Tomorrow night, WWE will take over the United Center in Chicago for the 2026 Elimination Chamber premium live event, which has two Chamber matches and two title bouts on its card. Not on the advertised lineup is former WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins, who has stood on the sidelines for months due to a shoulder injury. According to Rollins himself, that will remain the case through Elimination Chamber weekend.

“No, I will not be able to do anything this weekend [at WWE Elimination Chamber], but we’re getting close [to a return],” Rollins told “ESPN First Take.” “I mean, look, I can move it around. It’s not in a sling anymore. It’s feeling good. It was in October is when I got surgery, so, you look at the timeline, we’re getting close. We’re getting close. We’re not all the way there, but we’re getting close, guys.”

Rollins sustained his shoulder injury during a champion vs. champion bout against Cody Rhodes at WWE Crown Jewel in October. Following that, “The Visionary” revealed that doctors initially expected him to be out of action for about six months, which meant his potential in-ring return would materialize around April 2026. Earlier this month, reports indicated that WWE anticipated Rollins to be medically cleared in time for WrestleMania 42 on April 18 and 19, with additional plans positioning him in a grand stage match against Bron Breakker.

Due to Breakker later undergoing hernia surgery, that match is currently up in the air. Meanwhile, Rollins’ long-time rival CM Punk will be in action at Elimination Chamber as he defends the WWE World Heavyweight Championship against Finn Balor.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit “ESPN First Take” with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.

Last month at the WWE Royal Rumble, AJ Styles officially retired from in-ring competition after losing his career-threatening match to GUNTHER. “The Phenomenal One” has since revealed that it was his choice go out at the event where he made his debut for the company, and he shared that he didn’t want to hang up his boots at WrestleMania.

Styles revealed earlier this week that he initially planned on retiring at WrestleMania 41 against Logan Paul, but during the latest edition of “Raw Recap,” he claimed that WWE’s biggest event has lost some of its magic and didn’t feel that a feud against the YouTube sensation would’ve been the proper sendoff.

“It was coming back from an injury to WrestleMania to a match that didn’t, to me, have much build and WrestleMania, listen, I’m sorry to say, used to be the most prestigious PLE or pay-per-view, whatever you wanna call it. But to me, it’s kind of lost its luster a little bit. But as far as the Royal Rumble, that’s special to me, because that’s where I made my debut. So to be able to end where I started, it’s poetic.”

During Styles’ tribute show this past Monday on “WWE Raw,” he was informed by The Undertaker that he would be inducted into the 2026 WWE Hall Of Fame. So far, Styles and Stephanie McMahon are the only two names announced for this year’s class.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit “WWE” with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.

The road to WrestleMania 42 has been far from smooth sailing; rather, WWE is hitting roadblock after roadblock. Between injuries to its top stars like Seth Rollins, Bron Breakker, and Bronson Reed, the stagnation of ticket purchases, and more, the company is hopeful that tomorrow night’s Elimination Chamber PLE will enhance their April 18 and 19 cards in Las Vegas. That said, in this week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the publication reported that no new major developments have surfaced yet. However, they can confirm that there are some working plans on where the Undisputed WWE Championship and WWE Women’s Championship might fall.

Starting with Drew McIntyre, it appears he may be defending his championship in either singles competition or in a three-way contest. According to confirmation with others working closely on piecing together the Undisputed Championship match, WON noted that the former two-time champion Cody Rhodes is a “virtual lock.” On the other hand, if those backstage want to up the ante, there are talks that Jacob Fatu could also be involved in this title match. This idea stems from general frustration that Rhodes versus McIntyre would be too predictable, considering their previous tangles. As many know, Fatu and Rhodes have had their standoffs since “The Samoan Werewolf” cost “The American Nightmare” his Three Stages of Hell title defense on January 9. Others could also be added to match for the top men’s championship on “WWE SmackDown,” including Randy Orton and Sami Zayn, but as of this report, officials aren’t keen on a title defense with more than three people at “The Showcase of the Immortals.”

Regarding Jade Cargill and her ruthless reign as “SmackDown’s” Women’s Champion, it looks like Rhea Ripley is the current favorite out of Alexa Bliss, Tiffany Stratton, Asuka, Kiana James, and Raquel Rodriguez. As for Brock Lesnar, who made his return this past Monday on “WWE Raw,”  officials are aware that fans would love for “The Beast Incarnate” to square up with “The Ruler” Oba Femi. As of this writing, no confirmed plans have been made for that yet.

As of today, WrestleMania 42 has two matches officially inked in. CM Punk or Finn Balor will defend the WWE World Heavyweight Championship against Roman Reigns. And Stephanie Vaquer will put her WWE Women’s World Championship on the line against the 2026 Women’s Royal Rumble winner and former two-time Women’s World Champion, Liv Morgan.

Last week, WWE unveiled a new multi-year partnership with DUDE Wipes, which includes an integration with WWE Intercontinental Champion Dominik Mysterio. “Dirty” Dom will specifically showcase DUDE Wipes branding in his in-ring appearances on WWE programming, such as “WWE Raw” and premium live events. According to a new report, this move may be a catalyst for similar deals to materialize in the future.

Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter notes that the DUDE Wipes-WWE deal should “open the floodgates” for all the top talents to have sponsorships through WWE rather than independently. The journalist cited former WWE Champion Brock Lesnar as the only wrestler who had previously obtained a sponsorship on his own, namely with Jimmy Johns, though that was part of an existing partnership from his time in the UFC. At the time, then-WWE CEO Vince McMahon was reportedly against seeing sponsored branding on talent’s gear or in the ring; still, Lesnar managed to negotiate it into his WWE contract.

On the February 16 edition of “Raw,” Mysterio debuted his DUDE Wipes integration by incorporating the company’s branding on his bandana rib cage t-shirt. Through WWE’s deal with the men’s hygiene brand, fans will also see curated digital content and a custom DUDE Wipes commercial featuring various WWE Superstars. DUDE Wipes will additionally serve as a match sponsor for WWE premium live events, including SummerSlam in Minneapolis.

“DUDE Wipes is a disruptive brand that speaks directly to our audience, and this partnership allows us to showcase that connection in a way only WWE can,” WWE Vice President of Global Partnerships Jesse Tomares said in the initial announcement. “From high impact match sponsorships to unprecedented in ring integrations with Dominik Mysterio, this collaboration delivers a fresh, entertaining approach to brand storytelling at the biggest moments on our calendar.”