Background: After weeks of Rob Van Dam looking to conquer ECW World Heavyweight champion Big Show, RVD was thrust into a bring-your-own-weapons Elimination Chamber match alongside Show, Bobby Lashley, CM Punk, Hardcore Holly & Test after the latter four defeated four respective opponents to earn spots in the match.
December to Dismember
December 3, 2006
Augusta, GA
Big Show vs. Rob Van Dam vs. CM Punk vs. Hardcore Holly vs. Bobby Lashley vs. Test
Stern collar & elbow tie up between Rob Van Dam and Hardcore Holly led to a clothesline exchange. Van Dam was the first man to feel the steel surroundings when he got pitched over the top rope. Holly topped that off by using the hotshot to send RVD throat first against the top rope while sidestepping the jumping former ECW & WWE champion. The fans wanted RVD to fight back as Holly decided he wanted to fly. Instead of splashing Van Dam, Hardcore flew into a boot that allowed RVD to execute a modified version of rolling thunder to splash Hardcore while Holly was horizontal on the steel grate surrounding the ring. One minute remained before one of the pods would open to make this a Triple Threat match as the two competitors already in the ring slugged it out. The fans counted down until the next entrant was revealed: CM Punk rocking a steel chair. The crowd was going wild as Punk came in like a house of fire as he pulled a Sabu and tossed the chair to bounce it off Holly’s head. When trying to do the same to RVD, Punk got cracked on the head. Punk quickly recovered, avoiding the Van-Daminator to DDT Van Dam on the chair. RVD was starting to bleed and Punk whipping him headfirst into the chair didn’t help matters. Punk’s momentum was halted by Holly power bombing a jumping CM against the steel chains. Holly had taken control of this match, working over Punk while RVD tried to steal pins. It was time for another entrant and with everyone knocked down, Test was able to enter with a crowbar in hand.
Test used one end of the bar to gouge RVD’s face before choking Punk. Van Dam somehow fought through Holly’s intended onslaught to retrieve the chair and crack everyone including Punk with running dropkicks assisted by the chair. Five-Star Frog Splash connected for RVD on Punk, allowing Van Dam to pin and eliminate Punk.
Before RVD could fully get up, Test came at him with the Big Boot. Van Dam sidestepped the attack and Holly took the Boot … for a confusing near fall as Holly didn’t kick out, but the referee stopped counting…? The referee told Holly to get out, so he was apparently eliminated.
RVD knocked down Test, climbing the pod holding Big Show. Show grabbed RVD’s legs through the chains, allowing Test to recover and crack him with the chair before pulling Van Dam off the top of the pod for a super elbow drop with a chair on top of Van Dam’s face! Test made the elementary cover for another elimination that didn’t leave the fans happy.
Test was staggering in the ring by himself as a, “Where’s my refund?” chant broke out. Bobby Lashley was next to come out, but Paul Heyman’s security guards didn’t allow Lashley or his table to exit by knocking out the referee in charge of unlocking the pods. Lashley came up with an idea: break the chains overhead with the table to free himself. Lashley flew off the top rope, utilizing a clothesline before whipping Test through the pod Bobby just came out of; and the fans were back enjoying the festivities before remembering they hate what’s going on by chanting, “You’re not Lesnar!” in regards to Lashley. As Taz talked about the “deadly” skills of Test with a chair, Lashley avoided taking a chair shot and landed the Spear to pin & eliminate Test.
A minute was left before Big Show & his barbed wire baseball bat could enter the calmed fray featuring Lashley with a chair just waiting for the inevitable. As Big Show exited his pod, the crowd started chanting, “T-N-A!” The future Impact World champion was using a chair to shield those wild baseball bat swings before sidestepping the bigger man so Show lost his bat by getting it entangled in the chains. Lashley grabbed the stunned Show, sending him through the glass pod CM Punk once occupied. Show, bleeding & frothing at the mouth, grabbed an incoming Lashley to pitch him into the ring. Bobby countered the Choke Slam into a DDT as a smattering of fans was cheering on Big Show. The running power slam failed for Show, resulting in him taking a Spear that put Show down for the three count to make Lashley the new ECW World Heavyweight champion.
Winner: Bobby Lashley (24:44)
Is It A Classic: Questionable booking aside, this was actually a very fun match. It definitely got sloppy and the crowd went “bizzaro”, but everyone came in with their working boots on and produced a Chamber match that deosn’t get its just due.
