Can ‘The PRINXE’ Become ‘The Disruptor’ Before WrestleMania?
After winning the 2026 Men’s Royal Rumble match, Roman Reigns made it clear he wanted to challenge CM Punk for the World Heavyweight Championship. However, Punk’s head was in another train of thought. ‘The Best in the World’ was after vengeance following a beatdown by Finn Bálor of Judgement Day. After failing to dethrone Punk for the title. Balor took matters into his own hands and attacked Punk during a match against A.J. Styles. Balor made it clear he wanted another shot against the champ. Now with another world title opportunity in his hands, Bálor will look to spoil the main event of WrestleMania.
Bálor has experienced plenty of world title disappointments ever since he won the Universal Championship at SummerSlam 2016. He had to relinquish the title 24 hours after winning it due to a shoulder injury. Since dropping the title, Bálor has yet to hoist up another world title in his career. His slump on the main roster falls short in comparison to his success on NXT, where he was a two-time NXT Champion. Coming into 2026, Bálor has been determined to find himself in the main event picture. Instead of success, however, Bálor came up short in a world title match with Punk in his hometown of Ireland, followed by news that he wouldn’t be able to compete in the 2026 Men’s Royal Rumble match due to the spots being filled. This led Bálor to do something drastic.
On the other side of the story, Punk is experiencing an all-time high since his return to WWE in 2023. It was only a matter of time before Punk would capture a world title, and his opportunity came a bit earlier than expected following Seth Rollins’ untimely injury. After capturing the World Heavyweight Championship at Saturday Night’s Main Event, Punk has maintained a great rhythm, defending his title successfully on multiple occasions. On the Raw before Royal Rumble 2026, Punk offered a challenge to Styles before ‘The Phenomenal One’s’ retirement match against Gunther. Despite a good showing from both men, the match ended in a disqualification after Bálor interfered, taking out both superstars and standing tall over Punk. Bálor had sent a clear message that his pursuit of the world title wasn’t over.
After weeks of stating his claim for another world title opportunity, Punk and Bálor finally came face-to-face. Although both men wanted to tear each other apart, Raw General Manager Adam Pearce initially declined to set the match up, stating that he didn’t want to put the main event of WrestleMania at risk. Punk, however, rejected Pearce’s advice and offered Bálor another opportunity for the title in his hometown of Chicago at Elimination Chamber. Punk has all the momentum on his side, and with the main event of WrestleMania on the line, he will definitely be at his very best. Bálor may turn to his Judgment Day allies for backup in his quest for gold, but with tension brewing inside the faction, their fragile alliance could determine whether he marches into WrestleMania as world champion or watches his empire implode before the spotlight hits. Whoever walks out of Elimination Chamber with the World Heavyweight title will have Reigns waiting on the other side for a main-event clash at WrestleMania. After losing in the main event of Night One of last year’s WrestleMania, Punk will look to retain and head towards another main event, this time on the second night. Bálor, on the other hand, will seek to avenge the loss against Punk earlier this year and earn a spot on the WrestleMania card. Can Punk silence ‘The PRINXE’ one more time, or will Bálor shatter a decade of frustration and finally reclaim world championship glory after 10 long years?
