The 15 Best Elimination Chamber Matches, According To Dave Meltzer

Publish date: 2024-05-06

Whenever an Elimination Chamber Match appears on the WWE calendar, everyone knows something epic is coming up. These matches are very exciting and unpredictable, but it is not something that happens very often and that is why every year the fans try to enjoy it as much as possible.

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Over the years there have been 28 Elimination Chamber Matches. The truth is that some were disappointing, but others were truly amazing and received high praise by the expert Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Newsletter, something that reflects the great quality of the matches.

Updated on August 13, 2021, by Peter Sotiriou: Wrestling is a fairly subjective sport when it comes to judging the product, but if there was a single person that most fans and critics alike look to in terms of getting an informed assessment, it's wrestling journalist Dave Meltzer. His evaluations are respected by the wrestling community, applying his famed star rating system to all matches, including the Elimination Chamber. This dangerous gimmick match has been around for nearly 2 decades, introduced by then-Raw GM Eric Bischoff. In later years, the match became so important on the Road To WrestleMania, it spawned its own pay-per-view of the same name. Let's take a closer look at David Meltzer's ratings when it comes to the best matches the Elimination Chamber had to offer.

15 *Roman Reigns Vs. Braun Strowman Vs. John Cena Vs. Seth Rollins Vs. Finn Balor Vs. The Miz Vs. Elias - 3.75 Stars

This was the Braun Strowman show. At Elimination Chamber 2018, The Monster Among Men ripped through his opponents in the main event, eliminating The Miz, Elias, John Cena, Finn Balor and Seth Rollins. He took care of every single competitor besides the eventual winner, Roman Reigns.

It was a really fun match that showed what Braun could do, but of course, WWE didn't pull the trigger when he was smoking hot. With the win, Roman Reigns got a shot at the Universal Championship against Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 34.

14 *Randy Orton Vs. Cesaro Vs. Christian Vs. Daniel Bryan Vs. John Cena Vs. Sheamus - 3.75 Stars

Elimination Chamber 2014 was the PPV right before WrestleMania XXX, where WWE World Heavyweight Champion Randy Orton, fresh off combining both World Championships, successfully defended his title against his 5 opponents.

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The match received 3.75 stars from Meltzer, which is a solid rating for this great match. There was plenty of interference, with the Wyatt Family costing John Cena the match, as well as The Authority ruining Daniel Bryan's chances at victory.

13 *The Miz and John Morrison Vs. The Dirty Dawgs Vs. Heavy Machinery Vs. Lucha House Party Vs. The New Day Vs. The Usos - 4 Stars

This was the third time WWE Tag Team titles were defended in the Elimination Chamber, and according to Dave Meltzer, it was the best. Coming in at 4 stars, The Miz and John Morrison successfully defended their SmackDown Tag Team Championships.

The match was fast-paced and constantly entertaining, with teams like Heavy Machinery and Lucha House Party getting their chance to shine. The most memorable moment of the match came when Lince Dorado climbed the structure from the inside, and dropped on all of his opponents in a crazy wrestling spot.

12 *Drew McIntyre Vs. AJ Styles Vs. Jeff Hardy Vs. Kofi Kingston Vs. Randy Orton Vs. Sheamus - 4 Stars

At Elimination Chamber 2021, Drew McIntyre defended his WWE Championship against a stacked field of wrestling veterans that included Randy Orton, AJ Styles, Kofi Kingston, Sheamus, and Jeff Hardy. Meltzer awarded the match 4 stars, which was well-deserved.

As good as the match was, the most memorable moment occurred after the bout, when The Miz successfully cashed in his Money In The Bank briefcase on McIntyre after an infuriated Bobby Lashley demolished the champion.

11 Jack Swagger Vs. Randy Orton Vs. Chris Jericho Vs. Mark Henry Vs. Kane Vs. Daniel Bryan - 4 Stars

This was probably the best match of Jack Swagger (better known as Jack Hager in AEW) in WWE, as he eliminated Randy Orton and won the Elimination Chamber match in a great way, since he was never among the best of the roster, but still he surprised everyone with his victory.

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Swagger's performance was phenomenal, but obviously the other wrestlers also deserve credit for doing an excellent job in the ring. Randy Orton, Kane, Mark Henry, Daniel Bryan and Chris Jericho all did a fantastic job.

10 Triple H Vs. JBL Vs. Umaga Vs. Chris Jericho Vs. Shawn Michaels Vs. Jeff Hardy - 4 Stars

On February 17, 2008 at No Way Out, Triple H won an Elimination Chamber match and earned a WWE Championship shot at WrestleMania XXIV.

The bout was very fun to watch with chaos in the ring at all times. There were several great moments, like the Chris Jericho and Shawn Michaels' duel to start the match, John Bradshaw Layfield attacking the others with steel chairs or when each superstar performed their signature moves on Umaga, including a Jeff Hardy’s Swanton Bomb from the top of a pod.

9 John Cena Vs. CM Punk Vs. John Morrison Vs. Sheamus Vs. Randy Orton Vs. R-Truth - 4 stars

At Elimination Chamber 2011, the ring was full of talent. The experienced R-Truth, the skilled John Morrison, rising star Sheamus, and three of the best wrestlers in the world at the time, John Cena, Randy Orton and CM Punk. So, a good show was guaranteed.

This match lasted just over 33 minutes and ended in the best possible way. CM Punk eliminated John Morrison to go face to face with his biggest rival in WWE, John Cena, who was the winner of the match after hitting an Attitude Adjustment to Punk. This was one of the triggers for one of the best rivalries in the history of the company.

8 *Daniel Bryan Vs. Cesaro Vs. Jey Uso Vs. Kevin Owens Vs. King Corbin Vs. Sami Zayn - 4.25 Stars

The Elimination Chamber PPV in 2021 produced two high-quality Chamber matchups. This one opened the night, as Daniel Bryan overcame Cesaro, Kevin Owens, King Corbin, Jey Uso and Sami Zayn in an exhilarating affair. With the names involved, it's not surprising that Dave Meltzer gave this match 4.25 stars.

With the win, Bryan was guaranteed a shot at the Universal Championship that same night. However, Roman Reigns, being the opportunistic Tribal Chief, challenged a tired and beaten Bryan immediately after the brutal match, beating him in a little over a minute.

7 Edge Vs. Rey Mysterio Vs. Kane Vs. Drew McIntyre Vs. Big Show Vs. Wade Barrett - 4.25 Stars

This match also took place on the 2011 Elimination Chamber pay-per-view. Edge outlasted his five opponents and won the second Elimination Chamber match of his career.

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Rey Mysterio and Edge were the first two and also the last two men standing, but it was Edge who was victorious after performing a Spear on Mysterio as he fell from the top rope. The brutal power of Kane and The Big Show, the youth of Drew McIntyre and the skill of Wade Barrett, Edge and Rey Mysterio made this match extraordinary.

6 Triple H Vs. The Undertaker Vs. Jeff Hardy Vs. Big Show Vs. Vladimir Kozlov Vs. Edge - 4.25 stars

On February 15, 2009, at No Way Out, an Elimination Chamber match for the WWE Heavyweight Title was held. This match had one of the best final twos in history with The Undertaker and Triple H fighting fiercely for the belt.

In the end, The Game defeated The Deadman to win the fourth Elimination Chamber of his career, which is a record, and his 13th World Title. The match was incredible, so no wonder it received 4.25 stars from Dave Meltzer.

5 Edge Vs. Rey Mysterio Vs. Chris Jericho Vs. John Cena Vs. Mike Knox Vs. Kane - 4.25 stars

That same night, Edge, who had been eliminated by Jeff Hardy in the previous Elimination Chamber match, attacked Kofi Kingston and replaced him in the main event of the PPV.

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The "Rated R Superstar" entered at #5, eliminated John Cena and Rey Mysterio and won the match.

4 Triple H Vs. Randy Orton Vs. Batista Vs. Chris Jericho Vs. Chris Benoit Vs. Edge - 4.25 stars

Once again, Triple H is responsible for one of the best Elimination Chamber matches in history and it’s no wonder that this match was rated 4.25 stars from Dave Meltzer considering the enormous talent in the ring.

This match took place at New Year's Revolution 2005. This bout had it all, moments of technique, moments of hard-hitting and intensity, and even controversy, since Shawn Michaels was the special referee and superkicked Edge out of the match. This match also set up Batista's eventual betrayal of Evolution. Finally, Triple H eliminated Randy Orton to become World Heavyweight Champion.

3 Shawn Michaels Vs. Triple H Vs. Chris Jericho Vs. Kane Vs. Booker T Vs. Rob Van Dam - 4.25 stars

This was the first Elimination Chamber match in WWE history so there were high expectations about it, as the fans were about to see something totally innovative. The wrestlers all explored every spot that would influence the match for years to come with RVD jumping off a pod and Chris Jericho being thrown through a pod by Kane.

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Shawn Michaels, in a comeback story for the ages, defeated his opponents and walked out of the chamber with the gold. Obviously, this match had a huge impact on WWE history and the fans loved it.

2 Bray Wyatt Vs. AJ Styles Vs. Dean Ambrose Vs. The Miz Vs. Baron Corbin Vs. John Cena - 4.5 stars

On February 12, 2017 at Elimination Chamber, Bray Wyatt stole the show by eliminating John Cena and AJ Styles to win the Elimination Chamber Match and obtain the WWE Championship for the first (and only) time in his career.

This match was truly great from start to finish, especially the unexpected ending, since among so many talented wrestlers, only very few bet on Bray Wyatt.

1 Daniel Bryan Vs. AJ Styles Vs. Randy Orton Vs. Samoa Joe Vs. Kofi Kingston Vs. Jeff Hardy - 4.5 stars

Without a doubt, this was one of the best WWE matches of 2019, so you could say that Dave Meltzer is right in giving it 4.5 stars.

At Elimination Chamber 2019, Daniel Bryan had to defend the WWE Title inside the Elimination Chamber and he was the first in the ring, so retaining the title was not an easy task. However, Bryan beat the odds with a masterful performance of more than 36 minutes and managed to win the match and retain the belt. This would also continue the story of Kofimania which culminated at WrestleMania 35.

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