5 best Elimination Chamber matches in WWE history

No match is WWE is more destructive and catastrophic than the Elimination Chamber. The brainchild of former Raw GM Eric Bischoff, the match has both created and destroyed the careers of various WWE superstars over its 15-year existence in WWE. A combination of the Hell in a Cell, Royal Rumble, and War Games infused together, the Chamber has been a regular fixture of WWE programming, with at least one chamber match taking place every year since 2008(except 2016).

Once reserved only for World Title matches, the Chamber match is now a staple of the February pay-per-view event of the same name. This year, WWE not only presents the first ever seven men Elimination chamber to determine the #1 contender for Brock Lesnar's Universal Title but will also feature a women's Chamber match for the first time in the history of WWE with Alexa Bliss defending her title against five other women.

Ever since those six superstars stepped into this structure for the first time in 2002, the demonic structure has appeared on WWE programming twenty times, producing some of the best multi-man matches in history. Before WWE presents its 8th Annual Elimination Chamber event in Las Vegas on February 25, we take a look at the 5 best matches that have taken place inside the chamber.

#5 Edge(c) vs Wade Barrett vs Kane vs The Big Show vs Drew Mcintyre vs Rey Mysterio for the World Heavyweight Title (Elimination Chamber 2011)

The perfect blend of wrestling and brutality

Alberto Del Rio's victory at the 2011 Royal Rumble granted him a match for the World Heavyweight Title at Wrestlemania XXVII, but he had to wait till Elimination Chamber to find out who his opponent would be as Edge was scheduled to defend his title against five of SmackDown's top superstars inside the Chamber. Kane, Big Show, Wade Barrett, Drew Mcintyre and Rey Mysterio entered the demonic structure, along with the defending champion, with the aim of winning the title and headlining Wrestlemania. Who knew that they would end up producing one of the best chamber matches of all time?

The contest started off as a fast-paced affair with Edge and Mysterio fighting all around the chamber. Barrett entered at number 3 and took control of the match with a pair of Winds of Change to his opponents. The match entered a slow phase as Kane entered and started knocking down the other three competitors with uppercuts and big boots. The pace picked up as Mcintyre entered and sent Mysterio face first into the pod. Mcintyre and Barrett double teamed to take out Kane, but Mcintyre soon turned on his partner. Big Show entered last, going after Barrett straightaway before throwing him through the glass pod and eliminating him after a knockout punch.

A sequence of finishing moves brought an end to Big Show's short stint in the match and Mcintyre soon followed him after he was chokeslammed by Kane. The three chamber veterans then fought for sometime, which ended with Edge spearing both Mysterio and Kane before ending Kane's stint. However, Kane, frustrated with the elimination, chokeslammed both the remaining participants.

In one of the most memorable final two showoffs, the two participants who started off the match were embroiled in an interesting, long sequence which featured submission moves, finishing moves and close calls that had the fans on the edge of their seats for almost 10 minutes. After being hit by the 619 twice, Edge caught Mysterio in mid-air with a spear to win the match after 31:30 minutes. Edge might have walked out of the chamber with the Gold, but it was Mysterio who was the MVP of the match that is now regarded as an instant classic.

#4 Batista vs Chris Benoit vs Edge vs Triple H vs Chris Jericho vs Randy Orton for the vacant World Heavyweight Title (New Years Revolution 2005)

This showdown was a true slobber-knocker.

Randy Orton's expulsion from Evolution after his World Title Win and his subsequent heated feud with his former leader Triple H was the main storyline on Raw during the second half of 2004. After defeating Team Triple H at Survivor Series, Orton booked HHH to defend his Title against Edge and Chris Benoit which ended in a controversial fashion and the title was declared vacant. In order to determine a new World Heavyweight Champion, GM Eric Bischoff booked six of Raw's top superstars - HHH, Orton, Benoit, Edge, Batista and Chris Jericho - in an Elimination Chamber Match at New Year's Revolution. As an added twist, Shawn Michaels was inserted as the special guest referee in the match.

In front of a vocal crowd in San Juan, Benoit and Jericho provided a fun start to the contest, with both hitting each other with chops and suplexes to rile up the crowd. Triple H entered next and assumed control of the match. A face-first smash by HHH onto the chains busted Benoit open. Hunter's pedigree attempt was reversed into a backdrop onto the steel floor by Jericho. Entering #4, Edge took advantage of the situation momentarily before catapulting both Jericho and HHH into the chain walls, busting the former open in the process.

Coming in at number 5, Randy Orton went straight for Triple H before hitting a pair of RKOs on Jericho and Benoit, who had HHH in the sharpshooter. A spear meant for Orton struck the referee Michaels, who responded by hitting Edge with a Sweet Chin Music. A lionsault from Jericho eliminated Edge from the match. In a memorable sequence, Jericho had HHH in the Walls of Jericho when Benoit applied the Crippler Crossface on HHH as well, but it was broken by Batista. Benoit was eliminated soon after Batista, who was on a rampage, hit Jericho with a spine buster onto him. Jericho soon followed him after a Batista Bomb ended his stay.

With two members of Evolution left along with Orton, Batista and HHH decimated Orton for some time before he too got busted open. Orton reversed a Batista Bomb to hit a low blow and an RKO to eliminate Batista. With both remaining participants draped in their own blood, Batista interfered and hit Orton with a clothesline after Michaels was distracted by Ric Flair. This was enough for HHH to recover and hit a pedigree to become the last man standing in the chamber and reclaim the World Heavyweight title in a sensational fashion.

#3 Edge(c) vs Jeff Hardy vs Triple H vs Vladimir Kozlov vs The Big Show vs The Undertaker for the WWE Title (No Way Out 2009)

It all came down to these two legends.

No Elimination Chamber match in the history of WWE has been more star-studded that this classic from 2009 No Way Out. Edge's WWE Championship victory at Royal Rumble against Jeff Hardy, thanks to an interference by Matt Hardy, meant that he would be the WWE Champion heading into the Elimination Chamber. His opponents- Chamber veterans Triple H, Big Show, Jeff Hardy and The Undertaker. The addition of the dangerous Vladimir Kozlov only added to the star power.

Opening the No Way Out PPV in front of an enthusiastic crowd in Seattle, the match started with Edge and Jeff Hardy continuing their heated rivalry from Royal Rumble, but the showdown was short lived as Hardy reversed a spear attempt into a pinfall to eliminate the defending champion in the shock of the night. Entering the chamber for the first time, Vladimir Kozlov completely destroyed Hardy for the next 5 minutes, with Hardy getting only a little offense near the end of the time period. Big Show soon joined Kozlov as they both double teamed to decimate Jeff Hardy, but the alliance was short-lived as the two came to blows as soon as Kozlov knocked down Show with a running headbutt.

The pace picked up as Triple H entered at number 5 and started hitting everyone with clotheslines and spine-busters. Kozlov went head first into the glass pod but was saved by Show from a pedigree on the steel floor. Kozlov and Show, the two heels, obliterated Hardy and HHH for some time before they turned in their favor. Amidst lots of cheering from the fans, an enraged Undertaker entered and started dropping everyone down with his moves. He hit an Old School on HHH, a DDT onto the steel floor to Big Show before Kozlov interfered, but the Last Ride from Undertaker entered his stay in the chamber. Big Show went on a rampage spree, decimating Hardy and HHH, before a suplex from the top rope by The Undertaker, a pedigree from HHH and a Swanton Bomb led to his elimination. Hardy soon fell victim to a Tombstone Piledriver as it came down to HHH and The Undertaker.

Standing opposite each other, with a chance to headline WrestleMania up for grabs, HHH and Taker exchanged blows as Taker took control with a chokeslam for a near fall. HHH fought back with a spinebuster and tried a pedigree on the steel floor, but The Undertaker reversed it and catapulted HHH into the steel walls. A memorable sequence followed as Triple H reversed a tombstone to try one of his own, but Taker reversed it again to hit one for a really close call. With the crowd on their feet, HHH hit a pedigree, but Taker kicked out. After the two traded blows, Taker tried to hit the Last Ride, but HHH reversed it into a pedigree to pin 'The Phenom' and win the WWE Championship for the 13th time as the fans witnessed a captivating contest.

#2 John Cena(c) vs Dean Ambrose vs Baron Corbin vs The Miz vs AJ Styles vs Bray Wyatt for the WWE Title (Elimination Chamber 2017)

The Best Chamber match in recent time

John Cena's victory over AJ Styles in a phenomenal match at Royal Rumble kick-started his record-tying 16th reign as World Champion and, with Randy Orton winning the Rumble match, it gave scares to the fans of another Championship match between Orton and Cena. However, in order to walk into Wrestlemania as WWE Champion, Cena had to go past 5 other men - former champion Styles, The Miz, Bray Wyatt, Baron Corbin and Dean Ambrose - inside the Elimination Chamber. The Chamber had not been seen in the WWE since 2015, and, with a lot of buzz surrounding the new and improved Chamber structure, the excitement for the match was at a whole different level.

The champ Cena started the proceedings with Styles, an epilogue to their Rumble showdown, with each trading blows and also the control of the match in a fun sequence. Ambrose entered the match just as Cena was about to hit a five-knuckle shuffle on Styles and took the match outside the ring. Both Cena and Styles went face into the chains before Ambrose hit a diving elbow on Cena from the top of the pod. A double german suplex by Cena took everyone out as Bray Wyatt made his way into the ring. Wyatt launched Styles into the chains but soon fell victim to his own offense as he crashed into the ring post. Cena was knocked down from the chains by Styles, who then fought with Ambrose on the top of a pod. As Wyatt and Ambrose were fighting on the turnbuckle, Ambrose hit a powerbomb-suplex combination on both Styles and Wyatt in a memorable sequence.

Entering at #5, Corbin went straight after Ambrose, sending him into the chains followed by an End of Days. He took control of the match momentarily but his stay was short lived as Ambrose eliminated him with a schoolboy as he was focussing on the Miz. Frustrated with his elimination, Corbin attacked Ambrose by sending him through the pod before hitting him with an End of Days, allowing Miz to pin the Lunatic Fringe. Miz assumed control of the match by hitting a series of kicks and corner clotheslines on all other participants. He hit Wyatt with a Skull Crushing Finale on the steel floor, but a top rope body drop reversal into an attitude adjustment ended his stint in the Chamber.

The pace picked up with only three men left in the chamber. Cena took control with a double Five Knuckle Shuffle but Styles retaliated with a Styles Clash. Cena countered a phenomenal forearm in an AA for a close call. In one of the most memorable moments of the chamber history, Cena climbed to the top of the pod and hit a double cross body on both Wyatt and Styles but Wyatt soon eliminated him with a Sister Abigail, leaving only him and Styles in the chamber. With the crowd in Pheonix on their feet, Wyatt started pounding on Styles by countering a Phenomenal Blitz into a massive clothesline. AJ retaliated with a Pele Kick and a 450 splash for a close call. AJ went for a phenomenal forearm, but Wyatt countered with a Sister Abigail to earn the biggest victory of his career and the WWE Championship for the first time in his career.

#1 Triple H(c) vs Booker T vs RVD vs Chris Jericho vs Kane vs Shawn Michaels for the World Heavyweight Title (Survivor Series 2002)

The move that earned Michaels his last World Title.

Shawn Michaels' return to the WWE ring in 2002 after a career-threatening match was nothing short of a fairy tale. Having been out of the ring for 4 years, his return feud against former best friend Triple H was nothing short of phenomenal, which gave us a tremendous unsanctioned match at Summerslam. With Triple H being the World Heavyweight Champion and simultaneously feuding with Kane and RVD, the scene was perfectly ripe for a multi-man match at Survivor Series in Madison Square Garden. When Eric Bischoff announced the first ever Elimination Chamber match featuring Raw's 6 top superstars - HHH, Michaels, RVD, Kane, Booker T and Chris Jericho - no one in the world knew that these superstars were about to write history inside the chamber.

The Champ started the proceedings with RVD, producing a fun but brutal first 5 minutes. RVD hurled HHH into the steel walls, busting the champ open, and then hit a monkey flip and a rolling thunder on the steel floor. With RVD climbing to the top of a pod, Jericho pulled his leg inside the pod but he fought back with a senton on HHH outside the ring. Jericho soon entered the match, but RVD sent him outside the ring with a clothesline and then hit a spider-like cross body onto him on the steel floor. Jericho and HHH started doubling teaming on RVD, hitting him with kicks and jabs and hurling him into the steel. Entering at number 4, Booker T took down both Y2J and HHH before facing off with RVD. In the first memorable moment of the chamber, RVD climbed to the top of the pod and hit a 5-star frog splash on HHH, legitimately hurting his larynx, but a missile dropkick from Booker T ended his stay in the chamber.

Kane entered the match and gained control of the match by sending Jericho first into the chains and then through the glass pod, busting him open. A chokeslam from Kane followed by a Lionsault from Jericho eliminated Booker T from the match. Kane controlled the next portion of the match but was knocked down by a dropkick from Jericho. Shawn Michaels entered and tried to capitalize on the situation, but Kane retaliated with a trifecta of Chokeslams on the other three participants. His tombstone attempts ended with him eating a superkick, a pedigree, and a lionsault, leading to his elimination.

Michaels got busted open after HHH and Y2J started double teaming him. Michaels tried to retaliate but was backdropped on the steel floor by Y2J. Jericho continued to dismantle Michaels and tried to pin him, but HHH pulled him away. The two came to blows and Jericho locked HHH into the Walls of Jericho, but Michaels eliminated Jericho with a Sweet Chin Music to leave only him and HHH. With both draped in their own blood, the two former best friends, Michaels hurled HHH into the steel, who recovered by Catapulting Michaels into the glass pod.

The two were involved in a memorable sequence, which ended with Michaels hitting an elbow drop from the top of the chamber. Michaels tried to hit a superkick, but HHH reversed it into a pedigree for a close call. HHH went for another Pedigree, but Michaels backdropped him. A sweet chin music to the chin of HHH and Michaels pinned him to win the first-ever Elimination Chamber and the World Heavyweight Championship. Even after 15 years, the image of Michaels waving his hand with the title on his shoulders remains an iconic image. The match is still the best Chamber match in WWE history.

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