WWE history – 4 – The brutal Elimination Chamber
It is even horrible to imagine flesh meeting steel inside a demonic structure. WWE wrestling superstars actually live in the moment when they participate in the gruelling Elimination Chamber match. An Elimination Chamber match has actually shortened careers of many wrestlers. Wrestlers put everything at stake when they enter the demonic structure made up of steel. An Elimination Chamber basically includes a steel cage which is closed from the roof. The floor of the structure is also made of steel and is at the level of the ring.
10 tonnes of hard structural grade steel is required to make the complete structure. The structure has four chambers on its corners made up of bullet proof grade glass. Four top wrestlers stand inside the glass chambers which are then locked by the referees. Two more wrestlers enter the ring and start the fight. After some mentioned time, referees randomly open a glass chamber to unleash a new wrestler to create havoc and destruction. Shortly all six wrestlers stand in the ring and fight with a championship belt on the line. A wrestler could be eliminated by a pin fall or a submission during the fight. The last remaining wrestler wins the elimination chamber match and the championship.
The rules may initially appear simple but it is one h**l of a fight as wrestlers risk it all in the jungle of steel to win the title. Some wrestlers prefer to take the fight outside the ring where they punish their opponents on the steel floor. There have been moments in the Elimination Chamber match when some wrestlers were so scared of the carnage that they refused to leave their glass chambers. It was the New Year’s revolution Elimination Chamber match in January 2005 when The Game, Triple H refused to leave his chamber. The mighty Goldberg broke the hard glass with kicks and punches to drag Triple H out.
In an Elimination Chamber match, it is crucial for the fighters to score a pin early in the match. Otherwise the steel structure could become more crowded once all six wrestlers are unleashed from their chambers. It is normally so hard to fight alone that many wrestlers create alliances while fighting in this gruelling match for a short period of time. Surviving the complete fight is a remarkable accomplishment in itself.
Elimination Chamber started at Survivor Series in 2002 and since then wrestlers have participated in this kind of fight 9 times only. Fighters punished each other on the steel walls and most importantly on the unpadded steel floor outside the normal ring. The great high flying athlete, Rob Van Dam executed the five-star ‘frog splash’ on the Game, Triple H from the top of a glass enclosure. Triple H suffered an injury and was sent to a medical facility for treatment after the match. But Triple H earned acclaim from wrestling fans and pundits as he continued to fight more than half an hour after receiving the injury but ultimately lost his title to the Heart Break kid, Shawn Michaels.
One of the most hardcore moments occurred during an Elimination Chamber match when the youth icon, John Cena retained his championship after defeating five other great wrestlers. John Cena was covered in blood and could not stand on his two feet after the tough and gruelling fight. When John Cena scored his last pin to eliminate the last wrestler, Edge appeared on the scene and cashed in his Money in the Bank contract after delivering a spear to John Cena. Cena could not fight as the demonic steel structure of Elimination Chamber had broken his spirits.
Wrestlers often fail to stand on their feet after participating in an Elimination Chamber but the prize is great as the winner holds the Championship belt in front of wrestling fans.
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