Chamber Of Inexperience

WWE's Elimination Chamber event is this Sunday. Two championship matches will be contested inside the big, steel wrestling blender, featuring an unprecedented 12 superstars making their Chamber match debut on the same night. As for those coming into Sunday with some Chamber match experience, none have ever won one. Those facts spotlight the astounding lack of experience that will be showcased on Sunday.

The industry leader in Elimination Chamber match appearances is Chris Jericho. The one-time "King Of The World" can also lay claim to the unofficial title of "King Of The Chamber". He's appeared 8 times, and his 10 career eliminations are also the most in Chamber history.

Most appearances

Chris Jericho – 8

Triple H – 6

Randy Orton – 6

John Cena – 5

Kane – 5

Edge – 4

CM Punk – 4

Shawn Michaels – 4

Big Show - 4

Most eliminations

Chris Jericho – 10

Triple H – 7

Undertaker – 6

Randy Orton – 5

CM Punk – 5

That provides some context for Sunday's Elimination Chamber matches. 2 superstars in the Intercontinental Championship contest will join those listed above in making their 4th career Chamber match appearance, and at least one of those names will probably surprise you.

Sheamus – 4^th appearance (2010, 2011, 2014), 2 eliminations (2010: Kofi Kingston, 2011: R-Truth)

R-Truth – 4^th appearance (2010, 2011, 2012), 0 eliminations

King Barrett – 3^rd appearance (2011, 2012), 0 eliminations

Dolph Ziggler – 2^nd appearance (2012), 0 eliminations

*Rusev – 1^st appearance

Ryback – 1^st appearance

(*Rusev was injured during this past week's SmackDown taping and may not compete. However, as of this writing, WWE.com still lists him as participating in the match on Sunday)

Sheamus memorably lost the WWE Championship in his first Elimination Chamber match in 2010. All three of his previous Chamber appearances have been for either the WWE Championship or the World Heavyweight Championship.

As for the rest of the field, R-Truth is Sheamus' equal in experience, but he's never left much of an impact. Wade/Bad News/King Barrett has been in 2 Chamber matches, but you'd be hard-pressed to remember either of them. Dolph Ziggler probably has the highest ceiling for a potential show-stealing moment. His only Chamber match appearance was back in 2012.

So, it's safe to say that Sunday's Elimination Chamber match for the Intercontinental Championship will not a feature a wealth of experience, but it's far from a field of novices. The other Chamber match on Sunday, however...

Kofi Kingston – 3^rd appearance (2010, 2012), 1 elimination (2010: Ted DiBiase)

Big E – 1^st appearance

Cesaro – 2^nd appearance (2014), 0 eliminations

Tyson Kidd – 1^st appearance

Diego – 1^st appearance

Fernando – 1^st appearance

Konnor – 1^st appearance

Viktor – 1^st appearance

Titus O’Neil – 1^st appearance

Darren Young – 1^st appearance

Sin Cara – 1^st appearance

Kalisto – 1^st appearance

Kofi Kingston, we salute you! I'd be shocked if he and Cesaro aren't among the first handful of superstars to enter the match on Sunday. That's not say that there isn't a ton of talent in this match. I'm excited to see what Tyson Kidd and Kalisto will be able to do in this match. Honestly, it's my sleeper pick for Sunday's event. The spectacle alone of 12 superstars in the Chamber at the same time could make this an unforgettable match.

Is the obvious inexperience of those in Sunday's Elimination Chamber matches a big deal? It's a bit of an unfair comparison. Past Chamber matches have been for either a world championship or a shot at one, so by their very nature, those fields were more prestigious. Experience certainly counts in a match like the Elimination Chamber, but perhaps ignorance of the obvious pain and agony that await can be just as beneficial.