WWE, AEW power rankings (March 2026): Elimination Chamber fallout gives us two new No. 1s
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Things are heating up in pro-wrestling as we enter one of the busiest months of the year. With WWE’s annual Elimination Chamber now complete — for better or worse — we now have four of the world title matches pencilled in for WrestleMania 42 (though upcoming events on "SmackDown" may still change plans with one of them).
Over in AEW, we're less than two weeks away from this year's Revolution, live once more from Los Angeles. Not only is a world title match set in stone, but Tony Khan has been quick to add a high-stakes stipulation that could well leave a lasting impact on the future of his company.
So who’s up and who’s down as we head into this hotly-anticipated period in pro-wrestling? Here’s how things stand in our March 2026 power rankings.
MEN’S POWER RANKINGS
10. Trick Williams (Prev: NR)
Making the jump from NXT to the big leagues isn’t easy, even if some wrestlers can make it look that way. For a case in point of the latter, look to Trick Williams, who has breezed a seemingly effortless path into the main title scene since his call-up in January. Anyone who followed the former TNA and NXT champion over the past two years knows how hard he has worked — but my goodness, does he make it look natural.
9. Adam “Hangman” Page (Prev: NR)
Hangman Page’s elevation to AEW World Champion was one of the greatest stories of last year. But could 2026 up the stakes even further for Tony Khan’s most trusted soldier? Having earned himself a chance to win back the belt Revolution, “Hangman” now finds himself in quite the predicament. Should he lose to MJF in Los Angeles, he will no longer be able to challenge for the AEW World Championship. Could it really be curtains for Page?
8. Cody Rhodes (Prev: NR)
After an abrupt loss to Drew McIntyre back on WWE’s European tour, WWE’s former Undisputed Champion dropped out of our power rankings for the first time last month. Since then, “The American Nightmare” has come riding back into the picture, finishing a close second in the Elimination Chamber match. Will Friday’s “SmackDown” title match against McIntyre give Rhodes a route back to the main event of WrestleMania? That seems to be the consensus view right now.
7. Oba Femi (Prev: 5)
The former NXT champion captured lightning in a bottle with his stellar debut at January's Royal Rumble. But what has WWE done with him since? A mini-feud with Kit Wilson has given the fearsome Nigerian the chance to strut his stuff in the ring, but it still feels a far cry from what the big man should be doing on the main roster. Maybe it’s time to give the fans what they’ve literally been crying out for: Oba Femi vs. Brock Lesnar at 'Mania.
6. Seth Rollins (Prev: NR)
Let’s not beat around the bush — the whole masked man angle has been a mess. But it did at least set up the return of Seth Rollins, who appears to have recovered from his legitimate shoulder injury from Crown Jewel in October. Unfortunately for the OG Vision leader, a spate of other injuries means he now faces a massively depleted stable as he heads into 'Mania. But hey, at least he’s back right?
5. MJF (Prev: 6)
Given he’s such a natural on the mic, it can sometimes feel like MJF is playing wrestling on easy mode. But AEW’s World Champion is never one for resting on his laurels, giving us one of the zingers of the year against Brody King a few weeks ago. Now the jokes have been put to bed as “The Salt of the Earth” enters one of his most emotionally-intense feuds for ages against fellow AEW stalwart “Hangman” Page. Given it isn’t the first time they’ve fought, you have to imagine Tony Khan has something special planned.
4. Roman Reigns (Prev: 2)
Roman Reigns followed up his big Rumble win with a scintillating promo segment with CM Punk, setting the stakes for their 'Mania match. Unfortunately, that was followed by “The Tribal Chief” doing what he has been prone to do for the past two years: Disappearing from television for the next few weeks.. Maybe that will change on “Raw” this week when Reigns is set to embark on the first of his semi-regular appearances leading into Las Vegas. There's definitely a lot riding on him this year.
3. Drew McIntyre (Prev: 1)
It was a spectacular January for Drew McIntyre, who went straight from his shock title win in Berlin to delivering a solid title defense against Sami Zayn at the Royal Rumble. What’s next for “The Scottish Warrior”? In theory, he should be gearing up for a big 'Mania battle against Randy Orton. But WWE continues to dwell on McIntyre’s fixation with Cody Rhodes, fueling speculation that we may see one final twist before we get to Las Vegas.
2. Randy Orton (Prev: NR)
What a triumph for Randy Orton, who emerged as the surprise winner at the Elimination Chamber after an opportunistic RKO on a distracted Cody Rhodes. Those with good memories will remember how “The Viper” previously failed to take advantage of his friend back at King of the Ring last year — a mistake he was quick to avoid this time around. Will the 15-time WWE champion get the chance to add another notch on his list at WrestleMania? That feels like the burning question in WWE right now.
1. CM Punk (Prev: 4)
Throughout much of last year, CM Punk drifted around the upper end of our power rankings without ever taking the top spot. Less than three months into 2026 and that's all changed, thanks largely to WWE giving “The Second City Saint” the equivalent of a homecoming bash at this past weekend’s Elimination Chamber in Chicago. Naturally, the man himself rose to the occasion, looking every inch the world champion — and giving us a few emotional easter eggs along the way.
As for Punk's upcoming bout with Roman Reigns, WWE still has some work to do in terms of building up the tension. But with the match increasingly tipped as the curtain-closer for Sunday night, it'll be a massive milestone for Punk either way.
WOMEN’S POWER RANKINGS
10. Kiana James (Prev: NR)
The former NXT tag champ has been delivering surprise after surprise this year. At one point, she was the Vegas favorite to have the shortest stay in the women’s Rumble; in the end, she ended up staying the course for more than 30 minutes. Then after qualifying for last weekend’s Elimination Chamber, she held her own against Tiffany Stratton before taking a monstrous powerslam bump through the plexiglass pods. That makes for a seriously impressive run for the newbie.
9. Lash Legend (Prev: NR)
Due to the individual-focused nature of these lists, tag champs often get missed out. But we’ll make an exception this month to give a nod to Lash Legend, another NXT graduate who has been making waves on the main roster since her breakthrough role at Evolution last year. On this past Friday's "SmackDown," she won her first ever championship gold, picking up the women's tag belts with her new ally Nia Jax.
8. AJ Lee (Prev: NR)
If Mrs. CM Punk was nervous ahead of her first singles match in more than a decade last Saturday, it really didn’t show. Not only did she deliver a solid match against Becky Lynch at Elimination Chamber, AJ Lee ended up leaving Chicago with the Intercontinental Championship. All things considered she’ll probably end up dropping the gold by the end of 'Mania season, but that shouldn’t stop us from acknowledging her success in the meantime.
7. Jade Cargill (Prev: 8)
After her inexplicable three-month run without a single title defense, Jade Cargill finally proved her mettle over on “SmackDown” in late February, picking up a win over fellow powerhouse Jordynne Grace. After that, it was off to Chicago, where the former AEW star sat in a VIP suite waiting to see who would be her opponent for WrestleMania 42. The musclebound Cargill certainly looked the part — but looks alone won't be enough to defeat the single most feared wrestler on the women's roster.
6. Tiffany Stratton (Prev: 4)
Hats off to Tiffany Stratton, who really hasn’t missed a beat since returning to WWE back in January following her short break at the tail end of 2025. After finishing as runner-up back at the Rumble, she entered the Elimination Chamber on Saturday with a noticeably more ruthless look, relishing the chance to throw hands with her fellow gymnast-turned-grappler Kiana James. She may not have won the Chamber, but she still has to be an absolute lock for a decent WrestleMania match.
5. Raquel Rodriguez (Prev: 7)
Going into last weekend's Elimination Chamber, I praised Raquel Rodriguez for how much she has improved over the past year. It turns out, she was only getting started. Not only did the towering Texan dominate the field for much of the Chamber match, she also scored a massive double elimination, pinning Asuka and Kiana James together. What's more, the crowd sounded audibly disappointed when “La Ruda” was finally eliminated — a massive change from a few years back.
4. Thekla (Prev: 10)
One thing you can say about Tony Khan’s women’s division is that he’s not afraid to strike when the iron is hot. Sure, “The Toxic Spider” has been going from strength to strength since joining AEW full-time last spring, and her chemistry with Kris Statlander has shined through during their ongoing feud — but did anyone really expect we’d see the belt switch hands so quickly? Clearly, Khan senses he has a star on his hands — and he’s probably right.
3. Stephanie Vaquer (Prev: 2)
Most of us rejoiced when WWE gave an instant push to “La Primera,” promoting her straight from NXT into the upper-card title scene on Monday nights. As brilliant as the Chilean warrior might be, though, her title run has lacked the pizzazz many hoped for. Now that finally appears ready to change, as Vaquer looks set to receive a career-defining match against Liv Morgan at WrestleMania.
2. Liv Morgan (Prev: 1)
Here’s another star who has looked absolutely on fire since making her big return at the tail end of last year, and now hopes set to inject some much-needed urgency into this year’s WrestleMania sprint. After a massive win at the Rumble in Riyadh and a handful of sizzling promos since then, the Judgment Day leader will now get the opportunity to restore herself to the top of WWE's hierarchy with a much-anticipated showdown against “La Primera” at next month’s 'Mania.
1. Rhea Ripley (Prev: 3)
It just had to be her, didn’t it? From the second Rhea Ripley and Iyo Sky dropped those tag titles on “SmackDown,” you just knew “The Eradicator” was going to be the firm favorite in the Chamber. That’s exactly how things played out, with Ripley’s eventual victory setting up a first-time showdown against Jade Cargill in Las Vegas for the WWE Women's Championship.
We’ve known for years that "Mami" remains one of the most compelling on-screen presences in all of pro-wrestling. Given the slightly lukewarm reaction to this year's 'Mania season so far, it's no surprise that WWE has reached for Ripley to up the ante.
