THE MOSS COVERED THREE HANDLED FAMILY CREDENZA
ARTICLE # 60
NOVEMBER 26, 2002
Caged Excellence
This article takes a look at 6 of the most memorable cage matches to take place within the past decade. Among the matches reviewed are two memorable Hell in a Cell battles, two of the greatest cage matches in joshi puroresu history, Toryumon's Golden Net cage match, and one of the last memorable WWF cage matches from their "climb and fall" era.
8/29/94 WWF Title Cage Match: Bret Hart (c) vs Owen Hart
Members of the Hart family were at ringside, including Stu, Bruce, Helen, Diana Smith, as well as British Bulldog and Jim Neidhart. Owen attacked Bret as he entered the cage and pummeled him in the corner. Owen snapmared Bret and rammed him into the corner. Owen landed a series of punches in the corner and gave Bret a European uppercut. Owen stomped Bret and chopped him. Owen headbutted Bret but Bret responded with an atomic drop and a clothesline. Owen stomped Bret's hands. Owen won an exchange of blows and raked Bret's eyes. Bret DDTd Owen and won another exchange of blows. Bret legdropped Owen and climbed the cage but Owen pulled him down. Owen punched Bret and gave him an enzuguiri. Owen climbed up but Bret cut him off and back suplexed him to the mat. Bret crawled towards the door but Owen grabbed his leg and gave him some kicks to the leg. Owen punched Bret and whipped him hard into the corner but walked into a boot. Bret bulldogged Owen and tried to escape but Owen pulled him back. Owen lunged for the door but Bret pulled him back. Both men repeated attempts to crawl through the door. Bret held Owen back but Owen bit his fingers. Bret pulled Owen back to the middle of the ring and elbowed him. Bret climbed up but Owen grabbed his leg and slammed him from the top rope to the mat. Owen climbed up and over the cage but Bret caught him and pulled him up by his hair. They traded punches on the top rope until Owen knocked Bret to the mat. Owen hit a top rope dropkick and tried to climb out but Bret caught up to him. Bret pulled Owen back in and himself climbed to the top of the cage They traded punches atop the cage and on the top rope. Bret knocked Owen to the mat and tried to escape but couldn't. Owen pounded Bret and went for a piledriver but Bret countered with a backdrop. Bret headlocked and punched Owen but Owen pushed him off. They did a criss cross and collided with each other. Owen reached for the door but Bret grabbed his leg. Bret pounded Owen and elbowed him. Bret tried to climb out but Owen grabbed his leg. Bret kicked Owen but Owen still prevented him from climbing over the top. Owen pulled Bret down and crotched him on the top rope. Owen reached for the door but Bret grabbed his leg again. Bret headbutted Owen low but missed a second rope elbow. Owen climbed up but Bret caught up to him and slammed him to the mat. Owen prevented Bret from climbing out and gave him a Samoan drop. Owen climbed to the top of the cage and Bret ran to catch him. Owen tried to ram Bret into the cage but Bret countered and rammed Owen into the cage. Bret climbed over the cage but Owen grabbed him by his hair, pulled him back in and gave him a back superplex. Owen piledrove Bret and climbed the cage but Bret caught up to him. Owen knocked Bret off the top rope with a punch but himself fell off the ropes. Bret tried to escape through the door but Owen grabbed his legs and gave him some punches. Owen tried to escape but Bret pulled him back to the middle of the ring and catapulted him into the cage. Bret almost escaped through the door but Owen grabbed him at the last second. Owen whipped Bret hard into the corner. Owen seemed to go for a rollup but Bret ducked and Owen ran into the cage. Bret climbed over the cage but Owen grabbed his arm and punched him. Owen spin kicked Bret and climbed the cage but Bret caught up to him. Bret pulled Owen back in by his hair. They traded blows on the top rope but Bret knocked Owen to the mat with a kick. Bret climbed up but Owen pulled him down and gave him a European uppercut. Bret missed an elbow and both men collided again. Owen climbed the cage but Bret caught him and gave him a top rope superplex. Bret crawled towards the door but Owen grabbed his leg and pulled him back in. Owen applied a sharpshooter but Bret escaped and applied a sharpshooter of his own. Bret climbed the cage but Owen barely caught him. Owen punched Bret and they both fell to the mat. Owen climbed up but Bret stopped him. They both climbed over the cage. After a struggle Bret rammed Owen into the cage and Owen fell down but his leg was trapped in the cage, thus preventing him from reaching the floor. Bret jumped to the floor to win the match at 32:18 and retain the title. Wade Keller rated this *** when it happened, while Dave Meltzer if I remember right gave this *****. Both sides have a case, and it all depends on whether you buy into the "climb and fall" style of pre-Hell in a Cell WWF cage matches. This style was milked to the hilt here, and made for some great drama. However, it also meant fewer wrestling and action sequences, actually much fewer than their classic Wrestlemania match. Much of the match was slow-paced, which could be a good thing from a dramatic perspective. As far as making the escape concept a dramatic focus, both men could not have done a better job. However, this match went too long for that style. Back in 1994, there were far fewer spectacular cage spots at wrestlers' disposal, making some of the near-escapes and spots in this match a bit repetitive. Still, this was a dramatic cage match, a bit long, but back in 1994 still great. ***3/4
9/17/97 WWWA Tag Team Title Cage Match Escape Rule: Etsuko Mita & Mima Shimoda (c) vs Kaoru Ito & Tomoko Watanabe
Watanabe wore football-like shoulder pads to protect her injured shoulder. The champions immediately attacked their opponents with chairs. Mita and Shimoda also used chains and the cage itself as weapons early on. Both challengers were busted open within the first 6 minutes of the match, a period that the champions completely dominated. Ito finally fought back with a German suplex on Mita and Watanabe gave Shimoda a dragon screw. Both Ito and Watanabe applied leglocks on their opponents. Watanabe suplexed Shimoda but appeared to hurt her shoulder, and Shimoda attempted to remove the shoulder pads. Shimoda applied an armbar on Ito�s taped arm and shoulder. Mita applied a cross armbreaker on Watanabe. Mita gave Ito a Death Valley driver as Shimoda attacked Watanabe�s injured shoulder. Shimoda tried to escape but Ito gave her a released German suplex. Ito then attacked both opponents with chairs. Shimoda German suplexed Ito and gave her a tiger superplex. Shimoda brought in a very long chain and an attendant tied one end to the ringside barricade. That segment of the barricade was then brought into the cage. Shimoda brought the barricade down on Ito and Watanabe. The champions tried to escape the cage but were unsuccessful. Shimoda accidentally hit Mita with a chair. Ito pounded Mita with a chain as Watanabe clotheslined Shimoda with the other chain. Ito and Watanabe tried to escape the cage but only Watanabe was successful. Shimoda was a bloody mess but still flattened Ito with a chairshot. Mita attempted a Death Valley driver but Ito countered and gave her a nodowa. Ito hit a top rope foot stomp on Mita and one on Shimoda. Ito unsuccessfully tried to escape the cage. An attendant for the champions sprayed a fire extinguisher towards Ito. Mita escaped the cage as Ito held Shimoda at bay. Mita climbed up the cage and prevented Ito from leaving. However, Ito dragged her back into the cage and pounced on her with a foot stomp from the top of the (10 foot high) cage. Ito then successfully escaped the cage at 20:43 to win the match and the title. Great drama during most of the match and a super ending. ****1/2
12/9/00 Cage Match: Kaoru Ito, Momoe Nakanishi & Nanae Takahashi vs Kumiko Maekawa, Etsuko Mita & Mima Shimoda
This had the escape rule where a team would win when all 3 women reached the floor. The heels (Maekawa and co.) attacked the faces at the start. Mita hit Nakanishi with a chair. Ito went after Maekawa but Maekawa scored with a superkick and hit her with a chair. Mita piledrove Nakanishi. Ito flattened Shimoda with a sharp elbow and gave her a lariat. Maekawa kicked Takahashi. Mita won an exchange of blows with Nakanishi. Maekawa repeatedly rammed Takahashi into the cage and busted her open. Maekawa repeatedly kicked Takahashi's head against the cage. Shimoda hit Ito with a chair and attacked her with a chain. Ito elbowed Mita but Maekawa gave her an ax kick in the corner. Mita choked Ito with a chain as Shimoda rammed Nakanishi into the cage. Nakanishi fought back and gave Shimoda several dropkicks on the apron, an impressive spot since the cage gave them little room on the apron. Ito hit Maekawa with a chair and Mita with a chair as well. Nakanishi attacked Shimoda in the ropes with punches. Maekawa choked Nakanishi and rammed her into the cage. Shimoda choked Takahashi with the chain. Maekawa missed an ax kick and Nakanishi gave her a rollup into a legbar in such a great sequence. Ito applied an ankle lock on Mita. Nakanishi German suplexed Shimoda and hit her with a chair. Nakanishi attacked Shimoda with the chain and rammed Mita and Shimoda into the cage. Shimoda and Nakanishi exchanged blows as Ito gave Maekawa an STO. Shimoda shoved Nakanishi to the mat and gave her a top rope chop. Shimoda gave Ito a series of kneelifts to her head and hit her with a chair. Maekawa choked Nakanishi with a chain and snapmared her by the chain. Mita missed a chairshot on Takahashi. Shimoda grabbed the chain and unknowingly dragged Maekawa around the ring briefly. Nakanishi dropkicked Maekawa in the corner but Mita then attacked her. Maekawa whipped Ito into Nakanishi in the corner and then Takahashi into those two. Mita and Maekawa hit corner splashes but Shimoda crashed into the corner when the faces all moved. Nakanishi gave Shimoda a great German suplex and Ito powerbombed Maekawa. Ito and co. tried to escape the cage but the heels cut them off. Mita held Ito on her shoulders, Shimoda came off the top rope with a flip kick (more like a body attack) and Mita then hit a Death Valley driver. Shimoda German suplexed a bloody Nakanishi. Mita and Shimoda gave Ito a double team powerbomb out of the corner and tried to escape but couldn't. Takahashi and Nakanishi gave Shimoda a double splash mountain out of the corner. Nakanishi flipped out of a Mita Death Valley driver attempt but Maekawa superkicked her. Shimoda and Maekawa gave Mita a double ax kick when Ito countered a Death Valley driver attempt. Ito powerbombed Mita as Nakanishi gave Maekawa a Michinoku driver. Ito and Nakanishi successfully escaped the cage but Takahashi was trapped by Shimoda and co. Ito had no choice but to reenter the cage. She suplexed Maekawa, powerbombed Shimoda onto Maekawa and Takahashi hit a backwards top rope senton on Shimoda. Takahashi escaped the cage but Ito couldn't, and Mita gave Ito an electric chair superplex off the top rope. Maekawa hit Ito with a chair as did Mita. The heels sat Ito in a chair and tied her to it with a chain. Shimoda then gave Ito a top rope dropkick knocking her back. Mita hit Shimoda with a chair when Ito moved. The heels all kicked Ito and rammed her into the cage repeatedly. Shimoda gave Ito a tiger superplex and Maekawa hit an ax kick. Ito countered a Death Valley driver and gave Mita a lariat. Maekawa gave Ito an ax kick but then gave one to Shimoda when Ito moved. Ito gave Maekawa an enzu-lariat. Mita gave Ito a Death Valley driver but Ito grabbed her leg preventing her from escaping. Nakanishi and Maekawa battled atop the cage and Shimoda climbed back up the cage to go after Nakanishi. Nakanishi knocked Maekawa to the mat and took out Maekawa and Mita with a dropkick off the top of the cage in a spectacular spot. Ito gave Maekawa a top rope foot stomp and Nakanishi hit a moonsault bodyblock onto Maekawa from the top of the cage! Ito hit a foot stomp off the top of the cage on Mita. Shimoda sprayed a fire extinguisher into the ring as Nakanishi escaped to the floor and went after her. Nakanishi repeatedly rammed Shimoda into a ringside table. Back in the cage Ito elbowed Maekawa, Maekawa kicked her, Ito landed another elbow, Maekawa landed a roundhouse kick to the head, Ito elbowed her, Maekawa added another roundhouse kick, Ito landed another elbow and Maekawa finally knocked Ito down with an ax kick. Mita gave Ito a Death Valley driver and tried to escape but Ito caught up to her. Maekawa kicked Ito and Mita tried to escape but Nakanishi met her at the top of the cage. Mita finally escaped to the floor. Maekawa gave Ito a series of running bicycle kicks in the ropes and tied her to the cage with a chain with Shimoda's help. Shimoda held Ito against the ropes and cage as Maekawa laid in a couple roundhouse kicks and ax kicks. Ito fought back with a lariat on Maekawa. Maekawa gave Ito an ax kick and tried to escape but Nakanishi met her atop the cage. Ito superbombed Maekawa off the top rope and hit a top rope foot stomp. Ito went to escape but Shimoda met her atop the cage and kicked her. Shimoda used a fireball, barely grazing Ito's hand with it although it was an interesting spot. Shimoda jumped off the top rope with a chairshot on Ito. Maekawa and Shimoda gave Ito simultaneous kicks from both sides and tried to escape. Nakanishi met Maekawa atop the cage and Ito caught up to Maekawa. Maekawa gave Ito an ax kick on the top rope and knocked her to the mat. Maekawa tried to escape but Tomoko Watanabe met her atop the cage and knocked her to the mat. Ito powerbombed Maekawa and gave her a foot stomp from the top of the cage. Ito then escaped the cage at 22:07 to win the match. There were some sloppy spots, more than the classic 9/17/97 Ito/Watanabe-Mita/Shimoda cage match, but overall this was better than that match by a hair. Tons of great action and spots in this match, along with a rabid crowd. Great drama as well with the escapes, not just teasing them but also showing the need for partners to reenter the cage in certain instances to help each other out. Some great spots involving the cage, especially from Ito and Nakanishi. Mita and Shimoda were right at home in this kind of match, which catered to their brawling style. Mita looked sharper than Shimoda, which is perhaps the first time I've seen that. Both are past their prime, but Mita hasn't declined as much as Shimoda it seems. Shimoda still looked good, though, and contributed well to the match. Maekawa was great, in particular her kicks look so cool when executed well. She really came across as a top flight heel even with the best heel team in joshi puroresu. Takahashi was the worst of the 6, but more in the sense that she contributed the least as opposed to dragging the others down, which she didn't. Takahashi also bled really heavily, making for some great drama early on. Ito was her usual great self, but looked sharper than I've ever seen her in this match, as her elbows and lariats connected so well. The rest of her offense looked great and she showed no signs of declining workrate. But it was the tiny Momoe Nakanishi who stole the show. She was an absolute live wire of energy and workrate, and really showed the potential to be another Manami Toyota in that regard. Her dropkick and moonsault off the top of the cage were two unbelievable spots given her shortness and particularly the shortness of her legs. An awesome match that has to be seen to be believed if you've never seen joshi puroresu. This will probably survive as one of the decade's 100 best matches. Also, this was better than the memorable cage match that took place the next day in the U.S. ****1/2
12/10/00 WWF Title Hell in a Cell: Kurt Angle (c) vs Rock vs HHH vs Undertaker vs Rikishi vs Steve Austin
Austin attacked Angle outside the cage before the bell and went after HHH upon entering the cage. Undertaker attacked Angle while Rikishi got the better of Rock. Rock rammed Rikishi into the cage as everyone fought at ringside. Rock clotheslined Rikishi on the floor and Undertaker clotheslined Angle in the corner. Undertaker gained a near fall on Angle and choked him with something. Undertaker elbowed Angle's neck on the apron. Rock fought back against Rikishi with punches and a clothesline. Angle kicked Undertaker near the cage and Rikishi rammed Rock into the ring steps. Austin landed some punches but HHH fought back with a knee drive. Austin gave HHH a Thesz press and punches, then elbowed him for a near fall. Austin choked HHH in the ropes and pounced on him for a near fall. Angle stomped Rock and HHH gave Austin a jumping knee. HHH rammed Austin's leg into the ringpost. Rock gave Angle some punches and a Samoan drop for a near fall. Angle elbowed Rock but Undertaker attacked him. Undertaker tossed Angle out of the ring. HHH suplexed Austin on the floor. Rikishi attacked Rock with punches and whipped him into the cage. Angle gave Rikishi a baseball slide kick and rammed him into the ring steps. Austin stomped HHH as the others fought in another cluster. Austin grinded HHH's face into the cage on two sides of the cage, then rammed him into it. Austin punched a bloody HHH and grinded his face into the cage again. Rikishi choked Undertaker against the cage. Austin grinded HHH's face into the cage along an entire side and along another side as well. Rikishi legdropped Austin as he crawled into the ring. Rikishi hugged HHH but HHH gave him a pedigree for a near fall. Rock gave HHH some punches, a kick and a DDT for a near fall. Rock punched Angle but Angle gave him an Olympic slam for a near fall. Austin gave Angle a stunner for a near fall. Undertaker chokeslammed Austin for a near fall. Undertaker punched HHH and rammed him into the cage on opposite sides repeatedly. He picked up HHH and rammed him head first into the cage. Rikishi missed a corner splash and Austin clotheslined him. Austin punched Undertaker and clotheslined him out of the ring. Austin gave Rikishi a Thesz press and punches. Vince McMahon and the Stooges brought a truck of some sort to the ring. Undertaker rammed Austin into the cage. The stooges ripped the door off the cage (using the truck to pull it) and Vince ordered his crew to rip the rest of the cage down. Commissioner Mick Foley came out and ejected Vince and company. Foley punched out the stooges and backed Vince down. Vince was then taken out of the arena by security. HHH staggered out of the cage and towards the entrance but Austin attacked him. Austin rammed HHH into a car at the entrance repeatedly. Austin hit HHH with a camera on a boom crane. Everyone than fought amongst the cars near the entrance briefly. Austin dominated HHH as they fought in the aisle. HHH fought back and rammed Austin through a glass window in the truck. Austin began to bleed heavily. Rock punched HHH in the aisle and rammed him into a car. Rock got up on the roof of a car and went for a Rock bottom but HHH countered with a low blow and gave him a pedigree on the car roof. Austin kicked Rikishi and rammed him into a car as Rock began to bleed. HHH pounded Rock's bloody head. Undertaker slammed Angle on a car hood. HHH rammed Angle into a car and rammed Undertaker into a car as well. Austin catapulted HHH into the windshield of a car (didn't break) and elbowed him on the hood. Undertaker and Angle traded punches. Austin went to hit HHH with a barrel but missed. Austin rammed HHH into the barrel. Undertaker rammed Angle's head into the ring bell and choked him with a cable. HHH rammed Austin into the truck at ringside. Angle hit Undertaker with a chair near the announcers' table. Austin rammed HHH into the truck as Undertaker bled. HHH climbed the cage but Austin grabbed him. HHH kicked Austin away. Undertaker tossed Angle over the barricade into the crowd. Austin climbed up one side of the cage while HHH climbed the other side. Austin attacked HHH on the roof of the cage with punches and HHH staggered near the side of the cage. HHH fought back and they exchanged blows. Austin gave HHH a stunner atop the cage as Undertaker climbed to the top of the cage. Austin punched Angle on the top of the cage and kicked him. Undertaker attacked HHH as Austin punched Angle. Undertaker rammed Angle into a support beam on the roof. Angle began to bleed. HHH climbed back down but Austin grabbed his hair. Undertaker pounded Angle atop the cage and Rikishi climbed the cage but Rock grabbed his leg. Rikishi kicked him away and reached the roof. Undertaker hit Angle with a great chairshot but Rikishi then hit him with the chair. Rikishi hit Undertaker and Angle with the chair. Angle climbed back down. Undertaker then attacked Rikishi but Rikishi headbutted him. Rikishi and Undertaker traded blows but Undertaker won out and chokeslammed Rikishi off the roof down onto the bed of the truck, which contained mulch and no doubt was padded. Great bump nonetheless. Rock and Austin faced off in the cage and traded blows with great intensity. Rock countered a stunner and gave Austin a spinebuster. Rock went for a people's elbow on Austin but HHH steamrolled through Rock. Rock and HHH traded blows with Rock winning out. Rock knocked HHH out of the ring and gave Angle a Rock bottom for a great near fall as Austin made the save. Austin gave Rock a stunner. HHH gave Austin a neckbreaker. Angle then pinned Rock to retain the title at 32:14. This was probably the second best Hell in a Cell edition, trailing only the original in terms of greatness. Lots of great elements to this match, all of which contributed very effectively. Interesting to see many near falls in the first 10:00, but it worked not just to fool fans into thinking this wasn't going long, but also because the wrestling exchanges with near falls weren't going to be the focus anyway. The use of the truck is debatable in its necessity, but the timing of it being brought out was ideal (towards the middle). Also it was a good way to get the wrestlers out of the cage, giving them more space and weapons (including the demolition derby setup near the entrance) to work with. The set was appropriate, and the action really did seem like a demolition derby. Lots of blood and violence. The segment with two or more guys on top of the cage was well-plotted as well, keeping fans on edge for several minutes before delivering the payoff, Rikishi's fall. Finally, one would expect a match like this to be a clustermess with 6 men involved, but not only did it never drag, but they never interfered with each other's work and something was always happening. In other words, the flow was very sound for this kind of match. A borderline classic match. ****1/2
9/30/01 5-Way Golden Net Cage Match: Dragon Kid vs Magnum Tokyo vs Darkness Dragon vs CIMA vs Masaaki Mochizuki
Basically this was an elimination match, with hair vs mask stipulations. By escaping the cage, the wrestler would basically "win". The final two would fight with either their hair or mask on the line, with the final loser losing his mask or hair. Forgive me if this reads like a clustermess, because there's so much action here and at times it's hard to decipher who's doing what because of the way the lighting interfered with some of the camera shots. Mochizuki was attacked earlier by Tokyo and co. Tokyo dropkicked Mochizuki early. Kid gave someone a tilt-a-whirl headscissors but I think Darkness dropkicked him right after that. Kid and Tokyo double dropkicked Mochizuki after a brief lull in the pace. Tokyo and Darkness double dropkicked Cima and shook hands but Darkness then attacked Tokyo. Kid gave Darkness this crazy double tilt-a-whirl headscissors (meaning he actually spun around Darkness's body two full times!). Darkness was given a quadruple dropkick in a pretty cool spot. Tokyo got the better of Cima and rammed him into the cage. Tokyo and Kid double teamed Darkness in the corner. Kid dropkicked Mochizuki. Cima gave Mochizuki a spinning kick. Mochizuki fought back with some roundhouse kicks on Cima's leg. Tokyo slammed Darkness and hit a weird standing backflip elbowsmash. Mochizuki slammed Kid. Cima slammed Mochizuki and was the only one left standing briefly. Kid took Cima down and applied a headscissors but Mochizuki intervened with a headscissors on Kid. Darkness missed a cross bodyblock on Tokyo and fell on top of Kid, Cima and Mochizuki. Tokyo applied a sleeper on Mochizuki. Mochizuki kicked Cima low and applied a legbar near the ropes. Tokyo also applied a leglock on Darkness. Mochizuki snapmared Tokyo and punted his back. Cima superkicked Mochizuki. Everyone took turns stomping and kicking Mochizuki as the 10:00 mark neared. It appeared that (sorry for not doing my "homework") as of 10:00, wrestlers could escape the cage, kinda like the submission rule as the "match beyond" in war games. Everyone but Mochizuki made a beeline for the top of the cage trying to escape but Mochizuki caught up to everyone. Everyone then took turns doing corner splashes or attacks on Darkness, but when it was Mochizuki's turn he ran and climbed the cage in the other corner trying to escape. Cima caught up to Mochizuki on the top rope. Someone whipped Darkness into the corner and in the process Cima and Mochizuki fell crotch first onto the top rope. Talk about a creative twist on that spot. Kid and Tokyo tried to escape but Darkness stopped them. Tokyo gave Darkness a top rope huracanrana. Kid jumped off the top rope but Darkness dropkicked him in mid-air. Someone gave Tokyo a headscissors takedown head first into the second turnbuckle. Kid dropkicked Cima but Darkness gave him a shining wizard (I think, didn't look entirely different from an enzuguiri). Mochizuki gave Kid a top rope dropkick and he and Darkness gave Kid a double team powerbomb. Darkness teased a top rope dropkick on Kid with Mochizuki holding Kid but then decided to try to escape the cage, and did. Kid attacked Mochizuki but Cima knocked him off the top rope. Cima gave Mochizuki an iconoclasm but Tokyo caught him on the top rope and rammed him into the cage. Cima pushed Tokyo to the mat but fell himself selling a leg injury. Mochizuki gave Tokyo a yakuza kick. Tokyo gave Kid a lariat when Mochizuki moved. Kid and Tokyo came to blows as Cima crashed into the cage. Mochizuki gave Cima a kneebreaker and applied a figure 4 leglock. Tokyo kicked Mochizuki and broke the hold. Tokyo ran into a boot but Mochizuki missed a lariat. After some counters Tokyo gave Mochizuki a modified rock bottom. Kid gave Tokyo some kind of face first suplex. Kid prevented Cima from escaping but Cima suplexed him into the cage from the apron. Cima tied Kid to the bottom rope by his wristband and went to escape but slipped and ended up hanging by a beam atop the cage. As Tokyo charged Cima did a flip like you'd see on the high bar in the Olympics, then escaped over the top of the cage to the floor at about 17:40. Tokyo rammed Mochizuki into the cage as they fought on the top rope and freed Kid from the bottom rope. Kid and Tokyo double teamed Mochizuki, giving him a dropkick and lariat in the corner. In succession, Tokyo gave Mochizuki a top rope huracanrana in one corner and Kid went for a dragonrana in the other corner and missed but landed on his feet. Mochizuki kicked Kid and gave him a tornado kick off the top rope. Mochizuki powerbombed Kid into the cage. Mochizuki tried to escape but Tokyo caught him on the top rope, chopped him and kicked him. Kid ran up to the top rope going for a huracanrana, Mochizuki blocked it, Kid held on and tried to escape. Tokyo held onto Mochizuki and gave him a back superplex, allowing Kid to escape. Kid reached for Tokyo's hand trying to take him out of the cage as well but Mochizuki held onto Tokyo. As Tokyo and Mochizuki fought, Kid hesitated but eventually escaped to the floor, leaving them in the cage with hair vs hair rules in place. Mochizuki landed a kick but Tokyo responded with a lariat. Tokyo tried to escape but Mochizuki grabbed his leg. Mochizuki went for a powerbomb out of the corner but Tokyo blocked it. Tokyo gave Mochizuki a lariat in the corner and bulldogged him. Tokyo hit a top rope dropkick and tried to escape but was unsuccessful. They exchanged blows on the top rope and Mochizuki scored with a kick. Mochizuki dropkicked Tokyo against the cage but Tokyo blocked a brainbuster. Tokyo gave Mochizuki a couple enzuguiris and a viagra driver. Tokyo tried to escape but Darkness climbed up and stopped him. Tokyo kicked Mochizuki repeatedly. They exchanged strikes and Tokyo won out with a couple kicks. Mochizuki countered a viagra driver and hit a high kick and a roundhouse kick to the head. Mochizuki scored with another sharp roundhouse kick and escaped to win the match at 29:13. As a result, Tokyo had to lose his hair. In terms of action, this was very similar quality-wise to those early Toryumon 6-man tags, but not quite as spectacular. Lots of action, although it seemed a bit aimless at times, although that was to be expected with 5 men in there. Great use of the escape rule concept, with several dramatic near-escapes and escapes. Tokyo looked great, not as great but close to his peak level. Cima didn't get to show his stuff in this setting but looked good. Darkness looked good and seemed like a heck of an athlete at times. Mochizuki looked great in this setting, with sharp kicks and strikes and a great heel persona. Kid was of course the hottest worker in the match, with his highspots looking as good if not sharper than his early 1999 work. Actually, his execution was absolutely incredible at times and every bit as great as Misterio in his prime. The match itself was helped by lots of creative multiple-wrestler spots, including familiar moves (like a double team dropkick and the rope crotch spot) with creative twists. A memorable match because it never dragged and was consistently strong from start to finish, except for a few brief lulls early. ****
10/20/02 Hell in a Cell WWE Title: Brock Lesnar (c) w/Paul Heyman vs Undertaker
Brock ducked a couple blows early. He took Undertaker down with a waistlock but Undertaker responded with some elbows and a kick. Brock powerslammed Undertaker for an early near fall and shoulderblocked him in the corner. Brock whipped Undertaker into the corner but missed a corner splash. Undertaker punched Brock in the gut with his cast. Undertaker teased a chokeslam but Brock bailed out of the ring. Brock kicked Undertaker and attacked his "broken" hand with punches and kicks. Brock pummeled Undertaker and applied an armbar in the ropes, working on the hand in the process. Undertaker fought back with a punch but Brock gave him a kneelift. Brock ran into a punch with the cast but Undertaker sold the damage. Brock began to bleed as Undertaker attacked him at ringside with stomps to his head. Undertaker elbowed Brock against the cage and rammed him into the ring steps. Undertaker rammed Brock into the cage and continued to attack his head. Undertaker grinded Brock's face into the cage and whipped him hard into the cage again for a near fall on the floor. Undertaker gave Brock a series of punches and grinded him into the cage again. Undertaker threw Brock hard into the cage with good intensity. Undertaker pounded Brock with his cast and legdropped him on the apron. Undertaker walked the top rope and hit a top rope kneedrop on Brock on the apron for a near fall at ringside. Undertaker rammed Brock into the cage again and punched him. Heyman tried to reach into the cage but Undertaker gave him a high kick and Heyman took a pretty good bump. Undertaker rammed Brock HARD into the ring steps and repeatedly rammed Heyman into the cage by his tie in a really cool spot. Brock charged, Undertaker moved and Brock crashed into Heyman, who was standing against the cage. Undertaker charged but Brock threw him into the cage. Brock repeatedly rammed Undertaker into the ringpost and the cage. Heyman was busted open. Brock stomped Undertaker and Heyman gave him his belt. Brock tied the belt around Undertaker's cast and Heyman held Undertaker against the cage by the belt. Brock then hit Undertaker with a chair repeatedly, including several chairshots on the cast. Brock removed Undertaker's cast in part but Undertaker fought back with punches. Brock rammed Undertaker's cast into the cage twice and pummeled him. Brock removed more of the cast but Undertaker kicked him in desperation. Brock pounded Undertaker and continued to go after the cast. Brock stomped the injured hand repeatedly and removed the rest of the cast. Brock continued to stomp Undertaker's hand and used the ropes to bend his wrist. Brock placed Undertaker on the top rope and kicked him using the roof for leverage. Brock went for a superplex but Undertaker gave him a low blow. Undertaker shoved Brock to the mat and climbed the top rope holding onto the roof. Undertaker then hit a top rope elbow for a near fall. Brock fought back by giving Undertaker a stunner onto the top rope. Undertaker gave Brock a high kick and Brock took a great bump into the cage and to the floor. Undertaker actually dove through the ropes onto Brock in a spot that surprised many, and actually hit the cage head first himself. Undertaker grabbed the steps but Brock attacked him and rammed him into the cage. Brock clotheslined Undertaker at ringside. Brock then hit Undertaker HARD with the ring steps and Undertaker began to do a Muta-caliber blade job. Brock hit Undertaker with the steps even harder than the first time. He pounded Undertaker and choked him against the cage. Undertaker fought back with punches but Brock gave him a spinebuster for a near fall. Brock punched Undertaker repeatedly and kicked him in the corner. Brock pounded Undertaker but Undertaker fought back with punches of his own and a clothesline. Undertaker then stomped Brock's hand repeatedly in a great psychology twist. Undertaker climbed the rope old school style but Brock armdragged him to the mat. Brock kicked Undertaker but Undertaker countered an F-5 and chokeslammed him for a great near fall. Undertaker punched Brock and clotheslined him in the corner. Undertaker whipped Brock into the corner but ran into a boot. Brock kicked Undertaker and went for Undertaker's own last ride but he backdropped Brock to counter. Undertaker DDTd Brock for a near fall. Undertaker went for a last ride but Brock backed him into the corner and shoulderblocked him. Lesnar punched Undertaker in the corner repeatedly but Undertaker caught him and gave him a last ride out of the corner in a cool sequence and a very dramatic near fall. Undertaker went for a tombstone but Brock countered and gave Undertaker an F-5 for the pin at 27:16 to retain the title. 27 MINUTES!!!! ARE YOU CRAZY!!!! Yep, they went over 27:00 and didn't stink up the joint. What should have been a near-disaster work-wise turned into an absolute home run given the participants and the setting. Neither man was about to take a crazy bump, so they compensated for that with some incredible violence. When they hit the cage, they hit it really hard, and the blows involving the ring steps as well as the chairshots were at times incredible in their brutality. Brock took some super bumps, not in their difficulty but in how perfect their form was. In other words, enough to get over Undertaker as a monster threat but not overstated either so as to damage his own aura. Give lots of credit to Undertaker, though, because he made the match with his willingness to take so much brutal punishment. He was a bloody mess by the end of the match, almost to a Muta-scale extent. Brock also bled, as did Heyman, whose involvement in the match added perfectly to it. Undertaker found a way to make Heyman a bloody mess without Heyman entering the cage at all, and the spots involving him were really creative and neat. Much of the work was slow and plodding, but it would be unrealistic to expect a fast pace from these two. The focus here wasn't on hot pacing or big bumps but on violence. On that end they delivered and then some, making for some great drama. Speaking of drama, there weren't many near falls, but some of the near falls late in the match were really dramatic. Very good selling and especially strong psychology, including Undertaker attacking Brock's hand. Fans were a bit subdued for much of the match, but were clearly into the violent action and did react huge for the key spots. For work and action itself, probably not much better than **, but an outstanding match in every other way. For Undertaker and Brock Lesnar to keep my attention for nearly half an hour is quite an accomplishment, if not an outright miracle. For those two, this was about as perfect a Hell in a Cell match as one could ask for. ****
Next Article: Snack on Danger, Dine on Death
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