The Elimination Chamber is potentially the deadliest structure in the history of WWE. Having been created nearly 15 years ago, it's had some iconic moments during its existence, which includes appearances by some of the biggest stars in the history of WWE. So naturally, that means there have been some pretty iconic names to have come out victorious.
Its position in the WWE calendar has changed on many different occasions, but now it's all set to return to its February slot this Sunday. John Cena will defend the WWE Championship against some of SmackDown Live's biggest names, and it's made us want to take a trip down memory lane to work out which Chamber triumphs stood out above the rest.
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That's not to say that there have been any desperately depressing results, but there have been a few occasions in which fans have groaned and said, "really?" when realising who would be going into WrestleMania as either the WWE Champion or World Heavyweight Champion.
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Because of that, it's important to remember the positives as we head into what could be one of the most unpredictable pay-per-views of the year. With that said, let's take a look at the five greatest ever Elimination Chamber victories.
#5 Jack Swagger (Elimination Chamber 2013)
Heading into Elimination Chamber 2013, nobody was quite sure who would be walking out as the number one contender for the World Heavyweight Championship. There were three or four guys who had a realistic chance of winning the whole thing, which made it all the more surprising and exciting when Jack Swagger came out of nowhere to book his place at WrestleMania 29.
Chris Jericho, Daniel Bryan, Kane, Mark Henry and Randy Orton all put on a great show, in what was one of the more interesting Chamber matches of recent times. Swagger's risky new gimmick alongside manager Zeb Colter completely renewed his career, and it's a shame that his push was slightly derailed from this point onwards, as it could have been a really fascinating storyline.
We jump three years into the past for this next entry.
#4 Chris Jericho (Elimination Chamber 2010)
In terms of star power, the Chamber match for the World Heavyweight Championship back in 2010 had a mixed bag. The Undertaker was defending his strap against Jericho, R-Truth, John Morrison, CM Punk and Rey Mysterio during a sort of transition period for the WWE. It was an entertaining enough match, but it's the ending that takes this to a whole new level.
Just as it seemed like ‘Taker would be walking away with the championship, Shawn Michaels nailed The Deadman with Sweet Chin Music which allowed a stunned Jericho to pick up the victory. It was surprising to some and predictable to others, but either way, it provided us with an ending that had people talking for weeks to come.
Plus, you can never go wrong with Y2J as champion. Once again we rewind the clock to the Ultimate Opportunist.
#3 Edge (No Way Out 2009)
Early on in the night back at No Way Out 2009, it seemed as if Edge's WrestleMania 25 dreams were crashing down around him. He lost the WWE Championship in the first Chamber match of the night with Triple H coming out victorious in a bout that also included Big Show, Jeff Hardy, Vladimir Kozlov and The Undertaker.
An interesting field with a less than popular outcome.
However, later in the night, Edge had his "water into wine" moment as he surprisingly entered the World Heavyweight Championship version of the Chamber and went on to win the title. He outlasted John Cena, Chris Jericho, Kane, Mike Knox and Rey Mysterio on his way to claiming yet another World Title, as the Rated R Superstar lived up to his dastardly persona once again.
Speaking of which, the next entry features Mr Doctor of Thuganomics himself.
#2 John Cena (New Year's Revolution 2006)
John Cena has battled against some pretty difficult odds over the years, but at New Year's Revolution he really did have his back against the wall. In the Elimination Chamber match against Kurt Angle, Shawn Michaels, Kane, Chris Masters and Carlito, the two latter competitors took it upon themselves to team up in an attempt to dethrone the WWE Champion.
Obviously, it didn't come to fruition, but by the end of the match Cena was a bloody mess and was only able to retain the belt, courtesy of a desperate roll up which showed just how battered he was. Oh, and if we hadn't already mentioned, this was also the event where Edge cashed in his Money In The Bank contract and defeated Cena to win the World Title for the first time in his career.
To finish up we go all the way back to the inaugural Chamber match.
#1 Shawn Michaels (Survivor Series 2002)
Nobody thought Shawn Michaels would ever wrestle again in 2002, but by November of that year, he was able to call himself the World Heavyweight Champion. After coming back to face Triple H at SummerSlam in a No Holds Barred match, HBK went on to completely revitalise his career, which involved entering the first ever Elimination Chamber.
He was up against some pretty solid competition with Triple H, Booker T, Chris Jericho, Rob Van Dam and Kane making up the guest list for this VIP event. It came down to the two former DX members and HBK managed to nail The Game with Sweet Chin Music, winning his first World Title since retiring due to back issues four years earlier.
Honestly, if you haven't watched this, please go and do so now - it's fantastic.
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