Elimination Chamber
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The Elimination Chamber is a match type in professional wrestling (seen in World Wrestling Entertainment), which is a variation of the steel cage and Hell in a Cell matches, in that the ring is surrounded by a steel structure of chain and girders, but is circular allowing for four inner chambers to be placed on the apron with platforms keeping the wrestlers from the floor. The metal is black and the chambers are made of 'bulletproof' glass. The match is contested by six wrestlers, two beginning the match and the other four in the glass chambers. After five minutes a chamber opens at random and wrestler is added to the two already competing, and this continues until all men are released. Wrestlers are eliminated by pinfall or submission, leading to some being eliminated before every wrestler is released into the match, and the winner is the final man left after all others have been eliminated.
RAW general manager Eric Bischoff created the match in the fall of 2002 stating it combines elements of the WWE's Royal Rumble, Survivor Series and WCW War Games matches, in that the countdown timer comes from the Rumble and War Games, the enclosed cage format from War Games, and the elimination process from the Rumble and Series.
To date only three Chamber matches have been held, the first two having moments where the 'bulletproof' Chamber glass was shattered during an attack, and the order of entry to the ring matches the 'random' release of the wrestlers into the match in those first two as well. Triple H entered the first two matches as reigning World Heavyweight Champion and was involved in the final pinfall of all three, losing the first and winning the second and third. All three so far have been held with that Championship on the line.
- November 2002 - Triple H vs Shawn Michaels vs Chris Jericho vs Rob Van Dam vs Booker T vs Kane for the World Heavyweight Championship at Survivor Series, Michaels last pinned Triple H to win the Championship. - Survivor Series 2002 - New York, NY
- August 2003 - Triple H vs Shawn Michaels vs Chris Jericho vs Kevin Nash vs Randy Orton vs Goldberg for the World Heavyweight Championship at SummerSlam, Triple H last pinned Goldberg to retain the Championship. - SummerSlam 2003 - Phoenix, AZ
- January 9, 2005 - Triple H vs Orton vs Batista vs Jericho vs Chris Benoit vs Edge for the vacant World Heavyweight Championship at New Year's Revolution, Triple H last pinned Orton to regain the championship. Shawn Michaels was the Special Guest Referee. - New Year's Revolution 2005 - San Juan, PR
With this third match, Triple H and Jericho have both competed in all three Chamber matches, the record, followed by two matches each by Michaels (in the first two) and Orton (in the latter two). Though he was not competing, Michaels was still involved in the third Chamber match as a Special Guest Referee, technically making him participate in all three of the Elimination Chamber matches as well.