What happened to the cage!?
 

I was just thinking back to the early 90s. What happened to the days of the cage being the -END ALL- of feuds? Cage matches are lucky to be the main event of Raw or Smackdown now. Not only that, but they suck now. This pinfall/submission/door shit needs to go. That ruins the aspect of the cage, in my opinion. Plus, the fence fucking sucks too. Bring back the bars! They were manly, they brought a true sense of brutality.

Since the inception of the Hell in a Cell and more recently the Elimination Chamber, Cage matches don't seem as great anymore. Now the only real big-feud ending match is the Cell.

TNA didn't exactly help things with Lockdown, either.

The last time I saw blue barred cage was Rebellion 2001 in Manchester England for the Edge-Christian feud. Back when Edge was actually more entertaining that Christian!

I've no problem with the current stipulations with the cage match. The only recent disagrement I've had is seeing JBL win by crawling from underneath the mat to grab the win at No Way Out. I'd love to see more done with the cage matches however. Perhaps have the heel bring a ladder in there (to escape the cage with greater ease) leading to numerous spots and painful situations... or having two beams stretching across the top of the cage to give the Ultimate X match type of feel. Lots of spots there too.

....and finally, the last great cage match I've seen has to be Benoit and Angle from a Raw broadcast in 2003 (correct me if I'm wrong). Absolutely mindblowing.

Take a look at the 'speciality match types' page on the WWE website. There are so many speciality matches now to bring a feud to its conclusion that the cage is only one of many possibilities. Back in the early 90s (at least in the WWF) the cage was only way to end it

Yeah, but it's been so overused that it's not even impressive anymore. When TNA does a cage match, apart from Lockdown, at least you know it means something.

Its becoming the same with TNA and the Ultimate X. The first time I saw one of those it was like..... WTF!..... and then the second time it was like.... wtf..... and then the third time it was like..... what on the other channel?

The Ultimate X isn't too bad yet.

Yeah, but for the main event feuds that get really 'personal', the only feud enders they ever use now are the Cell and Chamber.

Sure, feuds end with different matches (assuming that they end in a gimmick match), like the Bull Rope match, but when it comes to really high profile personal feud, it's usually the Cell.

Okay, okay, maybe it's only a feud ender if you're wrestling Triple H..... :shifty:

He sure loves to blade himself in that cell

Doesn't every cell have a blade job?

Its got more and bigger spots than the kids who work in Burger King, but its the same formula every time.

Recently, yes because they've all involved Hunter. But before those, with Mankind/Taker and Bossman/Taker not so much.

Everyone in the Armageddon six man Cell bladed I think.... sick!

I believe that every Cell match, besides the one on RAW, had blood, whether it was a blade job or the hard way. Foley bled the hard way in his match with Taker.

I really dont think the Mania XV Cell had blood (from blade or otherwise) although they did have a hanging to make up for it.

I miss the old blue cage, didn't they get rid of it because wrestlers were getting hurt or something??

Anyways, yeah with the hell in a cell and elimination chamber matches the cage isnt really that big of a deal to people anymore. It used to be cage matches were usually main event type matches, now you can usually see them on the first hour of raw when they have them

Exactly what I'm talking about.

I think the elimination chamber is a top idea and I would probably watch a PPV which had the chamber on the card, although under one stipulation - that it were booked properly. There's such a great potential with the chamber although the last two were duds in that the last was to further enhance the Batista/HHH feud and the one before that to get Goldberg over and enhance the Goldberg/HHH feud.

The Elimination chamber never ended a feud

because there's 4 other guys in the cage with the 2 feuding, it couldnt end a feud

thats right blackie

EC 1 Started HBK/HHH feud
EC 2 continued Goldberg/HHH feud
EC 3 cuntinued HHH/Batista feud

you beat me to it. sorry

Taker did because Cole was stressing over this was the first HIAC match that Taker bled in.

I just checked my video of it and Taker bled...

Edit: Damn you Ecko...

I guess you're right, although it has the potential to end up to 3 feuds at once...

The cage does end some feuds now-a-days though

Eddie vs JBL
Y2J vs Christian

We don't know the cage will end the Eddie rey feud.

Anyway, whatever happened to chairs? Remember how they were like, the end all of a match? Worse than a finisher?

IT's the evolution of the sport.

Good point.

Al Snow ruined chair shots.

The undertaker bladed after the bossman hit him with the night stick. Undertaker was handcuffed and after being hit like 2 or 3 times, he fell breaking the cuffs.

Serious? My memory is getting poor with old age and the alcohol abuse

Leave her alone!

I call it the aids match

Yeh. Rikishi wasn't released. He got aids.... full blown aids.... not HIV but full blown AIDS!

Anyone seen that family guy yet. F'N hilarious!

That was 6/01

Thank you for the correction

Rikishi vs. Val Venis - Fully Loaded 2001.
Anyone remember that? HOLY SHIT.

Sadisitc.. That wasn't that bad of a cage match.. I thought that PPV was kick ass too.

Was that a real PPV?

I felt incredible sympathy for Val after that match. How do you prepare yourself for a 300 lb Samoan to drop on top of you from 10 feet?

Didn't Venis like kick out of that move, and actually win the match? I love Val. :love:

I think the Steel Cage Match this week with Eddie and Rey will be greatness, and it will be the end to their feud. They need to make it so that you can only win by climbing over the top if the match is going to regain the status it once had.

The best part of a Steel Cage Match is the "Fight to the Death" feeling it can produce. Two men walk in, one man walks out. The thirst for professional and personal superiority is decided not in a match, but in a fight nclosed with steel, in front of the world, with one man being left battered, bloodied and defeated, with another walking out the victor and Champion of the feud.

I think the WWE changed the match, partially because it completely put one guy above the other. The Cage Match orginally was designed to find out "who the better man was..." but know it is just a wrestling match in a pen. Lose the pinfalls, submissions and the door exit stipulation, and just make it a fight, with the first man to climb over the top to the floor winning, and you have yourself a potential remade classic.

I love the way the words of the superstars in the match blow-up in a Steel Cage Match. All the previous wins, all the previous promos, they all mean shit once it comes down to the cage, because either you win or you lose. The cage is where it counts, and the WWE has seemingly forgotten that over the years, and they've since editted the match so it is an afterburn to a previous PPV feud. They have the blowoff match, then they stick 'em in the cage a few weeks later for no reason other to enhance their new programs.