The 2015 Elimination Chamber (known as No Escape in

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) was a

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pay-per-view Pay-per-view (PPV) is a type of pay television or webcast service that enables a viewer to pay to watch individual events via private telecast. Events can be purchased through a multichannel television platform using their electronic program ...

(PPV) and

livestreaming Livestreaming, live-streaming, or live streaming is the streaming of video or audio in real time or near real time. While often referred to simply as ''streaming'', the real-time nature of livestreaming differentiates it from other non- liv ...

event Event may refer to: Gatherings of people * Ceremony, an event of ritual significance, performed on a special occasion * Convention (meeting), a gathering of individuals engaged in some common interest * Event management, the organization of eve ...

produced by

WWE World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is an American professional wrestling promotion. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority-owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. A global integrated media and entertainment company, ...

. It was the sixth

Elimination Chamber The Elimination Chamber is a professional wrestling elimination-based match held in the WWE. The match was created by Triple H, and introduced by Eric Bischoff in November 2002. It features a large chain-linked circular steel structure which ...

and took place on May 31, 2015, at the

American Bank Center The American Bank Center is an entertainment complex located in Corpus Christi, Texas. The complex consists of an auditorium, convention center and arena. The facility hosts numerous conventions, trade shows, exhibitions, live performances and sp ...

in Corpus Christi,

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

, marking the only edition of the event to be held in May; previous and future incarnations have taken place in February (except

2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...

and

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, which both took place in March). The event aired exclusively on the

WWE Network WWE Network is a subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and digital television network owned by the American professional wrestling promotion WWE, a division of TKO Group Holdings. The service relied on technology develo ...

in the United States, marking the first Elimination Chamber to be broadcast on the service, and it was available on PPV in various territories outside the country. It was also the first event to include a tag team

Elimination Chamber match Elimination may refer to: Science and medicine * Elimination reaction, an organic reaction in which two functional groups split to form an organic product *Bodily waste elimination, discharging feces, urine, or foreign substances from the body ...

, although it is also the first event in WWE history where the Chamber did not play host to a match for a world championship or future world championship match opportunity. An Elimination Chamber event was not held in 2016, but it returned in

2017 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly. Events January * January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...

; in turn, it was the last Elimination Chamber event to be held before the reintroduction of the

brand extension Brand extension or brand stretching is a marketing strategy in which a firm marketing a product with a well-developed image uses the same brand name in a different product category. The new product is called a spin-off. Organizations use this ...

in July 2016 and the last event to feature the original Elimination Chamber structure that was used since 2002. Seven matches were contested at the event, including one on the Kickoff pre-show. In the main event,

Dean Ambrose Jonathan David Good (born December 7, 1985) is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he performs under the ring name Jon Moxley and is the current AEW World Champion in his record-setting fourth ...

defeated WWE World Heavyweight Champion

Seth Rollins Colby Daniel Lopez (born May 28, 1986), better known by the ring name Seth Rollins, is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw (WWE brand), Raw WWE brand extension, brand and ...

by disqualification. In other prominent matches, Ryback defeated

Dolph Ziggler Nicholas Theodore Nemeth (born July 27, 1980) is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), where he performs under his real name, stylized as Nic Nemeth, where he is one-half of the TNA World Tag ...

, King Barrett,

Mark Henry Mark Jerrold Henry (born June 12, 1971) is an American former powerlifter, Olympic weightlifter, strongman, and retired professional wrestler currently signed to WWE under a Legends contract. Henry is a two-time Olympian (1992 and 19 ...

R-Truth Ronnie Aaron Killings (born January 19, 1972) is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs under his real name, stylized as Ron Killings and R-Truth. Killings worked for World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) ...

, and

Sheamus Stephen Farrelly (born 28 January 1978) is an Irish Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw (WWE brand), Raw brand under the ring name Sheamus. Prior to joining WWE, he wrestled on th ...

in an Elimination Chamber match to win the vacant

WWE Intercontinental Championship The WWE Intercontinental Championship is a men's professional wrestling championship created and promoted by the American promotion WWE, defended on the Raw brand division. It is one of two secondary championships for WWE's main roster, alo ...

, NXT Champion

Kevin Owens Kevin Yanick Steen (born May 7, 1984) is a Canadian professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Kevin Owens. As of April 2025, he is on hiatus due to a neck injury. Steen began his ...

defeated

WWE United States Champion The WWE United States Championship is a men's professional wrestling Professional wrestling championship#Location-specific championships, championship promoted by the United States, American professional wrestling promotion, promotion WWE, defend ...

John Cena John Felix Anthony Cena ( ; born April 23, 1977) is an American actor and professional wrestler. As a wrestler, he has been signed to WWE , where he is the current WWE Championship, Undisputed WWE Champion in his record 14th reign, which is ...

in Owens' main roster debut match, which was a non-title match, and in the opening bout, The New Day ( Big E,

Kofi Kingston Kofi Nahaje Sarkodie-Mensah (born August 14, 1981) is a Ghanaian-born American professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw (WWE brand), Raw WWE brand extension, brand under the ring name Kofi ...

, and

Xavier Woods Austin Watson (born September 4, 1986) is an American professional wrestler and YouTuber. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Xavier Woods and is part of The New Day and is one-half of the current World ...

) defeated The Ascension ( Konnor and Viktor),

The Lucha Dragons The Lucha Dragons were a professional wrestling tag team composed of Kalisto and Sin Cara. They previously wrestled in WWE's developmental territory NXT, where they were one-time NXT Tag Team Champions. Their name is a reference to their ''luc ...

( Kalisto and Sin Cara), Los Matadores ( Diego and

Fernando Fernando is a Spanish and Portuguese given name and a surname common in Spain, Portugal, Italy, France, Switzerland, and former Spanish or Portuguese colonies in Latin America, Africa and Asia (like the Philippines, India, and Sri Lanka). It is e ...

The Prime Time Players The Prime Time Players were an American professional wrestling tag team performing in the WWE, composed of Darren Young and Titus O'Neil. The two initially competed on ''WWE NXT'', debuting as a team in January 2012 and were later promoted to the ...

(

Darren Young Frederick Douglas Rosser III (born November 2, 1983) is an American professional wrestler and trainer. He is signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he is a trainer at the NJPW Academy and a former Strong Openweight Champion. He is bes ...

and

Titus O'Neil Thaddeus Michael Bullard (born April 29, 1977) is an American professional wrestler and former arena football player. He is signed to WWE as a Global Ambassador. Described by the company as "one of the most philanthropic superstars in WWE hist ...

), and

Tyson Kidd and Cesaro Tyson Kidd and Claudio Castagnoli, Cesaro were a professional wrestling tag team in WWE. They are former WWE Raw Tag Team Championship, WWE Tag Team Champions. They formed a tag team in December 2014, and were valet (professional wrestling), accom ...

in a tag team Elimination Chamber match to retain the

WWE Tag Team Championship The WWE Tag Team Championship is a men's professional wrestling world tag team championship created and promoted by the United States, American professional wrestling promotion, promotion WWE, defended on the SmackDown (WWE brand), SmackDown WWE ...

Production

Background

is a

first produced by

in 2010. It was previously held annually in February. The

concept A concept is an abstract idea that serves as a foundation for more concrete principles, thoughts, and beliefs. Concepts play an important role in all aspects of cognition. As such, concepts are studied within such disciplines as linguistics, ...

of the event is that one or two main event matches are contested inside the

, either with championships or future opportunities at championships at stake. The 2015 event was originally scheduled to be a

house show A house show (also commonly called a live event) is a professional wrestling event produced by a major Professional wrestling promotion, promotion that is not televised, though they can be recorded. Promotions use house shows mainly to cash in o ...

, a wrestling show that is not televised, but it was announced during the May 11, 2015, episode of '' Raw'' that Elimination Chamber would return on May 31 and be held at the

in Corpus Christi,

. The event was initially replaced in February by Fastlane because many arenas were not able to physically support the Elimination Chamber structure, thus making it easier to book the February pay-per-view event without the structure. WWE's other originally scheduled live event for May 31 in

Greenville, South Carolina Greenville ( ; ) is a city in Greenville County, South Carolina, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 70,720 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of municipalities in South Carolina, sixth-most pop ...

was canceled in order to bring the entire WWE roster to Corpus Christi, Texas, replaced by an upcoming episode of ''Raw'' in Greenville for November 16. The day after the 2014 event, WWE launched their online streaming service, the

, and it was announced that the 2015 Elimination Chamber would

livestream Livestreaming, live-streaming, or live streaming is the streaming media, streaming of video or Digital audio, audio in real-time communication, real time or near real time. While often referred to simply as ''streaming'', the real-time nature ...

exclusively on the Network in the United States. However, it was made available on traditional

(PPV) in other countries, including

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, and

. In 2011 and since 2013, the show has been promoted as "No Escape" in Germany as it was feared that the name "Elimination Chamber" may remind people of the

gas chamber A gas chamber is an apparatus for killing humans or animals with gas, consisting of a sealed chamber into which a poisonous or asphyxiant gas is introduced. Poisonous agents used include hydrogen cyanide and carbon monoxide. History Donatie ...

s used during the

Holocaust The Holocaust (), known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (), was the genocide of History of the Jews in Europe, European Jews during World War II. From 1941 to 1945, Nazi Germany and Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy ...

Storylines

The event comprised eight matches, including one on the Kickoff pre-show, that resulted from scripted storylines. Results were predetermined by WWE's writers, while storylines were produced on WWE's weekly television shows, ''Raw'' and '' SmackDown''. On May 17, an Elimination Chamber match for the vacant Intercontinental Championship was scheduled for the event. On the May 18 episode of ''Raw'',

, King Barrett, Ryback,

, and Rusev were added to the match. On May 31, Rusev was declared unable to compete because of an injury sustained three nights prior on ''SmackDown''. Rusev was replaced by

. At Payback, The New Day ( Big E and

, accompanied by

) defeated

to retain the

in a two out of three falls

tag team match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a storyline. ...

. Later in the event, The New Day were scheduled to defend the titles in a Tag team Elimination Chamber match at the event. On the May 18 episode of ''Raw'', Kidd and Cesaro, Los Matadores ( Diego and

) (with

El Torito El Torito (Spanish language, Spanish for "the little bull") is an American Restaurant chain, chain that serves Mexican food. El Torito operates 25 restaurants all in California. El Torito is one of several Mexican cuisine restaurant chains ope ...

), The Ascension ( Konnor and Viktor),

( Kalisto and Sin Cara), and

(

and

) were revealed as challengers. On the May 18 episode of ''Raw'', NXT Champion

answered United States Champion

's weekly United States Championship Open Challenge. However, instead of fighting Cena, Owens attacked him, saying they would fight on his "own terms". Later in the night, Owens was granted a match to face Cena at the event. On the May 18 episode of ''Raw'',

challenged WWE World Heavyweight Champion

to a title match but Rollins refused. Later in the night, Ambrose attacked Rollins until The Authority granted Ambrose a title match against Rollins at Elimination Chamber. On the last ''Raw'' before the event, The Authority tried to avoid the match by having Ambrose taken away from the arena in a police van before the official contract signing. However, Ambrose drove the van back into the arena and signed the contract for the match. At Payback, Naomi and Tamina defeated

The Bella Twins The Bella Twins are an American former professional wrestling tag team that performed in WWE and consisted of identical twin sisters Nikki Bella and Brie Bella. Each of the Bella Twins are former WWE Divas Champions. Brie was the first twin in ...

( Nikki Bella and

Brie Bella Brianna Monique Danielson (born November 21, 1983), also known as Brie Bella and Brie Garcia, is an American television personality and retired professional wrestler. She is best known for her tenure in WWE. In 2007, Garcia signed with WWE and ...

). After Nikki defeated Naomi by disqualification in a Divas Championship match on the May 18 episode of ''Raw'', Paige returned from injury and attacked both contestants. On the May 21 episode of ''SmackDown'', Naomi and Tamina attacked Paige before Nikki attacked Naomi, Tamina, and Paige. Nikki was then scheduled to defend the title against Paige and Naomi in a

triple threat match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called " gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a storyline. ...

at the event with Tamina banned from ringside. On the May 18 episode of ''Raw'', Bo Dallas confronted Neville during an interview and later, after Neville had lost a match to King Barrett, attacked Neville. On the May 25 episode of ''Raw'', after Neville defeated Stardust, Dallas attacked Neville again. A match between the two was scheduled for the event.

Event

Pre-show

During the Elimination Chamber Kickoff pre-show, Stardust faced

Zack Ryder Matthew Brett Cardona (born May 14, 1985) is an American professional wrestler. He is a freelancer who competes on the independent circuit as well as making in ring appearances for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), All Elite Wrestling (AEW) ...

. Stardust pinned Ryder after "The Queen's Crossbow" to win the match. The Miz hosted an edition of "Miz TV", with Daniel Bryan as his guest. The Miz began to take credit for Bryan's accomplishments, which led to Bryan calling out The Meta Powers (

Curtis Axel Joseph Curtis Hennig (born October 1, 1979) is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his time in WWE, where he performed under the ring name Curtis Axel. Hennig signed with WWE in 2007 and performed under his real name, styliz ...

and Macho Mandow). The Meta Powers attacked The Miz to end the segment.

Preliminary matches

The actual pay-per-view opened with the Elimination Chamber tag team match for the WWE Tag Team Championship. The Prime Time Players (Darren Young and Titus O'Neil) entered the chamber at #1. Los Matadores (Primo and Epico) entered at #2, along with their mascot El Torito. Tyson Kidd and Cesaro entered at #3. The New Day (Big E, Kofi Kingston, and Xavier Woods) entered at #4. The Ascension (Konnor and Viktor) entered at #5 whilst The Lucha Dragons (Kalisto and Sin Cara) entered at #6 starting the match. Los Matadores were eliminated by The Acension when Diego was pinned by Konnor after the "Fall of Man". The Lucha Dragons were eliminated by The Ascension when Kalisto was pinned by Konnor after the "Fall of Man". The Prime Time Players eliminated The Ascension when Young pinned Viktor after a "Gut Check". Cesaro and Kidd were eliminated by The Prime Time Players when Young pinned Cesaro with a schoolboy. The Prime Time Players were eliminated when O'Neil was pinned by Kingston after a "Trouble in Paradise", resulting in The New Day retaining the WWE Tag Team Championship. Next, Nikki Bella defended the WWE Divas Championship against Paige and Naomi in a triple threat match. Near the end of the match, Naomi performed an inverted frankensteiner on Paige for a near-fall and then attempted an enzuigiri on Nikki. Nikki countered into a "Rack Attack" to retain the title. After that, NXT Champion Kevin Owens faced WWE United States Champion John Cena. Owens executed a pop-up powerbomb on Cena for a near-fall. Cena performed an "Attitude Adjustment" on Owens for a near-fall. Owens taunted and mocked Cena's "you can't see me" gesture, but Cena applied the STF, only for Owens to escape. Owens executed an "Attitude Adjustment" on Cena for a near-fall. Cena performed a

clothesline A clothes line, also spelled clothesline, also known as a wash line, is a device for hanging clothes on for the purpose of drying or airing out the articles. It is made of any type of rope, cord, wire, or twine that has been stretched betwe ...

on Owens and attempted another one, but Owens executed a second pop-up powerbomb on Cena to win the match. After the match, Owens gave a promo telling Cena to leave while Owens's time was now. In the fourth match, Neville faced Bo Dallas. At the end of the match, as Dallas attempted a "Bo-Dog", Neville countered into an enzuigiri on Dallas. Neville executed a "Red Arrow" on Dallas to win the match. In the penultimate match, the Elimination Chamber match for the vacant WWE Intercontinental Championship was contested. Mark Henry entered the chamber at #1. Sheamus entered at #2. R-Truth entered at #3. Ryback entered at #4. King Barrett and Dolph Ziggler entered at #5 and #6 and began the match as the first two participants. R-Truth was the first to be released, and Mark Henry was released early after Barrett tackled Ziggler into Henry's Pod, breaking the Pod. Ryback was released next and Barrett was eliminated by R-Truth following a superkick from Ziggler, Snake eyes from Ryback and a "Lie Detector" from R-Truth.

was released last. R-Truth was eliminated by Ryback following "Shell Shocked". Henry was eliminated by Sheamus following a "Brogue Kick". Ziggler was eliminated by Sheamus following a "Brogue Kick". Ryback pinned Sheamus following "Shell Shocked", thus winning his first Intercontinental Championship and his first title in WWE overall.

Main event

In the main event, Seth Rollins defended the WWE World Heavyweight Championship against Dean Ambrose. At the end of the match, Ambrose attempted a diving elbow drop, but Rollins pulled the referee in front of him who was knocked down. Rollins attempted a Phoenix splash, but Ambrose avoided it and pinned Rollins after a "Dirty Deeds", giving Ambrose the championship. However, the decision was changed to Rollins being disqualified due to using the referee as a guard, so the championship didn't change hands. After the match, Rollins, Kane, Jamie Noble, and Joey Mercury attacked Ambrose.

Roman Reigns Leati Joseph Anoaʻi ( ; born May 25, 1985), better known by his ring name Roman Reigns, is an American professional wrestler and former gridiron football, football player. As a wrestler, he has been signed to WWE , where he performs on the Sm ...

then appeared, attacking Rollins with a superman punch and threw the title belt to Ambrose. Reigns then fought off Kane with a

spear A spear is a polearm consisting of a shaft, usually of wood, with a pointed head. The head may be simply the sharpened end of the shaft itself, as is the case with Fire hardening, fire hardened spears, or it may be made of a more durable materia ...

and Noble and Mercury with superman punches. The event ended with Ambrose and Reigns leaving through the crowd with the championship.

Reception

The event received generally mixed reviews. Jason Powell of ''Pro Wrestling Dot Net'' found both Elimination Chamber matches "disappointing"; he called the first a "train wreck opener", and the second "flat". Mike Tedesco of ''WrestleView'' thought the event was excellent, particularly the Owens vs. Cena match while also praising the Tag Team Elimination Chamber match. Nolan Howells of ''Slam Sports'' criticized the Intercontinental Championship Elimination Chamber match and gave it a negative score of 1.75 out of 5, but praised the John Cena vs. Kevin Owens match and gave it 4.5 out of 5. Howells gave the main event a 3 out of 5. He wrote "The world title match was a truly great match ruined by a truly awful finish. Predictable and put a whole set of nails in the coffin of an already dead crowd."

Aftermath

After Dean Ambrose stole the WWE World Heavyweight Championship belt, on the following night's episode of ''Raw'', The Authority demanded that Ambrose have a rematch with Rollins. Roman Reigns then appeared to tell them that Ambrose would be coming back with the belt only if Rollins was man enough for the title at Money in the Bank in a

ladder match A ladder match is a type of match in professional wrestling, most commonly one in which an item (usually a title belt) is hung above the ring, and the winner is the contestant who climbs a ladder and retrieves the item. The ladder itself become ...

. Despite The Authority's objections, Rollins accepted the challenge. During Elimination Chamber, a rematch between John Cena and Kevin Owens was scheduled for Money in the Bank. This event is notable for being the final televised match for Tyson Kidd, as he suffered a career-ending neck injury during a dark match with

Samoa Joe Nuufolau Joel Seanoa (born March 17, 1979), better known by the ring name Samoa Joe, is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is a member of the Opps, and is one-third of the AEW Worl ...

the next night before ''Raw''. On the following episode of ''SmackDown'', The Prime Time Players (Titus O'Neil and Darren Young) defeated The Lucha Dragons (Kalisto and Sin Cara) and The Ascension (Konnor and Viktor) in a triple threat tag team match to become the number one contenders for The New Day's (Kofi Kingston, Big E, and Xavier Woods) WWE Tag Team Championship at Money in the Bank. On the June 8 episode of ''Raw'', R-Truth was scheduled to face King Barrett at Money in the Bank. On the following episode of ''Raw'', Nikki Bella defended the Divas Championship against Paige. Nikki retained after Brie Bella switched places with Nikki during the match and pinned Paige. On June 8, a title rematch between Paige and Nikki was scheduled for Money in the Bank. An Elimination Chamber event was not scheduled for 2016, however, the event was reinstated in 2017. Following the reintroduction of the brand split in July 2016, the 2017 event was held exclusively for wrestlers from the SmackDown brand. The 2017 event also returned Elimination Chamber to its regular February slot with Fastlane moving to the March slot. The only exception to this was the 2020 event that was held in March due to Super ShowDown being held in February that year; a Fastlane event did not occur in 2020.

Results

Tag Team Championship Elimination Chamber details

Intercontinental Championship Elimination Chamber details

Notes

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Elimination Chamber, WWE Corpus Christi, Texas Professional wrestling shows in Texas

2015 2015 was designated by the United Nations as: * International Year of Light * International Year of Soil __TOC__ Events January * January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...

2015 in Texas 2015 WWE Network events 2015 WWE pay-per-view events May 2015 in the United States