Tim FiorvantiFeb 24, 2026, 10:16 AM ETCloseWWE on ESPN EditorFollow on XMultiple Authors
Editor’s note: This story was originally published in 2017. The 2026 Elimination Chamber premium live event will take place on Feb. 28.
On Nov. 17, 2002, six of the biggest names in WWE history stepped into Madison Square Garden for a match at Survivor Series that had never been done before. Equal parts steel cage, War Games and some kind of Mad Max-esque hellscape, the Elimination Chamber would eventually become a staple of the company as its own pay-per-view.
But on that particular Sunday night, six current and future legends of the business were walking into a complete unknown that would batter, bruise and bleed them and, in one particular case, do significantly more damage.
We look back at that monumental night through conversations with the superstars themselves. In addition to modern-day interviews with both Triple H and Chris Jericho, and a Shawn Michaels quote from a modern interview he did on the Sam Roberts Wrestling podcast, we’ve also reached back for thoughts from five of the six competitors, which aired in the immediate aftermath of the match on the Nov. 23, 2002 edition of WWE Confidential that aired on the Spike TV network.
The main focus of the six-way Elimination Chamber match for the World Heavyweight Championship was the long-standing war between Shawn Michaels and Triple H. After Michaels retired in 1997 due to a back injury, he made sporadic and often confrontational appearances on WWE TV as an authority figure in opposition to Triple H, mirroring real-life tensions between the two longtime friends.
Shawn Michaels: “Of course it went well, and I felt good, and before I could even really sort of make a decision, I got a phone call from Vince, asking how I felt, and of course [he said] “I’ve got an idea.”
Michaels ultimately returned to TV and quickly found himself in the midst of a multiway war for the World Heavyweight Championship. Triple H had been awarded said title in September after Brock Lesnar made the WWE championship exclusive to SmackDown.
He successfully defended the title on five occasions, including wins over Kane and Rob Van Dam along the way, but in the lead-up to the Survivor Series, general manager Eric Bischoff introduced the Elimination Chamber concept on TV.
Triple H: When we got to the Garden and we stepped in the Chamber, was the first time any of us had ever seen it. It was a concept that I pitched and drew on a napkin, and then somebody else designed it.
Chris Jericho, 2017: We didn’t see it until the day of the show in Madison Square Garden. And it’s one of those things that you can tell was made by somebody who’s not a wrestling person. It was very clunky, it was very dangerous. It’s made of real grated steel — you probably could have made it out of rubber and you wouldn’t have known the difference. The walls were very stiff, and they didn’t make any noise when you hit them, so it hurts like hell and sounds like s—.
Shawn Michaels, 2002: First thing that started going through my mind was, “What can we do with this thing that maybe the fans haven’t seen before?”
Rob Van Dam, 2002: I was trying to think of what I could do, and I also thought of ways that I could use it to my advantage.
The cage, suspended above the ring from the rafters of MSG, slowly lowered as the now familiar “cage match” music played and the lights dramatically flickered on and off. Jim Ross built the tension up on commentary. “Ten tons. Two miles of chain used.”
Backstage, Terri Runnels tried to interview Shawn Michaels in the bowels of Madison Square Garden, only to be interrupted by Randy Orton’s “RNN” news gimmick breaking in, as the young star continued to recover from injury. Then it was back to business.
A video package typical of the era, airing clips and highlights of the weeks and months of build up, focused particularly on Michaels and Triple H, their SummerSlam match and Michaels’ return to TV. There were also clips of each of the participants attacking each other, without a single word of voiceover.
Coachman: Triple H, coming up just moments from now is the most inhuman, vile match in WWE history, as you must defend your World Heavyweight Championship against five other challengers inside of the Elimination Chamber.
Bischoff walks out to the ring to hype the specs of the Elimination Chamber, hitting each element of the cage with a piece of steel in his hand to prove there are no gimmicks like plastic or rubber in this cage — it’s all real, and the clinks of metal on metal prove it.
Bischoff: Two miles of chain, over 10 tons of solid steel designed to punish the human body, and six Raw superstars willing to put themselves through hell for the ultimate prize — the World Heavyweight Championship.
The six competitors settled into their final rituals backstage, but something dawned on Michaels and Triple H just moments before they walked to the ring.
Bischoff made his exit, and Jericho is the first man out to the ring. Instead of his customary entrance theme, Jericho enters to a live satellite performance of Saliva’s “King of My World” from “The World” in Times Square in New York, previously known as “WWF New York” — a themed night club and restaurant in New York City.
Booker T came out next. The five-time (five-time, five-time, five-time, five-time) WCW champion looks apprehensive as he emerges from the video board doors serving as the entrance to the short ramp to the chamber.
Booker T, 2002: It was totally intimidating, just to see something like that. The architecture was totally unreal.
As he gets hyped in the middle of the ring, he triggers an explosion of pyrotechnic flames that dance up to the sky.
Kane is the next one out, and he summons fire of his own from the ring posts before quickly entering his own pod.
Kane, 2002: We’d seen pictures of it, but we hadn’t actually seen it. People described it as interesting — but I described it as awe-inspiring.
Then it was Shawn Michaels, out for his second match back from seemingly career-ending back surgery, to fill the final pod. He does his full pose, complete with pyrotechnics and shiny entrance gear on top of, what quickly became clear, were some very brown tights.
Triple H: Clearly he had gone to a wacky haircut and some weird gear. I remember there was a point in time when we were getting dressed backstage and I looked next to me. He had his hair down and he put on this brown stuff and he looked at me he’s like “What?” And I’m like “Hmm, nothing.”
With the pods filled, Rob Van Dam walked out as one of the first two competitors ever to have to move around and work inside of this chamber. Triple H soon followed, flanked briefly by Flair.
In an ominous fashion, Ross revealed, “Triple H is winless, 0-6, at Survivor Series.” An earlier comment from JR also pointed to four title changes earlier in the night.
Triple H handed the title over to Earl Hebner, who handed it off to another official that then left and locked the structure. The bell rang, and the match began.
As the fans chanted for Van Dam, he took the early advantage over Triple H, who took the first bump on the steel as RVD hit a back body drop over the top rope to the outside.
RVD also slammed Triple H into the steel chain door four times; the last one actually caused the door to fly open. Triple H was already busted open and bleeding.
Triple H: I remember the first time I hit the chain wall, I crumbled to the ground, like “Oh my god.”
They take advantage of the structure early, as Van Dam flips Jericho off and starts to scale the chain link. Jericho jumped up and pulled Van Dam’s leg through the pod. Triple H climbed the adjacent turnbuckle, and they briefly work together before RVD gains control.
Appropriately enough, Jericho’s pod was the first to open, and he and Triple H got to work on Van Dam for the next few minutes.
RVD eventually regained some measure of control, clotheslined Jericho to the outside, and jumped back up to the top rope again. In another of the famous spots in this match, he jumped at Jericho, missed, but grabbed the chain link to save himself “like Spiderman,” as Ross put it. He then hit a flying cross-body on Jericho.
Jericho and Triple H would quickly regain control with a double team irish whip on RVD into one of the steel posts holding the chain link together, followed by three more shots into the chain link and post from both men.
The countdown clock hits again, the lights flash and Booker T is out and cleans house in the middle of the ring. Van Dam, Triple H and Jericho are each on different sides outside the ring long enough for Booker to hit an Elimination Chamber Spin-a-roonie.
Booker T eventually hit a scissors kick on Triple H, Jericho blindsided Booker and Van Dam sent Booker T flying out of the ring. It was at this point that everything started to go sideways.
RVD hopped up to the top rope to set up for a five-star frog splash, but then he turned around and instead hopped up on top of one of the pods. He crouched on the edge of the pod, grabbing the chain above him for support and did his best to stand up — but he couldn’t.
Jericho, 2017: The pods weren’t high enough to really stand on, but they were high enough for you to try and stand on it. It was a disaster.
Van Dam, 2002: I jumped out a little too far and I crunched up into a ball, and my instincts told me to straighten my legs out — and somehow, I think my shin came across his throat with the weight.
Triple H writhed around in pain, kicking his legs over and over again on the mat. It didn’t take long to figure out he’s not just selling the move.
Triple H: Van Dam lands on my throat — completely crazy, random moment in time. He was at an awkward angle, and he couldn’t stand up straight.
Van Dam, 2002: I had to alter my five-star frog splash because of the structure. When I looked down on him, I thought everything was going to be fine. I mean, I knew he was in a little bit close, but I thought that I’d just be able to drop right down on him.