Elimination Chamber had been one of the most favored gimmick matches by the fans and WWE is organizing this match type for more twenty two years. Since its very first match, the promotion has organized some amazing Chamber matches and legendary wrestlers like John Cena and Triple H have competed inside this Chamber.
From 2008, the Chamber was organized as a tool to promote WrestleMania only, and from 2010, it got a dedicated pay per view event by its name which replaced the previous No Way Out event. But it has always been used as an event to promote WrestleMania. Before 2008, the Chamber match had been used as a separate gimmick match that had nothing to do with WrestleMania.
Elimination Chamber: WWE Hall of Famer Reveals His Fear Before Entering The First Ever Chamber Match
The first ever Chamber match took place back in Survivor Series 2002. It was a RAW exclusive match after the newly introduced brand extension and the World Heavyweight Champion Triple H defended the title against Rob Van Dam, Booker T, Kane, Chris Jericho, and Shawn Michaels. Booker T recently remembered entering this match and explained why he was scared before entering this match. Speaking with Shawn Michaels on WWE’s YouTube channel, he said;
The first ever Elimination Chamber match took place at Survivor Series 2002
“I remember the empty arena, I was sitting there with Hunter. I’m looking at the structure, and the first thing I say is, somebody’s gonna get f*cked up tonight really bad, that was the first thing I said. I was looking at the structure and I was frightened. I was scared. If you watch me in the match I’m so timid. I didn’t want to fall on anything.”
“It didn’t have any give. What I remember on the outside, all of that is steel grate. If you hit an elbow, it split open. You drop a knee on it you’re going to be busted open. You’re going to be cut up. It’s scary.”
Shawn Michaels was the winner of the first ever Elimination Chamber match
“This is the first time it had been done, we were all flying by the seat of our pants. For me, I was trying to figure out how to get through this match without getting hurt. That’s the only thing I was thinking. I’m not winning [laughs], how can I get out this thing?”
The first ever Elimination Chamber is still remembered as one of the best Chamber matches of all time. It was also the first time the WWE World Heavyweight title was dropped. Shawn Michaels came out victorious in this match last eliminating Triple H from the match. 22 years have passed, but this match still remains a classic.
H/T to ITR Wrestling
