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In his last act as RAW General Manager, Eric Bischoff decided that the WWE Championship would be up for grabs inside the Elimination Chamber. And on the Dec. 12 edition of RAW, interim GM Mr. McMahon announced five qualifying matches to see who would join John Cena inside the Chamber on Jan. 8 (WATCH a look at the qualifying matches).
In the first qualifying match, Kurt Angle earned himself another shot at the gold by defeating Ric Flair. Carlito then defeated Shelton Benjamin and Chris Masters defeated Viscera to earn the third and fourth slots.
In the next qualifying match, Triple H cost Big Show a spot in the Chamber. As Show had Shawn Michaels beaten, Triple H intervened, nailing HBK with a chair to get Show disqualified. However, Big Show would get his revenge, helping tag team partner Kane deliver a double chokeslam to defeat Triple H and earn the final slot.
On the Dec. 26, edition of RAW, all the Elimination Chamber participants took part in "Beat the Clock" Matches for the right to enter the Elimination Chamber last.
By the end of the night, Kane had established the best time -- an impressive 28-second victory over both members of The Heart Throbs. With the win, Kane will have the important advantage of entering the Chamber last — thereby being the freshest and healthiest Superstar in the battle for the WWE Championship. John Cena has overcome difficult odds time and again during his eight-month reign. Will he step up again, or will these odds prove insurmountable inside the demonic structure known to tear up the bodies of its participants?
One week ater beating the clock (WATCH Beat the Clock video), Mr. McMahon put Kane in a match with Shawn Michaels. But after a confrontation with HBK the week before, Mr. McMahon banned Sweet Chin Music in the match. The Chairman stayed at ringside during the match and distracted HBK, allowing Kane to pick up another win (WATCH a look at the match). Following the loss, Mr. McMahon decided that Michaels will enter the Elimination Chamber first (WATCH HBK hear the bad news).
Later in the evening John Cena faced Kurt Angle in a First Blood Match (WATCH a look at the match). Thanks to some interference from Daivari, Angel was able to bust Cena open thanks to a steel chair. But Cena was able to shake off the blood and lock Angle in the STFU. Chris Masters and Carlito then ran to the ring and attacked Cena. Angle recovered, but Masters then hooked him in the Master Lock. It wasn't long before HBK and Kane came down as well to join the fray. HBK was the last man standing until Cena miraculously came back and hit an FU, leaving all six Elimination Chamber competitors laying in the ring. Will this be the kind of carnage that will be seen at New Year's Revolution?
Only Kane and Michaels have competed inside the Elimination Chamber before. Will that prior experience propel them to victory, or will Carlito or Masters climb the ladder and win their first WWE Championship? Will Angle finally get his hands on the gold again, or will The Champ overcome all the odds once again to walk out of New Year’s Revolution with his gold?
