The old design of the WWE Elimination Chamber. (WWE.com)
Leading up to the Elimination Chamber 2017 pay-per-view, WWE commentators noted that the chamber itself was going to be “all new.” That’s because the chamber has a brand new design this time around compared to previous years.
As you can see from the image above, the Elimination Chamber used in the past was circular, and the structure itself was quite heavy. This year, the chamber has been redesigned: it is now square shaped, taller, and a bit sleeker all around. There is also now padding outside of the ring, whereas there used to be steel grates there.
The chamber seems to be have been redesigned mainly for practical purposes. According to Wrestling Inc, Stephanie McMahon stated in a January 2015 interview with The Wrestling Compadres that the reason the company retired Elimination Chamber matches was because the 10-ton chamber was very difficult to hang in a lot of arenas. The padding outside of the ring also makes the match far less dangerous for WWE superstars.
Reactions to the new Elimination Chamber design have been mixed, with some fans complaining that this one looks too similar to the Hell in a Cell cage and that the square shape isn’t as intimidating or visually interesting as the circular one.
The Elimination Chamber match began in 2002, although the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view began in 2010. Unlike Hell in a Cell, Elimination Chamber matches consist of six participants, with two starting off and four being introduced in intervals.
According to WWE.com, the old Elimination Chamber structure was 10 tons, 16 feet tall, and 36 feet in diameter. As Mauro Ranallo explained during tonight’s pay-per-view, the new chamber is 26 feet tall.
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