10 Things You Didn't Know About WWE Elimination Chamber
5. ...But Eric Bischoff Took On-Screen Credit For It
Considering Triple H wanted no credit for the creation the second he stepped inside the Elimination Chamber, it’s darkly amusing that kayfabe lore credits former WCW President and WWE punching bag Eric Bischoff as the mastermind behind it.
Bischoff was less than half a year into his time as Monday Night Raw General Manager when he was sent out to unveil and explain the chaotic new stipulation back in 2002. WWE at very least tried to make narrative sense of the decision too.
Reasoning that he was in heated competition with SmackDown GM Stephanie McMahon, Bischoff felt the risk was worth the reward when it came to the bodies of his six top superstars on the Raw brand.
Much like moving the announcers to the back of the set, aligning with The Big Show, and being at the front of a show people didn’t like anymore, the Chamber provided yet more circumstantial evidence that ‘Easy E’ was trying to reboot WCW Nitro from the inside. The gimmick’s comparisons to WarGames were evident whether Vince McMahon wanted it apparent or not. It seemed perfectly believable that Bischoff wanted that back on screens as much as NWA lifer Paul Levesque himself.