No Way Out 2000
On a cold February night in Memphis one year ago, the WWE held their annual No Way Out pay-per-view. And with it came arguably the most barbaric match in the history of the company: the Elimination Chamber. It was 16 feet high, 36 feet in diameter, weighed over 10 short tons, and comprised 2 miles and 6 short tons of steel chain. Because it was the flagship show at the time, ECW was selected to host the very first match (with the nickname "Extreme Chamber" being given to it) with its world title, the ECW Championship, on the line in the main event. Champion Randy Orton stepped inside "Satan's Structure" with five battle-tested warriors: The Undertaker, Shawn Michaels, Big Show, The Sandman, and Sabu. In the end, in his last title defense before getting his ass whooped by Triple H at WrestleMania XV, Orton reigned supreme when he eliminated 'Taker last (despite being eliminated, Big Show returned and hit Undertaker with the KO Punch, allowing Orton to win). It was absolutely brutal and mind-boggling. The fact that six men could entertain you at the same time really added to it. At one point, Michaels went crazy, climbed the slippery chain, and launched a moonsault on Show that sent both men crashing through the steel floor. It was extremely popular and all six men were given rave reviews on their performances. Realizing that the Road to WrestleMania could benefit from having another major attraction, WWE CEO Vince McMahon announced in November 1999 that the Chamber would return, and that after the 2000 event, it will officially become a permanent fixture on the No Way Out card. One month after that buzz-worthy announcement, McMahon topped himself. He announced that all three world titles would be defended inside the Chamber next February. The men who walk out the Chamber with the gold won't have to defend it until WrestleMania 2000. Some in the locker room were weary of the challenges that the Chamber presented, but the six men who were part of it (Orton, Undertaker, Michaels, Show, Sandman, Sabu) helped out the guys with tips on what to do and what not to do in the Chamber. The guys who would be in the Chamber do not have to qualify; they'll be selected by the General Manager of that certain brand. Champions, of course, automatically qualify. On the January 24 edition of RAW (night after Royal Rumble) GM Jonathan Coachman announced the six men who will represent the red brand in the WWE Championship Elimination Chamber on February 27: The new WWE Champion John Cena, Randy Orton, Triple H, Edge, Shane McMahon, and a top-secret mystery opponent who will be announced next week. The five men in attendance walked down to the ring to discuss their thoughts. Everybody (except Orton) was legitimately nervous. Despite the best reward ever (defending the WWE Championship at WrestleMania) that may not matter with all the high risk. In fact, you could be putting it all on the line for nothing if you lose. Orton wished every competitor luck, and shook Cena's hand first, but turned it into an RKO on the champion. The crowd booed in displeasure. Triple H went up to Orton and slapped him in the face, but also got an RKO. Edge and McMahon double-teamed Orton and tried to make him stop, but he wouldn't. Orton easily stuck a middle finger to the numbers game and laid both Edge and McMahon out. Both men also were hit with the RKO. Orton held up the WWE Championship like a boss with his sinister smile and looked at the WrestleMania sign. He was hoping to get to Anaheim last night, but his dreams were shot down by Shawn Michaels. Heel Randy Orton was back, ladies and gentlemen. The next week, Orton opened RAW to explain his actions. He said that nice guys get absolutely nowhere and the past few months, he's learned that first-hand. Being a better person has given him nothing, and the ultimate straw came at the Royal Rumble, where he should've won the 30-man battle royal. Seeing how happy Michaels was and all the celebrating he was doing, it made him realize he's lost his edge. The sadistic streak Orton used to have is gone now. He has to get back to being a viper again, and if that means destroying everybody else, then so be it. Orton also said he has the WWE Championship in his back pocket, and since he won the very first Elimination Chamber match, he should have no problem beating the inexperienced field. Later that night, all five men were in the ring with Coachman to find out who the top-secret opponent is. "He should be here right...about...NOW!," Coachman said. The gong struck and the lights went out. Lightning struck and smoke filled the air. "Oh my God, you, you gotta be kidding me," said Jim Ross. "Is it him? Is it really him?," questioned Jerry "The King" Lawler. Yes, it's him. It's The Undertaker! Not seen since the night his ECW contract expired, Undertaker is now a member of RAW for two years! And this is his first major appearance on Monday nights. Everybody (including Orton) was shocked. They didn't expect to see The Deadman of all people. Undertaker entered the ring and stared down each man one by one, ending with WWE Champion Cena. "Do you have anything to say?," said Undertaker to Orton. "Do you have the balls to talk about how experienced you are? Listen, boy, you know as well as I do, that if it wasn't for Big Show sticking his poorly misshapen area where it doesn't belong (long pause for crowd laughter) I would be facing Triple H last year," Undertaker said. "I don't need to take this," Orton said, and left right as Undertaker grabbed his throat and chokeslammed him. Undertaker did the cutthroat signal at Cena, who did nothing but intensely stare at his new adversary. The next week, all six men were in action. Never at a loss for words, Cena finally broke his silence in a backstage interview. He claimed he was scared of the Chamber and what it could do to his career. He had talked with Triple H earlier about being a man, and they both agreed that's what it's made of. It's made of facing your problems like a man and overcoming what is put in your way. And that's what Cena had to do in three weeks. The first match was Triple H against Shane McMahon. McMahon scored the upset when he countered a Pedigree into a reverse piledriver. Triple H had to get back to winning if he had any chance of finally claiming the WWE Championship as his own. Edge faced Undertaker in the next match. Edge almost got the Spear, but Undertaker hit a Big Boot. Undertaker then hit the Last Ride, a Chokeslam, the Tombstone Piledriver, and locked in Hell's Gate on his former tag-team partner. Edge passed out in 20 seconds and now had a nosebleed. Going into February 27, maybe the Chamber should be afraid of Undertaker. Because nothing intimidates him. NOTHING. In the main event, Cena faced Orton. Cena was jumped by Orton before the match even started and RKO'ed on the stage. Orton put Cena in the ring, but referee Chad Patton wouldn't allow it, unlike in 1997. Wink-wink. Cena was deemed unable to compete and Orton won by forfeit. Orton continued the beatdown on the WWE Champion. Triple H came, but Orton took care of Cena's DX buddy. Triple H was thrown into the steps and his face was slammed into it several times, bloodying him. Due to being heels themselves, Edge and McMahon were nowhere in sight. But that didn't stop the lights from going out and the gong striking. When they returned, Orton had run away with the WWE Championship belt in his grasp. Undertaker checked on Cena and Triple H as Orton's music played. Ring Posts' Kevin Eck stated, "It was good for business that Orton turned heel again, as both him and WWE know that's the role he is meant to play. Since then, Orton has been more compelling in the past three weeks than he's been in the past three months." The next week, the six men were in a Six-Man Tag-Team Match. It was Cena, HHH, and Undertaker against Orton, Edge, and McMahon. In the end, Orton's team won when Cena's FU was countered into an easy Spear by Edge. After the match, the two sides brawled, but it looked like Orton's side had the easy advantage. Now gaining a second wind, Cena returned to the old, confident Cena we all know and love, clearing house and finishing it with an FU on Orton. Cena screamed, "Bring on the Chamber!" repeatedly and raised up the WWE Championship. At No Way Out, the favorites are Orton, Undertaker, and once again, Cena. The last RAW before No Way Out, the six men had a debate inside the Chamber itself, which Jerry "The King" Lawler moderated. Anytime a question was asked, another Superstar interrupted. When Lawler asked Cena if he believes he will win on Sunday. "I guaran-damn-tee it! Mark my words, Cenation. The WWE Championship will be ours until April 2!" There was a mixed reaction to that. "Just what makes you think you're gonna beat me in this Chamber?," Orton asked Cena. "Because he believes he's better than you," Undertaker answered. The crowd cheered immensely for that one. Now Orton was enraged. "Nobody, not even the almighty Deadman, is qualified to be with me in this match! I WON the very first Elimination Chamber last year, and I walked out world champion. This year, the Age of Orton will resume in grand fashion, when I beat the brains out of everybody in this ring!," he said. "NO! Last year, right before December 31, I made a promise. A promise to myself that I'd finally win the WWE Championship. I'd stand before you all here in 2000 with the most important title in this industry. And I don't care how I get it. Through an Elimination Chamber, through Hell in a Cell, through a Steel Cage, I don't even give a damn if I do it in front of Satan, I...WILL...WIN!," Triple H told his Chamber opponents. At that point, Lawler left the ring, fearing for his safety. "Do I mean anything to you people? Am I a figment of your imagination? In case anybody doesn't remember, I was the WWE Champion before Cena. I walked into the Royal Rumble with the gold, and every night before that for five months! And since then, NO ONE GIVES A (BLEEP) ANYMORE! On Sunday, I will make you guys care, and I WILL main-event WrestleMania," Edge said sternly. It took Orton to throw the first punch at Edge, and the six men went at it. Not as two sides, but as six separate guys. Who all have one thing in common: They want to go to WrestleMania 2000 with the WWE Championship. The guys also got their first taste of what the Chamber is like. Cena was even thrown into the steel chain by Edge. "These men are going to be putting their careers to the test on Sunday. We'll just how far some men will go to get to WrestleMania," Ross proclaimed. It seemed like Cena was going to be on top near the end when he had Orton trapped in the STFU. But then...BAM! Someone nailed Cena with the WWE Championship. A little dazed, Cena turned around and could only react as Shane McMahon put him to sleep with his own gold. McMahon, who was picked as the least likely to win by Eck for weeks, was standing on top of RAW's finest. Despite his supreme technical skills, McMahon had been overlooked for years and, despite winning the ECW Championship in December 1997 and main-eventing WrestleMania XIV as the champion, spent several months in the mid-card. Picking up a mic, McMahon said, "I think your time is up, Cena. You see, the WWE Championship is a title that I'm GOING TO WIN on Sunday." The crowd let the boos rain down. "This, all of it, all of it...is mine. And at No Way Out, everybody is going to look inside this Elimination Chamber, and only one man will come out of it with the prize. And that man will be Kendall Shane McMah..." Just then, McMahon was chokeslammed by Undertaker, and Tombstoned on the steel floor. "That man will be The Undertaker," The Phenom said. Undertaker did his victory pose with the title as the lights dimmed. At No Way Out, the six most battle-tested competitors on RAW will go at it in "Satan's Structure" for two things: One, to be known by the masses as the WWE Champion. And two, to punch a golden ticket to Anaheim and WrestleMania 2000. But only one man can get that chance. Who will it be? Will John Cena overcome his biggest challenge yet and roll past five other men? Will Randy Orton make his newfound success as a heel all the more sweeter by resuming the Age of Orton and earning gold in the Chamber once more? Will Triple H do what some have never gotten the chance to do and win the WWE Championship at long last? Will Edge reach the mountaintop a third time and make people notice him again? Will Shane McMahon beat the odds and shock the world by being the last man standing? Or will The Undertaker make his new contract with RAW worthwhile and head on to WrestleMania with an 8-0 streak and the WWE Championship? What about the Chamber itself? Will it force these men to risk their careers and lives just for the breaks?