6 Winners & 3 Losers From WWE Elimination Chamber 2025
Much like the day that followed The Undertaker's Streak being broken at WrestleMania, it feels like everyone is talking about WWE following John Cena's heel turn at Elimination Chamber. A moment that fans have dreamed about for years happening under the most unlikely of circumstances, Cena shocked the wrestling world by aligning with The Rock's Final Boss character alongside a sage-toting, Travis Scott. But that wasn't all that occurred at a superb Elimination Chamber.
Bianca Belair is back in business after winning an emotional Elimination Chamber match that was loaded with incident and a division-altering return from Jade Cargill. Elsewhere, Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens put on a Match Of The Year contender in their grueling hate-fueled Unsanctioned match, Seth Rollins and CM Punk had the most significant contributions to one another's night yet again, and Trish Stratus returned to her hometown as part of her 25th Anniversary as a superstar. There is only one place to start the Winners & Losers analysis for Elimination Chamber...
WINNERS
The Rock
WWE Has Become The Final Boss's Playground
To call The Rock one of the greats has been justified for years, but is The Final Boss The Rock's greatest creation? Outside of breaking character for a strange monologue on WWE's first night on Netflix, this entirely new dimension for The Rock is just over one year into existence. His profanity-laced social media promos, the entrance that could not be more over the top, even the way he uses his voice in a colder, more methodical manner is new territory for Dwayne and it all works. The Rock is the post-Vince McMahon replacement for corporate greed and privileged evil, only Vince McMahon never did this in the Attitude Era with DMX by his side.
Crucially, The Rock's presence is not necessary between now and WrestleMania 41. There's no doubt that chunks of WWE's audience have been frustrated with Dwayne's schedule and how it dominates airtime. Cena turning heel is more interesting than anything Rock can bring to the table this year, and that is what he has delivered us.
Gut instinct says that Rocky will still have a huge part to play in Las Vegas, but if this is what he had planned for Elimination Chamber, imagine what The Final Boss has in store for Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania.
John Cena
The Night He Broke A Billion Hearts
Hogan at Bash At The Beach, The Streak being broken at WrestleMania 30, and John Cena turning heel by going corporate for his own ego are the three most shocking storyline-related moments in pro wrestling history. This felt bigger than a simple heel turn, as much like Hogan in the mid-'90s, John Cena sold out generations of WWE fans in one scowl down the camera lens and a beating that shocked the world. He is now a self-serving villain, and it is the single most interesting thing they could possibly do with Cena's Farewell Tour.
Let's be real, John Cena's Farewell Tour couldn't miss. He's one of the best to ever do it, and has drawn more emotion out of the WWE Universe than arguably any other superstar, but shunning the obvious to do what's best for storytelling in his final year is gutsy. Ahead of the Royal Rumble, this very author wrote "expect Cena to Yeet into new friendships with the likes of Jey Uso, and pull his surprised face when he (wins)". Cena flipping the script is what's best for business, and that includes the front office.
Beyond Cena, this is a fearless move from Paul Levesque and his creative team. This calculated and clever booking can happen because, for the next 9 months, John Cena is going to be out here making the difference for superstars left and right. The likes of Main Event Jey Uso and Bron Breakker are two potential babyfaces who can lead the company in the future, and Cena will surely work with both of them on this run. Sami Zayn, LA Knight, and Damian Priest are all on the cusp of mega stardom too, and Cena's first face-to-face with CM Punk in their new roles couldn't be more exciting under any circumstances.
Jade Cargill
A Storm Is Coming To The Women's Division
After months of speculation, the mystery is finally over, as Jade Cargill returned to attack Naomi at the start of Elimination Chamber, confirming her as the assailant who put Jade on the shelf. After Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez had been falsely accused, Cargill's music drew a large reaction, and she looked incredible as she raged towards the cage. These are all significant because this is a vital period for Jade Cargill.
Arriving in WWE at last year's Royal Rumble, Cargill was AEW's most visually imposing female superstar, someone whose chiseled physique and superstar aesthetic screams megastar. She signed to the company 18 months ago and has had 4 singles matches in that time, the combined time of which is ten minutes and thirty six seconds. She has been under the wing of the peerless Bianca Belair in the tag division for a year, and this feels like the moment we see what Jade Cargill is made of. She has the presentation and the support, can Cargill now complete the job in the ring?
Bianca Belair & The Women's Chamber Match
The EST Is Back On Top But Every Woman Shone
Anyone paying attention will tell you, we are on the cusp of a Golden Generation in WWE's women's division. With the long-overdue introduction of mid-card Championships and a crop of women in NXT that used this year's Royal Rumble to give everyone a sneak preview of what is on the way, this Elimination Chamber was testament to the talent on the women's roster and the carnage they can create. The match felt personal, the rivalries that played out were satisfying, and Bianca Belair's victory is justice.
Belair just gave a year of her career to the tutelage of a superstar WWE believes in. In a year when women like Rhea Ripley and Liv Morgan have seen their stars rocket in WWE's more creatively rewarding landscape, Belair has given back but now it's time for Bianca to take hers. With due respect to Iyo Sky, the smart money is on Bianca and Rhea at WrestleMania. It is the only stage worthy of such a blockbuster encounter.
Seth Rollins
The Architect Ends CM Punk's WrestleMania Dream
CM Punk pinned Seth Rollins cleanly for the second time this year, eliminating him from both the Elimination Chamber and the WWE Championship picture for WrestleMania. It felt rough for Rollins, who has been on the form of his life on the microphone this year and has worked his tail off to overcome carrying enormous injuries in recent years. Only Seth didn't care. Seth only has eyes for CM Punk in 2025, and so snatching CM Punk's Mania opportunity with a Stomp from hell felt like victory in its own way.
Only this isn't anywhere near the full picture. Roman Reigns hasn't been seen since Rollins injured him at the Royal Rumble, Seth hitting the Stomp on The Tribal Chief onto some steel steps. Word of Rollins, Reigns and Punk in a triple threat at WrestleMania seems likely at this point. What are the odds on Rollins finally getting his win over CM Punk in the match Phil's waited his whole life for?
Travis Scott
WWE Is Back On The Cutting Edge Of Pop Culture
People can flap their gums about how wrestling is cool again until the cows come home, but nothing says wrestling is back like Travis Scott being The Rock's "third man" in John Cena's Hogan-esque heel turn. Scott's natural cool makes the images of Rhodes being mauled look like it could be given a grainy photoshop job and put on a Supreme tee. The Illuminati imagery of The Final Boss feels a lot more real when Kylie Jenner's ex-boyfriend is holding down the man who just turned down all the riches a secret society could offer.
He was never shown on camera, but Drake was in attendance at Elimination Chamber as it took place in The Six. He posted his pics from the event to instragram with "I'm sold" as the caption at psychedelic rapper, Lil Yachty. WWE has always thrived when embracing pop culture, and, at Elimination Chamber, Travis Scott felt like the right guy in the right place at the right time.
LOSERS
Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens
A Match Of The Year Contender That Nobody Won
Kevin Owens may have got the pinfall victory over Sami Zayn, but this was a night when neither Kevin nor Sami won. The ominous feel of the match was captivating, the hatred between the two had a toxicity viewers could feel on their skin, and the violent tension was volatile and combustible. This was a war that was thrilling, but truly hard to enjoy.
As the match entered the latter stages, the commentary booth, the audience, and millions watching at home just wanted these men to stop. Each 2 count felt like a dagger, with Owens's final three count being greeted with relief more than any other emotion. Owens will now likely face Randy Orton at WrestleMania while Sami recovers from KO's series of attacks. This was Sami and Kevin's best match WWE match to date. Approach it with caution.
Cody Rhodes
What Now For The WWE Champion?
How quickly the landscape can change in WWE. As Cody Rhodes dropped a fully uncensored F-bomb on The Final Boss, confidently unfurling "hey Rock, go f*ck yourself", Cody briefly felt like the Champion of all Champions. The brashness of Stone Cold, the willingness to stand up to the owners like Bret Hart, and representing the fans like the two men who were about to betray him, Rhodes nailed the moment of how to decline The Rock's offer. A penny for his thoughts today though.
The illuminati-conjuring imagery of The Rock, America's most followed male, means Cody Rhodes will not be allowed to win at WrestleMania. The consequences for Cody's actions were always going to be severe, they just weren't expected to hit him this quickly. Bleeding, friendless, and alone, nobody is going to help Cody Rhodes out of this hole, lest they incur the wrath of The Final Boss. Worst of all, this feels like just the beginning of The American Nightmare's torment.
Randy Orton
The Viper Returns In Forgettable Circumstances
In November of 2023, Randy Orton came back to the ring after over a year of injuries to take part in WarGames, only to have it reduced to a footnote by the WWE return of CM Punk. At Elimination Chamber, Orton again came back after months of being on the shelf, only for John Cena to provide the world with wrestling's biggest talking point since Punk went back to WWE. It's easy to have some sympathy with The Viper this morning if he's feeling a little raw about this.
Randy Orton will walk into WrestleMania without a PLE win against any competitor since WrestleMania 37. The truth is that Orton's status as a legend means that individual losses don't really do much to alter his public perception, but four years without a win at a PLE has to end. Kevin Owens's day of reckoning is likely to be that day.
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