Welcome to another non-stop, busy weekend full of professional wrestling. The next 72 hours include a wide spectrum of programming to consider, including a hair-versus-hair match in the famous Arena Mexico, New Japan stacking the deck for its first U.S. card in ages, the annual Elimination Chamber PLE, and so much more.
This weekend’s programming has already gotten started, so let’s waste no time and begin discussing your TV and streaming options for the next few days!
Friday
NJPW x CMLL Fantastica Mania Night 7 / 4:30 a.m. ET / NJPW World
This week’s action kicked off this morning when the final night of the NJPW & CMLL Fantastica Mania tour took place at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo. There were a few neat storylines heading into this final show: Mistico defending his CMLL World Light Heavyweight Championship overseas for the first-time ever against the incredibly popular rudo Soberano Jr., Young Lion Shoma Kato getting his send-off match before going on excursion in Mexico, the soon-to-retire Tiger Mask having his last Fantastica Mania match against Magnus, and more.
If you’re a fan of lucha and puroresu, you already know why Fantastica Mania is so fun. It’s been an enjoyable tour this year with some really solid action on the nights I’ve been able to catch, so I’m looking forward to seeing this last card.
- Averno vs. Shoma Kato
- Masatora Yasuda, Master Wato, Stigma & Tatsuya Matsumoto vs. SHO, Yoshinobu Kanemaru, Yujiro Takahashi & Hijo de Stuka Jr.
- Tiger Mask vs. Magnus
- Atlantis, Atlantis Jr. & Ryusuke Taguchi vs. OKUMURA, Satoshi Kojima & Hechicero
- Futuro, Valiente Jr. & Mascara Dorada vs. Daiki Nagai, Shingo Takagi & Titan
- Ultimo Guerrero vs. Templario
- Mistico vs. Soberano Jr. (CMLL World Light Heavyweight Championship)
WWE Friday Night Smackdown / 8 p.m. ET / USA Network
Just before WWE visits Chicago for the Elimination Chamber on Saturday, we’ll get a go-home episode of Friday Night Smackdown from the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Kentucky tonight.
Back on the USA Network after airing on SyFy for two weeks, this week’s Smackdown will feature a face-to-face involving the six men competing at the Elimination Chamber tomorrow night, a tag title rematch between RhIYO and The Irresistible Forces, the continuation (or maybe even culmination?) of a feud between the MFTs and Wyatt Sicks, and what should be another destructive showing from Oba Femi.
- Men’s Elimination Chamber participants meet
- Rhea Ripley & IYO SKY vs. Nia Jax & Lash Legend (WWE Women’s World Tag Team Championships)
- Uncle Howdy vs. Solo Sikoa
- Oba Femi vs. The Miz
- Jordynne Grace vs. Candice LeRae
NJPW The New Beginning USA / 8 p.m. ET / NJPW World PPV
Just 12 hours after NJPW action in Japan takes place, the promotion will go live from the CURE Insurance Arena in Trenton, New Jersey with their first U.S. show in nearly a year, The New Beginning USA.
With some help from AEW, who is represented significantly on this show, NJPW has put together a really strong card for this evening. Yota Tsuji vs. Andrade El Idolo sees New Japan’s top star face a name that has been back on the rise ever since he exited his WWE deal last year. Riding the momentum of a Tokyo Dome victory, Syuri will meet the nearly unstoppable Athena for the IWGP Women’s Championship. And in a match I’m personally really looking forward to, in a rematch from Wrestling Dontaku 2025, where they fought to a 15-minute time limit draw, TV champ El Phantasmo and Konosuke Takeshita will duke it out.
The one clear drawback of this card is that it’s on pay-per-view, retailing at $19.99 for American viewers. If that’s a price you’re willing to pay, you’ll have access to a really strong card going down on Friday night.
- Fred Rosser vs. David Finlay
- El Desperado & KUSHIDA vs. Alec Price & Jordan Oliver
- Tomohiro Ishii vs. Boltin Oleg (NJPW STRONG Openweight Championship)
- Ricochet vs. Taiji Ishimori (AEW National Championship)
- El Phantasmo vs. Konosuke Takeshita (NJPW World Television Championship)
- OSKAR & Yuto-Ice vs. Bishop Kaun & Toa Liona (IWGP Tag Team Championships)
- Syuri vs. Athena (IWGP Women’s Championship)
- Yota Tsuji vs. Andrade El Idolo (IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship)
CMLL Viernes Espectacular / 9:30 p.m. ET / TrillerTV PPV or CMLL Youtube Subscription
Even though most of CMLL’s top names are still overseas for the annual Fantastica Mania tour, the prominent lucha brand has put together a big card for this Friday in Arena Mexico. In a feud which has come together over just a week’s time, AEW’s Johnny Consejo (also known as Johnny TV) will take on Angel de Oro in a hair-versus-hair match, which will get the headlining spot on the show.
Earlier in the night, Claudio Castagnoli will return to Mexico and put his world heavyweight title up in a three-way against Akuma and Euforia. Persephone and Olympia will also battle it out in a #1 contenders match, with the winner meeting Mercedes Moné at the promotion’s International Women’s Day show next week.
Lots of fun storylines are expected to emerge from Mexico tonight. Paid subscribers to CMLL’s Youtube page will be able to watch live. If you don’t want to commit to a monthly sub, this event will also be available on TrillerTV for a one-off pay-per-view purchase.
- Angelito & Galaxy vs. Minos I & Minos II
- Magia Blanca, Hijo del Pantera & El Audaz vs. Felino Jr., El Cobarde & Guerrero Maya Jr.
- Pantera Jr. & Psychotic vs. Estudiante Jr. & Feroz vs. Tornado & Rey Pegasus (Torneo de Escuelas 2026 Finals)
- Persephone vs. Olympia (CMLL World Women’s Championship #1 Contenders Match)
- Claudio Castagnoli vs. Euforia vs. Akuma (CMLL World Heavyweight Championship)
- Angel de Oro vs. Johnny Consejo (Hair vs. Hair Match)
Saturday
WWE Elimination Chamber / 7 p.m. ET / ESPN Unlimited
Two more major Wrestlemania title matchups will be confirmed this weekend when WWE presents the Elimination Chamber from the United Center in Chicago, Illinois.
Undisputed WWE Champion Drew McIntyre currently awaits his challenger from a six-way cage match, which includes former champ Cody Rhodes, Smackdown rival Randy Orton, Raw star Jey Uso, and recent call-ups in Trick Williams and Je’Von Evans.
On the women’s side, champ Jade Cargill will be watching to see who will face her in Las Vegas when a cagematch involving names like ex-champ Tiffany Stratton, tag team champ Rhea Ripley, veterans Asuka and Alexa Bliss, and Smackdown underdog Kiana James goes down.
Along with the Chamber matches, a pair of Chicago-based stars will be in high-profile bookings. In her first singles match since 2015, AJ Lee will challenge WWE Women’s Intercontinental Champion Becky Lynch in a first-time ever pairing. And looking to turn back Finn Balor for a second time, CM Punk will defend his WWE World Heavyweight Championship.
It’s all live tomorrow night on ESPN’s subscription service:
- Asuka vs. Alexa Bliss vs. Rhea Ripley vs. Raquel Rodriguez vs. Tiffany Stratton vs. Kiana James (2026 Women’s Elimination Chamber Match)
- Randy Orton vs. Cody Rhodes vs. LA Knight vs. Jey Uso vs. Trick Williams vs. Je’Von Evans (2026 Men’s Elimination Chamber Match)
- Becky Lynch vs. AJ Lee (WWE Women’s Intercontinental Championship)
- CM Punk vs. Finn Balor (WWE World Heavyweight Championship)
AEW Collision / 8 p.m. ET / TNT
If you don’t want to watch Elimination Chamber this weekend, you have a couple of other options. First is a taped edition of AEW Collision, which is jam-packed full of some fun matchups. As much as I’m interested to see the “ProtoKada” team debut, and I’m excited to hear another charismatic Thekla promo, I’m most looking forward to the bonkers pairing that is Andrade El Idolo taking on Tomohiro Ishii. That could be some beautiful violence.
- We’ll hear from Thekla
- We’ll hear from MJF
- Skye Blue & Julia Hart vs. Kris Statlander & Thunder Rosa
- Kazuchika Okada & Kyle Fletcher vs. Dante Martin & Darius Martin
- Toni Storm vs. Zayda Steele
- Tommaso Ciampa vs. Jay Lethal
- The Brawling Birds in action
- Tomohiro Ishii vs. Andrade El Idolo
- Josh Alexander, Rocky Romero, Lance Archer & Trent Beretta vs. PAC, Claudio Castagnoli, Wheeler Yuta & Daniel Garcia
NOAH Jr. Tag League Finals / 9 p.m. ET / Wrestle Universe
NOAH’s annual junior tag league will wrap up on Sunday afternoon (Saturday evening in America), with the finalists battling it out inside the legendary Korakuen Hall. Just a couple of months after their dramatic split, brothers Alpha Wolf and Dragon Bane will stand across from eachother in the ring once again this weekend.
Alpha Wolf betrayed Bane in early January, joining the heel Team 2000X squad and cheating his way to a win for the GHC National Championship. While they have crossed paths a couple of times since then, no matchup has been as high-stakes as their tournament final tomorrow night, with the winning team getting a shot at Daga and Daiki Odashima’s tag belts.
Will Wolf get one step closer to becoming a double-belt champ? Or can Bane get his first bit of revenge after the heartbreaking loss earlier this year? Wrestle Universe subscribers will find out later this weekend.
- AMAKUSA & Black Mensore vs. Eita & Katsumi Inahata
- KENTA, Tetsuya Endo & HAYATA vs. Daga, Daiki Odashima & Aoi Takahashi
- BUSHI & Angel Reyes vs. Shuji Kondo & Hayato Koyanagi
- OZAWA, Masa Kitamiya, Tadasuke & Jun Masaoka vs. Atsushi Kotoge, Muhammad Yone, Hi69 & Hajime Ohara
- Kaito Kiyomiya vs. Galeno vs. Harutoki
- Tetsuya Naito & RYUSEI vs. Manabu Soya & Hiroto Tsuruya
- Yoshiki Inamura, Mark Trew & Kieron Lacey vs. Kenoh, Naomichi Marufuji & Shuhei Taniguchi
- Alpha Wolf & Kai Fujimura vs. Dragon Bane & Alejandro (NOAH Jr. Tag League Finals)
Sunday
PWJ March of Champions / 5 p.m. ET / IndependentWrestling.tv
While Sunday is a quiet night for wrestling, I wanted to highlight an independent card out of New Jersey being put on by Pro Wrestling Junkie. The up-and-coming promotion, which is hosting only its fourth-ever event this weekend, has put tons of stars on their show: AAA World Cruiserweight Champion Laredo Kid will take on Charles Mason in the main event, The Rascalz will take on rising New York-based duo The Mane Event, and a five-way match is set to be contested in a steel cage. If you have a subscription to the underrated IndependentWrestling.tv service, this might be worth checking out.
- Jada Stone vs. Allie Katch vs. Izzy Moreno vs. Gabby Forza
- Dezmond Xavier & Zachary Wentz vs. Jay Lyon & Midas Black
- Ortiz vs. Ryan Clancy
- Emily Jaye vs. Priscilla Kelly (PWJ Women’s Championship)
- Alan Angels vs. Daron Richardson vs. Ryan O’Neill vs. Devious Cass vs. ??? (PWJ Massacre Championship) (Steel Cage Match)
- Dustin Waller & Kylon King vs. Judas Icarus & Travis Williams (PWJ Tag Team Championships)
- Charles Mason vs. Laredo Kid (PWJ Championship)
A few other options before we get out of here…
- GCW will present a doubleheader of cards this weekend, heading to Rochester on Friday, then Hartford on Saturday. I’m personally looking forward to a tag match on the latter of those two cards, where AEW’s Alec Price and Jordan Oliver will defend their tag belts against the “Savage Gnomes” duo of TNA talent Bear Bronson and Gabby Forza (TrillerTV+).
- Airing at 10 p.m. ET on Saturday, so as to avoid going head-to-head with Elimination Chamber, AAA will present a live edition of its weekly TV this weekend. Among the matchups set for this tomorrow’s card in Monterrey is a one-on-one meeting between Dragon Lee and Jack Cartwheel, as well as a four-way bout involving Omos, Pimpinela Escarlata, and rivals Ethan Page and El Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr. (Youtube)
- STARDOM will be live on Saturday afternoon (late Friday night in America) with a title double-header from Korakuen Hall. Both title matchups have a veteran vs. up-and-comer theme to them this weekend: In the main event, 19-year-old Rina will try to take down Wonder of STARDOM Champion Konami to kick off her second-ever title reign. Before then, Akira Kurogane, who has yet to hold a title in her career, will challenge Future of STARDOM Champion HANAKO, who has carried the title for over 150 days. (STARDOM World)
