[7.0] "Honestly I think they just have incredible chemistry. Love the tease of balor becoming a face again. Love how match 1 was in Finn's home country and 2 is in punks home field. Really great final match to build for mania for punk. (****)"
[6.0] "honestly felt way longer than it needed to be. It wasn't trash or anything, but it dragged so much. The whole match stayed in second gear and never really picked up. The near falls didn't even feel crazy because there wasn't enough build up. Punk was doing the slow, methodical thing, which can work, but here it just felt kinda boring. And Bálor didn't even go full explosive mode like he usually does. By halfway through, it started feeling repetitive instead of intense. I'd say dullness like 6.5/10. Not horrible, just lowkey forgettable and too long for what it was."
[5.0] "Compared to what this match could've been at any point from 2013-2018, this was just depressing. Botches, long breaks between chains, limited movesets. The story was been deemed entirely pointless, with it not even leading to ending The Judgement Day. Should've had the Belfast one off, Punk just can't go like he used to. Barely good for once a month anymore. Would honestly be a 3 if not for decent sharpshooter spot and thankfully no stretches that looked like end of career Flair."
[8.0] "The obvious winner plus the raw match being slightly better might be hurt things but this was still a very good match. CM Punk is having my favorite title reign in all of wrestling so far just based off his consistency, I do like the chemistry between him & Balor & I popped for the stomp reversal into the sharpshooter. Fun match"
[7.0] "Ultimately a solid match, both men left it all on the mat (Punk took a hell of a beating) but i personally really could not really get into the match because it was the only match on the card that was a runaway forgone conclusion, so that being the case I think it could have done a better job of faking people out and genuinely make them think Balor had any real chance. That's a me thing though, not gonna dock it points for that. ***.5"
[7.0] "I think seven is the perfect ranking for this match, I don't particularly dock championship matches for being predictable as almost every title reign in any company has predictable defenses. And that's perfectly fine considering how solid this match was. The obvious drawback of the match is that CM Punk is absolutely slowing down, but he still puts up good performances when paired with talented wrestlers like Gunther and Finn Balor. The atmosphere and the entrance obviously added to the spectacle of the match, and there were parts where I got inklings of a feeling that Balor could win. Very solid match, maybe stretched slightly too long but that isn't worth complaining about."
[8.0] "Not on the most famous side on this one but for me that match was better than the first one they had on Raw. Off Kayfabe, clearly Finn Balor had zero chances to win at both of those bouts, but that bout here made me believe way more. Punk is really good at that simple old school wrestling style and, for me, is primary essencial for a world title bout to have an slow pace build that prepares you for what it will be the heat moment. They did it well, CM Punk sold pretty well his ribs and Finn Balor didn't lost an step on it. I do still think that Balor can do much more with a different style than that and maybe even Punk with his current physical condition, but alright."
[7.0] "7 - good match between CM Punk and Finn Balor, with a nice chemistry between the two and good storytelling. The ending is still disappointing in my opinion, a DQ with Judgment Day or a victory by Finn for a 3way at Wrestlemania would have been more interesting."
[7.0] "Fun match here, I liked the slow burn build here as well. Pretty obvious that Punk was walking out as champion, but at least we got a good match out of it."
[6.0] "This was perfectly fine. The first half was pretty dull but the second half had some decent enough work. Both guys are well past their prime so are very much going through the motions, but both are skilled enough to have a good enough match. This felt like a TV match rather than a world title match, but I didn't think it was bad. ***1/4"
[7.0] "Very very good and my favourite match of the event however I did prefer their previous match. Still, this was well worked and I was invested throughout."
[7.0] "I liked their first match more, because there they showed a good wrestling in a very slow way. Irish atmosphere was a much better than in Chicago, and dynamic was also better month ago. That was just a good match almost without big interest. They can do better."
[8.0] "Despite this match having a outcome already known before it was still very entertaining. I'd love to see Finn get the ic title at mania in a triple threat with penta and dom."
[2.0] "A match with no intrigue and no doubt in its outcome. just a match for a person in their hometown to fill the gap towards mania. boring, plodding and slow. par far the course for this event and most wwe ples. completely forgettable the second it was over."
[5.0] "Balor targeting the abdomen was the best part of a match in which very little of substance otherwise happened. This went insanely long for a match with so few highlights; any tension dissipated and even the excitement of the Chicago crowd dwindled throughout. The action did pick-up towards the end with the CDG kickout and GTS to the outside, but that doesn't negate the fact that a lot of the contest was completely skippable. The good moments served to balance out the bad, but this was distinctly average overall."
[6.0] "Average match. Punk and balor fought nicely, but it wasn't a pure wrestling one. Balor's psychology was so poor in this match. He didn't take enough moments to sell massive moves, even not the first gts. It lacks a lot unfortunately. (***)"
[8.0] "Really liked this one. Punk and Balor put in a slightly worse performance from their TV match a few weeks ago, but this was still very good. My favourite spot in the match was when Punk reversed Finn's stomp attempt to a Sharpshooter, simply perfectly executed. CM Punk's entrance to Sirius was very cinematic as well."
[5.0] "Ultimately pointless and with an obvious winner. The psychology of Finn targeting Punk's abdomen was good but apart from that there isn't really anything else of note here. Just felt like an excuse to have a Punk match in Chicago which makes sense but god this could've been anything else."
[8.0] "This was my favorite match of the night. Not as good as their match in Ireland, primarily due to the atmosphere and the fact that Roman wasn't in the picture either. The crowd was surprisingly quieter than I expected too. Punks coupe de grace reversal into a sharpshooter was absolutely sick."
[8.0] "I actually really liked this match. The ending was a bit rushed in my opinion but the slow, methodical body work these guys did was great. I genuinely felt like Baylor had a chance in what was supposed to be the most predictable match of this PLE. Punk had a great entrance that got me engaged from the start. Both guys really put each other through the wringer, with each blow looking just as devastating as the last. Some may call it slow, but this is what wrestling is supposed to be. 8/10"
[8.0] "[3.75*] Excellent match, another one for the Veteran Punker. This wasn't as charming as their RAW match for many reasons - Finn being the temporary babyface in Ireland is just a perfect context that can't be replicated - but it kept the old-school, classic feeling and was technically fantastic too. The thing with this Punk run is: if you like your wrestling fast-paced only, you'll hate the shit out of it. The whole storytelling of all his matches is that he's fucking old and slow and fucked up, but he's also CM Punk, he's smart, he's a veteran and he's the BITW, so he'll find a way to beat you even if your physique humiliates his, which is the exact case of Bron Breakker, AJ Styles and Finn Balor. It's a pretty simple story to follow, but I'm just loving everything about this development. I really liked the struggle here, it wasn't "intense" in terms of pacing but it surely was intense in terms of feeling. It was gritty, gnarly and hard-fought. Hell yeah, really liked this one. Solid Pros TM."
"It's really good. Love the spot of the coup de grâce into a sharpshooter a little sloppy but I enjoy it. Was it predictable yes but it was a good match. Also CM Punk entrance was so god dam good."
[4.0] "A very sloppy match for championship. Two old wrestler in WWE and this is for a championship ? Wow. Wwe. Can you put the young wrestler on the top of the card ? Cm punk was finished. Go to retired man."
[7.0] "Best match of the night but also pretty heatless because everyone knew Finn wasn't beating Punk so this is up there with Brock Vs Hardcore Holly from Rumble 04 in that the outcome was so predictable no one could really get excited for it. Thankfully Balor was up for this and wanted to show people he deserves to be in the main event spots. Unfortunately his booking over the last year or so made it very difficult to believe he would be main eventing Wrestlemania so the crowd for the most part were pretty quiet. Balor remains such an underappreciated worker. Its a shame his main roster world title push lasted all of about 5 minutes because outside of his two NXT runs he has been completely underused by WWE for years. Punk on the other hand has quite clearly lost a step. He still has the ability to have good matches but its quite clear he is slowing down to an almost a crawl at some points here. By the 10 minute mark he was gassed. But him and Balor had good chemistry even if the match never really got out of being a really good tv main event match instead of PPV world title match. But the outcome was predicable"
[7.0] "Really enjoyed this match... I had the luck of being available to watch the event right before this match, and that was perfect, it was what I wanted, and that was great, it didn't reach the greatness of their RAW match for me, but it was pretty cool too. Punk's entrance with the famous Sirius song was a very cool reference to the legendary Chicago Bulls team, and it felt huge and special, which was the point, after watching that entrance everyone was immediately locked in for the match. The bout was excellent, it was rock solid, they didn't blow anyone's mind with something spectacular, the match does not transcend that super well worked level, but at the same time it's very fun structure, so you just can't complain. Punk and Balor didn't rely on nearfalls and breathtaking moments, it was a competition between two smart veterans, and that's nice - {***1/2}"
[9.0] "It's a bit below their match from the 19/01/2026 episode of Raw in Belfast, and their truly was no way Punk was losing in Chicago on the road to WWE WrestleMania 42 (2026), but it was still a great match between both men with really good in ring and psychology between each other, the crowd was into it, and it still teases something for Balor's eventual face turn away from the Judgement Day."
[7.0] "This is up there with their match on Raw in Belfast. Possibly the best match of the night either this or the women's chamber. Punk was obviously going to win with the Roman match lingering. I'm hoping we get Finn vs Dominik at Mania with the demon. ***.75"
[8.0] "Old man punk sells exhaustion really well, and this match with Finn told a really nice story. Finn losing but maintaining his babyface dignity was a great choice. Main complaint is that the winner was hilariously obvious, and they didn't make it seem as if Finn could win during the match"
"Very good match I loved it the entrances were awesome and nice tribute to Jordan and Larry. It should have ended in a betrayal from dom but this match was still great anyway."
[8.0] "Best match of the night for me, as Punk and Balor put together a hard-hitting back and forth match. While there was no way Balor was winning here, he and Punk still had a good match. Extra point goes towards the rating for the Bulls inspired entrance for Punk."
[8.0] "Both matches between Punk and Balor this year were great. Obviously the result is predictable with Roman Reigns looming but damn I love their chemistry. Old Man Punk is great as a scrappy gunslinger who'll just drag you into the deep waters and outlast you. Also the Coup De Grace into the sharpshooter counter spot was fucking bonkers."
[7.0] "From the second this thing was announced, you knew the finish. We've all seen this movie before, the same challenger getting his tenth title shot. But Finn Balor in Chicago against CM Punk? Come on. In that building, in that city, with that opponent? There was no suspense about the outcome. Both guys worked their tails off trying to make you believe. They laid it in. There was physicality. They didn't phone it in just because everybody and their grandmother knew who was going over. And the Chicago crowd, being a Chicago crowd for CM Punk, was hot enough to at least create the illusion that maybe, just maybe, something crazy could happen. That's professionalism. That's two veterans understanding their job. The match itself? Good, solid, honest wrestling. They hit each other, they sold, they built to a finish. But when the result is that predictable, you're fighting uphill from the start. Drama in wrestling comes from doubt. And there wasn't much doubt here, just good execution of a foregone conclusion."
[4.0] "Pointless rematch. It was also worse than their first match on Raw. Punk moves around like he has concrete shoes and still can't breathe after 10 minutes. There was no suspense because everyone knew Punk wasn't losing. A match with no reason to exist or care."
[6.0] "Pretty good match for the world title. The first one between Punk and Balor in Belfast was better. Punk being the hometown hero took his sweet time with his 90's Bulls inspired entrance which I thought was cool. They had a nice back and forth, both guys got all of their spots in. You can tell Punk was gassed after a little while and they had to keep things at a slower pace. As a consequence, they never really took this match to the next level to make it feel special and went on longer than it needed to. Nobody believed Balor was going to win, but he was still competitive throughout. The finish was a bit flat, Punk struggled to get Balor up to hit that last GTS. Punk retains as he can now put all of his focus on building his match with Roman at WrestleMania. 6.5/10"
[8.0] "Uhm... not a bad match. But this is obviously filler, right? We all knew the results. You can only sell a dream until a point, after that it becomes a joke or a failure. For Balor, its too late. Horribly sad how his main event career ended after just one injury in 2016. Anyway, the match itself was nothing more than their previous bout in Belfast, maybe besides the crowd's symbolic cheering and the larger stadium, and probably that somewhat overused barricade spot. Good match though, no complains. No hype, expected, safe and sanitized. Balor turning face at the end may be a signal towards his match against Tom & Nick in WM?"
[10.0] "Smart wrestlers are the ones who know how to pick the right pace for every match, the slowness of the match and its start and the way it began and how they really made it feel like a Big Fight! The heavy use of "counters" is logical and smart given that it's a "rematch""
"[8.0] Another really good Punk/Balor bout. They had plenty of time to tell a logical, naturally flowing match and they hit all of the high notes without everything devolving into a predictable spot fest. The mouth blood was a really great touch, assuming it was planned (and even if it wasn't, really.) It's the kind of traditional, no-B.S., one-on-one, personality-driven wrestling match we're getting less and less from the WWE these days. It's solid stuff, through and through."
[9.0] "This could very well be the match of the year. Alongside that cool as fuck entrance from Punk, we get Finn telling a great story in the ring. Just from his offence, we can tell he was really trying to get one back at Punk for beating him in his hometown. This was like McIntyre vs Zayn at the Rumble but done better, there were points I was really on the edge of my seat, the biggest highlight being Punk's insane reversal of the Coupe De Grace into a Sharpshooter, that had me doing the POG face for two straight minutes. The only the things that prevent it from being a 10 is one move from Balor near the start where it looks like he fell from the middle rope when he was delivering a knee. But other than that I thought this was a great match and the motivation, whilst predictable, was a good way to make Punk's title reign stronger and have him defend it ready for Wrestlemania. These two showed great chemistry, smooth action and a great show of respect at the end."
[3.0] "This match was an absolute letdown. CM Punk vs Finn Bálor at Elimination Chamber 2026 felt like two guys going through the motions instead of delivering the war we were promised. Sloppy counters, mistimed spots, and some heat from the crowd. Punk looked gassed by the 8-minute mark, while Bálor's "heel work" consisted of lazy eye-pokes and the same Coup de Grâce setup we've seen 400 times. The finish came out of nowhere with a weak GTS that didn't even look convincing. 20 minutes of my life I'll never get back. Easily the one of the worst Punk singles match since his return. 1.5 stars. Avoid."
[8.0] "[4 Stars] Punk's entrance was way too cool then in the ring they managed crazy the unties the counter of the coup de grace in Sharpshooter in my veins."
"Punk looked so gassed in this match He didn't look good since 2021 and it is kinda incredible job from him hiding that he is getting older but this wasn't good"
[8.0] "A very fun professional wrestling match with no interferences, with no outside drama, just two very good in-ring wrestlers having a ball. This was the only good thing about this show, as CM Punk, who walked out to the Chicago Bulls entrance repping his hometown with amazing attire, had home-field advantage. Finn Bálor was looking to become a 2x WWE World Champion as he is trying to erase his past and finally be a World Champion again. The in-ring psycholgy of this match was great, there was a lot of chain-wrestling, Finn Bálor weaken CM Punk by attacking the chest and ribs, like stiff like that is why I love wrestling he was trying to weaken his oppenent trying to get him down so he can try to get the win. CM Punk was fighting back, it was gritty, old-school & bad-ass. Finn Bálor had a great performance in this match. He was clicking on every cylinder. You can tell he was having a very fun time. Finn Bálor found an opening where he delivered the Coup de Grâce, but CM Punk kicked out. Finn Bálor delivered a shotgun dropkick on the outside, where CM Punk went through the barricade. This was excellent stuff. But with the closing moments, CM Punk hit a G.T.S. in which Finn Bálor, with a high IQ move, rolled out of the ring, but with 2nd time the charm, CM Punk hit the G.T.S. as he retained his WWE World Heavyweight Title. Amazing Match, the only bright spot from this awful show. Finn Bálor seemingly confirmed his babyface turn as he paid respect to CM Punk by shaking his hand. Now that the Prince is back to being a good guy, CM Punk can focus on the big task at hand with Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 42. The build starts now."
[8.0] "A slow and methodical brawl built around an injury angle featuring my favourite wrestler of all time: this was designed with me in mind. Think I marginally preferred the Raw match, the Irish crowd were a little hotter, but the work Punk and Balor are doing here is fab, smart, and made every move matter."
[8.0] "Did not reach the heights of their raw match, but this was one of the most professional and adult-minded wrestling matches I have seen this year."
[9.0] "Very glad that CM Punk is having this kind of impressive run he's on - not long left you would think in his career and he's smashing it every match he has, and this was no different with Finn Balor - who's hopefully about to go on a run of his own"
[9.0] "Really enjoyed this match, thought it did a great job of selling Finn as an actual contender in the match itself, and enjoyed the storytelling with Finn clearly looking to the back at one point to call out Judgement Day, but deciding against it and taking the match clean here. Hopefully we can *actually* get the face turn this time. Also thought the match had some really solid ring work, solid execution, and a good narrative with the ab work from Finn."
[8.0] "Most predictable matchup on the card. The in ring work throughout the match was good like everyone expected. Crowd was super hot for CM Punk. They had good moments like Punk breaking out the sharp shooter. Overall just as their first match was an enjoyable match to watch but a very predictable one"
[6.0] "I have higher expectations for a title match at a PLE than for a RAW main event match, even if it takes place in Belfast. Punk stirs up hometown emotions quite well with the Bulls Entrance title Sirius by the Alan Parsons Project, while he seems to run out of steam from time to time in the match itself. It's rare to see two opponents gasping for air in opposite corners of the ring. The match in Northern Ireland was more compact and therefore seemed more rounded than this one. This is solid entertainment with a very clear outcome, but in my opinion, the match at RAW was more relaxed, sleeker, and therefore better conceived."
[9.0] "i enjoyed this match loads, while it's not as great as their raw match it's a very good un flashy fight between two of the best workers in the business. Punk continues to be one of the best storytellers and sellers in the business and hopefully this match keeps Finn in the title scene"
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