horrorfan_1986

The Undertaker vs Shawn Michaels - Hell in a Cell - Badd Blood 1997
The match that started it all. Or as I knew it better as "The match that causes me to sleep." for years. The storyline leading into this was simple. At Summerslam, Michaels was the guest ref for the WWE Title match between Taker and Hart. Hart tried to use a chair, but Michaels pulled it out of his hands. Bret spit in the face so Michaels tried to hit Hart with a chair. Bret ducked and Michaels nailed Taker. Hart would then cover Taker and a reluctant Michaels counted to three awarding Hart with his final WWE Title. The next night, Michaels cut a quality tweener interview where he refused to take the blame of the match. Over the next few weeks, Michaels and Taker would randomly be tagged with another feud of Mankind and Triple H. This would pose to be the beginning of Degeneration X. Anyways, these two had a match at In Your House: Ground Zero (September '97). In that match, Michaels kept trying to run away from Taker. All of DX would interfere and there would be an incredible spot of Taker flying over the top rope and landing on all of the heels. With that match thrown out, it was decided for the rematch, they would construct a brand new match where no one could get in or out. We would finally get to see Taker vs Michaels only.

Sgt Slaughter before anyone even comes out checks under the ring to make sure no one was hiding underneath there. (Seeing as Hornswaggle was just 11 years old at the time, no one was obviously under the ring). It's such a small little thing to do, but I love it. It really puts over how this match will do what the steel cage was no longer doing...keeping people out of the match. The Undertaker's entrance was incredible in 1997. The arena would start off hearing the sounds of a thunderstorm while the lights flicker and then the theme begins.

The idea of the match is Taker wanting to beat Shawn up as much as possible, while Shawn tries to run away from him, only fighting when he needs to. That running away is something that I love. At one point, Shawn climbs the cell only to be pulled down hard to the mat. Off of the top of my head, I can't recall anyone ever trying that since. With the HIAC being a special cage match, it would only make sense to see some climbing. It does 2 things. 1) Shows that there really isn't a way out and 2) Actually incorporates the cell in to the match. Speaking of which, unlike in later cell matches, they didn't use a variety of weapons. Instead they use what would make the most sense to...the cell itself. Shawn is thrown into the cell repeatedly which would cause him to have major bruises before the end of the match. The weapons they did actually use were the stairs and a chair. The stairs makes sense seeing how stairs are the most commonly used weapon used in a match besides the ring post. Meanwhile, the chair was used not just for the sake of using a weapon, but because it played such a major role in the feud. It was a chair that started it all at Summerslam and in one memorable segment on Raw where Michaels dents a chair with Taker's head. So bringing the chair into the equation takes the feud full circle.

All during the match, the camera shots inside the cell looked horrible. They were always too close to the action which made it hard to see what was going on. Michaels would eventually attack one camera man (Plant) which would give way to the most memorable spot of the match. With Slaughter coming down to get the camera man out of the cell, Michaels escapes fearing for his life. The infamous lawn dart spot in the side of the cell is done. Michaels still trying to escape Taker climbs the Cell. Once on top, Taker and Michaels fights for a bit until Michaels is punched nearly over the side of the cell. With only one hand holding onto the cell (And his feet on the pole of the cell) Taker crushes Michaels hand causing him to fall and crash through the announcers table. It was a good looking spot that unlike the '98 HIAC looked relatively safe too. Back inside the cell, Taker looks to end it all when the lights go out. Strange new music plays and a masked man comes out with Paul Bearer. Fireballs explode behind the duo. At the cell door, the masked man easily ripped the door off (Well obviously since the hinges were undone after Michaels and Taker got back in the ring). Vince realizes that the masked man has to be Kane, Taker's brother that Bearer had been talking about. Kane makes fire blow up from the ring posts and hits a Tombstone on Taker. Once Kane leaves, a bloody and hurt Michaels covers Taker for the win.

The events of this match would lead to many things. While it's often time forgotten, this was really a number 1 contenders match for the WWE World Title at Survivor Series. With Michaels win, the Montreal Screwjob would occur. Kane would continue to interfere in matches and haunt Taker. The WWE would attempt to end the Michaels/Taker feud in a casket match at the Royal Rumble, but Kane would interfere again costing Taker the title. At Wrestlemania, Taker and Kane would wrestle each other for the first time (As Taker and Kane at least) while Michaels would have his last match in over 4 years against Steve Austin.

There was a lot of good in this match. I loved how they went through so much trouble of making the match seem like the ultimate way of keeping people inside and others out of the ring. Even though Michaels was the chicken shit heel in the match, they allowed him to go balls to the wall when he's backed up in the corner and needs to fight. However, they never allow him to fully lose that fear. Using the cell as the main weapon of the match is really what the cell was designed to be. It's not supposed to be a cool looking structure, it's supposed to be a means of hurting your opponent. Taker and Michaels were smart enough to see that. Finally, even with some of the spots, this was a slow paced match. They made sure to leave all of the major spots for the end and use most of the match to just build up to it.

But come on, you couldn't have expected me to only have good things to say did you? The very thing I liked most about the match...they fucked up. For a match that was supposed to keep everyone out and the two wrestlers in, they didn't do it. Leaving the cell in the first place wasn't necessary. They were having a really good match where they were finally establishing the ultimate feud ender match. Although I don't have nearly as many problems with the falling spot as I do with other cell falling spots, the spot was also not needed. I really wish they would of had some idea of how this match would occur in the future. Had they been smart, they would of realized it would of been better to save the falling spots for future HIAC's. By doing the spot in the very first one, you're forcing wrestlers to come up with idiotic and dangerous spots to top it. And quite honestly, holding off on the spot would of made future HIAC's feel even more important. Kane was a hot topic in '97. He was talked about for most of the year and his debut had to happen sooner or later. But I hate how he interrupts the match. Ripping the door off of the cell once again comes back as a flat out lie that the HIAC would stop all of this BS. What is the deal with the WWE fucking up all of the stipulation matches? We need SOMETHING that properly keeps people out of matches so that a "Fair" match occurs. The same shit happened in the 2nd Elimination Chamber Match. Personally, I would of had Taker win the match and during his celebration, the lights go off and Kane debuts by tombstoning Taker. In my opinion, that would of been the icing of the cake for the PPV. You just saw an incredible match, now we're giving you an amazing final moment.

It's funny when you look back at October 1997. Both WCW and WWF had two of their most memorable 90's matches just weeks apart from each other. Those matches says a lot about the direction of their respective companies. On one hand, you have the HIAC. With two of the WWF's best wrestlers main eventing the PPV. On the other hand, you have Rey Mysterio Jr and Eddie Guerrero. That match was put on third and was forced to be before such mat classics as Mongo vs Alex Wright and Jacqueline vs Disco Inferno (a 10 minute match with literally NO wrestling...just running around the ring). But hey, they at least came after the zero build "Bonus" match of Chris Jericho vs Gedo (Look for the spot where Jericho nearly breaks his neck). That really just sums up how the WWF tried to focus their shows around their most talented wrestlers while WCW used their talented wrestlers as little car crashes leading into the big races.

This match will go down in history for it's memorable moments. The first HIAC match. The Michaels fall. Kane's debut. It also happens to be the last WWE match that was given 5 stars by Dave Metzler. To the WWE's credit, they decided to throw everything they could into the match. At the same time, that's one of the major flaws of the match for me. It's easily my favorite HIAC match that I've seen thus far. With saying that though, I think it's overrated. I can't even say it's my favorite match from the WWE in 1997, let alone one of the greatest matches of all time. 30 Minutes. 4 1/4 Stars.

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King Steventon

Orton tried to escape by climbing the inside in his Cell match (got around to watching it).


And your rating is pretty much how I felt about it after I watched it a couple of weeks ago. A great match with flaws, but no where near five stars. I liked the use of the chair and especially at the start with taker just destroying Michaels. One thing that got me was, when Michaels tries to escape, why the fuck would you possibly want to climb to the top of the Cell? Surely if you were that desperate to escape you'd just run to the back ASAP. And personally intereference finishes annoy me if the match is mean to the fued ender. Call me stupid, but decisive finishes are where it's at.

I think the main reason why the Lesnar/Taker match (and to a lesser extent Batista/Taker) got so much praise was because they didn't overkill with pointless spots and weapons like Taker/Edge, Foley/Taker or half the other shitfests the Cell has produced, but it was simply about two guys beating the fuck out of each in the cage. HIACs seem to come in two forms, one where the heel runs and face beats him up (HBK/Taker, Taker/Orton) and ones where the heel can take the fight to the face like Lesnar/Taker, etc. Personally I prefer the latter, but I suppose it comes down the two wrestlers inside.

Obviously it would have been far more impactful to have a few Cell matches where no one gets in or out, then have one where they get out and on top. To do that in the first one kinda undermines the whole point of it imo.

Speaking of Oct '97.... I prefer Eddie/Rey to this.


I want someone to try and debate this as five stars now tbh.

Tommy Platinum

I'll try and debate it as 5 stars.

I love this match. I don't really see where you are coming from with your flaws.
So your main criticisms are the match are the two most memorable moments. I see where you are coming from with the falling spot in that it contradicted the original concept of Hell in a Cell, and maybe creating this new gimmick for the match in the very first HIAC was a bad idea, I agree with that. However, it did make the match extremely memorable and was unlike anything we had ever seen. It worked that Shawn Michaels would try to escape, and sure he should have just run to the back, but maybe he wasn't thinking clearly. Michaels showed fear throughout the match as you said, but fought Taker when he was backed into a corner and had to. He tried to escape from Taker because he was a 'chicken shit heel', and Taker followed him up to the top and continued the beatdown. I think it worked very well. Undertaker slamming Michaels on top was a great moment, and then there was the spot which would be talked about more if it wasn't for Foley lol.

My favorite aspect of the match isn't the spot, or even the fact that they went to the top of the cell, it is just the relentless beating that Undertaker gives Shawn Michaels. There is a time when Shawn Michaels is on top, showing his resilience, but Undertaker regained control and basically beat the shit out of him. There are so many memorable images from this match, such as Undertaker using Michaels head as a battering ram and ramming his bloody face into the side of the cell. When they finally get back in the ring, the chairshot was symbolic and appropriate considering what had happened between them, and I love the way a drop of Michaels blood lands on the camera. Then comes your other major criticism:

Kane's debut was another thing which makes this match incredibly memorable. Sure, it might have been better to have a clean finish in the first ever HIAC, but the debut of Kane was shocking and because of that it actually improved the match in my opinion. To see Michaels get thrown around like a ragdoll for most of the match, get beaten and bloodied, and then win the match thanks to Kane was a huge deal and a good idea for his debut.

I think your criticisms are valid, and I agree with some of it, particularly regarding what this meant for future Hell in a Cell matches. However, we are not judging the quality of this match by its effect on future matches. I feel that judging the match for what it is, the cell exit, the spot, the interference, it all worked well and contributed to the greatness of the match rather than compromising it.

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King Steventon

Kane had no relevence in the Undertaker/Michaels fued and therefore his involvement takes away from the match imo.


At no point in your post did you make the match seem like a five star bout. I can think of several dosen matches I prefer to this that were great without having the advantage of being the first of their kind.

horrorfan_1986

If anything, Kane's debut hurt the match. For a feud that started up became such a major feud, they never had a proper finish to the feud. Instead they just stopped it for another feud.

And truth be told, it's only when I judge this match in regards to other HIAC's that I think it's better than if I just judge it by itself.

Those two major spots weren't needed seeing how the match was already extremely memorable. Their Ground Zero match was set to become a match that's unforgettable until this match came around and left a bigger impression.

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