Disclaimer: Do I really need to tell you again? I do not own the rights to the WWE, nor do I own the product, arenas, matches or the talent.
Beyond The League: A New Journey
Chapter V
The Devil's Playground
It is the brainchild of former Raw GM Eric Bischoff. It consists of two miles of fresh ripping chains and ten tons of born crushing steel. It houses four glasses chambers and is thirty-six feet in diameter and sixteen feet high from the roof to the arena floor. This deadly structure is called the Elimination Chamber and it will return at Summer Slam when Drake Williams defends the WWE Championship against Rob Van Dam, Lashley, JBL, John Cena and Edge. In the weeks leading up to Summer Slam, Drake Williams had proven to be a dominant champion and has taken on all comers. The five challengers all participated in "Beat the Clock" matches to determine who would enter the Elimination Chamber, with Lashley eventually getting that slot. The day of the PPV had finally come and Drake Williams standing in the aisle, staring at the monstrous structure. To his knowledge only twelve WWE superstars have been in this kind of match and one those twelve, Shawn Michaels was there to greet Drake.
"You look to have a lot on your mind." Shawn said. "Yeah," Drake answered. "Looking at this thing, I don't whether to call it Hell or Purgatory."
"And?" Shawn asked. "I've seen these matches and I've compared them to Hell in a Cell," Drake said. "The Elimination Chamber makes Hell in a Cell look like a day at the park. I think this time I'm in way over head."
"Stop right there, Sparky," Shawn said. "I was in the first Hell in a Cell match and the first Elimination Chamber match and I won both," HBK continued, "Going into both of them, I felt like I was in over my head but I survived. You can too, because every night you've pushed yourself beyond your limits and came out smelling like a rose and you can do it again, as long you believe."
"You've never given up on me, Shawn." Drake laughed. "Not a chance," Shawn said as he placed a hand on Drake's shoulder. "Good luck in there, and may God be with you."
"Sparky?" Drake exclaimed.
Drake knew he needed that bode of confidence from Shawn Michaels as he prepared for his most difficult and demanding title defense to date. Several hours later, the Summer Slam main event was about to commence and the Elimination Chamber was being lowered onto the ring. Drake Williams made his last minutes preparations before he would be at the gorilla position where the other participants awaited their queue. Lashley was the first to head out to the chamber followed John Cena and then Edge. The WWE Champion Drake Williams was the next man to make his entrance and take his place in the last chamber, albeit feeling a bit claustrophobic. That would leave Rob Van Dam and JBL to start the match in the ring, while one of the other four would be released from their chamber at random after a three minute period and the last man standing will be the WWE Champion.
The bell sounded and the Elimination Chamber match was underway as RVD and JBL locked up in the ring. The fans chanted for RVD as JBL forced Van Dam into the corner and took a swing at him. RVD ducked and rattled the larger Bradshaw with rights and lefts, kicks and finished with a monkey flip to send JBL down. RVD made the cover but only got a count of two as the other wrestlers looked on from inside their chambers. RVD stayed on the offensive and kept JBL down with a leg drop followed by his patented Rolling Thunder and got another near fall. JBL was finally able to get control with a shoulder block followed by a short-arm clothesline for his own near fall. JBL tossed RVD out of the ring to the steel floor and tried to slam Van Dam's face into the chains but Van Dam block it. RVD tried to return the favor but Bradshaw block it with an elbow to the gut. JBL finally rammed RVD back first into chain wall before throwing RVD back into the ring for another near fall. Bradshaw measured Van Dam perhaps for the Clothesline from Hell and charged, but RVD saw it coming and leveled JBL with a spinning heel kick as the countdown began. The countdown finally reached zero and the first man to be released from his chamber was Edge.
Edge quickly went on the attack by pounding and stomping RVD then JBL and back again. Edge took JBL out of the ring and proceeded to ram Bradshaw's face into the chains. Two or three more times and Bradshaw was busted open as Edge now stalked Rob Van Dam. But RVD was ready and caught Edge big time with a sharp kick to the side of the head while JBL was on the steel floor bleeding badly. RVD set Edge into the corner and hit two shoulder blocks before going for a third that Edge side-stepped, sending Van Dam's shoulder into the ring post. Edge rolled up RVD but only got a near fall before again targeting Bradshaw, but Bradshaw caught Edge coming out and whipped his back into the chains, after which Edge collapsed right next to Drake's chamber. Despite the blood loss, Bradshaw returned to the ring to continue the assault on Rob Van Dam as the countdown started again. Ten seconds later, another chamber is opened and out comes Drake Williams.
Drake Williams immediately went after Edge and pounded the daylights out of him before going after Bradshaw. The WWE Champion struck JBL with a thunderous clothesline before doing the same to RVD. JBL tried to strike back but Williams caught Bradshaw with a German suplex, then one to RVD and another to Edge who came back into the ring. Drake Williams was seemingly a house of fire until he was met with a lethal spin kick from Rob Van Dam, who afterwards hit Drake with Rolling Thunder. RVD made the cover on Williams for a near fall and went back to work on Edge while JBL focused on the champion. RVD had Edge on the ropes and charged but Edge back dropped RVD over the ropes and outside onto the steel floor. In the meantime, JBL and Williams traded shots back and forth before Bradshaw jabbed his thumb in Drake's eyes and hit a DDT for another near fall. JBL pulled his prey to a vertical base and set him up for a power bomb but Drake countered and locked in the Sharpshooter. The champion applied all the pressure he could until Edge hit Drake from behind with a bulldog takedown just as the countdown reaches zero and John Cena is out next.
Cena laid out Edge with a takedown of his own and then stomped away on a weakened JBL before going after Williams with a spin-out power bomb and followed that with the Five Knuckle Shuffle. Cena apparently forgot about RVD who came back in off the turnbuckle with a thrust kick on Cena and now everyone was down. RVD looked to have been cut under his right eye while Edge tried to get a pin fall on Cena but he kicked out. Edge was up and so was Drake and they slugged it out until Drake sent Edge out onto the steel floor. Meanwhile John Cena hit the F-U on Rob Van Dam but he could not cover RVD right away and JBL was too dazed to do anything. Edge and Williams both tried to drive the others' face into the chains but to no avail. Edge kicked Williams in the gut and tried for a power bomb but Williams got out of position and catapulted Edge face first into the steel chains, busting Edge wide open. Drake Williams returned to the ring where Bradshaw was waiting and he attacked the champion with a neck breaker for two. As JBL tried to pick him up, Drake hit the Celestial but could not capitalize on it. Rob Van Dam recovered and took advantage of the fallen Bradshaw, scoring with the Five-Star Frog Splash just as the countdown reaches zero and out comes Lashley.
Lashley came in and immediately dominated everyone; handing out suplexes to them one by one. Lashley soon zoned in RVD and hit the Dominator and pinned him; Rob Van Dam is eliminated. As Lashley searched for his next victim, a bloody Edge came in and Speared Lashley down and cover him but only got a two count. Drake Williams came back with those Triple-Germans on Edge and bridged out on the third one for a very close near fall. Meanwhile, John Cena and JBL were hammering Lashley and tried to double team him but Lashley nailed them both with a double clothesline. Lashley now targeted Drake Williams and set him up for the Dominator but Drake slipped and charged but Lashley back dropped the champion out onto the steel floor. Lashley turned around and walked into a Clothesline from Hell from Bradshaw, who then made the cover but Lashley kicked out again. John Cena took over on Lashley and gave him the F-U and that was enough to get the pin fall; Lashley is gone. The moment John Cena turned around; he too met his end at the hands of JBL and his Clothesline from Hell. Three seconds later, John Cena is out of the Elimination Chamber, meanwhile Edge was raking Drake's face into the steel chains.
With John Cena gone, the Elimination Chamber match was down to three men for the WWE Championship. Edge convinced JBL to work together to take out Drake Williams, who by now was busted open badly. Edge and Bradshaw took turned in pounding the champion and whipping him into the chains before sending hit back into the ring. Edge went for the cover but Drake kicked out, after which JBL hit Drake with a nasty power bomb and covered him, but again Drake kicked out. Both men picked up the bloody champion and hit a double suplex and Edge covered Williams again but Williams still got a shoulder up. Edge brought Williams up and held him before telling Bradshaw to try the Clothesline from Hell again. JBL charged in for the kill but Edge threw Williams down and hit the Spear on JBL out of nowhere and pinned him. JBL has been eliminated thanks to the double cross by Edge, who now had Drake Williams to himself. Drake was bleeding profusely and nearly wiped out in the corner where Edge stomped him repeatedly and even choked him for the hell of it. Edge stopped his assault before going to the opposite corner and gearing up for one more Spear, waiting for Drake to get to his feet. As soon Williams was up, Edge charged full steam ahead but Williams kicked Edge hard in the sternum. With Edge completely dazed, Drake Williams hoisted Edge up and hit the Celestial before draping an arm over Edge and getting final pin fall; Drake Williams has done it again.
"The winner of this bout and still WWE Champion," Howard Finkle announced. "Drake Williams."
Drake Williams could barely move after the match but regardless he is going to leave Summer Slam with the WWE Championship in his possession. Finally able to stand up on his own, Drake stepped out the Elimination Chamber with his title in tow and looked back at the structure. Then he did something no one ever expected; Drake wrapped the title belt around his neck and proceeded to climb up the side of the chamber. Once at the top, Drake had to crawl way his to the apex of the chamber but he made it anyway. Drake Williams now stood on top of the world so to speak and held the WWE Championship high to a standing ovation in the air as Summer Slam came to a close. After the show, Drake was in the trainer's room getting checked on when Shawn Michaels entered with a confused look on his face.
"You must've got your head damn near caved in," Shawn said. "What the hell were you thinking pulling a stunt like that?" he asked. "You're the one who told me to go beyond my limits," Drake said. "I just wanted to do something unexpected."
"Well you certainly pulled it off," Shawn said, "The whole roster is buzzing about it. Just don't do that again. The last thing we need is another Mick Foley."
"Uh…I'll try." Drake said. "Just for the record," Shawn said, "Climbing to the top of the chamber was about the gutsiest move anyone has ever done. You take care of yourself."
Shawn Michaels left the room leaving Drake to be checked on. No one ever imagined how far a guy like Drake Williams would have gone to make an impact. One thing was for sure after the Elimination Chamber; Drake Williams was going to be sore for a very long time.
Authors note: Now that has to qualify has my favorite chapter. Review please and don't give me any flames.