As 2018’s Elimination Chamber prepares to make history with the first-ever women’s Chamber, we thought it was time to look back at some of the best moments of previous Chambers to get us hyped up for Sunday!
Steph Franchomme: Tag-Team Elimination Chamber 2015 – The Spider Kalisto
As we’re about to witness the first ever Women’s Elimination Chamber match, let’s not forget we had the chance to watch the first-ever tag team elimination match in 2015. WWE Tag Team Champions The New Day, The Lucha Dragons, Los Matadores, The Ascension, The Prime Time Players and Tyson Kidd & Cesaro squared off in the 20th Elimination Chamber match. While the structure is quite unapologetic, it does allow for some very interesting moves. The Lucha Dragons, dual masked high-flyers, proved it, jumping from the top of the pods. While chaos was erupting in the middle of the ring, Kalisto started to scale the Chamber, reaching the roof high above the matt. How many times did we think he would fall while climbing? But when he rose to the top and plunged to take out every competitor below, it was a jaw-dropping move the WWE universe was not ready to forget.
Josh White: Elimination Chamber 2012 – Santino almost winning after the cobra
Santino, it was so unbelievable they made it believable that he could actually win after he hit the cobra. In an age where the big WWE booked lazily (and still do for the main part), it was a stroke of genius. Bet Vince took all the credit when it probably had nothing to do with him!
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aud3e1RnIow]
Steph Franchomme: Elimination Chamber 2011 – The Prince of “Chamber Parkour”
The concept of Parkour is to use every possible element of your environment to climb, jump or swing. At this game, John Morrison has always been a master, earning him the nickname “The Prince Of Parkour”. In a place like the Elimination Chamber, that is not stacked with climbable obstacles, Morrison was able to climb and swing. Facing John Cena, CM Punk, R-Truth, Randy Orton and Sheamus for the #1 Contendership for the WWE Championship match at WrestleMania XXVII, Morrison showed his athleticism. He climbed to the top of the Chamber itself with such easiness it was mind-blowing. The Guru Of Greatness then hung down from above and made a death-defying leap directly on top of the confused Irishman to score a pinfall. If Kalisto did the same a few years later, no one has ever climbed the massive Chamber as swiftly as he did.
Lee Hazell: Elimination Chamber 2015- Mark Henry’s early entrance
My favourite Elimination Chamber moment is something almost derived out of Schadenfreude, the German concept of deriving pleasure out of misfortune. My favourite Elimination Chamber moment comes during the only time when the Intercontinental Championship was on the line. Yeah that’s right. It’s when Mark Henry’s chamber busted open way too early. Wade Barrett sends Dolph Ziggler’s head towards Henry’s pod. Only instead of Dolph’s head bouncing off the glass, the glass pops out like it’s the last Pringle in the tube. Mark stands like a deer caught in headlights wondering if this means he has to start fighting? The ref mouths to him “Go ahead.” I mean, he has to right? It’s no disqualification. It probably hurt his character to be seen asking permission to kick ass. Anyway, the match goes from being a footnote in history to being a three-page feature on disaster. No one has a clue what to do, the ending is a mess and no one gets out of the Chamber clean. So why is it my favourite? Because it proves my point that the Elimination Chamber is the worst stipulation in regular WWE rotation. It fits six (and now seven!) competitors in a smaller space than usual. They have no room to move and while WWE is PG rated, there is no possibility that the brutality the structure suggests is ever going to be delivered upon. It is an infuriating stipulation that is poorly equipped to deliver the excitement and energy that is promised every year.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0LrfKw3q1n8]
Josh White: SummerSlam 2003 – Goldberg spearing Jericho through the Chamber door
Goldberg putting Jericho through the Chamber door. For me, it was almost a tale of your classic full circle, closing the book on an age-old story. Jericho gave Goldberg so much shit back in WCW, for me it’s one of those moments that will always make me pop huge. Plus the visual way back when as a then 12-year-old (I think I was 12, I’m 27 now so it was a long time ago!) was just awesome.
James Toal: New Year’s Revolution 2006 – Edge’s Money In The Bank Contract
While not a moment that happened within the Elimination Chamber match itself, it’s still a damn solid event that sticks in my head to this day. It was New Year’s Revolution in 2006, John Cena had just won the match and successfully retained his WWE championship (yes the spinny one). But before John could go to clean himself up, Vince McMahon came down and instructed the cage to be raised as this night was not over. Edge was cashing in his money in the bank contract, meaning that a bloodied Cena would have to defend his championship one last time. As you would expect, Edge beat Cena to become WWE champion for the first time. A night of surprising firsts, and a moment that proved Edge had indeed earned a spot on the main event scene.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MBoT5QUGqQQ]
Elizabeth Birt: No Way Out 2009 – Jeff Hardy Swanton Bomb!
The immaculate Swanton Bomb that Jeff Hardy executed on Big Show from the top of one of the pods at No Way Out in 2009 is definitely one that lives on in the memory of many of those who witnessed it. The precise timing of the move’s execution from such a great height showed a precedent for danger and provided a moment that still sticks in the mind 9 years later!