10 Elimination Chamber Participants Who Never Stood A Chance
If only their plexiglass pods were kept locked all match instead...
Have you ever watched a match and thought to yourself: how are they involved in this? If you've seen any of the Elimination Chamber matches after the first three, you know exactly what we're talking about. With six places to fill on the Road to WrestleMania, it sometimes falls to a lucky and plucky midcarder to make up the numbers.
When the Elimination Chamber moved to the start of the year, (taking up residence in January before moving to February), it became the place where storylines are finalised leading into WrestleMania. Belts have moved, number one contenders have been set, and landscapes have been completely altered. With all of this happening around them, some wrestlers promoted to the main event for one night only have won over fans, eliminated established stars, and even been runner-up.
Others have been gone as soon as they arrived, pushed from their pods back into the oblivion of the midcard. We've seen breakout stars like Kofi Kingston take advantage of a shrunken main event scene and reach for Vince McMahon's imaginary brass ring. For every one of those, there's 10 (how very convenient for this list...) or so entrants who everybody knew would be cannon fodder for the big boys.
10. Santino Marella
(Daniel Bryan Vs. Santino Marella Vs. Wade Barrett Vs. Cody Rhodes Vs. Big Show Vs. The Great Khali – Elimination Chamber 2012)
A comedy jobber in one of the biggest matches of the year.
Hot off the heels of a losing effort teaming with “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan, Santino Marella won a Battle Royal to take the last spot inside the unforgiving steel. The funny Italian was somehow challenging for the World Heavyweight Championship. Surely, he’d be out of the match straight away when his opponents were current champion Bryan, Wade Barrett, Cody Rhodes, Big Show and The Great Khali.
The King of the Cobra entered third and avoided his giant rivals, with Khali and Show the first to be eliminated. Three to go. Yet, within just over five minutes the WWE Universe was in a state of shock. Santino had pinned Rhodes and Barrett.
On paper the scene sounds absurd. From comedy jobber to finalist in an Elimination Chamber match. But it worked. The Bradley Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin was 100% behind the underdog. The pop when Santino hit the Cobra raised the roof and the entire arena counting going “ONE, TWO, AHHH” as Bryan kicked out is one of the loudest reactions of the 2010s.
This isn’t a list of underdog victories though… the man who was in this match against all odds tapped out and normal service resumed. He never had a chance but he came oh so close.