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Steel Cage matches have been going on in pro wrestling for over half a century. The first steel cage was more of a wire cage--it literally was contested inside of a cylinder of chicken wire!
Thankfully, those days are long over. The modern Steel cage match is a great deal more exciting and can range from the six sides of steel in Impact wrestling to the gigantic and imposing Hell in a Cell.
The Elimination Chamber occupies a special place in wrestling lore because of the fact that it is an elimination style match and the entry of each superstar is randomized. This means that the fans have no idea when their favorite wrestler will enter the match.
Another unique facet of the Elimination Chamber match is the fact the cage encapsulates the ring and the apron, meaning there is nothing but hard steel waiting for any hapless wrestler who gets thrown over the top rope. Also, the cages holding the wrestlers prior to their entry in the match can be used as weapons themselves. Not to mention they make great platforms to leap off of for a high-risk flying attack!
Given that the Elimination Chamber has been around since 2003, there have been many wild, amazing moments.
Here are ten of the most outrageously entertaining moments inside the satanic structure that have given us the thrill over the years.
#1 Undertaker Chokeslams MVP to Hell
Our first most outrageous Elimination Chamber moment came courtesy of the Undertaker during the Elimination Chamber event at No Way Out, back in 2008.
Though he's now mostly retired, during this era MVP was one of the most highly decorated wrestlers on the roster. During the Elimination Chamber match, he sought to climb on top of one of the pods to gain an advantage on a prone Undertaker.
Unfortunately, you can't ever count the Deadman out. The Undertaker suddenly recovered in his usual style and climbed up the pod after MVP. What follows is one of the biggest chokeslams in pro wrestling history.
There is just something about The Undertaker when he enters a steel structure. He always ensures that there is maximum damage inflicted and will go to any level to execute this.
#2 Rob Van Dam's tremendous Five Star Frog Splash from the top of a pod
For our next most outrageous Elimination Chamber Moment, we go all the way back to the very first time the match took place, at Survivor Series 2002.
The competition during the first ever Elimination Chamber event was fierce and left its combatants bruised, and in the case of the King of Kings Triple H, bloody. Rob Van Dam laid the game low and then ascended to the top of an Elimination pod.
After giving his famous appeal to the crowd -- ROB... VAN.... DAM -- RVD leapt into the air and came crashing down atop the helpless Triple H. What's even more amazing is that the Five Star Frog Splash itself is the fact that Triple H was able to continue the fight, albeit after a long time recovering on the mat.
You can bet on RVD to execute some high spots in any kind of match and when it's the elimination chamber, you know that he's got something up his sleeve.
#3 Goldberg delivers a devastating spear right through the Elimination chamber pod wall
The next most outrageous Elimination Chamber moment comes courtesy of the master of the Jackhammer, Bill Goldberg, at Summerslam 2003.
Back during the time when they were both in World Championship Wrestling, Chris Jericho--then known as "Lionheart" if you can believe that--spent a lot of effort mocking the Jewish smashing machine known as Goldberg. Jericho copied Goldberg's entrance, complete with his own 'personal security' force...
The two never really had a proper match, though Goldberg did spear and Jackhammer Jericho. It seems like Bill Goldberg has a long memory because when he saw an opportunity to devastate Chris Jericho in the Elimination Chamber, he took it. Jericho would crash through the glass barrier of an elimination pod in a spectacular moment.
Goldberg was all raw power back in the day and delivered a spear that would shatter the frame of the pod and floor Jericho.
#4 The Lunatic Fringe Dean Ambrose makes short work of Lone Wolf Baron Corbin
Our next moment doesn't involve the usual amount of carnage as the rest of the examples on this list but is shocking and outrageous nonetheless because of its suddenness and the fact that it was totally unexpected.
Baron Corbin was an ex-football player for the National Football League and was a golden gloves boxer in his youth. Given that he was fired from the NFL for having a surly attitude, among other factors, it should come as no surprise that he might be a bit on the volatile side.
During Corbin's first Elimination Chamber appearance, he made a grave error. He was so focused on The Miz, assuming the Awesome One would be the next WWE superstar to enter the match, that he didn't realize Dean Ambrose had been released from his pod. Ambrose used the most basic wrestling move, the schoolboy rolled up and pinned Corbin, ending his dreams of being champion.
An incensed Baron Corbin would savagely attack the Lunatic Fringe, effectively removing him from the match as well.
#5 Shawn Michaels interjects himself into the match by coming through the floor
Our next totally outrageous Elimination Chamber moment comes courtesy of the 2010 pay-per-view, entitled, appropriately enough, Elimination Chamber.
There has been a long, storied history of the animosity between The Undertaker and the Heart Break Kid Shawn Michaels. It all started way back at the famous Summerslam match between Undertaker and Bret Hart. Shawn Michaels was named a special guest referee, and given his rivalry with the Hitman, everyone expected some sort of Screwjob.
However, Shawn Michaels inadvertently hit the Undertaker with a steel chair, allowing Hart to pick up the win. Then, turning heel, HBK continued to beat down an already injured Undertaker, leading to the first ever Hell in Cell match.
Their rivalry continued well into the new millennium, it came to a head at the Elimination Chamber in 2010. Though he was not part of the match, HBK snuck up through the chamber floor and hit the Undertaker with sweet chin music, taking the Deadman out.
#6 Sasha Banks kicks Bayley off of a chamber pod
Just so you don't think that only men can have outrageous moments in the Elimination Chamber, our next high spot comes from the Elimination Chamber match for the Raw Women's title at Elimination Chamber 2018.
Back in the day, the Boss n' Hug connection seemed to be on the same page, but they didn't always see eye to eye. In fact, they were once the most bitter of rivals. During the Elimination Chamber match for the RAW Women's title, Alexa Bliss and Sasha Banks were battling it out on top of one of the chamber pods.
When Bayley sought to scale the imposing steel structure and make it a three-way dance, Sasha Banks put her foot down -- literally! In a savage moment that could only have happened inside the Elimination Chamber, the Boss brutally kicked her future BFF and tag team partner right off the pod, resulting in a nasty landing for the Hugger.
#7 John Morrison dives all the way from the chamber dome
John Morrison is currently back in the WWE and wrestling as a part of tag team setup with The Miz.
But back in 2011 at the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view, he was still struggling to escape from the mid-card doldrums. Morrison was one a contestant on the Tough Enough reality show competition that aired on the MTV network, where the winner would be granted a WWE contract.
Morrison eventually joined the Raw roster, initially calling himself Johnny Blaze, then Johnny Nitro, then just plain John Morrison. Already quite athletic, he began to study the French art of Parkour, or free running, learning to navigate urban obstacles in order to further his wrestling craft.
John Morrison would scale the domed roof of the Elimination Chamber, a dizzying twenty feet above the ring, and then dove down upon his current tag team partner and best friend, the Miz.
It looked like poetry in motion and was just another example of how good Morrison is at executing high spots.
#8 The Rated-R Superstar lives up to his name by sneak attacking Kofi Kingston -- and taking his spot
The saying cheaters never prosper has no meaning when you're the Rated-R Superstar!
Edge was once a beloved babyface and hero to the WWE Universe, but upon his return from a serious neck injury, he quickly turned into a vile, volatile, and hostile heel. Dubbed the Ultimate Opportunist because he cashed in his Money in the Bank briefcase on an already bedraggled champion, he again lived up to his name in the No Way Out pay-per-view back in 2011.
The match was Edge's second bout of the night. He had already lost his Smackdown WWE Championship in a hard-fought contest. Undaunted, the Rated-R Superstar would sneak attack Kofi Kingston -- that poor guy just couldn't catch a break -- and then stole his spot in the Elimination Chamber match for the Raw World Heavyweight Championship.
Edge would go on to win the event and made history as the first man to lose, then regain, a world title on the same night.
#9 Jeff Hardy's breathtaking Swanton Bomb
For our penultimate Elimination Chamber moment, we go back to the 2009 Pay per view of the same name and check in with our favorite charismatic enigma daredevil risk taker, Jeff Hardy.
When you're taking on someone who outweighs you by over two hundred pounds, you have to pull out all the stops. Fortunately for Jeff Hardy, that's just what he does best. The Charismatic Enigma would scale the imposing steel structure, perch himself atop one of the Elimination Chamber superstar pods, and then deliver a crushing Swanton Bomb to the massive Big Show.
Hardy rarely uses the Swanton Bomb any more because of the wear and tear his two decades of in-ring action have taken on his body, but back in 2009, he used it to perfection on a man who was massively larger than himself.
Hardy is one of the few wrestlers whose wrestling style is extremely difficult to replicate and this video goes on to show you just why.
#10 A middle-aged Shawn Michaels outlasts the competition to reign once more as champion
For our final, and perhaps most satisfying moment from Elimination Chamber history, we go back to the very first time the WWE put on the brutal event.
Shawn Michaels had basically retired from the ring in 1998 after numerous back injuries, a battle with substance abuse, and other personal issues took their toll on him physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Shawn Michaels would say that he had 'lost his smile' and therefore his passion for Sports Entertainment.
However, he would make an unexpected comeback in 2002, returning to in-ring action despite the fact that he was a decade older than the youngest person in the Elimination Chamber match. Not only did HBK deliver an outstanding performance, many believe he may have actually been better after his years of semi-retirement.
Shawn Michaels would go the distance, outlasting chamber favorites Kane, Chris Jericho and even his old best friend Triple H to capture the WWE World championship one more time. It was a comeback story for the ages, and the fans loved every minute of it.
Here you have it; Ten outrageous moments from Elimination Chamber history. Questions or comments? Please leave them below the article, and as always thanks for reading!
