On November 17th, 2002, at Madison Square Garden, the WWE introduced one of the most sadistic and destructive structures seen in Sports Entertainment. Consisting of 2 miles of steel chain, the Elimination Chamber was like no other match concept that anyone had seen before. Combining elements of Hell in a Cell, The Royal Rumble and War Games, the Elimination Chamber soon established itself as the most destructive match on the WWE calendar. The match has settled issues such as World Championships, Number One Contenderships, and even set up the first ever Money in the Bank cash in over the course of it's existence. In the eleven and a half years of the Elimination Chamber, there have been many moments that have gone down in WWE folklore. And with that in mind, here are my top ten Elimination Chamber Moments.
10. RVD Hits The Five Star Frog Splash on Triple H - Survivor Series 2002
Where else to start than the first chamber match. Rob Van Dam opened the match alongside the then World Heavyweight Champion, Triple H. As the match started, Van Dam had long periods of offence against The Game. With his opponent on the mat below, Mr Monday Night climbed to the top of the chamber pod containing Chris Jericho. Unable to keep The Game down, Van Dam launched an assault using every aspect of the chamber as a weapon or platform to launch an attack. As Chris Jericho and Booker T were released from their respective pods, and it was Booker who helped Van Dam create one of the most iconic moments in Elimination Chamber history. After the (at the time) five time WCW Champion had hit the Scissors Kick on the champion, Van Dam made his way to the top of an empty pod. It was from the pod that he hit a Five Star Frog Splash on the Cerebral Assassin. However, Booker T took advantage of the situation, hitting a Missile Drop Kick on Van Dam, meaning that RVD has the honour of being the first man ever eliminated from an Elimination Chamber match. The high flying antics of Rob Van Dam in that first chamber match set a high bar, and it was a bar that was matched and raised by stars such as Dolph Ziggler, Kofi Kingston and John Morrison in subsequent Chamber matches. You could even include MVP, after he was chokeslammed from the top of a pod by The Undertaker in 2008. But RVD's Frog Splash showed the WWE Universe that, for the right superstar, the Chamber can provide the possibility of anything.