6 competitors from the first-ever Men's WWE Elimination Chamber match: Where are they now?

Elimination Chamber is just around the corner, and all eyes are on the two Chamber matches. The men's match will see Seth Rollins, Logan Paul, Damian Priest, CM Punk, John Cena, and Drew McIntyre aiming to punch their ticket to WrestleMania 41.

However, before Elimination Chamber became a standalone PLE, it was a hellish match that became a feature at several other iconic PLEs. In fact, the structure first debuted at Survivor Series way back in 2002.

It has been a whopping 23 years since then, but much like the current format, there were six competitors involved. The superstars in question were vying for the World Heavyweight Championship, but the big question is, where are they now?

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#6. Rob Van Dam is on a WWE Legends contract

The first superstar on this list is Rob Van Dam. Coincidentally, he was also the first one to be eliminated. He is currently on a WWE Legends contract and was even inducted into the Hall of Fame four years ago.

Outside of WWE, he has established his own cannabinoids company and has even made the occasional in-ring return, both at AEW and Pro Wrestling NOAH. Coincidentally, Van Dam was the first superstar to be eliminated in the inaugural Elimination Chamber match by none other than Booker T.

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#5. Booker T is one of the voices of NXT

Speaking of Booker T, he is next on the list, as he was the next superstar eliminated in the match. At the time, King Booker was a WCW legend and one of the best in the business, but he fell short in the Chamber.

Nowadays, he wears many hats in the pro wrestling business. He runs his own wrestling school, has his own podcast, and perhaps most importantly, is one of the voices of NXT alongside Vic Joseph and Corey Graves. He sure has come a long way since Elimination Chamber.

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#4. Kane currently serves as Mayor of Knox County

Next up and the third superstar who was eliminated from the Elimination Chamber match in 2002, Kane. The Big Red Machine dominated the match but was dispatched thanks to the joint efforts of Shawn Michaels, Triple H, and Chris Jericho.

Since then, Kane has gone on to achieve incredible feats, with his most notable accomplishment coming in the world of politics. After all, he is currently still serving his second term as Mayor of Knox County.

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#3. Chris Jericho is the only active wrestler on this list

Coming in at No.3 is Chris Jericho. Y2J was the penultimate elimination in the 2002 Elimination Chamber match and was also one-half of the tag team champions at the time.

His performance was exceptional on the night, and he is the only active wrestler on this list. At the age of 54, he is currently signed to AEW, where he is the leader of The Learning Tree.

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#2. Triple H is currently overseeing the WWE in the midst of "his" era

Triple H was the final elimination in the match and was the World Heavyweight Champion going into it. He kicked off the match with RVD and managed to stay in the hellish structure till the end before being eliminated by his best friend, Shawn Michaels.

Now, The Cerebral Assassin is the "big boss" in WWE. Serving as the promotion's CCO, he is leading it through what is being called the "Triple H era". And, so far, he is doing a stellar job.

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#1. Shawn Michaels won the Elimination Chamber in 2002 and now runs NXT

Last but not least, is the winner of the inaugural Men's Elimination Chamber match, Shawn Michaels. The Heartbreak Kid outlasted everyone and pinned his good friend Triple H to win the World Heavyweight Championship.

It was his last world title reign, but his career certainly didn't go downhill. He continued to thrive and is now in a backstage role, where he oversees NXT and serves as Senior Vice President of Talent Development in WWE.