Booker T Did Not Want To Be In The First WWE Elimination Chamber Match

During the most recent episode of his “The Hall Of Fame” podcast, WWE Hall Of Famer Booker T discussed being in The Elimination Chamber in 2002  and the fact he wasn't designed safely, revealing he did not want to be a part of that match.

“I did not want to be in that match,” Booker said. “I knew somebody was going to get hurt. You can slip down, brace yourself and literally hit your elbow and be out for six months. That’s how much steel was around that grate. It was nuts. It was like a monstrosity. There was no way you could go in that thing and not get hurt.”

Booker continued, “People don’t really realize how serious that match was that night as there was no way around going out there and not being a stuntman. You’re just going to take it. You’re going to be hurting the next morning. It was scary. That’s why you never saw me in a whole lot of those matches because I never really lobbied to be in those kinds of matches. Of course, these guys today thought they could go out and do those same moves in the Elimination Chamber. No way. You saw my face. My face was scared like I don’t want to do this.”

In recent years WWE has updated the design of the cage, with Booker saying, “Today it’s a really nice chamber. You’re still going to go out there and it’s not going to be a cake walk, but I don’t think there’s anywhere near as many ways to get hurt.”