00:00here today i have never seen finn as locked in and ready as he is ahead of this matchup
00:05in chicago this coming saturday that said he's stepping into the ring with a man who
00:10calls himself the best in the world with good reason and cm punk wakes up every morning just to
00:17prove it you mentioned it earlier finn balor has looked more focused the past couple of weeks
00:34than i've seen it in many years it's almost something resembling clarity out of finn
00:42balor no longer bogged down with drama in the judgment day clubhouse no longer worried about
00:48anything that happens outside of the ring finn balor looks to return to form as the same man who
00:54was the first ever universal champion in wwe valor has proven he can make it to the top of the
01:01mountain
01:01it may have been a while but he wants to show the world that he's still got it i mean
01:06you gotta admire
01:07cm punk he loves to take on all challenges he wants to represent the world heavyweight title the right
01:12way
01:27aj styles versus john cena a dream rivalry the ww universe didn't think they'd ever see
01:48a dream
01:50and he nailed it
01:50he just beat john cena at summer slam
02:06CM Punk is not the only person with people mad at him.
02:12I got people mad at me too.
02:14But I need them to understand why I need to do this.
02:19I need to prove to the doubters.
02:21I need to prove to the critics.
02:24And I even need to prove to the judgment day that I can be champion.
02:28It's been 10 years.
02:3110 years of what ifs.
02:33What if he was champion?
02:35You can learn a lot from a win.
02:39You can learn a lot more from a defeat.
02:43And when I lost to CM Punk in Belfast, I learned to stop asking myself, what if?
02:53And start telling myself, when?
02:57When you beat CM Punk.
03:00When you become World Heavyweight Champion.
03:04When you go on to main event WrestleMania.
03:08There will be no more what is.
03:12Because everyone will know who's the real best in the world.
03:24Ladies and gentlemen, tune in to Elimination Chamber this Saturday.
03:36If a superstar jumps from the top rope, the DoorDash Smash Pass triggers.
03:40Order on DoorDash and use code SMASHPAT.
03:42For a chance to win a flyaway trip for four to WrestleMania in Las Vegas.
03:47Terms apply.
03:50But tonight we are in Atlanta, Georgia.
03:53And the stars are out.
03:55That, my friends, is Hall of Fame NBA center Dwight Howard from right here in Atlanta.
04:04And Jermaine Dupri, a Grammy Award winning songwriter, rapper, believe it or not, called Life in 1472.
04:11One of my favorite albums in high school.
04:15And there he is, Funny Marco, the comedian and social media personality.
04:19He is sporting the brand new WrestleMania title Special Edition featuring iconic Las Vegas landmarks and graffiti style.
04:28One of a kind championship.
04:31And we met this young man back when he was little.
04:34He's grown now.
04:36Bow Wow.
04:36My guy.
04:37In the house at Monday Night Raw.
04:40Meanwhile, in the ring, none other than the world heavyweight champion, the best in the world, CM Punk.
04:48Consider your name, yeah.
04:51I don't do what you want, but I'm free.
04:55Oh.
05:06Hold on, hold on.
05:08Tonight is not about me.
05:10I am here to celebrate the phenomenal AJ Styles.
05:16So you can go ahead and chant his name.
05:19AJ Styles.
05:22AJ Styles.
05:25AJ Styles.
05:27I want to try to save as much time as I possibly can for AJ to speak to you, his
05:33people.
05:33I got a big day coming up next week in front of my people in Chicago.
05:37But there are a few things going on that I need to address.
05:42First things first.
05:45Is it great to be alive on a Monday night in Atlanta or what?
05:54What if?
05:56What if?
05:57That was the last time I got to say that.
06:02What if?
06:05What if?
06:07What if?
06:10What if?
06:12Finn Balor said, what if?
06:13What if he was the champion?
06:15What if he never lost?
06:16Well, Finn, what if you didn't jump me in Toronto?
06:19Bring it back to AJ for a minute.
06:21Finn, what if you didn't ruin what was ultimately, unfortunately, the last time I was going to share a ring
06:28with AJ Styles?
06:31The answer to that is very, very simple.
06:33You wouldn't be getting a title shot at Elimination Chamber.
06:37But it's risky being a fighting champion.
06:40People in the back ask me, man, what are you doing?
06:42Punk, what are you doing?
06:43And my humble answer is the best I can.
06:48I'm doing the best I can.
06:50I'm giving you people the fighting champion you deserve.
06:53I'm following in the footsteps of the greats that I grew up watching.
06:57The contemporaries I shared a locker room with.
07:00Terry Funk, Harley Race, Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels, The Undertaker, Triple H.
07:06It goes on and on.
07:09I'm just trying to do the best I can.
07:11And I don't like dealing in what ifs for one specific reason.
07:18I'll give you an example.
07:19Atlanta, are you ready?
07:21Atlanta!
07:22What if, what if, what if Roman Reigns was here tonight?
07:31What if, what if Roman Reigns was here tonight?
07:49This is why I don't like dealing in what ifs because they're not rude in reality because he's not here.
07:56Oh, you're not booing me.
07:58I'm here, boots on the ground, every Monday night.
08:02I'm in every city.
08:03I make every town.
08:05I do every tour in every country.
08:10Yeah, but what if Finn Balor beats me, what if I lose?
08:13Well, hell, no risk, no reward, ladies and gentlemen, the reality is Roman Reigns is gonna be here next week
08:23in Indianapolis.
08:28What if I don't wait until WrestleMania and I punch him in his stupid face next week on Monday?
08:42What if, what if, what if, what if I don't deal in what ifs?
08:55I don't deal in what ifs.
08:56They're not rooted in reality.
08:57Ladies and gentlemen, I deal in facts.
08:59I will let Finn Balor ask himself, what if.
09:03I will let Roman Reigns ask himself, what if.
09:08I don't have to.
09:09I don't have to say, what if I was the champion because I am the champion.
09:14I don't have to say, what if, man, what if I was good because I am the best in the
09:21world.
09:23I don't have to ask myself, what if I was the main event of WrestleMania because I am the main
09:33event of WrestleMania.
09:36I am the champ.
09:38I am the best in the world.
09:40My name is CM Punk.
09:47CM Punk put it all on the line in his hometown of Chicago on Saturday.
09:54We often ask if Punk is maybe burning the candle at both ends, if it could come back to fight
09:59the world heavyweight champion.
10:01But based on what we just saw and heard, it sounds like CM Punk is just as locked in as
10:07Finn Balor for Saturday in Chicago.
10:14And tonight's WWE Raw is brought to you by Cricket 5G Smile.
10:20You're on Cricket as we celebrate the legendary career of the Punk, phenomenal AJ Styles, who will join us in
10:27just a little bit here on Monday Night Raw.
10:29There's Petey Williams and Jeremy Borash, of course, a part of AJ Styles' history of TNA.
10:34And Tomas, who was a tag team champion here at WWE with AJ Styles.
10:44Well, you know, Las Vegas will host SmackDown and Raw during WrestleMania weekend, Friday, April 17th, Monday, April 20th, at
10:51the T-Mobile Arena.
10:51Combo tickets on sale now via AXIS.com.
10:55Individual event tickets on sale tomorrow via AXIS.com.
11:20The Broadway is a Women's Elimination Chamber qualifying match.
11:28Introducing first, from Tokyo, Japan, she is one half of the Women's Tag Team Champions, Io Skye.
11:42We learned earlier tonight that Liv Morgan has chosen her WrestleMania opponent.
11:48There's one stop between now and Las Vegas.
11:51Which of these three women will enter the chamber in hopes of making it to WrestleMania?
12:12One spot remains in the Women's Elimination Chamber match this Saturday in Chicago.
12:19Already qualifying Oscar, Rhea Ripley, Tiffany Stratton, Alexa Bliss, and Kiana James in a major upset this past Friday on
12:28SmackDown.
12:29Who will join that field tonight?
12:32And again, we found out Liv Morgan wants Stephanie Bacare at the Showcase of the Immortals, which leaves only one
12:39option.
12:40Jade Cargill, the WWE Women's Champion.
12:44And that's not much of a reward, if you ask me.
12:46That's a big-time problem for whoever leaves Chicago the winner.
12:49You see Io Skye sporting the Women's Tag Team Championship that she holds with Rhea Ripley.
12:56If Io qualifies tonight, her and Rhea will both be in the chamber.
13:18Next, from Yamaguchi Japan, Kairi Sane!
13:26Kairi Sane!
13:30Well, this is interesting.
13:32Obviously, there's this rivalry.
13:35It used to be friendship, now a rivalry with Kairi Sane and Io Skye.
13:40Kairi's partner in the Kabuki Warriors, Asuka, has already qualified for the chamber match.
13:45And Kairi's the one who eliminated Asuka from the Royal Rumble.
13:49Well, we know that Kairi's mission tonight, per Asuka, is not to let Io Skye advance into the Elimination Chamber.
13:57Is Kairi up to the task?
13:59We know Kairi herself would love to punch a ticket to Chicago.
14:03But that's going to be a lot easier said than done with the opposition she's facing this evening.
14:10She would like nothing better than to make sure that Io Skye does not advance to the chamber on Saturday.
14:18I could see Io and Rhea working together to eliminate the four other competitors and then leave it to Io
14:24and Rhea to fight it out for WrestleMania.
14:48What an opportunity, Corey, for Judgment Day.
14:50Liv, of course, taking on Stephanie Bacare for the World Championship at WrestleMania.
14:56Raquel wins.
14:57She's going to battle for the WWE title.
14:59That's if she can qualify for the chamber.
15:11The show never stops in WWE 2K26.
15:14And last week, 2K revealed details of this year's showcase mode centered on CM Punk's career.
15:20Spanning multiple decades of WWE history, you can relive CM Punk's rivalries and explore a world where Punk never left,
15:27including fantasy historical scenarios.
15:30Pre-order WWE 2K26 today.
15:32Early access starts March 6th.
15:34And you can also play with Big Mommy Cool, La Ruda, Raquel Rodriguez,
15:39who would love to earn her entry into the Elimination Chamber tonight.
15:45Meanwhile, Raquel Rodriguez in this triple threat match against Io Sky and Kairi Sane.
15:53Already, Asuka, Rhea Ripley, Tiffany Stratton, Alexa Bliss, and Kiana James in a massive upset this past Friday on SmackDown
16:01have qualified for the chamber, the final spot on the line now.
16:06First woman to gain pinfall or submission.
16:08Will win, no disqualifications, no countouts, triple threat rules.
16:11And here we go.
16:15Io Sky, who holds the tag titles with Rhea Ripley.
16:19They'll defend those titles Friday night on SmackDown against the irresistible forces of last legend in Nia Jax.
16:25How is that for an irresistible force?
16:27A big boot that nearly took Kairi's head off.
16:30Io Sky was at a rivalry with Raquel and company in the Judgment Day.
16:35And Io looking to take a larger woman off her feet.
16:39But Raquel just a bit too powerful.
16:41No easy task.
16:43Raquel continues to improve week by week.
16:46For my money, 2025 was a truly career-altering year for Rodriguez.
16:51She's finally found her level of comfort.
16:53She's becoming more dominant than ever.
16:55And I think it's just a matter of time before she's got gold around her waist.
16:58Well, we know Liv Morgan is going to challenge Stephanie Vicar at WrestleMania for the World Championship.
17:03The winner of the Chamber will face Jade Cargill for the WWE title.
17:07Imagine if Raquel Rodriguez qualifies and could win the Chamber.
17:10If there's anyone who could hope to match physical power with Jade Cargill, it would be Raquel.
17:15Well, that was a bit interesting there.
17:17That Io Sky and Kairi Sane have had their differences as of late.
17:20Working together as a team to try to eliminate the larger Raquel.
17:24And now Kairi with a cheap shot.
17:26Of course, Asuka, Kairi's teammate in the Kabuki Warriors is already qualified.
17:31And you have to believe that Kairi Sane just wants to eliminate Io tonight so she doesn't have to be
17:36in that match.
17:38That was a bit of an arrogant cover for somebody who's looking to make the most of a potentially career
17:42-altering opportunity.
17:44Kairi Sane, I understand, wanting to insult Io Sky, but now is not the time.
17:48Cover by Sky.
17:50Well, Asuka doesn't care if Kairi gets into the Chamber or not.
17:52Oh, but Kairi should care.
17:54Well, you know how Asuka and Kairi, how that relationship is.
17:58Nice backdrop delivered by Io Sky, the genius of the Sky.
18:02My Japanese isn't as sharp as it used to be, so all I can really tell is by reading body
18:07language.
18:07I don't really know what the relationship entails.
18:10And now Raquel Rodriguez looking to qualify for her third Chamber match.
18:15She was involved in 2023-2024.
18:18Io Sky and Kairi Sane have never been in a Chamber.
18:21Oh, my goodness.
18:23Look at this.
18:24And look at Raquel now.
18:24The power of Big Mommy Cool.
18:27And there's a double fall-away slam.
18:30Incredible strength.
18:36Smart strategy by Rodriguez, trying to dump Kairi to the outside, make this as close to one-on-one as
18:42possible.
18:43And now Raquel Rodriguez sent her with a top rope and to the floor as Kairi Sane pulled the ropes
18:48down.
18:51And Kairi now went for the insane elbow, and Raquel just picked her out of the air.
18:55And now the genius of the Sky, moonsault by Io Sky, taking everybody out.
19:13Io Sky, taking a risk, and it paid off major dividends.
19:17Io now in control of this matchup.
19:19Rodriguez on the outside, well, for the moment.
19:22And it's sent back down to the floor.
19:24And that, uh, bit of a distraction allowed Kairi Sane to get back in the fight.
19:29Oh!
19:30Man, it's right on the back of her head.
19:32Gnarly landing for the genius of the Sky.
19:35Sean Bennett, the official, checking on Io Sky.
19:38Got an update coming up in a little bit on Big Bronson Reed.
19:42He was injured in the men's qualifying match earlier tonight.
19:46Eventually won by main event Jey Uso.
19:50Kairi taking a moment to walk the plank here in Atlanta.
19:53Yeah, sliding D.
19:57Is this an up to put Io away?
19:59Cover by Kairi.
20:00And Sky able to get the shoulder up.
20:07Again, winner of this match heads to the chamber on Saturday.
20:11Such high stakes at Elimination Chamber in Chicago.
20:17Whoever wins the men's chamber will advance to WrestleMania to battle Drew McIntyre.
20:23And now cover here by Kairi.
20:26And a kick out.
20:27As we found out earlier tonight,
20:30Jade Cargill will be the prize for the winner of the Women's Elimination Chamber.
20:38Look at the torque on the lower back of Io Sky.
20:41And is Io going to tap out here?
20:42And Raquel Rodriguez saving the matchup for herself.
20:54Kairi once again dumped to the outside, courtesy of La Ruda.
21:02Big elbow drop, flat Zio.
21:07And you've got to take notice and pay attention to the confidence of Raquel Rodriguez.
21:11That's something that Raquel admittedly struggled with early in her career.
21:15A level of imposter syndrome.
21:17She's finally really grown into her talents.
21:19And we're seeing the best version of Raquel that we've seen.
21:21I think she believes in herself finally.
21:26And Raquel just having her way with Kairi and Io here tonight.
21:33Come on, Io.
21:35These people want to see you win, right?
21:39Raquel finally realized it's not about pleasing everyone around you.
21:42It's about taking control of your own destiny, your own career.
21:45And with that mindset, Raquel's begun to do great things.
21:52One of these three women going to the chamber.
21:55I got to play!
21:58No!
22:08One spot remains in the women's elimination chamber match.
22:11Will it be filled by Kairi Sane, Raquel Rodriguez, or Io Sky?
22:16They're battling it out in a triple threat match.
22:18Here tonight.
22:21And Io Sky.
22:23And Sote rocking the jaw of Kairi Sane.
22:28And face first goes Kairi.
22:32Io beginning to roll in this one.
22:38Reversal by Kairi Sane.
22:40Walking the ropes all the way to the outside goes Io.
22:44Io.
22:47Just tattooed Kairi with a kick right under the chin.
22:52And now off the top rope with a missile drop kick.
22:56Kip up by Io, and Io's rolling.
23:10Oh, he's going for the bullet train attack.
23:13Intercepted by Rodriguez.
23:16Oh, what a clothesline of Kairi Sane.
23:18The dominant Rodriguez into the cover.
23:21Kairi's got a kick out.
23:24As physical as they come.
23:26We're going to have a Tejana bomb on our hands.
23:29And Io Sky.
23:31Not saving Kairi, but saving the matchup for herself.
23:34Remember, first woman of the game.
23:36Pin floor submission wins.
23:37Driving Raquel into the steel post.
23:39And now they can turn it into a one-on-one affair.
23:41At least momentarily.
23:44Here comes Io.
23:46Io now.
23:47Driving Raquel to the floor.
23:51Kairi.
23:52We're going to take things to the extreme.
23:56From the top rope.
23:59Everybody down.
24:04And now Io sending Raquel into the timekeeper's area.
24:09Rodriguez neutralized for the moment.
24:11Oh, what a backhand.
24:14Wow.
24:17Kairi Sane connects with a cutlass back fist.
24:20And now she's got Io where she wants her.
24:24Going up top.
24:24Looking for the insane elbow to put Io Sky away.
24:29Nobody home.
24:30Home.
24:32Kairi looking for a backslide.
24:35Back to the shoulders of Io.
24:36Io at two and a half.
24:39Sean Bennett was right there.
24:40Best view in the house.
24:41But it was mighty close.
24:46Io Sky showing off her power.
24:48Delivering to the knee to the spine.
24:51And now Io.
24:53Opportunity here.
24:53Top rope.
24:56Io Sky connects.
24:58Over the moonsault.
25:02Cover.
25:04Raquel Rodriguez.
25:07From the outside.
25:08Utilizing that reach of hers.
25:11Ripping Sane clean out of the ring.
25:13And now that clothesline about decapitating Kairi.
25:20Now Io with a kick to Raquel.
25:23Physical matchup.
25:25Io Sky drives Raquel to the corner.
25:30Io launched now out to the apron.
25:34Raquel misses wildly.
25:36Io takes advantage.
25:37This guy has been incredibly elusive for the past several moments.
25:41Frustrating Raquel Rodriguez.
25:43Now Io from the top.
25:46Massive missile drop kick dropping Raquel Rodriguez into the corner.
25:50Io Sky looking for the bullet train attack.
25:54Nails it in the bottom turnbuckle.
25:57Will it be enough?
25:58Io wants the insurance.
25:59Can we have another over the moon salt on tap?
26:03Up to the top.
26:04Raquel Rodriguez is going to meet her there though.
26:06And Raquel from way up top.
26:08Raquel Rodriguez.
26:09Positioned in Io Sky.
26:12Io still fighting back though.
26:19The resilience of Io Sky on display tonight.
26:23Sky.
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