Your Favourite Cage Match Ever

[hb2k]

So for this week's podcast, with Joe Vs. Balor in a cage on the horizon for Wednesday's NXT Takeover, we want to look at the history of the cage match, and are looking to ask - what is your favourite match to ever take place within a steel cage concept?

This can be any match from any promotion, whichever one you draw to the most, and can be one of the traditional cage match's siblings, such as Hell In A Cell, War Games, Elimination Chamber, etc. And of course, the major question is why? Why does your personal favourite stand out amongst the rest?

As always, the best contributions will be read on the air and you'll be credited accordingly. So what is it for you?

EDIT - Our show talking all about Favourite Cage Matches Ever, featuring many of your contributions, is now online and available to listen to at the following link: http://squaredcirclegazette.podbean.com/mf/web/eq2jp8/SCG_Radio_87_-_Favourite_Cage_Matches_Ever_.mp3

[Shisen Kopf]

Hell in a kennel. It had dogs. Puppy power!

[Mr. Nerfect]

You know, The Big Valbowski and Rikishi have a lot in common. They both have girth and know how to make a difference...heh, heh. heh. I'm actually not the biggest fan of this match, but I have always liked Val Venis as a performer. He's one ballsy Ryan Shamrock-fucker for letting Rikishi splash him off the top of the cage like that. If nothing else, I feel the match deserves a bit of credit for being memorable.

For something that had a bit more quality in the traditional cage match realm, I remember really enjoying Kurt Angle vs. Chris Benoit.

I also remember a Cage Match between Jeff Hardy and Umaga I quite liked. Jeff was chasing the WWE Championship held by Randy Orton at the time. Orton came out and tried to impede Jeff climbing out. Jeff sort of shrugged and hit a Whisper in the Wind off the cage onto Umaga for the win. Jeff was never one of my favorite wrestlers, but he was white-hot at the time, and this all built tremendously and told the story of Jeff having so much momentum that Orton almost seem to register it as a downtrodden response to the measures Jeff would go through to try and win the title at the upcoming PPV.

[Mr. Nerfect]

In the non-traditional sense: I have to give credit to the first Elimination Chamber. Survivor Series 2002 was a memorable PPV for me, top to bottom, and the first Chamber really made it seem like these men would do anything to be World Heavyweight Champion, which was presented as a brand new title at the time. For a fan that was hitting puberty with Dean Ambrose punches at the time, this really breathed prestige into the World Heavyweight Title.

I'd also throw out a Hell in a Cell somewhere. Of all of Cell matches, the ones that have been the most entertaining for me are Triple H vs. Cactus Jack in 2000 and the Armageddon 2000 Cell. I have seen The Undertaker's Cell matches against Shawn Michaels and Mankind, but I kind of went into them with the iconic association and kind of watched them as history projects. Props to those men for establishing the concept and almost killing themselves, but something about the 2000 Cell matches carried a more contemporary emotional weight that I could latch onto as a fan. The Armageddon Cell match is a lot more of a cluster-Sunny, but I had a lot of fun at the time watching it.

I'll also give a shout-out to Triple H vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin in the original 3 Stages of Hell (although I don't think it was billed as such and only got the name in a video game). I was a fresh fan at the time, and I was genuinely surprised when Austin won the straight fall and Triple H won the No DQ portion. The way they were presented, for whatever reason, made me expect the opposite. I also expected Austin to win the last fall, because he was the hero going into the title match against The Rock at WrestleMania X-7. When Austin turned at the PPV, I thought "Ah. Triple H is going to fight him for the title now." Nope. Oh well. I find it weird that Austin never had a one-on-one Cell match, and battles against Triple H and The Rock would have been pretty appropriate.

Just a random Hell in a Cell aside: Did you know that Dolph Ziggler and Jack Swagger have been in a Hell in a Cell match? I was on the Cell's Wiki page (no mention of ending Tim White's career and causing a lasting bout of depression--Josh Mathews should get on editing that) and saw that they had been in one. I couldn't for the life of me remember either of them working one, but then I discovered it was a 5-man RAW dark match inside the Cell. Do you think the concept has been watered down at all over the years?

[Stickman]

If it's not a blue cage, no care.

[Big Vic]

What about black cage?

Austin vs McMahon was great even though it was one sided. I was a bit nervous when Big Show came in and started man handling Stone Cold until he accidentally threw him through the cage causing the win.

[Jordan]

I'd say the first cage match I saw was Hogan/Bundy at WM 2 or Owen/Bret, Bret/Diesel... I don't really have an affinity for cage matches TBH. I did really enjoy WWE's Cage Match DVD though.

Magnum/Tully I Quit is the best CAGE MATCH. But nothing will top Shawn/Taker Hell in a Cell. Several come close though, Foley/Taker, HHH/Taker with HBK as the ref... I fucking LOVED that match.

[Blue Demon]

Bret Vs. Owen at SummerSlam '94. It was an intense match, and yet was quite technical for a cage match. It was gripping to the end, with many near escapes and even had a "who's gonna win?" feel right to the end.

[Seth82]

gotta go with Ric Flair vs Kerry Von Erich from the WCCW Christmas Star Wars '82 show.

this was the match that led to the great Von Erichs-Freebirds rivalry that put this territory on the map as one to watch for a few years.

[Emperor Smeat]

Leaning towards Taker-Mankind, Hell in a Cell at King of the Ring 1998 for both its historic reasons and the match being great in establishing the Cell as both being dangerous and the go to match for ending big feuds.

[Shisen Kopf]

Another great Cage match was when Christian Cage beat Jeff Jarrett at Against All Odds 2006 for the lol TNA championship

[The Condor]

Bret-Owen is a fucking drag. 2 that came to mind immediately were Austin-McMahon and the Rock-Shamrock-Mankind triple threat cage from Breakdown '98.

[Ol Dirty Dastard]

If you think Bret-Owen is a drag, then YOU my friend are a drag.


LOL and then you come back with Austin and McMahon. Do me a favour mayng.


Though Rock Shamrock and Mankind sounds delightful but I haven't seen it as of yet.

[Big Vic]

Austin vs McMahon was very nice.

[DaveWadding]

Bret/Owen is th winner. great story, nearly a year of buildup, classic matches before this one, great chemistry.

I don't know about anyone else, but I do not like cage matches that end in a pinfall. Escape finishes are the best.

[drave]

Angle v Benoit RAW 2001.

The fucking moonsault AND the headbutt off the cage made me mark out like a little bitch. I could watch those two fight every day if things were different. Still though, IMO, this was a Wrestlemania caliber match on "just another Monday". They really need to have the occasional high profile match on RAW to make things feel fresh again.


JBL 4 PM

[Ol Dirty Dastard]

Austin vs McMahon was very nice.

It's fun in the sense that Vince gets his effing head knocked in and is fearless. But a match with a non-wrestler is not better than Bret-Owen in a cage.

[DAMN iNATOR]

I enjoyed the first-ever Elimination Chamber match for the World Heavyweight Championship at Survivor Series 2002. So many great contenders, lots of intense action and I, like I'm sure many others as well, lost my fucking mind when Shawn won the belt.

I know it's not really a part of the question, but I feel I must point out how absolutely atrocious both JBL v. Big Show in a barbed wire steel cage match for the Undisputed WWE Championship at No Way Out 2005 and the "Extreme" Elimination Chamber for the (WW)ECW Championship at December to Dismember 2006 both were. No amount of Men in Black style memory erasure could ever make me forget either of those disasters.

[weather vane]

My brain always goes to Hogan/Orndorff for some reason.

[SlickyTrickyDamon]

October 30, 2000 Episode of Raw. Rikishi Vs. Stone Cold. Only because I was there and it was my first ever steel cage match in person. Stone Cold beat the crap out of Rikishi for a solid 5 minutes for running him over. It was also the episode where Edge and Christian debuted the Kazoos that has become iconic.

If we are not talking about matches where I was in attendance then I would say Mankind Vs. Triple H at SummmerSlam 1997. Loved the chemistry these two had together in every incarnation. Also the involvement of Chyna getting involved in the cage when at that point interference in cage matches was a rarity was great. It has been way overdone in 2016 but it was great back then.

Foley screwing up and not having the heart tattoo ready before the match was hilarious. Loved how McMahon sold it like it looked great and went crazy for the "debut" of Dude Love. He was probably so pissed that it looked like absolute shit. A great match anyways.

[The Condor]

It's fun in the sense that Vince gets his effing head knocked in and is fearless. But a match with a non-wrestler is not better than Bret-Owen in a cage.

Tried to rewatch Bret-Owen a month ago and had to stop halfway through. Psychology is essential to great matches, but this match, in my opinion, is all psychology and they offer barely any good action. Just different strokes. McMahon-Austin, especially watching it live, just offered so much more, I feel.

[Ol Dirty Dastard]

oh no doubt I don't begrudge your opinion but it still highly offends me ;)

[Bad News Gertner]

Backlund vs Snuka MSG 1982. Snuka misses the splash off the top of the cage. Fuck me sideways was that a great ending.

[Shisen Kopf]

Robb Banks vs Nikky Chance was supposed to take place in a cage but Robb Banks stole it. Woulda been the best cage match ever.

[DAMN iNATOR]

Though Rock Shamrock and Mankind sounds delightful but I haven't seen it as of yet.

Couldn't find it on YT, but managed to spot it on DM:

<a class="embedly-card" href="http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x25uq3u_the-rock-vs-ken-shamrock-vs-mankind-steel-cage_sport">The Rock vs Ken Shamrock vs Mankind steel cage</a> <script async src="//cdn.embedly.com/widgets/platform.js" charset="UTF-8"></script>

Enjoy!

[Nicky Fives]

I don't recall too many triple threat matches prior to that one....

As for cage matches, Angle/Benoit & Bret/Owen come to mind, although I'm sure there were some great old school cage matches I have not seen....

[My Final Heaven]

I always really liked the Brock vs "Big Evil" Undertaker Cell match during Brock's pre-UFC run, manhandling Taker on his own turf did so much to put Brock over as a fucking monster. :heart:

Hogan vs Orndorff was really great too, people were desensitized to "LOL Hogan wins because of the trainin', prayers & vitamins"; then *that* match happened :lol:

Lita vs Victoria? 1st ever Women's cage? I guess that one's significant too...

[Bad News Gertner]

Valentine vs Santana for the IC belt when Tito won the title in 85 was awesome too

[Simple Fan]

Can't really say I have a favorite but one that sticks with me was the cage match where Jeff Hardy jumped back into the cage instead of climbing out and winning the tag team titles. Was a big Hardy Boys fan and wanted them to win the titles and Jeff completely fucked it up.

[DAMN iNATOR]

Can't really say I have a favorite but one that sticks with me was the cage match where Jeff Hardy jumped back into the cage instead of climbing out and winning the tag team titles. Was a big Hardy Boys fan and wanted them to win the titles and Jeff completely fucked it up.

I think you're thinking of Survivor Series 2001 in the WCW and WWF Tag Team Championship unification match.

[Mr. Nerfect]

Can't really say I have a favorite but one that sticks with me was the cage match where Jeff Hardy jumped back into the cage instead of climbing out and winning the tag team titles. Was a big Hardy Boys fan and wanted them to win the titles and Jeff completely fucked it up.

I always liked the psychology of that spot. Or lack thereof, in a sense. The babyface wants to show off or prove something to themselves -- immortalize themselves in a way and hopefully snag the material glory along the way. It backfires and the heel gets his day. If I were an actual booker, I'd have to be careful to to overuse that as a finish in my Cage Matches, because I love it so much.

That's the ending I wanted to see to Bobby Roode vs. James Storm for the TNA World Heavyweight Title at Lockdown in...2012? Sort of guessing the year here. Austin Aries would eventually dethrone Roode later that year at Destination X.

I wanted Storm to look good in his hometown and basically have the title secured, but then he has the option of climbing out of the cage or finishing the man that betrayed him. He goes to elbow Roode off the cage, but Roode misses, barely saving his own skin. Roode crawls into a cover and barely manages to escape with his title.

[Mr. Nerfect]

Can't wait to listen to this podcast later on, especially for the philosophies that go into people's fandom of the cage. Watching Balor vs. Joe at Takeover I just can't help but think that being able to escape via the door is way too cheap and breaks up the action too much. I think Joe trying to walk out did more to disrupt the flow off the match than the constant referee checks during their Dallas match.

I'm also somewhat quizzical about pinfalls and even submissions in a cage. You might as well have a Hell in a Cell in those scenarios. I'd keep the Cage Match to either escape over the top or, maybe, beating your opponent up so bad that the referee needs to stop the match and award it to the aggressor. A "climb or crumble" stipulation. Submissions inside the cage I guess I am okay with, as they add a "you made it to the big fight and you threw in the towel" level of drama, but psychology wise, I don't get why you wouldn't just get your opponent in a submission in the ropes and refuse to break it until they have to give up.

[#1-norm-fan]

Magnum TA vs Tully Blanchard "I Quit" match is the easy answer for me. Watched it repeatedly when I was a kid. Nothing felt "pretty" or choreographed about it but the storytelling was amazing.

[DAMN iNATOR]

Just gave the podcast a listen. Another amazing episode with a lot of interesting analysis and comments from the entire panel.

[hb2k]

I want to thank everybody for the contributions, we got to read many of them on the show, which is now available at the following link:

http://squaredcirclegazette.podbean.com/mf/web/eq2jp8/SCG_Radio_87_-_Favourite_Cage_Matches_Ever_.mp3

Join us for our show looking at Your Favourite Cage Matches Ever! Discussing all forms of cage warfare, including Elimination Chamber matches, War Games, Hell in a Cell and more, we talk about countless classic encounters in an effort to explore cage matches done right. Looking at Magnum Vs. Tully, Taker Vs. Shawn, The Dangerous Alliance Vs. Sting's Squadron, Bret Vs. Owen, Angle Vs. Benoit, Armageddon, The Final Conflict, Duggan Vs. DiBiase, Steiners Vs. Money Inc, Savage and Adonis Vs. Bruno and Santana, AMW Vs. XXX and many many more, we run the gauntlet on bloodbaths and daring escapes. A really fun show, check it out and let us know what you think!

[Black Widow]

War Games when Sting took out the NWO and then left.

[Bad News Gertner]

Completely forgot about that Adonis and Savage vs Bruno and Tito match. Fantastic match.

[Lock Jaw]

You know why they call him Cage? Because he's not a man, he's a maaaaccchhhiiiiinnnnneeee