In the penultimate match of the Elimination Chamber, WWE decided to set history aside to run the Men's Elimination Chamber match third on the four-match card, tipping the cap to Rhea Ripley for helping to sell some 50,000 tickets to her countrymen in Perth.

An unusual decision? You bet; the star power of the men's match was second to none, with every member of the bout having won a title in WWE save LA Knight, but considering the nature of an Elimination Chamber match, with six Superstars duking it out for the better part of an hour in a match where quite literally anything can happen, few fans in the building were too disappointed by the match order, as wrestling the gimmick bout after sunset gave it a much bigger match feel than the daytime environment the women were forced to work through.

So who, you may ask, came out on top in Perth, punching their tickets to WrestleMania 40 and a one-on-one match with Seth Rollins? Well, let's just say in this match, the journey was just as important as the destination.

Drew McIntyre caught a lucky break in the Elimination Chamber.

Opening the match up with Kevin Owens, Bobby Lashley, Logan Paul, and Randy Orton all locked up in their respective chambers, Drew McIntyre and LA Knight began the effort in the Men's Elimination Chamber match, mixing things up in a major way after getting more and more contentious over the last few weeks as they both attempt to punch their tickets to the main event of WrestleMania 40. Exchanging more fists than traditional wrestling moves, LA Knight tried to establish the tenor of the match early on with his unique style of mythological, hard-hitting offense, but McIntyre, inspired by chants from the crowd of CM Punk, attempted to flip that around in a major way, attempting to make him Go To Sleep in a maneuver that backfired to a spectacular degree, with Knight and KO – through the chamber glass mind you – double-teaming the “Scottish Warrior” with a series hard-hitting fists in the final moments of the one-on-one portion of the match.

Entering the bout second, KO was finally allowed to officially let his fists do the talking, and fight Owens fought, hitting Knight and McIntyre hard with his unique brand of street fighter style. On paper, a sound strategy, but Owens may have been wise to keep his mini-alliance with Knight intact, as he took a ton of damage before Lashley entered the match five minutes later at spot four.

After telling Lashley that he'd pray for him on SmackDown, McIntyre quickly caught the hands of the “All Mighty,” providing Perth with a showcase of his traditional power offensive attack as the match continued on. Looking like a sudden favorite to win the match due to his consistent string of damage on McIntyre, Lashley found out firsthand he isn't as unflappable as he might imagine, as the rest of the match's members started to hang up on the “All Mighty” until Randy Orton entered the match at spot five and cleared the field as if he was shot out of a cannon.

With “The Viper” finally in the chamber, Orton scared fans by coming up clutching his back following a draping DDT outside the ropes on KO, but slowly recaptured his strength as the match progressed on, recapturing enough strength to hit Knight with a Belly-to-Back Suplex but falling onto the floor in pain without so much as attempting a pin for his trouble.

Entering the match at the final spot, Paul immediately found himself on the wrong side of an angry KO, who rushed into his chamber and began a brutal beatdown on the “Maverick” that dominated the next few minutes of the match. Still, this match didn't magically become a one-on-one, and after recovering, Lashley decided to showcase his strength once more by spearing KO and Paul through individual chamber pods in a series of moves that got the crowd hyped as all get out.

Finally making his way into the ring, Lashley, clutching his elbow, was caught by a McIntyre Claymour and was pinned for the 1-2-3, making the first of five eliminations over the course of the match. Helped out of the ring by the officiating crew, Lashley was soon joined by LA Knight, who became the second man out when, fresh off of a series of BFTs, he was beaten to a pulp by AJ Styles, who somehow showed up in Australia with a steel chair and a taste for blood. Despite his best efforts to rally, Knight was eliminated by McIntyre, who didn't have to work hard to get the pin.

How did Styles get to Australia and into Optus Stadium without anyone knowing he was there? Your guess is as good as mine, but his inclusion in the match certainly shook things up in a major way, as it freed up KO to recapture his strength and go on the offensive against the match's four remaining members… at least until he was pinned by Orton's RKO to trim the match down to three.

With the match suddenly down to three, Orton and McIntyre exchanged blows inside the ring as Paul attempted to recover, with every move the “Maverick” attempted to throw seemingly countered by one of his fellow competitors. Still, as the lone high flyer in a match that typically favors high flyers, Paul still made his mark in the match, hitting McIntyre with a cross body off the top of a chamber to leave all three men lying in the center of the ring. Paul pulled his signature brass knuckles out of his pants, a maneuver legal in the match but was met with swift justice via an RKO out of nowhere, being eliminated from the match to bring it down to two.

With mere moments left to work their masterpiece, who would win the Men's Elimination Chamber match, McIntyre or Orton, who may not even be cleared to work the match if his back injury proved brutal? Well, as it turns out, fans didn't have to wait long to find out, as, with the match accelerating to its big finale, McIntyre secured an easy pin after an already eliminated Paul ran into the ring, decked Orton with the knucks and gave the “Scottish Warrior” the easiest pin of his career to punch his ticket to the “Showcase of the Immortals.”

Was this the right decision? Well, that depends on your fandom, but in the end, WWE decided to reward a long-time workhorse with a huge match opportunity, and the match should deliver no matter who comes out on top.