WWE Elimination Chamber was a 2009 professional wrestling event put on by World Wrestling Entertainment. It was the first Elimination Chamber event, the 2nd event of 2009 and the 230th event overall in the alternate WWF timeline. Emanating from the Energy Solutions Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah, the main event was an Elimination Chamber match for the World Heavyweight Title, with Batista defending against Kane, MVP, Christian, Rob Van Dam & Sting. Other matches on the card included Chris Jericho defending the WWE Title in an Elimination Chamber match, a Diva's Title match between Mickie James and Beth Phoenix, and a one on one meeting between Randy Orton and Cody Rhodes with Ted DiBiase as the special guest referee.
Prelude[]
Elimination Chamber was a new event on the WWE calendar, replacing No Way Out from years past. The feature of the event was the titular Elimination Chamber match, in which 6 men would compete for a World Championship. This roadblock on the Road to Wrestlemania had the potential to greatly shake things up, particularly in this year as it concerned the World Heavyweight Champion Batista. On the Smackdown after the Royal Rumble, Batista appeared to give a self-congratulatory promo about his years of dominance on the brand. He was then confronted by the winner of the Royal Rumble match, John Cena. The two "franchise players" had never truly crossed paths before, leading Cena to choose to challenge Batista with his Wrestlemania title shot...provided that Batista could survive an Elimination Chamber match in which the world title would be on the line. Five former World Heavyweight Champions were set to face The Animal, but an injury to Rey Mysterio necessitated his replacement by Rob Van Dam in the match. Cena promised that he would be at Elimination Chamber in order to face down the winner of the match.
Newly recrowned WWE Champion Chris Jericho was also set to have to defend his title inside an Elimination Chamber. Rather than former World Champions automatically getting in, Raw General Manager Ric Flair held a series of qualifying matches to enter the Chamber. Thus Jericho would defend his title against Triple H, JBL, Jeff Hardy, Matt Hardy and Mr. Kennedy. This collection of superstars also tied together several storylines. Jericho himself was feuding with Triple H, stemming back from Jericho (in kayfabe) injuring The Game the previous spring. Matt Hardy had turned his back on his brother at the Royal Rumble and cost him the WWE Title in the first place. Mr. Kennedy and JBL had been feuding off and on since Survivor Series, when JBL had won the IC Title from the Loudmouth. All of this took place in the shadow of the WWE Title hanging in the balance.
The issues between friends/rivals Mickie James and Beth Phoenix had finally come to a head at the Royal Rumble following the latter's successful title defense against Layla El. James had then attacked Phoenix after the match, viciously assaulting her with the Diva's Title belt as she promised to reclaim the title she felt had been stolen from her by the Glamazon. The two were set to face each other in a title match at Elimination Chamber with tensions running high.
The issues between the members of Legacy had finally reached a boiling point following Randy Orton callously throwing Cody Rhodes out of the Royal Rumble match in order to ensure his own victory. The following night on Raw, Rhodes had returned the favor by costing Orton his Elimination Chamber qualifying match with Triple H. With the two multi-generational stars at each other's throats, they looked to the third member of the group, Ted DiBiase Jr,, to take a side. DiBiase pledged neutrality. However he would be forced to take a standm having been named the Special Guest Referee for a match between Rhodes and Orton by Raw GM Ric Flair.
Event[]
Coming Soon...
Results[]
| No. | Results | Stipulations | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pre-Show | El Generico (c) d. Zack Ryder w/Curt Hawkins | Singles Match for the WWE Light Heavyweight Title | 10:14 |
| 1 | Mercedes Martinez & Sara del Ray d. LayCool [Michelle McCool & Layla El] by Pinfall | Divas Tag Team Match | 9:20 |
| 2 | Shelton Benjamin (c) d. D.H. Smith w/Tyson Kidd & Natalya by Pinfall | Singles Match for the WWE United States Title | 11:18 |
| 3 | William Regal & Sheamus d. The Colons [Carlito & Primo] (c) by Pinfall | Tag Team Match for the World Tag Team Titles | 10:30 |
| 4 | Mickie James & Beth Phoenix (c) Wrestled to a No Contest | Singles Match for the WWE Diva's Title | 14:00 |
| 5 | CM Punk d. The Brian Kendrick w/Ezekiel Jackson by Submission | Singles Match | 8:59 |
| 6 | Triple H d. Chris Jericho (c), JBL, Jeff Hardy, Matt Hardy & Mr. Kennedy | Elimination Chamber Match for the WWE Championship | 34:35 |
| 7 | Randy Orton & Cody Rhodes Wrestled to a No Contest | Singles Match | 15:00 |
| 8 | Batista (c) d. Kane, MVP, Sting, Christian & Rob Van Dam | Elimination Chamber Match for the World Heavyweight Championship | 31:28 |
Aftermath[]
John Cena would go on to challenge Batista for the World Heavyweight Title in the main event of Wrestlemania, while Chris Jericho would get a rematch for the WWE Title against new champion Triple H. The two matches which ended in a No Contest would see rematches at the Showcase of the Immortals as well, with an added twist of DiBiase joining the Legacy match to make it a triple threat match. Wrestlemania 25 would also see the return of Shawn Michaels against The Undertaker, and he would continue with a semi-active schedule following that match.