Twelve competitors, four plexiglass holding pods, and one gigantic cage structure. It can only mean one thing — it’s time for the WWE Elimination Chamber on the road to WrestleMania.

What makes the Chamber one of the best matches in WWE? As with the Royal Rumble, it’s largely the fact that — unlike a lot of things that happen in wrestling — the basic dramatic concept at the heart of it makes sense in the real world. In fact, it’s easy to imagine a parallel version of the Chamber working on a show like “American Gladiators” or even “MrBeast.”

Sure, it would have to feature fewer body slams and moonsaults, but the concept of competitors entering at random intervals (and then going head-to-head until only one is left standing) just works in a way that surpasses the vast majority of wrestling stipulations.

Then there’s the structure itself. Given that the first cage matches took place in the late 1930s, you might think wrestling promotions would've exhausted every possibility with steel structures by the early 21st century. After War Games in the 1980s and Hell in a Cell in the 1990s, things were certainly looking that way. And then along came the Elimination Chamber — all 10 tons of it — in 2002.

How was the epic creation first received? While wrestlers aren’t exactly averse to hyperbole, there's something about the reactions of the competitors (which were shown on WWE's "Ruthless Aggression" documentary in 2021) which suggest they weren't exaggerating. Just look at how Triple H and Chris Jericho described the moment when they spoke to ESPN back in 2017.

“We saw it for the first time, and we were like, ‘Oh God! Who built this?’ It was the most horrible thing ever,” Triple H said. The heir apparent to the WWE admitted he may have had a hand in designing the Chamber — having sketched his vision on a napkin — but he was still taken aback by the fearsome structure in front of him.

As we now know, the initial design was far from perfect. Indeed, in the same interview, Chris Jericho explained how it was clear that the Chamber hadn’t been built by someone with a wrestling background. “It was very clunky. It was very dangerous,” he said.

Those dangers became horrifyingly clear in the debut match when a botched offensive move by Rob Van Dam almost took Triple H out of action entirely. In an interview back in 2002, Van Dam explained how the design of the pod caused him to miscalculate his jump, leading to his shin crushing the throat of “The Game” and injuring his larynx. The latter went on to spend the night in the hospital.

Other talents have spoken out about their painful memories of those early Chamber matches. Just this month, JBL (John Charles Layfield) — no one’s idea of a soft performer by any means — told the "Something to Wrestle" podcast that he was grateful to have competed in the old structure only once. “There was nothing on that structure that didn’t hurt,” he said. “It looked like a terrific idea. The original idea — there was nothing about it that was safe. Everything on that thing hurt, and nothing made a noise, so it’s the worst of everything.”

The original Elimination Chamber had other problems, too. Its circular shape (and the fact that it was reinforced with two miles of metal chain) made it a nightmare to transport. Meanwhile, the sheer height of the 16-foot cage proved to be a problem in sports arenas with large scoreboards hanging over the ring.

In 2017, WWE unveiled its second iteration of the Chamber, featuring square fencing, a higher ceiling, and more space for an aerial camera above the ring. Changes were made around the ring as well, most notably replacing the punishing steel grates with a solid floor, which softened the impact of moves performed on the outer perimeter.

The tweaks made the Chamber safer without diminishing its high-stakes feel. As for how competitors utilize the structure to its full effect, WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels offered perhaps the best advice when he reflected on winning the first Chamber match back on "WWE Confidential" in 2002.

"The first thing that started going through my mind was, 'What can we do with this thing that the fans haven't seen before?'" Michaels explained. Although for "The Heartbreak Kid," who was still adjusting after a long period of absence, that largely meant volunteering to take some seriously hefty bumps on that famously unforgiving steel grating around the ring.

Naturally, the first Elimination Chamber match set a benchmark for other wrestlers to find new and more exciting ways to use their environment to create carnage. Some became instant classics, like Goldberg spearing Chris Jericho through the plexiglass pod in 2003 — a moment that proved the Elimination Chamber could match the brutality of the legendary Hell in a Cell, and would go on to inspire similar spots for the likes of Nia Jax and Otis.

Then there are the high-flying spots, with superstars using the plexiglass pods — or even the cage itself — to up the ante. Jeff Hardy’s supersized Swanton Bomb in 2008 stands out on that front, as does The Undertaker hurling MVP from the top of a pod in the same match. More recently, Brock Lesnar’s stomach-churning F5 to Austin Theory in the Chamber in 2022 was another monster spot.

Big bumps were one thing, but the Chamber also proved to be the perfect playground for ultra-athletic wrestlers to strut their stuff in gravity-defying stunts. Just think of Kofi Kingston leaping onto the walls “Spider-Man” style for a swinging DDT, John Morrison plunging from the ceiling, or Tiffany Stratton’s exquisite Swanton in Perth last year.

With its game-show feel, the Chamber doubles as an exquisite setting for telling epic in-ring stories. Just look at the “triple finisher” combination used to topple John Cena in 2009 to give one example. Or The Undertaker dominating the field in 2008; Kevin Owens stamping his authority in 2015; or Santino Marella teasing the upset of all time in 2012.

Will this year's event make the same impact? Looking at the quality of the two Chamber matches, you’d struggle to pick a better combination of superstars to give it a good shot. The WrestleMania 41 stipulation, with the winners facing Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes and (likely) Women's World Champion Rhea Ripley at April's two-day mega-event, ensures that both matches feel important without being dominated by one clear favorite (as was the case last year).

Are there really any stories that haven't been told already, even in that most imposing of wrestling cages? Saturday night, we’ll find out. But the fact that we can even ask that question after more than two decades of WWE Elimination Chamber matches proves just how brilliant this concept really is.