Elimination Chamber

The Elimination Chamber is a professional wrestling elimination-based match held by World Wrestling Entertainment. It features a large chain-linked circular steel structure or "chamber" which encloses the ring. The chamber's floor is platformed over the ringside area which elevates it to ring level and within the chamber are four inner enclosures outside each ring corner. While similar in profile and nature to WWE's original large scale steel-structured match, Hell in a Cell, the Elimination Chamber match is strictly a six participant match wherein two participants begin the bout in the ring as the remaining four are held within each inner enclosure and are released into the match at five minute intervals. The objective is to eliminate each opponent from the match via pinfall or submission. The winner is the last remaining participant after all others have been eliminated. As in the Hell in a Cell match, disqualifications do not apply. The structure itself is 16 ft (4.9 m) high, 36 ft (11 m) in diameter, weighs over 10 short tons (9,100 kg), and comprises 2 mi (3.2 km) and 6 short tons (5,400 kg) of chain. Since 2005, there have been eight Elimination Chamber matches in WWE.

Rules
The Elimination Chamber match is a variation of elimination-based matches which draws elements from steel cage and Hell in a Cell matches, in that the wrestling ring is surrounded by a large steel fenced cage supported by girders. The Elimination Chamber is a circular chain-linked structure that encloses the ring. Its floor is platformed over the ringside area around the ring which elevates and levels it with the ring mat. Within the Elimination Chamber, facing the outside of each ring post behind each ring corner, are four enclosures referred to as inner chambers. The match is contested by six participants, with two beginning the bout in the ring, while the other four are held within each inner chamber. Every five minutes, one of the four participants within a chamber is released into the ongoing match. This continues until all four have been released, and so an Elimination Chamber match typically lasts over twenty minutes. The objective of the match is to eliminate each opponent from the match by executing a pinfall or a submission, which can occur in the ring or on the chamber's elevated floor. Disqualifications do not apply in the process of elimination. The winner of the match is the last remaining participant after all others have been eliminated.

Variations
The fifth match, held by the ECW brand at Survivor Series 2008, was a slight variation called the "Extreme Elimination Chamber". In this variation, each chamber had one of four weapons for the competitiors locked inside to hold on to. When each competitor's chamber opened, their weapon entered the match with them. The four weapons used in the match were a table, a steel folding chair, a Singapore cane, and a crowbar.

Match history
The first Elimination Chamber match after 2005 was held at SummerSlam 2005. Since that match, there have been eight matches as of Bragging Rights in February 2010. The Raw brand has been featured in the most matches, with four; and both the SmackDown and ECW brands have been featured twice. For the first two of the three New Year's Revolution events, the match was used as the main event (2006, 2007). All except for one Elimination Chamber match has been for a world championship. The only time the match was held twice in the same night was at the pay-per-view titled Elimination Chamber, held in June 2009. Eight wrestlers are tied for having participated in the most matches. Sting, Mick Foley, Randy Orton, Kane, Triple H, Batista, Edge and Eddie Guerrero have all been in three Elimination Chamber matches. Triple H is the only wrestler to have won two Elimination Chamber matches also.