Hell in a Cell

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Image:HIAC.jpg The Hell in a Cell is a type of professional wrestling match sometimes seen in World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) in which the ring and ringside area are surrounded by a roofed steel cage. The cell differs from the cage used in a normal Steel Cage Match, having a roof (cages in traditional cage matches have no roof) and a wide space between the ring apron and the cell (cage match cages hug the ring closely). Hell in a Cell matches are rare; there have been only fourteen such matches in WWE since the first in 1997. Due to the logistical difficulty in setting them up, their dangerous nature, and their perception as a special attraction, Hell in a Cell matches are generally seen only at pay-per-view events. It is extremely popular among fans and is the structural successor to the Thundercage match type seen in WCW, which was virtually identical in basic construction; however, thundercage was rarely used by World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and thus fans had little to no knowledge of its existence. Hell in a Cell is the 'older brother' in terms of cage style bouts, to the Elimination Chamber. Also said to have been the most gruesome match possible by current SmackDown! commentators Michael Cole and former ECW wrestler Tazz.

WCW referred to the Hell in a Cell match as a Caged Heat match originally, but later used the name Thundercage. Thundercage actually precedes Hell in a Cell by roughly five years, as the Thundercage was used in the match between Ric Flair and Big Van Vader for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship in February 1994 at SuperBrawl IV. It was also used in matches between Sting and The Great Muta.

Despite the "locked in" theme of the match, many Cell matches have featured wrestlers fighting out of and even atop the Cell:

  • In the first Cell match, the door was unlocked to allow the removal of an injured cameraman, which led to Shawn Michaels and Undertaker fighting on top of the cage.
  • In the Mankind / Undertaker Cell match, the competitors began the match on top of the cage, and entered through a hole in the roof rather than through the door.
  • In the Triple H / Cactus Jack Cell match, Cactus Jack charged the Cell wall until it broke.
  • In the six man Cell match, Vince McMahon used a truck to pull off the door of the Cell while attempting to destroy the Cell and stop the match.
  • In the Triple H / Chris Jericho Cell match, the door was opened with bolt cutters to allow the removal of injured referee Tim White.

However the original aspects of the hell in a cell (such as fighting outside and on top of the cage) have been implementated rarely in recent matches, even more bizarre the last match (Undertaker vs Randy Orton) these original aspects were never in use.

The Undertaker has been in 7 Hell in a Cell matches, more then any other competitor. His win-loss record is 3-3-1. Triple H is 2nd with 6 appearances, with a win-loss record of 4-2-0.

Contents

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Notable matches

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Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels

Image:HBK-elbow-drop.jpg The Hell in a Cell match was first introduced in this match at the Badd Blood pay-per-view event on October 5, 1997 in St. Louis, Missouri, with the Cell employed as a means to prevent Shawn Michaels' D-Generation X allies from disrupting or interfering with the match. On his WWE DVD release "From the Vault," Michaels discusses the origin of the cell, and mentions that he and the Undertaker brainstormed some of the ideas incorporated into the design, such as the extension of the chain-link walls beyond the apron of the ring to allow for more room in which to perform. He also takes credit for suggesting the cell as a replacement for the "extremely hard" blue barred cage design, though it continued to be used into 1998.

This match featured a great many intense and violent spots, which included Michaels being bodyslammed and backdropped on the roof of the cell. While climbing down the side of the cell to escape the Undertaker, Michaels was left hanging off the side while the Undertaker stomped on his hands, causing him to fall through the Spanish announce table at ringside from a height of around 10-12 feet. This spot is seen as a precursor to a far more famous fall taken by Mick Foley from the very top of the cell. The first Hell in a Cell match is considered by many to be the best one, and it was voted Pro Wrestling Illustrated Match of the Year for 1997, as well as garnering a rare 5-star rating from Dave Meltzer's Wrestling Observer.

This match also featured the first appearance of Undertaker's on-screen brother, Kane. Kane ripped the door of the Cell from its hinges, before performing his own version of the Tombstone Piledriver on Undertaker. Michaels then crawled over Undertaker for the pin.

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Undertaker vs. Mankind

The Hell in a Cell match at the 1998 King of the Ring between The Undertaker and Mankind (Mick Foley) has since become one of the most famous professional wrestling matches in history. In preparing for the match Mick Foley asked longtime mentor and friend Terry Funk for his advice on how to top the first Hell in the Cell, which Foley considered a great match. Funk's fateful advice was to start the match on top of the cage.

When the match started, both men climbed on top of the cage before the bell had even rung. After a short battle the Undertaker threw Mankind off the top of the cage through the Spanish announcers' table 16 feet below, narrowly avoiding monitors and other A/V equipment. Emergency medical technicians and other staff quickly rushed to his aid, while announcer Jim Ross screamed "Good God almighty, good God almighty, that killed him! As God as my witness, he is broken in half!" Foley was lifted onto to a gurney, and the technicians started to wheel him up the aisleway. Meanwhile, Undertaker remained atop the cage, which had begun to rise back towards the ceiling to allow room for the EMTs to wheel Mankind away on a gurney. Even though the fall from the cage was planned and well executed, Terry Funk and Vince McMahon broke kayfabe - at the time, both were involved in feuds with Mankind - to come down ringside and check on Foley's condition. Later, Foley would claim that he had introduced the idea of the throw from the top of the cage earlier in the day; the wrestler portraying Undertaker, Mark Calaway, at first resisted, asking him, "Mick, do you want to die?", but eventually agreed.

As he was being wheeled up the aisle, Mankind got off of the gurney, and, despite a dislocated shoulder, walked back towards the ring and climbed back on top of the cage. The match continued, even though the roof of the cage was buckling under both of them with every step they took. During the ensuing fight Undertaker chokeslammed Mankind; a section of the cage roof gave way and Foley fell into the ring where he suffered a concussion and was knocked out cold for around a minute and a half. In addition to the fall, a steel chair lying on the roof of the cage struck Foley in the face, dislocating his jaw and knocking out one and a half teeth as well as creating a large cut beneath his lip. A famous picture taken a few minutes after the fall through the cage depicts Mankind apparently smiling while one of his broken teeth, which he had aspirated into his sinus cavity, protrudes from his nostril. In his first autobiography, Foley claims that he was trying to show off the hole below his lips by sticking his tongue through it, but because of his thick beard and excesses of blood, the hole was not seen and this was misinterpreted as a sick smile.

The Undertaker jumped down through the new hole in the cage roof (despite a broken foot which he suffered before the match) and improvised some spots with Funk to give Foley a few minutes to recover. Despite suffering from a head injury, Foley was able to continue and finish the match, which ended when The Undertaker backdropped and chokeslammed him onto a pile of thumbtacks and followed up with a Tombstone Piledriver, winning by pinfall. Despite his injuries Mankind managed to go ahead with his planned interference in the main event later that evening, a First Blood match between Kane and "Stone Cold" Steve Austin.

In the end, the match left Foley with a dislocated jaw, a dislocated shoulder, a bruised kidney, 2 broken ribs, one and a half missing teeth, a concussion and 14 stitches for the cut beneath his lip. He took 2 months to fully recover, but the match almost certainly helped shorten his active wrestling career.

Many elements of this match, including the fall through the roof of the cage, were reused in Mick Foley's retirement match against Triple H at No Way Out. Video clips of the two falls have been some of the most replayed clips on WWE television.

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Mankind vs. Kane

This little remembered match occurred in August 1998 on an episode of Raw is War, a mere two months after the far more famous Hell in a Cell match at King of the Ring. It is often forgotten due to its lack of hype and the fact that it occurred on broadcast television rather than pay per view.

The most notable part of the match once again involved Mankind falling from the cell. The Undertaker, still involved in a feud with Mankind, pulled him off the side of the cage whilst he was paused at the halfway point of the structure. However, the landing was botched, with Mankind's lower body destroying the Spanish announcers table that was supposed to break his fall, and his head, back and shoulders directly hitting the concrete floor from a height of fourteen feet. In his second autobiography Foley jokes that this fall actually hurt him more than his infamous bump from the very top of the cage in the previous cell match.

Mankind once again pulled a bag of thumbtacks from beneath the ring, and executed a modified piledriver than cause Kane to land on the tacks. However, Kane looked set to win the match after hitting Mankind with a steel chair three times, followed by a chokeslam and two tombstone piledrivers, the second onto the steel chair. Steve Austin then burst from underneath the ring and attacked Kane. The Undertaker, watching from outside the locked cage, attempted to break into the cage through the roof, but was thwarted by Vince Mcmahon who used the controls to raise the cage.

The match was declared a no contest.

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The Undertaker vs. The Big Boss Man

Widely regarded as the worst Hell in a Cell match, this contest took place at Wrestlemania XV and featured the bodyguard of The Coporation, Big Boss Man, against the leader of The Ministry, The Undertaker. It is noteworthy only for its ridiculous ending. After being pinned by Undertaker, Boss Man was 'hung' from the cell by a rope as it rose to the rafters, effectively a kayfabe murder at the time. Bossman returned to action a few weeks later, with no mention of the hanging spot.

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Triple H vs. Shawn Michaels

This was the last match in the feud between Triple H and Shawn Michaels that lasted from 2002 in a street fight, first ever elimination chamber, and a 2 out of 3 falls match to 2004. The match went on for nearly an hour (47 min), with both men bleeding heavily. Michaels gave Triple H a diving elbow through a table, and the two made frequent use of the ring steps, and ladder. Shawn Micheals would hit the Sweet Chin Music but Triple H kicked out. Triple H got the pin after three Pedigrees.

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Hell in a Cell history

Note: The cell itself was used during a First Blood Match between "Stone Cold" Steve Austin and Kane at King Of The Ring 1998, but the match itself was not a Hell in a Cell match.

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External link

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