If you have someone in your life that is a professional wrestling fan then do me the favor and give them a massive hug, trust me they need it. Within three months of each other, two of WWE’s greatest superstars retired.
John Cena, WWE’s homegrown super hero in the ring and within the DC Universe said goodbye after caring WWE for the better of 20 years. Leading to this Monday Night on RAW where AJ Styles officially bid farewell in his home state of Georgia. AJ Styles path wasn’t homegrown as he spent his time putting TNA Wrestling in front of the world and on the map.
Followed by joining NJPW and expanding the catalog of classic matches all leading to formality that AJ Styles will be entering the WWE Hall of Fame this April in Las Vegas, Nevada. Not many in professional wrestling can compare resumes with the likes of these two great in terms of longevity and resume but one of the few is Finn Balor who has a chance to add a World Heavyweight Championship to his list of accomplishments this Saturday at Elimination Chamber.
Finn Bálor and AJ Styles with the TOO SWEET one last time! pic.twitter.com/1rxyxSArKH
— hannah (@grandslamfinn) February 24, 2026
"Seeing AJ retire got me rethinking about a lot of things," Balor said during his appearance on Unlikely with Adrian Hernandez before Saturday's WWE Elimination Chamber. " Seeing him retire brought it home to me that my days are numbered."
The chance at reclaiming a world title for the first time in ten years isn't the only thing at stake. The winner will defend it against Roman Reigns in the main event of WrestleMania 42. Balor did not shy away from critics who don’t believe Finn Balor is WrestleMania Main Event Caliber.
“You know, doubters online that are sitting on a computer, tweeting and talking, doesn’t really enter my mindspace at all,” Finn Balor continued. “People who I listen to are my bosses and my colleagues. To have the respect of your peers is something that is way more valuable than the support of a small group of doubters.”
Finn Balor addresses fan criticism that he doesn’t belong in the WrestleMania main event on Unlikely
— Adrian Hernandez (@AdrianRadio93) February 26, 2026
“If after 25 years of doing everything in the business and being a success not a what if, not a failure, I don’t belong on the WrestleMania poster, I don’t know who does.” pic.twitter.com/nefkkTBYyy
Speaking further, Finn Balor noted that after everything he went through for over 25 years in his career.
“If after 25 years I’m doing everything in the business, from learning catch wrestling for six years, to going to Japan and studying in the dojos for 8 years, to coming to WWE and being a success, not a ‘what if’, not a failure. ‘He got injured and relinquished the title’, no I showed up in WWE, beat Roman on my first night and beat Seth on my first PPV three weeks later to become the first Universal Champion,” Finn Balor continued.
“Being from a small town in Ireland with no wrestling schools, no wrestling promotions, barely wrestling on the TV, for me that’s a success story. So if I don’t belong on the WrestleMania poster, I don’t know who does,” Finn Balor said.
The 2026 WWE Elimination Chamber takes place on Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026, from the United Center in Chicago. In the U.S., it streams exclusively on the ESPN App with an ESPN Unlimited subscription, starting at 7 p.m. ET, with a pre-show at 5 p.m.. Internationally, the event is available on Netflix.
