championship match at WrestleMania: Vegas. He could either choose CM Punk and the WWE World Heavyweight Championship or Drew McIntyre and the Undisputed WWE Championship. On February 2, 2026, Monday Night Raw, after a spirited back-and-forth, he chose Punk to face at Mania. However, Finn Balor didn’t care that the match was set in stone.
After failing to defeat Punk last month in Belfast, he demanded a rematch at Elimination Chamber in Chicago on the February 9 Raw. An exasperated Raw General Manager, Adam Pearce, agreed to make the match.
If Balor wins, he becomes World Heavyweight Champion, meaning that he faces Reigns at WrestleMania. That would change the whole trajectory of the Mania build. Would a shock title change be good, or would it be a bad idea?
A Balor Win Would Potentially Right a Big Wrong
It has been quite a few years since Balor and Reigns went one-on-one with each other. Their very first match together was on the July 25, 2016 Raw in a number one Universal Championship contender’s match. Not only was that Balor’s first main roster match, but he later became the first Universal Champion. Unfortunately, he vacated the title due to injury, robbing him and the fans of a true championship reign.
The last time they met was at Extreme Rules in 2021. At the end of the match, the top rope broke when he was set to do the Coup de Grace on Reigns. That allowed Reigns to get the pinfall for the win. To this day, fans are furious. He even brought that up during his promo on Monday. To right this huge wrong, WWE has to put the title on Balor at Elimination Chamber.
An Infuriated Punk Would Not Be Good for Them
If Punk ends up losing his title at Elimination Chamber, it’ll be terrible for him. He’ll lose it on a PLE that his wife wrestles on in his hometown of Chicago, and he’ll lose his spot at WrestleMania.
The hard work he put in to become a WWE title holder after over a decade would be for nothing once again. He already suffered through heartbreaking agony at SummerSlam, when Seth Rollins cashed in his Money in the Bank contract.
It’ll be embarrassing if he lets his guard down once again in a big situation. When he gets angry, things can get out of hand pretty quickly. If he loses, he’ll definitely be in Pearce’s ear for another match or an insert into the match. A title change would be great for Balor, but it’ll definitely enrage Punk, who’ll take a lot of convincing to calm down.
Reigns Would Be Majorly Disappointed in the result.
Many fans criticize the fact that Reigns barely wrestles in a calendar year. But when he does show up, it’s an attraction. The fans put their fingers up in the air, acknowledging his presence as a certified star. His promo last Monday showed how seriously he takes the Mania match, outlining why he deserved to face Punk.
It’s widely known that the Shield debuted to defend Punk, and that the latter had not-so-nice things to say about him when he left WWE. The decision felt deeply personal, and their promo showed it.
Not doing Punk vs. Reigns will be an immense disappointment. But if Balor wins, there’s no choice but to change the card. He obviously has history with Balor, but more so with Punk. If there is a title change at Elimination Chamber, fans will be robbed of an emotional buildup and WrestleMania main event.
What Will WWE Decide to Do for the Finish?
On the road to WrestleMania, there are always surprises that people never see coming. Pearce said it best before he made it official. The match at Elimination Chamber threatens the Mania card in the most severe way. But as always, the card is subject to change. Having Balor win would be significant for many reasons.
He’ll face off against his very first main roster opponent. It’ll also right an extremely huge wrong in the Extreme Rules finish five years ago that neither he nor the fans have forgotten about if he retains.
But it’ll enrage Punk if he doesn’t get his match against Reigns at WrestleMania. It’ll also lead to a less personal journey for Reigns if Balor wins. It’ll be very interesting to see how WWE will handle the buildup and the actual match at Elimination Chamber, leading up to an incredibly anticipated WrestleMania.
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