15 Best Elimination Chamber Matches

15 Best Elimination Matches According to The Wrestling Classic

Originally Written for ONE37PM

Hey everyone! It’s The Wrestling Classic here with another list for On37PM. This time around I will be ranking the 15 best Elimination Chamber matches according to me. There will be two Elimination Chamber matches coming up on February 19th in Saudi Arabia. One match for the WWE Championship and the other match for a shot at the Raw Women’s Championship at Wrestlemania. I felt like it was the perfect time to get this list about Satan’s Prison out of my system.

The Elimination Chamber was introduced in 2002 by Eric Bischoff. It was WWE’s answer to World Championship Wrestling’s War Games but with its own rules and unique structure. It was a chain-linked structure with four metal and glass pods that wrestlers wait in until they’re selected to enter the match. The match is an elimination based match where competitors get eliminated by pinfall or submission. The match usually consists of six participants unless it features tag teams or extra participants. For example, there was a seven person chamber once which meant, it started with three participants in the ring. Usually though the match begins wit two participants in the ring and the other four in pods. There has been 28 chamber matches already and there are always high stakes. Regardless if there have been adaptations to the structure itself to make it a little more safer, it is still considered one of the most dangerous matches in WWE.

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15 Best Elimination Chamber Matches

15. Elimination Chamber 2013
Participants – Randy Orton, Mark Henry, Chris Jericho, Daniel Bryan, Jack Swagger & Kane

Jack Swagger won the 2013 Elimination Chamber. I think that is the only reason it gets forgotten but it was actually really good. Jericho and Bryan held it down as the work-horses of the match. Swagger and Kane came through using their size and power to slow things down. Randy Orton came in being as methodical and slick as Randal usually is. Mark Henry came through in a dominant form causing carnage, eliminating both Bryan and Kane with World Strongest Slams. When Henry got eliminated after a big boot, code breaker and RKO he made sure to reenter the chamber to hit all three remaining participants with World’s Strongest Slam. Orton and Jericho were the favorites to win the match but after Orton caught Jericho with an RKO to eliminate him, Swagger stole the win with the roll-up of doom. This match really did have a little bit of everything and never really felt slow. Definitely one of the better forgotten Chamber matches.

Reward – World Heavyweight Championship Match at Wrestlemania 29
Winner – Jack Swagger

14. Elimination Chamber 2011
Participants – Edge (C), Big Show, Drew McIntyre, Wade Barrett, Rey Mysterio & Kane

When watching all the Elimination Chamber matches back to write this list, I found this match to be under-appreciated. It was during a weird period for the company where I wasn’t watching as loyally so I didn’t really remember this match. I also am not the biggest fan of Edge as a babyface but he was the World Champion. This was during the time the company was trying to keep the tradition of both World Championships being at stake at Elimination Chamber. Although Drew McIntyre and Wade Barrett were more fresh on the scene, the other three men were seasoned veterans. The match started with Edge and Rey Mysterio which is always a solid match up. From the moment Big Show entered the match, the pace picked up and never slowed down. The fans were invested the entire time. It came down to Edge and Rey Mysterio at the end filled with near falls but ultimately the Rated R Superstar was able to retain his championship. Royal Rumble winner Alberto Del Rio made his presence felt after the match by attacking Edge only for Christian to return. It’s a good watch.

Reward – World Heavyweight Championship
Winner – Edge

13. Elimination Chamber 2019
Participants – Daniel Bryan (C), AJ Styles, Jeff Hardy, Kofi Kingston, Randy Orton & Samoa Joe

The target on the “The Planet’s Champion” Daniel Bryan’s back was getting bigger and bigger. Although he had Rowen watching his back it wasn’t enough to save him and his new hemp and wood WWE Championship. Triple H would book Bryan in an Elimination Chamber match against AJ Styles, Randy Orton, Jeff Hardy, Samoa Joe and Mustafa Ali. Prior to the match Ali was legitimately injured and replaced by Kofi Kingston. I don’t think anyone expected it change the course of Wrestlemania but it really was the birth of Kofimania. Kingston had never gotten a shot at the WWE Championship throughout his 12 years with the company. The match was stacked with talent that you could consider to win the match but Kofi had to be the ultimate underdog here. It was shocking when he eliminated Orton with a Trouble in Paradise to be in the final two with Daniel Bryan. Although, he didn’t pick up the victory the fans were now behind Kofi Kingston. It was ironic that it was against Daniel Bryan who was in a similar position five years prior at the peak of the Yes Movement.

Reward – WWE Championship
Winner – Daniel Bryan

12. Summerslam 2003
Participants – Triple H (C), Goldberg, Randy Orton, Kevin Nash, Chris Jericho & Shawn Michaels

It was just eight months after the first ever Elimination Chamber match at Survivor Series and the WWE wanted to bring it back for Summerslam. The landscape had changed a lot since then. Shawn Michaels had lost the championship back to Triple H. Triple H had been on a reign of terror forming Evolution and overcoming all of his foes by any means necessary. Kevin Nash had returned to the WWE after being sidelined in 2002 and Goldberg made his debut in the WWE after Wrestlemania. Triple H was initially scheduled to wrestle Goldberg in a singles match but it eventually got changed into an Elimination Chamber match by Co-General Manger “Stone Cold” Steve Austin. Although, this match was really a means to an end since Triple H was injured in reality and this would protect him more than being in a singles match. Everyone knew this match was about Goldberg and Triple H so it wasn’t shocking that Goldberg would dominate the match as soon as he entered eliminating three men leaving it down to just Triple H and himself. The only underwhelming part of this match was Triple H still won when this should have been Goldberg’s moment.

Reward – World Heavyweight Championship
Winner – Triple H

11. Elimination Chamber 2010
Participants – The Undertaker (C), CM Punk, Chris Jericho, Rey Mysterio, John Morrison & R-Truth

The Elimination Chamber match became such a staple in the WWE that by 2010 it became its own annual PPV named after the match. Similar to the No Way Out PPV that took place the year prior, both World Championship titles would be defended in chamber matches as the final stop on the road to Wrestlemania.

Undertaker would defend his championship against six of Smackdown’s top contenders including former champions such as Chris Jericho, Rey Mysterio and CM Punk.  The underlying storyline was that Shawn Michaels was desperate to get a rematch with Undertaker at Wrestlemania following his loss to him at Wrestlemania 25. The Undertaker refused to wrestle Shawn Michaels again which drove HBK crazy. Michaels would sneak his way into the chamber to hit the sweet chin music on Undertaker allowing Jericho to become to World Champion. It was something we had never seen in the chamber before. CM Punk was also in his Straight Edge Society era, so his promos were always entertaining. Undertaker competed in this match after being burned by a pyrotechnic botch which also speaks levels on his toughness.

Reward – World Heavyweight Championship
Winner – Chris Jericho

10. No Way Out 2009
Participants – Edge (C), Jeff Hardy, Vladimir Kozlov, Big Show, Triple H & Undertaker

At the Royal Rumble 2009 event it was announced that there would be two Elimination Chamber matches at No Way Out where both world championship titles would be defended. Edge defeated Jeff Hardy at the Rumble so this would also be Hardy’s rematch for the belt. Vladmir Kozlov, Big Show, Undertaker and Triple H would also qualify as participants. Jeff Hardy would eliminate Edge in the opening moments of the match which meant there would be a new champion crowned by the end of the match. It was the fist time I remember the champion being the first elimination and it just elevated the excitement for the match even more. With names like Jeff Hardy, Triple H, Big Show and Undertaker in the match, it really could end multiple different ways. The final two were Undertaker and Triple H who put on a great fight against each other with a few suspenseful near falls. It took pedigree’s but Triple H would eventually be able to overcome The Phenom.

Reward – WWE Championship
Winner – Triple H

9. Elimination Chamber 2018
Participants – Alexa Bliss (C), Bayley, Sasha Banks, Mandy Rose, Sonya Deville & Mickie James

Although this may not have been the greatest Elimination Chamber, it was a first. For the first time ever the women competitors entered Satans Structure a whole 16 years since it was introduced to fans of sports entertainment. It was bound to happen as we had the first ever women’s Royal Rumble, Hell in a Cell, Money in the Bank and other matches in the few years leading up to this match.

Alexa Bliss walked in as the Raw Women’s Champion defending it against former champions such as Mickie James, Sasha Banks and Bayley as well as motivated contenders such as Sonya Deville and Mandy Rose. Deville and Rose worked together against Bayley until Banks entered to even the odds leading to eliminate Rose. James was eliminated before Bliss even entered but was able to eliminate Deville before her depature. The final three were Alexa, Sasha and Bayley. On paper it seemed unlikely that Bliss would be able to escape with her championship against the Boss N’ Hug Connection. The beginning of the end was when Sasha would turn on Bayley. This would eventually lead to Alexa retaining. The promo after the match from Bliss was great too. Overall, the women proved they could hang in the chamber.

Reward – Raw Women’s Championship
Winner – Alexa Bliss

8. New Years Revolution 2006
Participants – John Cena (C), Carlito, Chris Masters, Kurt Angle, Kane & Shawn Michaels

In the attempt to start a new tradition, New Years Revolution 2006 was headlined by an Elimination Chamber match for the WWE Championship. John Cena would be forced to defend his championship against seasoned veterans like Shawn Michaels, Kane and Kurt Angle and hungry young stars like Carlito and Chris Masters. John Cena was on his first championship reign where he had won the title at Wrestlemania in April and been champion for 280 days. It really started to feel like nobody was going to be able to dethrone the leader of the chain gang. This was his hardest obstacle he would have to overcome. Angle and Kane were fired up. Michaels was one step ahead of everybody until he wasn’t. The odds seemed to be stacked against Cena especially when Carlito and Masters started working together before that fell apart leading to Cena’s victory. This match is mostly remembered for what took place right after which was the first ever Money in the Bank cash in by Edge but the build up to that moment was great too.

Reward – WWE Championship
Winner – John Cena

7. Elimination Chamber 2019
Participants – Boss N Hug Connection, Carmella and Naomi, Nia Jax and Tamina, Fire N’ Desire, The Riott Squad & The IIconics

On the Christmas episode of Raw in 2018, Vince McMahon announced that they would finally be introducing Women’s Tag Team Titles. There was an influx of women in the division by this time and many working as teammates in tag team matches without anything to really pursue. At the time this made complete sense and felt really long overdue, even though the booking of the division has kind of flopped in recent years.

It was a great idea to crown the first ever women’s tag champions along with another first ever situation. This match was the first time the women would have a chamber match featuring tag teams. Although Carmella and Naomi and Jax and Tamina came off as a tag teams thrown together last minute, the rest of the teams in this match had been established over the past year. The IIconics and Fire N’ Desire both looked very strong in this match. They allowed Tamina and Jax to dominate briefly before Jax went through a glass pod. The right team won in the end with Sasha Banks and Bayley winning this historic match with historic implications becoming the first ever women’s tag champions.

Reward – WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship
Winner – Boss N’ Hug Connection (Sasha Banks & Bayley)

6. No Way Out 2008
Participants – Triple H, Jeff Hardy, Chris Jericho, JBL, Shawn Michaels & Umaga

The 2008 Elimination Chamber was a fun one. It was stacked with top tier talent, especially for 2008. I remember being hyped that the Samoan Bulldozer like Umaga was in the match. He was dominate and even hit a samoan wrecking ball to Jericho through a pod. JBL followed up his elimination by attacking everyone in the ring with a steel chair. It took everyone minus JBL to eliminate Umaga but his chair shot to Umaga might have helped ware down the monster. The final two would be Triple H and Jeff Hardy and this was the year Jeff Hardy’s popularity as a singles star began to reach new heights. In the end though, Triple H would end up defeating the Charismatic Enigma after two pedigree’s including one on a chair. Later in the year Jeff would get his moment against the Game. It was an action packed Chamber match.

Reward – WWE Championship Match at Wrestlemania 24
Winner – Triple H

5. No Way Out 2009
Participants – John Cena (C), Edge, Chris Jericho, Mike Knox, Rey Mysterio & Kane

Both Elimination Chamber matches in 2009 were stellar. This one was little bit better because there was no way to predict the way this match played out based off the build up and way it was promoted. Earlier in the night Edge lost his WWE Championship in the Smackdown Chamber match but found a way to enter the Raw Elimination Chamber match by taking out Kofi Kingston during his entrance. If that wasn’t already unpredictable, then John Cena got eliminated after a codebreaker, 619 and spear which meant there was definitely going to be a new champion. The match would come down to Edge and Rey Mysterio where Edge would pick up the victory after a spear to become the new World Champion. This was match was fast paced and full of surprises.

Reward – World Heavyweight Championship
Winner – Edge

4. Elimination Chamber 2014
Participants – Randy Orton (C), Cesaro, Christian, Daniel Bryan, Sheamus & John Cena

The Elimination Chamber in 2014 was stacked. It was all former World Champions and the Cesaro who was the dark horse favourite in this match. This was the peak of the “Yes Movement” and the fans were heavily behind Daniel Bryan. Everyone thought this would be the way he would find himself in the Wrestlemania main event. Randy Orton walked in the WWE World Heavyweight Champion after defeating John Cena at TLC but we never rule out Cena picking up a surprise victory. There was inference from Wyatt’s here that stopped that from happening which nobody expected though. This set up the Wyatt and Cena feud. They teased the idea that Daniel Bryan could potentially win but when Corporate Kane would come out to help get the Wyatt’s out the chamber, he laid out Bryan with a choke slam. This allowed Orton to easily pick up the scraps. This chamber had the fans invested and the Wyatt appearance was an unexpected surprise.

Reward – WWE World Heavyweight Championship
Winner – Randy Orton

3. New Years Revolution 2005
Participants – Triple H, Randy Orton. Chris Benoit, Batista, Chris Jericho & Edge (Special Referee – Shawn Michaels)

The 2005 Elimination Chamber was filled with drama and layers of storytelling. When you think of the state of Raw from Evolution’s inception in 2003, then the 2005 Elimination Chamber felt like the beginning of the end of that era. All the men involved had crossed paths one way or another during that era. Randy Orton was recently exiled from Evolution. Benoit is one of the few people to have gotten over on Triple H. Edge and Jericho had their issues with Evolution over the years. Batista was gaining popularity and people wanted to see him turn on Triple H while Triple H wanted Batista to help him secure the vacant championship. While special referee Shawn Michaels had basically feuded everyone in the chamber and was currently having issues with Edge. The final three ended up being Orton, Batista and Triple H and more seeds were planted for Evolution’s demise and rise of Batista. It a good watch.

Reward – World Heavyweight Championship
Winner – Triple H

2. Elimination Chamber 2017
Participants – John Cena (C), Bray Wyatt, Baron Corbin, Dean Ambrose, The Miz & AJ Styles

2017 was the year they introduced the new upgraded Elimination Chamber. It was safer for the participants as the surrounding floor was padded rather than just the straight chain linked flooring and the pods became more square giving them more room to stand on top of them to perform moves. This disappointed a lot of fans which didn’t make sense to me because I would rather the superstars be safer than getting hurt just to make it look more dangerous. Regardless, it made the Chamber feel new again.

This one was for the WWE Championship and in the months leading to this event, the title had bounced around from Ambrose to Styles and then to Cena just the month before. Miz, Baron Corbin and Bray Wyatt were introduced into the picture when it came to Elimination Chamber. I don’t think anyone was expecting Bray Wyatt to win the championship since he never had before and his pushes were always so stop and start. The champion John Cena was eliminated by The Eater of Worlds, leaving it a 50/50 chance between Styles and himself on becoming the new champion. Regardless, with Orton being the Royal Rumble winner, this set the table for a Wrestlemania clash with Bray Wyatt who he embroiled in a storyline with. The unpredictability of the title scene at this time really made this match a lot more fun.

Reward – WWE Championship
Winner – Bray Wyatt

1. Survivor Series 2002
Participants – Triple H (C), Shawn Michaels, Chris Jericho, Booker T, Rob Van Dam & Kane

This specific chamber match holds a lot of significance because it was the first ever Elimination Chamber match. The fans went into the match with a ton of speculation and curious of the structure that was being hyped up for weeks. This was also Shawn Michaels second match since returning to wrestling after his five year hiatus. The elimination was stacked with talent that were believable potential champions. None of them have ever worked a match such as this and they didn’t have any to go back and study. Also, everyone outside of Rob Van Dam who was a fan favourite were former World Champions at this point. Triple H got his larynx crushed by Rob Van Dam by accident but still wrestled till he was in the final two. This match also took place in Madison Square Garden in front of a rowdy New York crowd. Every other Chamber match can be great but it will never be first. This chamber match set the bar. It was also really awesome seeing Shawn Michaels win the Big Gold Belt which was something I thought I would never see.

Reward – World Heavyweight Championship
Winner – Shawn Michaels

I hope you all enjoyed this list of the best Elimination Chamber matches in my opinion. Tell me if you disagree and let me know what you think over social media. Ya dig? Oooh Yeah!

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