Ranking the Top Five Elimination Chamber Matches
Constructed of 16 tons of steel, and four pods made from one-inch plexiglass, the idea of the Elimination Chamber came to life in 2002 as the main event of that year’s Survivor Series. Since then, the Chamber has been a staple on the WWE’s calendar, eventually giving the match type its own premium live event in 2010. This year, for the first time ever, WWE is going to host Elimination Chamber in Perth, Australia. With the event taking place this Saturday, I’m going to rank my top five Elimination Chamber matches of all time to get you ready for the show. So please, sit back and relax, enjoy the list, and don’t hesitate to share your thoughts on what you agree with, or what you disagree with.
Honorable Mention: The Entire No Way Out 2009
Kicking off with the honorable mention, I’m going to cheat my own system a little bit, because this entry involves both Chamber matches from “No Way Out 2009” (hence why it’s the honorable mention and not in the actual rankings). The opening match on the card consisted of Triple H, The Undertaker, Jeff Hardy, Big Show, Vladimir Kozlov, and WWE Champion Edge battling it out inside the Chamber for Edge’s WWE Championship. The defending champion, Edge, who had only become champion himself the previous month at the Royal Rumble was shockingly pinned after just three minutes by Jeff Hardy, meaning a new champion was guaranteed.
Kozlov and Big Show dominated Hardy before Hardy responded with a breath-taking Swanton off a pod to eliminate Show. The final two were The Undertaker and Triple H. The pair engaged in a back-and-forth seven-minute mini-match of their own, reminiscent of the ending of Royal Rumble 2007. Triple H reversed a Last Ride attempt into a Pedigree to win the match and the title.
The main event saw another Elimination Chamber match, this time for John Cena’s World Heavyweight Championship. The original lineup consisted of Kane, Rey Mysterio, Mike Knox, Chris Jericho, champion John Cena, and Kofi Kingston. However, as Kingston was making his way to the structure, he was attacked by Edge and taken out of the match. Edge then assumed Kingston's place in the match and won by eliminating Mysterio last, winning the World Heavyweight Championship. This was an excellent swerve, having Edge entire the night as WWE Champion, but then leaving as World Heavyweight Champion. Nothing like that had ever happened or has happened since, making it a memorable night.
5. SummerSlam 2003
Participants: Triple H vs. Goldberg vs. Randy Orton vs. Shawn Michaels vs. Kevin Nash vs. Chris Jericho
After joining WWE several months earlier and unsuccessfully getting over with the WWE fans, like he had in WCW, this was Goldberg’s coming out party. This should’ve been the night to crown Goldberg World Champion, but alas that was not the case. He would need to wait a couple more weeks before reaching the pinnacle of the industry.
Goldberg smashed through Randy Orton, Shawn Michaels, and Chris Jericho in rapid fashion after a series of huge, high-impact offensive maneuvers. Triple H entered the match as the reigning World Heavyweight Champion but didn’t exit his pod until the entire field sans Goldberg had been ejected from the bout after tasting a Superkick from Michaels as he attempted to enter the fray. Triple H locked himself in his pod to escape from ‘Da Man’ but Goldberg punched through the glass and annihilated ‘The Game.’ However, Ric Flair sneaked a sledgehammer into the contest and as Goldberg attempted a Spear, Triple H nailed him in the head with his equalizer. Moments later Triple H gets the final pinfall and leaves the structure as champion. Although he didn’t win, Goldberg was the star of the show, and this performance won him over with the WWE fans.
4. Elimination Chamber 2011 (RAW)
Participants: John Cena vs. CM Punk vs. Randy Orton vs. R-Truth vs. King Sheamus vs. John Morrison
Orton and Punk entered this match in the midst of a feud that only intensified here. Orton thought he had the upper hand over Punk when he became trapped in his pod. Orton teed off on Punk, and when he made his way back into the ring, Orton delivered an RKO for an elimination…or so we thought. The anonymous RAW general manager sent an email ruling Punk be re-inserted into the match due to his pod being stuck. When he re-entered, Punk delivered a Go To Sleep to Randy Orton, ending The Viper’s evening.
A workhorse-like performance from Sheamus ensued as he began to show flashes of the in-ring worker he would become. From there, it was the John Morrison show. Morrison scaled the cage in ways that had never been seen before, his practice of parkour enhancing his creativity and ability within the steel confines. He threw himself off the top of the chamber, wiping out his opponent below, and won the crowd over in the process. Ultimately, he would be the second to last competitor eliminated, but not before a breakout performance that really should have resulted in a main event run. Cena would ultimately outlast Punk, punching his ticket to the WrestleMania 27 main event against The Miz.
3. Elimination Chamber 2019
Participants: AJ Styles vs. Jeff Hardy vs. Samoa Joe vs. Randy Orton vs. Kofi Kingston vs. Daniel Bryan
In early 2019, Kofi Kingston was in the midst of his legendary “Kofimania” run. Samoa Joe was the first participant to have his night end, but after he delivered all his big moves and wrecked the other superstars. In a memorable Chamber spot, Jeff Hardy hit a perfect-esque Swanton Bomb off a pod onto AJ Styles.
After Kingston eliminated Orton in a satisfying moment, the final two were Kingston and defending WWE Champion Daniel Bryan. The pair engaged in a 12-minute one-on-one battle in which Kingston had several visual pins on the champion only to be continually denied at the last possible moment. The crowd heat intensified as support for the challenger grew exponentially. His fire was finally extinguished when Bryan countered a splash into the Lebell Lock to earn the submission win. Phenomenal, logical action, masterful storytelling, and a molten hot crowd made this easily one of the finest Chamber matches of all time. A terrific encounter.
2. Elimination Chamber 2017
Participants: John Cena vs. Bray Wyatt vs. AJ Styles vs. Dean Ambrose vs. The Miz vs. Baron Corbin
This is a bittersweet memory. This Chamber match marked the first WWE Championship of the late great Bray Wyatt. John Cena and AJ Styles kicked things off, resuming a rivalry that included a five-star classic a month earlier at the Royal Rumble. Dean Ambrose brought his frenetic energy to the match next, followed by Bray Wyatt. Baron Corbin entered fifth and unloaded, demonstrating a dominance his main roster character would eventually lose somewhere along the line.
As he downed his other opponents and waited for a hesitant Miz to enter the match, Ambrose caught him with a rollup, making The Lone Wolf the first elimination of the bout. He returned the favor, laying Ambrose out and allowing Miz to pin him for the second. Miz showed out, taking the fight to his opponents in an attempt to prove he belonged, only to be caught with the Attitude Adjustment by Cena and sent packing. It would be the defending champion who was shown the door next when, after another dazzling exchange with Styles, he found himself downed by Wyatt with Sister Abigail. After catching Styles’ attempt at a Phenomenal Forearm, Wyatt hit Sister Abigail once again to claim the victory.
1. Survivor Series 2002
Participants: Triple H vs. Shawn Michaels vs. Rob Van Dam vs. Booker T vs. Kane vs. Chris Jericho
Sometimes in life, it’s hard to top an original, that’s the case with the Elimination Chamber. World Champion Triple H encountered all the enemies he had been feuding with throughout the year, and he finally got his comeuppance. ‘The Game’ and Rob Van Dam started the bout and had an exciting exchange. RVD memorably became the first man to perform a move from the top of a pod, nailing (and legitimately) injuring Triple H with a Frog Splash. He also busted Triple H open, which only added to the drama. Kane threw Chris Jericho through the bulletproof glass which earned a monster ovation from the New York crowd. After Booker T eliminated RVD, Booker T was ejected when he suffered a Chokeslam from Kane and a Lionsault from Jericho. The action intensified when Shawn Michaels entered the fray. ‘The Showstopper’ was wrestling only his second WWE match in four years following his enforced absence from the ring post-WrestleMania XIV. It took Sweet Chin Music from Michaels, a Pedigree from Triple H, and a Lionsault from ‘Y2J’ to finally eject Kane from the bout.
After eliminating Jericho, this left the final two as Michaels and Triple H. That set up a nine-minute one-on-one encounter between former buddies, Michaels, and Triple H. Just as he had at SummerSlam, Michaels came out on top. After kicking out of a Pedigree, Michaels reversed a second attempt and smashed the World Heavyweight Champion with Sweet Chin Music to cap off his fairy tale comeback with a World Title win. Violent, bloody, with great brawling and technical action, and fabulous storytelling, the inaugural Elimination Chamber match was a sterling effort from all involved. Every wrestler looked good and hit their spots. The first Chamber match has only been bettered once in the Chamber’s two-decade history.
