WWE Elimination Chamber

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
WWE Elimination Chamber
Promotion
WWE
BrandsRaw (2010–2011, 2018–present)
SmackDown (2010–2011, 2017, 2019–present)
205 Live (2019)
Other nameElimination Chamber: Perth (2024)
First event2010
Signature matchElimination Chamber match

WWE Elimination Chamber is a

livestreaming services, Peacock and the WWE Network. The event was established in 2010, replacing No Way Out as the annual February PPV. The concept of the event is that one or two main event matches are contested inside the Elimination Chamber
, either with championships or future opportunities at championships at stake. The Elimination Chamber match itself had been created in 2002 and held at various other WWE pay-per-views before the establishment of the namesake event in 2010.

The 2014 event was notable as it was WWE's final event to air exclusively via traditional PPV outlets due to the launch of the WWE Network the next day, as all PPV events since have aired on both PPV and livestreamed on the WWE Network. The following year, the event's February slot was replaced by Fastlane, with the 2015 Elimination Chamber instead being held in May. That year's event also saw the first tag team Elimination Chamber match. Although the event did not occur in 2016, it returned in 2017 with a revamped Chamber design. The event also returned to the February PPV slot. While the eponymous match was originally only for male wrestlers, the 2018 event featured the first-ever women's version, as well as the first seven-man Elimination Chamber match. The 2019 event determined the inaugural holders of the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship. The 2020 event was notable as it was WWE's final PPV event held before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, which caused all of WWE's shows to be held behind closed doors until mid-2021. The 2020 event was also moved to March as Super ShowDown was held in February, but the event returned to its February slot for the 2021 event, which was WWE's final PPV held before the American version of the WWE Network merged under Peacock that March. The 2022 event was held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, thus making it the first Elimination Chamber event to take place outside of the United States and on a Saturday. Subsequent events would continue to be held outside of the US, with the 2023 event in Canada and the 2024 event in Perth, Australia.

To coincide with the brand extension, the events in 2010 and 2011 featured wrestlers from the Raw and SmackDown brands before the first brand split ended in August 2011. Following the reintroduction of the brand split in mid-2016, the 2017 event was held exclusively for wrestlers from SmackDown. The 2018 event was then Raw-exclusive and was the final Raw-branded PPV of the second brand split, as following that year's WrestleMania 34, WWE discontinued brand-exclusive pay-per-views. The 2019 event in turn featured wrestlers from both the Raw and SmackDown brands, as well as 205 Live, while the events afterwards have just featured Raw and SmackDown.

In Germany, Elimination Chamber is known by a different name to avoid connotations of the gas chambers used during the Holocaust in World War II. In 2010, it retained the "No Way Out" (German: Kein Ausweg) name, which was also used for the event in 2012, but in 2011, it was called No Escape (German: Kein Entkommen), which became its permanent German name in 2013.[1][2]

History

The

orphaned initialism,[13] and in August, the brand extension ended.[14]

The

livestreamed on the Network.[18] In 2015, the event was initially replaced in February by Fastlane because many arenas were not able to physically support the Elimination Chamber structure, thus making it easier to book the February pay-per-view event without the structure.[19] However, the 2015 Elimination Chamber event was later announced to be streamed exclusively on the WWE Network in the United States on May 31 and was available on PPV internationally.[20] Although the event did not occur in 2016, it returned in 2017 and featured wrestlers exclusively from the SmackDown brand, following the reintroduction of the brand split in mid-2016. The 2017 event also moved Elimination Chamber back to its regular February slot with Fastlane instead being held in March, and it also introduced a redesign to the Chamber structure itself.[21] The 2018 event was then a Raw-branded show.[22] It was also WWE's final Raw-exclusive PPV of the second brand split, as following that year's WrestleMania 34, WWE discontinued brand-exclusive pay-per-views,[23] thus the 2019 event featured wrestlers from both the Raw and SmackDown brands, as well as 205 Live, although it was the only to include 205 Live.[24] The 2020 event was moved to March as Super ShowDown was held in February,[25] but Elimination Chamber returned to its February slot in 2021.[26]

The 2020 event, held on March 8, would be the final WWE pay-per-view to be held in-person with spectators before the

Amway Center.[28] The ThunderDome was then relocated to Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida in December,[29] which was also the location of the 2021 Elimination Chamber.[26] In mid-July 2021, WWE resumed a live touring schedule.[30]

In March 2021, the American version of the WWE Network became a premium channel under NBCUniversal's streaming service, Peacock. As a result, the 2021 Elimination Chamber was the final pay-per-view to air on the American version of the WWE Network before the launch of Peacock's WWE Network channel.[31][32] After a brief transitional period, the standalone version of the WWE Network in the U.S. shut down on April 4, with future events only available via Peacock's WWE Network channel and traditional PPV. This did not affect other countries at the time, which had maintained the separate WWE Network service distributed by WWE (a couple of other countries have since had the Network merged under a different streaming service, such as Binge in Australia in 2023[33]).[34]

In early 2018, WWE began a 10-year strategic multiplatform partnership with the

General Sports Authority in support of Saudi Vision 2030, Saudi Arabia's social and economic reform program.[35][36] The seventh event under this partnership was announced as the 2022 Elimination Chamber, scheduled for Saturday, February 19, 2022, at the Jeddah Super Dome in Jeddah. It was in turn the first Elimination Chamber event to take place in Saudi Arabia, the first to take place outside of the United States, the first to be held on a Saturday, and the first Elimination Chamber to air on Peacock. It was also WWE's first previously established annual event to take place in the country.[37]

The

Optus Stadium in Perth, Western Australia, Australia, marking WWE's first event to be held in Australia since Super Show-Down in October 2018.[39]

Concept

The Elimination Chamber event centers around the Elimination Chamber match, and the event typically includes one or two main event matches that are contested inside the structure, either with championships or future opportunities at championships at stake. The match is generally contested by six participants (or six tag teams for a tag team Chamber match), with two beginning the bout in the ring, while the other four are held within a smaller chamber within the structure. In the case of a seven-person match, which occurred at the 2018 event, three wrestlers begin the match instead of two. Every five minutes, one of the four participants (or teams) within an inner chamber is released into the ongoing match. This continues until all four have been released, with the match typically lasting over twenty minutes. The objective of the match is to eliminate all opponents via

submission, which originally could occur in the ring or on the chamber's elevated floor outside the ring, although in 2012, this was changed so that all pinfalls and submissions must take place in the ring. Disqualifications do not apply in the process of elimination. The winner of the match is the last remaining participant (or team) after all others have been eliminated (for tag team Chamber matches, only one person of a team must be eliminated to eliminate the team itself).[40][41]

Elimination Chamber matches

From 2010 to 2012, the event featured two Elimination Chamber matches, usually one for each brand until August 2011 when the brand extension ended. In 2010, Raw's Chamber match was for the WWE Championship while SmackDown's Chamber match was for the World Heavyweight Championship (2002–2013 version).[11] In 2011, the Raw Chamber match determined the number one contender for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania XXVII, while the SmackDown Chamber match was again for the World Heavyweight Championship.[12] In 2012, although the brand extension had ended, there were still two Chamber matches with one each for the WWE Championship and World Heavyweight Championship, respectively.[42] In 2013, only one Chamber match took place with the winner receiving a World Heavyweight Championship match at WrestleMania 29.[43] Following the unification of the WWE Championship and World Heavyweight Championship as the WWE World Heavyweight Championship in December 2013, the 2014 event had only one Chamber match, which was for the unified championship.[15][16][17] In 2015, there were two Chamber matches. The first featured the first-ever tag team Chamber match, which was for the WWE Tag Team Championship (now Raw Tag Team Championship), while the second Chamber match was for the vacant WWE Intercontinental Championship.[20]

After the brand extension was reinstated in mid-2016, the WWE World Heavyweight Championship reverted to being called the WWE Championship and became exclusive to SmackDown. The 2017 event was in turn SmackDown-exclusive and the main event was a Chamber match for the brand's WWE Championship.

Raw Women's Championship. The other was a men's Chamber match which was the first-ever seven-man Chamber match to determine the number one contender for the Universal Championship at WrestleMania 34.[22]

After brand-exclusive PPVs were discontinued following WrestleMania 34, the 2019 event featured both brands. There were two Chamber matches. One was a women's tag team Chamber match to determine the inaugural holders of the

SmackDown Tag Team Championship, while Raw's was a women's Chamber match for a Raw Women's Championship match at WrestleMania 36.[25] At the 2021 event, the Raw Chamber match was for the WWE Championship, while SmackDown's Chamber match was for an immediate Universal Championship match that same night.[26] The 2022 event had two Chamber matches, but both were Raw-exclusive. One was a men's Chamber match for the WWE Championship[44] while the other was a women's Chamber match for a Raw Women's Championship match at WrestleMania 38.[45]

The 2023 event had two Chamber matches, one each for the men and women. The men's match was Raw-exclusive and was for the United States Championship, which was the first time for the title to be contended in the match. The women's Chamber match was for a Raw Women's Championship match at WrestleMania 39, and it featured three wrestlers from each brand (the Raw Women's Championship later moved to SmackDown and was renamed as the WWE Women's Championship).[46]

As the WWE Championship and Universal Championship had been held and defended together as the

Undisputed WWE Universal Championship since April 2022, a new World Heavyweight Championship was created in April 2023 and subsequently designated to Raw after the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship became exclusive to SmackDown as a result of the 2023 WWE Draft. The Raw and SmackDown women's championships also switched brands and were renamed as the WWE Women's Championship and Women's World Championship, respectively. The 2024 event would then also have two Chamber matches with one each for the men and women and both matches featured wrestlers from both Raw and SmackDown. The women's match had three wrestlers from each brand, while the men's had three from SmackDown, two from Raw, and one free agent. Each match determined the respective challengers for the World Heavyweight Championship and Women's World Championship at WrestleMania XL.[47]

Events

Raw-branded event SmackDown-branded event
# Event Date City Venue Main Event Ref.
1 Elimination Chamber (2010) February 21, 2010
St. Louis, Missouri
Scottrade Center
Elimination Chamber match for the World Heavyweight Championship
[11]
2 Elimination Chamber (2011) February 20, 2011 Oakland, California
Oracle Arena
Elimination Chamber match for a WWE Championship match at WrestleMania XXVII
[12]
3 Elimination Chamber (2012) February 19, 2012
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Bradley Center
Ambulance match
[42]
4 Elimination Chamber (2013) February 17, 2013
New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans Arena
The Rock (c) vs. CM Punk for the WWE Championship [43]
5 Elimination Chamber (2014) February 23, 2014
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Target Center
Elimination Chamber match for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship
[15][16][17]
6 Elimination Chamber (2015) May 31, 2015 Corpus Christi, Texas American Bank Center [20]
7 Elimination Chamber (2017) February 12, 2017 Phoenix, Arizona
Talking Stick Resort Arena
Elimination Chamber match for the WWE Championship
[48][49][21]
8 Elimination Chamber (2018) February 25, 2018 Paradise, Nevada T-Mobile Arena
Elimination Chamber match for a WWE Universal Championship match at WrestleMania 34
[22]
9 Elimination Chamber (2019) February 17, 2019
Houston, Texas
Toyota Center
Elimination Chamber match for the WWE Championship
[24]
10 Elimination Chamber (2020) March 8, 2020 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Wells Fargo Center
WWE Raw Women's Championship match at WrestleMania 36
[25]
11 Elimination Chamber (2021) February 21, 2021 St. Petersburg, Florida WWE ThunderDome at Tropicana Field Raw Elimination Chamber match followed by
Money in the Bank cash-in match
[26]
12 Elimination Chamber (2022) February 19, 2022 Jeddah, Mecca Province, Saudi Arabia Jeddah Super Dome
Elimination Chamber match for the WWE Championship
>[37]
13 Elimination Chamber (2023) February 18, 2023 Montreal, Quebec, Canada Bell Centre
Undisputed WWE Universal Championship
[38]
14 Elimination Chamber: Perth February 24, 2024 Perth, Western Australia, Australia
Optus Stadium
Rhea Ripley (c) vs. Nia Jax for the Women's World Championship [50][51]
(c) – refers to the champion(s) heading into the match

See also

References

  1. ^ "WWE No Escape". WWE (in German). Archived from the original on February 8, 2017. Retrieved January 30, 2018.
  2. ^ Hoffmann, Martin (February 20, 2018). "Darum hat eine WWE-Show zwei Namen" [This is why a WWE show has two names]. Sport1 (in German). Archived from the original on February 25, 2018. Retrieved February 24, 2018.
  3. ^ "Inside the Elimination Chamber with Triple H". WWE. Retrieved February 20, 2014.
  4. ^ Ouellette, Christopher (October 22, 2002). "Full WWE RAW Results - 10/21/02 (24 hours after No Mercy)". WrestleView. Retrieved February 6, 2011.
  5. World Wrestling Entertainment. Archived from the original
    on April 3, 2008. Retrieved July 12, 2008.
  6. on March 31, 2008. Retrieved 2008-07-12.
  7. ]
  8. ]
  9. ^ Martin, Adam (September 24, 2009). "WWE to rename No Way Out PPV?". WrestleView. Archived from the original on September 20, 2012. Retrieved October 9, 2009.
  10. World Wrestling Entertainment. Archived
    from the original on February 8, 2011. Retrieved February 2, 2010.
  11. ^ on December 10, 2012. Retrieved December 20, 2009.
  12. ^
    Oracle Arena. Archived from the original
    on July 8, 2011. Retrieved November 27, 2010.
  13. ^ Sacco, Justine; Weitz, Michael (April 7, 2011). "The New WWE" (Press release). Connecticut: WWE. Archived from the original on May 3, 2018. Retrieved November 25, 2021.
  14. ^ Nemer, Paul (August 30, 2011). "Raw Results – 8/29/11". WrestleView. Archived from the original on November 6, 2016. Retrieved November 5, 2016.
  15. ^ a b c Caldwell, James (February 23, 2014). "WWE E. CHAMBER PPV RESULTS 2/23 (Hour 1): IC Title & Tag Title matches, Prime Time Players explode". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved November 26, 2015.
  16. ^ a b c Caldwell, James (February 23, 2014). "WWE E. CHAMBER PPV RESULTS 2/23 (Hour 2): Shield vs. Wyatts big six-man tag, Batista vs. Del Rio, Divas Title". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved November 26, 2015.
  17. ^ a b c Caldwell, James (February 23, 2014). "WWE E. CHAMBER PPV RESULTS 2/23 (Hour 3): Elimination Chamber WWE Title main event". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved November 26, 2015.
  18. ^ Flint, Joe (January 8, 2014). "WWE launching over-the-top network". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on August 14, 2014. Retrieved January 8, 2014.
  19. ^ Caldwell, James (December 8, 2014). "WWE NEWS: February PPV gets a new title (w/Poll)". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved December 9, 2014.
  20. ^ a b c Caldwell, James (May 11, 2015). "WWE NEWS: WWE adds second Sunday Night PPV to May". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved May 12, 2015.
  21. ^ a b c WWE.com Staff (December 12, 2016). "WWE Elimination Chamber 2017 tickets available now". WWE. Archived from the original on December 14, 2016. Retrieved December 12, 2016.
  22. ^ a b c T-Mobile Arena (December 6, 2017). "Just announced: WWE Elimination Chamber on February 25, 2018. Tickets on sale Friday, Dec. 15th at 10am PT". Facebook. Archived from the original on May 23, 2023. Retrieved May 23, 2023.
  23. ^ Sapp, Sean Ross (February 17, 2018). "WWE Eliminates Single-Branded PPV Shows, Shuffles PPV Schedule". Fightful. Archived from the original on May 18, 2021. Retrieved February 17, 2018.
  24. ^
    Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online
    . Retrieved November 23, 2018.
  25. ^ a b c Defelice, Robert (November 16, 2019). "WWE Elimination Chamber 2020 To Take Place In Philadelphia On March 8". Fightful. Archived from the original on February 28, 2021. Retrieved November 18, 2019.
  26. ^
    PWInsider. Archived from the original
    on January 17, 2021. Retrieved January 17, 2021.
  27. ^ Blanchette, Rob (March 13, 2020). "Report: WWE Moves Raw on '3:16 Day,' Featuring Stone Cold, to Performance Center". Bleacher Report. Archived from the original on March 14, 2020. Retrieved March 13, 2020.
  28. ^ Fiorvanti, Tim (August 17, 2020). "WWE to host shows in Orlando with virtual fans". ESPN. Archived from the original on August 22, 2020. Retrieved January 16, 2021.
  29. PWInsider. Archived
    from the original on June 12, 2021. Retrieved January 16, 2021.
  30. from the original on May 21, 2021. Retrieved May 23, 2021.
  31. ^ Spangler, Todd (January 25, 2021). "NBCU's Peacock Pins WWE Network Exclusive U.S. Streaming Rights". Variety. Archived from the original on January 25, 2021. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
  32. ^ Hayes, Dade (January 25, 2021). "Peacock Adds Wrestling In WWE Network Streaming Exclusive". Deadline. Archived from the original on January 25, 2021. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
  33. ^ Sim, Josh (September 28, 2022). "WWE Network lands on exclusively Foxtel's Binge streaming service in Australia". SportsPro. Archived from the original on November 3, 2022. Retrieved September 29, 2022.
  34. ^ Defelice, Robert (March 8, 2021). "Standalone WWE Network App Shutting Down In The US On 4/4, New Details On The Transition To Peacock". Fightful. Archived from the original on March 8, 2021. Retrieved March 8, 2021.
  35. ^ WWE.com Staff (March 5, 2018). "Saudi Arabia to host the Greatest Royal Rumble". WWE. Archived from the original on March 5, 2018. Retrieved March 7, 2018.
  36. ^ "National Transformation Program 2020" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on August 28, 2017.
  37. ^ a b Lambert, Jeremy (January 17, 2022). "WWE Confirms Elimination Chamber Event In Saudi Arabia". Fightful. Archived from the original on January 17, 2022. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
  38. ^ a b Lambert, Jeremy (October 24, 2022). "WWE Elimination Chamber Scheduled For February 2023 In Canada". Fightful. Retrieved October 24, 2022.
  39. Perth Now. Archived
    from the original on September 27, 2023. Retrieved September 21, 2023.
  40. World Wrestling Entertainment
    . Retrieved February 3, 2008.
  41. on February 24, 2008. Retrieved February 6, 2010.
  42. ^ on February 4, 2012. Retrieved December 21, 2011.
  43. ^ a b Caldwell, James (February 17, 2013). "CALDWELL'S WWE ELIMINATION CHAMBER PPV RESULTS 2/17: Complete 'virtual-time' coverage of Rock-Punk II, Elimination Chamber match, Shield beats Team Cena". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved November 27, 2015.
  44. ^ Lambert, Jeremy (January 31, 2022). "WWE Title Match Announced For WWE Elimination Chamber". Fightful. Archived from the original on January 31, 2022. Retrieved January 31, 2022.
  45. ^ Lambert, Jeremy (February 7, 2022). "Women's Elimination Chamber Match To Determine Top Raw Contender Set For WWE Elimination Chamber". Fightful. Archived from the original on February 7, 2022. Retrieved February 7, 2022.
  46. ^ Keller, Wade (January 30, 2023). "1/23 WWE MONDAY NIGHT RAW RESULTS: Keller's report on Cody celebrating Rumble win, Ripley declares WM choice, Gargano vs. Corbin and Seth vs. Gable". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved January 30, 2023.
  47. ^ Powell, Jason (February 24, 2024). "WWE Elimination Chamber results: Powell's live review of Rhea Ripley vs. Nia Jax for the Women's World Championship, Elimination Chamber matches, Grayson Waller Effect with Seth Rollins and Cody Rhodes". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved February 24, 2024.
  48. ^ "In 2017…. the Chamber returns! Details coming soon". Footprint Center. Facebook. November 29, 2016. Archived from the original on July 26, 2017. Retrieved November 29, 2016.
  49. ^ Johnson, Mike (December 5, 2016). "Big name backstage at Raw, Cena & Rock both at NBC this week, Elimination Chamber PPV details and more". PWInsider. Archived from the original on December 21, 2016. Retrieved December 5, 2016.
  50. ^ Lambert, Jeremy (September 21, 2023). "WWE Elimination Chamber 2024 To Take Place At Optus Stadium In Perth, Western Australia On 2/24". Fightful. Retrieved September 21, 2023.
  51. ^ "WWE returns to Australia with Elimination Chamber: Perth". WWE. September 21, 2023. Retrieved September 21, 2023.

External links