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CM Punk Retains World Heavyweight Championship at WWE Elimination Chamber

Punk once again saw off the challenge of Finn Balor, in Chicago
Joe Baiamonte|
CM Punk
CM Punk | Netflix

CM Punk celebrated another successful night in his hometown of Chicago after defeating Finn Balor at WWE Elimination Chamber 2026 and retaining the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.

Punk was defending his title against Balor for the second time, after defeating the former Universal Champion in Belfast on the January 19 episode of Monday Night Raw.

On home turf, Punk was treated to a special entrance to mark the occasion. Evoking memories of the Michael Jordan era Chicago Bulls and their six NBA Championships, ‘Sirius’ by the Alan Parsons Project hit the speakers in the United Center, as legendary Bulls announcer Ray Clay introduced Punk to the 19,000-strong Chi-Town crowd.

Much like their original bout in Belfast, Punk and Balor went back and forth in a closely fought contest, but it would be Punk, bloodied mouth and all, who would eventually emerge victorious.

Punk and AJ Lee enjoy title-laden homecoming in Chicago

The Second City Saint will now move on to WrestleMania 42, at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, where he will defend his World Heavyweight Championship against number one contender Roman Reigns. The OTC himself is scheduled to appear on Monday Night Raw this coming week in Indianapolis, where he will likely confront Punk to ignite their program for ‘Mania.

AJ Lee
AJ Lee | WWE

Punk’s victory marked a double celebration for the reigning World Heavyweight Champion, as his wife, AJ Lee, dethroned Becky Lynch as Women’s Intercontinental Champion earlier in the evening, winning her first title in 11 years, in her first singles match in over a decade.

Lee sprinted down the aisle after the bout to celebrate with Punk in front of 19,000 appreciative Chicagoans with their respective title belts in the middle of the ring. It is expected that the newly crowned IC Champion will defend her title in Nevada on the weekend of April 18 and 19. A rematch with Lynch appears to be the most likely option.

As for Balor, he extended his hand to Punk after the match, with the pair shaking and sharing their appreciation and respect for one another. The Judgement Day did not appear during the clash, with Michael Cole explaining on commentary that Balor had implored Dominik Mysterio and JD McDonagh to stay backstage as he wanted to win the title without their assistance.

Balor shaking hands with Punk after the bell strongly hinted at an impending babyface turn for the Irishman, which could potentially put him at odds with the rest of the Judgement Day and lead to his WrestleMania program coming up against Dirty Dom and his Intercontinental Title.

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Joe Baiamonte
JOE BAIAMONTE

Joe Baiamonte is a contributing writer for The Takedown On SI, joining the team in April, 2025. Joe has been covering professional wrestling, sports and entertainment for over a decade, serving as editor at SPORTbible between 2014 and 2018 - where he helped the team to three consecutive Football Blogging Awards - and as head of sport at Unilad. Joe has written for numerous outlets in the United Kingdom and United States, including The Sportsman, Sporf, Pubity, GiveMeSport and The Sportster, interviewing the likes of Neymar, Harry Kane, Ruud Gullit, Triple H, Ric Flair, Cody Rhodes, Becky Lynch, Rey Mysterio, Aaron Boone, Alex Cora, Chris Sale and Chase Uttley. He has a BA (Hons) degree in Journalism and Broadcasting from the University of Salford and currently resides in Manchester, England, having been raised just down the road in Burnley. He briefly moved to Croatia with his family after the birth of his son, where he spent an entire summer writing on the beach and eating squid.

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