Elimination Chamber (2026)

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Elimination Chamber
Elimination Chamber 2026 poster.jpg
Promotional poster featuring various WWE wrestlers standing in front of the Elimination Chamber structure
Promotion WWE
Brand(s) Raw
SmackDown
DateFebruary 28, 2026
City Chicago, Illinois
Venue United Center
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Elimination Chamber chronology
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The 2026 Elimination Chamber (known as No Escape in Germany), is an upcoming professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event produced by the American company WWE. It will be the 16th Elimination Chamber event and will take place on February 28, 2026, at United Center in Chicago, Illinois. It will be held for wrestlers from the promotion's brand divisions Raw and SmackDown. The event is based around the Elimination Chamber match, a type of multi-person elimination-based Steel Cage match in which championships or future opportunities at championships are at stake. This will be the first Elimination Chamber to be held in the United States since 2021.

Contents

Production

The 2026 Elimination Chamber will be held at United Center in Chicago, Illinois. United Center 1.jpg
The 2026 Elimination Chamber will be held at United Center in Chicago, Illinois.

Background

Elimination Chamber is a professional wrestling event first produced by the American promotion WWE in 2010. It has been held every year since, except in 2016, generally in February. The concept of the event is that one or two main event matches are contested inside the Elimination Chamber, which is a type of multi-person elimination-based Steel Cage match in which championships or future opportunities at championships are at stake. [1]

On October 14, 2025, Sports Illustrated reported that the 16th Elimination Chamber event is scheduled to take place on February 28, 2026, in Chicago, Illinois. [2] It will feature wrestlers from the Raw and SmackDown brand divisions. This will mark the first Elimination Chamber event to be held in Chicago and the first to be held in the United States since 2021. On November 13, 2025, the venue was revealed to be the United Center, marking the first WWE PPV and livestreaming event at the arena since SummerSlam in 1994, as they have traditionally held their Chicago events at Allstate Arena. [3]

In 2011 and since 2013, the event has been promoted as "No Escape" in Germany as it was feared that the name "Elimination Chamber" may remind people of the gas chambers used during the Holocaust. [4] [5]

Broadcast outlets

In addition to airing on traditional PPV worldwide, the event will also be available to livestream on ESPN's direct-to-consumer streaming service in the United States, Netflix in most international markets, and the WWE Network in any remaining countries that have not yet transferred to Netflix due to pre-existing contracts. This marks the first Elimination Chamber to livestream on ESPN in the United States, as WWE's contract with Peacock to air main roster PPV and livestreaming events expired at the conclusion of Clash in Paris in August. [6] [7]

Storylines

The event will include matches that resulted from scripted storylines. Results will be predetermined by WWE's writers on the Raw and SmackDown brands, [8] [9] while storylines are produced on WWE's weekly television shows, Monday Night Raw and Friday Night SmackDown . [10]

References

  1. "Elimination Chamber Match rules". World Wrestling Entertainment . Archived from the original on February 8, 2011. Retrieved February 2, 2010.
  2. Heydorn, Zack (October 14, 2025). "WWE Elimination Chamber 2025 Announced For Toronto". Sports Illustrated . Retrieved October 26, 2025.
  3. "WWE returns to United Center in Chicago with Elimination Chamber on Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026". WWE . November 13, 2025. Retrieved November 13, 2025.
  4. "WWE No Escape". WWE (in German). Archived from the original on February 8, 2017. Retrieved January 30, 2018.
  5. Hoffmann, Martin (February 20, 2018). "Darum hat eine WWE-Show zwei Namen" [This is why a WWE show has two names]. Sport1 (in German). Archived from the original on February 25, 2018. Retrieved February 24, 2018.
  6. Lambert, Jeremy (August 20, 2025). "WWE Wrestlepalooza Announced For September 20, Will Air On ESPN As WWE-ESPN Partnership Begins". Fightful. Retrieved August 20, 2025.
  7. Rumsey, Connel (August 20, 2025). "WWE Clash In Paris To Be Final PLE Airing On Peacock". WrestleTalk. Retrieved August 20, 2025.
  8. Grabianowski, Ed (January 13, 2006). "How Pro Wrestling Works". HowStuffWorks. Discovery Communications. Archived from the original on November 29, 2013. Retrieved March 5, 2012.
  9. "Live & Televised Entertainment". WWE . Archived from the original on February 18, 2009. Retrieved March 21, 2012.
  10. Steinberg, Brian (May 25, 2016). "WWE's 'Smackdown' Will Move To Live Broadcast On USA (Exclusive)". Variety . Archived from the original on May 26, 2016. Retrieved May 25, 2016.