10 Things WWE Fans Need To Know About War Games

5. The Elimination Chamber Was Inspired By WarGames

Triple H Elimination Chamber
WWE.com

Think about the format for WWE's Elimination Chamber matches. Six participants enter, four of which are locked in individual pods (or Chambers) until being randomly released. This leaves two men to start the match, with the end only coming when five of the six have been eliminated by pinfall or submission. Sounds fairly familiar, doesn't it?

WarGames was a clear inspiration for the Elimination Chamber. WWE even had ex-WCW boss Eric Bischoff hint at this when announcing the match before the 2002 Survivor Series, although they didn't credit Dusty Rhodes for coming up with the original gimmick. Still, the timed nature of the Chamber and the elimination concept was a direct lift.

Why WWE didn't just use WarGames is anyone's guess. Perhaps Vince McMahon didn't like the idea of using a WCW match type, or maybe the multi-ring set up just didn't appeal to him. Whatever the reason, WWE decided to tweak the format and use WarGames as the template for their own gimmick bout.

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Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.