5 Times The Wrong Person Won The Match (& 5 Times It Was The Right Winner)
The Elimination Chamber match is one of the most popular stipulations in WWE history. WWE debuted the structure in 2002 and it connected with the WWE audience for a few seasons. The rules featured many established successes, like a countdown for each wrestler entering the match, because elimination rules add the danger element of the structure itself.
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We will look at the mixed history of the winners that made sense and that didn’t. The right person winning match made the story play out perfectly with a match that is still positively remembered today. Unfortunately, a few wrestlers who won the match proved it was a bad call. Find out which names stand out on each side. The following wrestlers were either the right call or the wrong call, with zero middle ground, in the Elimination Chamber.
10 Wrong person: Alexa Bliss (2018)
The first women’s Elimination Chamber match saw Alexa Bliss retaining her Raw Women’s Championship over Sasha Banks, Bayley, Mickie James, Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville. Bliss moved on to a title program with Nia Jax at WrestleMania 33.
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The match between Bliss and Jax was lackluster and failed to establish Jax as a top face in the long game. Banks or Bayley winning to face a heel Nia would have created a better story. WWE wasted another year of Sasha and Bayley by not having them fit into a bigger role during WM season.
9 Right winner: Daniel Bryan (2019)
Daniel Bryan winning the 2019 Elimination Chamber upset many fans rooting for Kofi Kingston. The star-studded field saw Bryan and Kingston as the final two after eliminating AJ Styles, Jeff Hardy, Randy Orton ad Samoa Joe.
Everyone rallied behind Kingston, but Bryan prevailed to retain the WWE Championship. The finish was perfect since it left the fan base wanting Kofi to beat Bryan in a singles match. Kingston achieved his big moment one month later on the biggest stage at WrestleMania 36.
8 Wrong person: Bobby Lashley (2006)
The ECW brand was one of the biggest failures in WWE history. Bobby Lashley, CM Punk, Test, Hardcore Holly and Rob Van Dam all challenged for Big Show’s ECW Championship at the abysmal December to Dismember event.
Fans were already upset at the all-time worst WWE card, but there was hope heading into the Elimination Chamber main event. The interest ended when Punk and Van Dam got eliminated earlier in the match. Lashley winning just showed how little the fans cared about him at the time and hurt his push moving forward.
7 Right winner: Chris Jericho (2010)
Chris Jericho defeating The Undertaker to win the World Championship in 2010 was an all-time great Elimination Chamber moment. The final two survived John Morrison, Rey Mysterio, CM Punk and R-Truth to end the match in entertaining fashion.
Shawn Michaels sneaked into the structure to superkick Undertaker and cost him the title. Jericho looked on in shock to pin Undertaker at the help from his biggest enemy. Michaels wanted to force Undertaker to accept his WrestleMania challenge and it worked to perfection. Jericho was the dream heel to pick up the scraps and win the belt as a credible champion based on his reputation.
6 Wrong person: Edge (2011)
The 2011 Elimination Chamber match was quite impressive with Edge and Rey Mysterio as the final two. Both faces lasted until the end of the match with pins over Big Show, Kane, Drew McIntyre and Wade Barrett.
Edge won the match to continue his World Championship reign heading into WrestleMania 27 to face Alberto Del Rio. In retrospect, Mysterio winning would have been the better move since he had stronger chemistry with Del Rio. Edge could have feuded with Christian like most fans wanted, especially since this was his final match before his first retirement.
5 Right winner: CM Punk (2012)
The 2012 WWE Championship match inside of the Elimination Chamber saw CM Punk successfully retain over Chris Jericho, The Miz, Dolph Ziggler, Kofi Kingston and R-Truth. Jericho exited the match due to an injury and Punk feuded with him into WrestleMania 28.
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The fan reaction saw many wanting Jericho to win the title and lose it back at the biggest show of the year to add more excitement. WWE made the right call since Punk was setting a new modern record title reign length. Hot shotting the title would have ruined the bigger plan of Punk holding the title for almost another full year.
4 Wrong person: Roman Reigns (2018)
WWE had hopes for the fans caring more about Brock Lesnar vs Roman Reigns as a main event program. Reigns won a title shot at WrestleMania 34 by defeating Seth Rollins, Finn Balor, Braun Strowman, The Miz, Elias and John Cena in the Elimination Chamber match.
The WrestleMania main event turned out to be a huge disaster with fans heckling both guys. Balor, Rollins and Strowman all had more momentum at the time. Reigns was more over later in the year to end Brock Lesnar’s Universal Championship reign, but the Elimination Chamber win just hurt him.
3 Right Winner: Bray Wyatt (2017)
John Cena’s record tying 16th world championship win saw fans upset at the potential of him losing the WWE Championship just a month later. The rumors turned out to be true with Bray Wyatt defeating Cena, AJ Styles, The Miz, Baron Corbin and Dean Ambrose.
Wyatt looked great in the outstanding match to finally take home the title. It was a moment that cemented him as a top star until the booking failed him. Randy Orton ended Wyatt’s reign a month later and the latter was moved back down into the mid-card. That shouldn’t erase how great he looked in his first world title victory.
2 Wrong Person: Triple H (2003)
WWE making Goldberg Universal Champion today makes it even stranger to look back at how poorly his first run with the company went. Goldberg had one superb performance inside of the Elimination Chamber against World Champion Triple H, Shawn Michaels, Randy Orton, Kevin Nash and Chris Jericho.
Three of the first four eliminations came from Goldberg with pure destruction. Goldberg would shockingly lose the match when Triple H used a sledgehammer at the last second to knock him out. WWE wasted their one opportunity to make Goldberg a true top star in 2003 when the fans badly wanted him to win the title inside of the Elimination Chamber.
1 Right Winner: Shawn Michaels (2002)
The first Elimination Chamber match at Survivor Series 2002 is still considered the top match by many fans. Triple H defended the World Championship against Shawn Michaels, Kane, Booker T, Rob Van Dam and Chris Jericho to showcase the structure for the first time.
Fans were most invested in the Triple H vs. Michaels story as the final two, especially since the latter was still freshly out of retirement. Madison Square Garden reacted with elation when Michaels pinned Triple H to become the World Championship in a moment of redemption.
