This is an appendix to the cage match article I wrote.
24 September 1979
WWF World Championship
Bob Backlund (c) v Pat Patterson
Madison Square Garden
DailyMotion
The world champion defends his title against the Intercontinental champion. I don't think I'd ever seen Patterson wrestle and I only saw Backlund during his return stint many years later. This match doesn't really showcase either of their styles as it is basically just a slugfest.
Having watched this after watching this week's Raw, there were many differences that I noticed between the current product and this product. Obviously the production values have increased. With this, the camera occasionally switches away from the match to shots of the crowd who, admittedly, are going crazy. I was impressed by how into it there were considering the difference in exposure to the current day, but then this must have a big match feel - and in those days big matches must have come around less frequently.
Another big difference is the fitness of the competitors. Whilst even someone like Kevin Owens doesn't look fit, as soon as you see him move you know he is. These two guys are obviously some of the fittest around at the time but they don't look it compared to guys these days and the speed of their movements reflects this.
I could have sworn the matches I watched in my youth never had the option of escaping out of the door and yet the oldest match on this list - which happened a month before I was born - is won in just that way. I clearly have a poor memory. It is interesting that Backlund actually wins before his feet hit the floor, so that rule must have been added at a later date.
Rating: 2/5
19 May 1980
WWF World Championship
Bob Backlund (c) v Jimmy Superfly Snuka
Madison Square Garden
YouTube
It struck me on turning this on that the lighting is done a lot differently these days. This has the crowd largely in darkness with the ring lit up, but these days all of the crowd is lit. Probably so that they can see themselves on TV holding their signs at a later day.
Snuka really makes Backlund wait before he gets into the cage. It's a nice touch, playing mind games with the champion. There is more emphasis on the brutality here than in the first Backlund match. In the other one, both Backlund and Patterson bled. However, in this one, it is only Snuka but there is a lot more blood and the champ drags his face across the steel cage.
This is much more of a wrestling contest, with more traditional moves and holds. The highlight is the moment when Superfly goes up to the top. I wasn't sure if he did it in this match, as he went to the second turnbuckle twice to drop a knee and an elbow. For him to then go all the way to the top was unexpected, and you can hear that in the crowd reaction. Unfortunately, that is ultimately what loses him the match as well, but it is an awesome spot.
Interestingly, the commentator (I think it's a young Vince) mentions that the only way to win is by escaping through the door. This certainly wasn't the case in the Patterson match as both of them were trying to climb over the top.
Rating: 2.5/5
9 August 1980
Bruno Sammartino v Larry Zbysko
Showdown at Shea
DailyMotion
This version has commentary from Michael Cole and Mick Foley which is good and helps put the match in context. It was especially useful as I'd not heard much about either of these guys. This is a mentor v protege match, a classic formula that has been used a number of times.
One of the problems with all three matches is that I knew from the setup who was going to win. I'm not sure why but it just seemed a bit too obvious. Sometimes wrestling is obvious, but it's about there being a seed of doubt. I guess I've not been invested in these matches as much as I would be if the storyline was all unfolding around me. This might be one issue with watching matches in isolation like this.
The match was on a baseball field with no fans nearby which made it seem a bit distant and perhaps lost a bit of the atmosphere.
Cole mentions that the match could only be won by exiting through the door, but Zbysko twice tries to climb over. I'm guessing that this is Cole's mistake as he's Michael Cole after all.
One of my problems with being able to win by escaping through the door is evident in this match. There are times when a wrestler clearly has his opponent down and would be able to easily walk through the door, or almost has them down and could make it if they ran but they don't take the door as the match needs to be prolonged. It feels like the match is almost limited by this constraint in some ways.
Rating: 2.5/5
25 December 1982
NWA World Heavyeight Championship
Ric Flair (c) v Kerry von Erich
WCCW 54: Wrestling Star Wars
WWE Network
A few things struck me immediately about this bout. Firstly, the fact that Ric Flair falling over is almost always funny. He just seems to have an amusing way of doing so. The second was that it was on Christmas day. Things were clearly different back in those days, as thousands of screaming fans abandoned their Christmas dinner to come and watch this. Finally, is that the Cage is barely head height.
The reason for that is that it was a cage mage mainly to contain the action and to give a conclusive result as the previous bout between these two guys was very inconclusive. There was a guest referee added to the match for the same reason, which the fans voted to be Michael Hayes, along with the regular referee. This all just makes for a lot of confusion and another controversial ending which leaves you feeling dissatisfied.
In fact, I was dissatisfied with most of the match. Whilst it was the most technical wrestling match in this list so far, Michael Hayes insisted on breaking up the action almost constantly, and so it didn't flow and you just wanted one of the guys to clobber him.
The door was locked, which I liked, as I mentioned in the introduction to this piece. It had to be an actual fall to win the match, rather than any escape at all. I'm not sure I liked that. I love the idea of climbing over the top.
Rating: 1.5/5
17 October 1983
Intercontinental Championship
Jimmy Superfly Snuka v Don Muraco (c)
Madison Square Garden
DailyMotion
This match was cool. Compared to the Flair v von Erich match, it seemed quick and flowing. It was a lot shorter and much more enjoyable for the lack of outside interference. Muraco wins on a fluke as Superfly headbuts him towards the door which he falls into and out of. Obviously, the referee probably should have been holding it closed.
Snuka was completely in control and bundles the Magnificent One back into the ring where he inflicts punishment, including a splash from the top of the cage, leaving Muraco bloody and broken on his back with the title on top of him.
The splash from the top is an iconic moment, and it made more sense in this context, as Snuka is inflicting punishment. Whilst the move in his match against Flair was cool, no matter how much you hate someone, surely winning the match is your priority rather than hurting them more. This is pure unadulterated torture and it makes it more enjoyable. That and the fact that he actually hit it this time (Flair moved out of the way and out of the door to victory in their match).
Rating: 3/5
24 November 1983
NWA World Heavyweight Championship
Ric Flair v Harley Race (c)
Starrcade 83
WWE Network
There is a special guest referee which works well. It is not overpowering but allows a few nice spots which wouldn't have happened with a regular referee. Flair looks like a better performer than in the match against von Erich, and the action here is slow paced but quite good on a technical level. There is an hour time limit on it and I was expecting it to last that long due to the pace but it didn't. It still felt like quite a long match but the fans were into it the whole time.
There are some interesting but slightly disorientating overhead shots used. I wonder why they don't do those shots any more because it does give you a nice unique perspective on the action.
This match is using the cage to contain the action and it works well.
Rating: 2.5/5
28 November 1985
US Heavyweight Championship I Quit Match
Magnum TA v Tully Blanchard (c)
Starrcade 85
WWE Network
I had no idea who these two guys were before the match which actually made it interesting to see how much of their character you could see from just one match.
The referee's job here just seems to be to move the mic and mic cord away whenever anyone doesn't say I quit, and so I was a bit confused when Tully decided to attack him just to get a wooden chair thrown into the ring. He interestingly breaks a bit off to use as a torture device, something I'd not seen before at all.
It was an indication of how brutal this match was. I'm sure there have been a lot worse but the venom that these guys displayed towards the end of this to torture each other was impressive and elevated this match which was otherwise just an enjoyable slugfest. Definitely gets an extra half a matk because of that.
Rating: 3.5/5
28 November 1985
NWA Tag Team Championsip
Ivan and Nikita Kolloff (c) v Rock'n'Roll Express
Starrcade 85
WWE Network
This is the first time on this list that some high flyers/speedy wrestlers have been in a cage. It makes it a lot more interesting and much less of a fight and more of a match.
Tag team matches when there is no disqualification always confuse me. The ref is trying to ensure that only one guy is in the ring at any time but he has no real power over them.
Perhaps the most notable thing about this is the brutal attack that the Kolloffs inflict after, using the cage to their advantage to destroy the Express, one of whom flees leaving his partner behind. They are so intimidating that no one seems to want to go in to stop the attack.
Rating: 3/5
7 April 1986
WWF Championship
Hulk Hogan v King Kong Bundy
Wrestlemania 2
WWE Network
The have a special guest everything for this match. Ring announcer, time keeper, referee, commentator. The commentator is Elvira who seems to know nothing about wrestling and actually detracts a bit from the match.
This is the first time in this series of matches where a wrestler has an entrance theme, which is obviously Hogan's Real American. He also comes down randomly eating a bit of red cloth before climbing into the ring which is a pretty cool way to get in.
There is the classic blue cage that I remember from my youth and the first mention that your feet have to hit the floor for you to win. You can still exit through the door, though, but otherwise in my head, this is the classic cage match format.
I'm not really sure why the match needed to be in a cage, other than for the spectacle. It probably didn't benefit too much from it but it was enjoyable enough. The most fun part of the cage was Bobby The Brain Heenan either trying to pull Bundy out through the door or stop Hogan climbing over.
Rating: 2.5/5
20 April 1986
Road Warriors vs. Fabulous Freebirds
AWA Wrestlerock 86
WWE Network
This match wasn't great. I'm not sure what the back story to it was, but the Freebirds have clearly pissed off the Legion of Doom in some way, and fear the retribution. They refused to tag each other for the first couple of minutes of the match but then this storyline disappeared. I'm not sure why it was in a cage, other than that the Freebirds might have done a runner, but the cage wasn't used particularly well otherwise. It was ok, but I can't see how this was the main event.
Rating: 1/5
12 October 1986
NWF International Championship
Abdullah the Butcher (c) v Bruiser Brody
Cotton Bowl Extravaganza
YouTube
The cage in this match doesn't look like it will hold. I assume the promotion doesn't have the financial resources of other promotions, and it has borrowed fencing from a construction site. It wobbles. A lot. I wouldn't feel safe attempting to climb it, but the caveman-like Bruiser Brody gives it a go on a couple off occassions.
This match has some aggression in it between the participants but unfortunately gets marked down due to the stupid ending involving a disqualification due to outside interference so that Abdullah retains the title. This seems to defeat the point of having a cage match to get a definitive result. I'm not sure if perhaps it had to happen this way as Brody fell through the door when perhaps he wasn't supposed to. It's poor on either count, really.
Rating: 1.5/5
25 December 1986
AWA Tag Team Champioship
Midnight Rockers vs. ‘Playboy’ Buddy Rose & ‘Pretty Boy’ Doug Somers (c)
Brawl in St Paul
DailyMotion
There is a very obvious fitness difference between the two teams, with Janetty and Michaels likely being from a different generation in terms of how they view their fitness. As such, they have control of the fight for quite a long time and it seems like it's going to be extremely one-sided. They both pull out of what looks like a definite winning pin on occasions, presumably because they want to dish out more pain.
Rose and Somers get control of the match when Michaels gets cut open and they also pull out of pins in mockery of their opponents, although it doesn't look like their pins would have got them the victory.
Rose and Somers use the cage as a prison to beat up Janetty after, keeping Michaels out who tries to climb in but then eventually barges through the door. This seemed to add to the match for me, as a view who had never encountered Rose and Somers before as it fleshed out their characters.
It was nice to see one of my favourite tag teams from when I first started watching wrestling, and see what they were like before they made it to WWE.
Rating: 2.5/5
26 November 1987
NWA Heavyweight Championship:
Ric Flair v Ronnie Garvin (c)
Starrcade 87
WWE Network
For some reason, the timekeeper announces how long it has been in the match every five minutes. Using this, I can tell you that it was around 10 minutes before the cage came into play. I half assumed that this might have only been a cage match simply because from what I can tell, all Ric Flair's matches were cage matches.
When the cage starts to be used, it gets quite viscious, with Garvin biting Flair, and Flair also not being shy to show why he is the dirtiest player in the game. Ric even tries to escape the cage a couple of times even though victory is only by pinfall.
This was enjoyable, a nice combination of wrestling and then violence. I assumed Flair would win before the match started. He always seems to win. I was correct.
Rating: 3/5
31 July 1988
Hulk Hogan v Andre The Giant
Wrestlefest 88
YouTube
This is another match where I felt sure that I knew who was going to win before it started. There are a couple of nice spots - Andre choking Hogan with his own t-shirt and tying him to the cage, and also the Giant unfeasibly attempting to scale the cage, but all in all it really fails to set the world alight.
One thing that annoys me is how easy it is for Andre's manager, Bobby The Brain Heenan to get into the cage and interfere. He simply walks in. It seems to make the whole cage seem pointless, really.
Hogan, ever the showman, takes the extravagant route to victory over the cage even though he scales it right next to the door.
Rating: 1.5/5
27 May 1989
WWF Championship
Hulk Hogan (c) v Big Boss Man
Saturday Night's Main Event
WWE Network
Hulk's cages matches might be slightly formulaic. Watching 2 in a row will highlight that to you. In this one, as in the match against Giant, his opponent chokes him with his t-shirt, their manager will run in and take a beating, he will exit the cage over the top despite the door being significantly easier, he will have to raise the referee's arm rather than the other way around. It also seems obvious that he will win. His opponent never seems to be enough of a legitimate threat.
This one had a couple of nice spots, which make it easily better than the match against Andre the Giant. Hogan suplexes Boss Man from the top of the cage (well technically Hogan was just on the top of the turnbuckle) which still had a wow factor even 27 years later. There was a point when Hogan stole the Boss Man's handcuffs from his manager and cuffed him to the ropes shortly before making his exit from the cage.
This was enjoyable if nothing original.
Rating: 2.5/5
19 May 1990
NWA World Championship
Ric Flair (c) v Lex Luger
Capital Combat 90
WWE Network
There seems to be a lot more showmanship coming into wrestling now. The Hogan v Boss Man match had the Boss Man cutting a promo beforehand, this one has the cage descend onto the ring and Flair in full Nature Boy mode complete with feather boa.
The cage was requested by Luger to keep the Horsemen out yet bizarrely, Flair's manager/valet only known as Woman is allowed to remain in the cage. A little bit of internet research tells me that she later became Chris Benoit's wife who died in tragic circumstances.
Luger is very impressive. I only knew him for his Narcissist stick before this and had forgotten how muscular he was. The match is an enjoyable back and forth battle, with Flair seeking to climb the cage away from Luger but being unable to as it is the biggest cage in the history of mankind. It would have easily kept out and intruders were it not for the fact that there were controls to allow it to ascend and descend.
The Horsemen manage to use this to get in and cause a disqualification but it doesn't actually tarnish the match. The commentators talk about how they had been looking around the cage earlier in the day, and it really fits well with the rest of the story.
Rating: 3/5
27 August 1990
WWF Championship
Ultimate Warrior (c) v Rick Rude
Summerslam 90
WWE Network
When I was watching the Hogan matches, I was getting annoyed at how he was just unbeatable. No matter what anyone threw at him, you never thought he would lose. I totally forgot that the Warrior, who was always my favourite of the two, was basically the same. The thing where he gets hit and shakes it off? Yeah, basically unbeatable.
And also crazy. The promo he gives before this fight is - I assume the same as most of the promos he gave - fairly incomprehensible. But I guess that was part of his charm. You just didn't know what he was going to do. Well, you could sort of guess it would be something crazy perhaps. Anyway, he just runs up to the cage as part of his entrance, jumps on it and starts shaking it like a caged ape. Which is cool. At least I think it is.
He also elects to climb into the cage and fight Rick Rude at the top rather than taking the easy way in. He was always a fighter.
Rude gets the best spots, twice climbing to the top of the cage to drop a move. Nowhere near as cool as Superfly though but it's still cool that he does it. Warrior decides to gyrate as he is making his way down the cage. I'm not sure why. I don't remember him doing it normally, so he must have been taunting Rude. Overall enjoyable, but it doesn't set the world alight.
Rating: 2/5
21 January 1991
Ultimate Warrior v Macho King Randy Savage
YouTube
To contradict my comments about the Warrior seeming unbeatable, this is actually his second loss in two nights. Savage interfered and lost him the title the night before at the Royal Rumble against Sgt. Slaughter. He loses this as well, partly due to interference from Savage's manager the Sensational Sherri.
In a foreshadowing of the bra and panties era, he takes his revenge on Sherri by stripping her to her underwear as well as giving Savage a beat down. There aren't too many big spots in this - the Warrior climbs into the ring right next to the open door as his entrance. He tries to pull Savage back in to the ring as he is descending to victory by his hair, and Savage attempts to hit an elbow from the top of the cage.
I've rated this the same as the previous Warrior match. As a match, it is probably worse, but the animosity and the story, and Macho King's promo get it the same rating.
Rating: 2/5
24 February 1991
Sting, The Steiner Brothers and Brian Pillman vs. The Four Horsemen (Barry Windham, Ric Flair, Larry Zbyszko and Sid Vicious)
Wrestlewar 1991: War Games
WWE Network
Wow. I'd not seen any War Games matches before and I loved the format. Two rings joined together both under a steel cage. It's one on one for five minutes and thereafter, a member of one team comes in every two minutes, alternating so it is a handicap match 2 v 1, then 2 on 2, 3 v 2 etc. When everyone is in the ring, one team member has to submit or surrender in order for the other team to win.
The cage was nice and low which allowed for some awesome spots, including Pillman using it as leverage for drop kicks and gorilla pressing into the top of the cage.
It is sometimes a bit difficult to follow all the action in a match with this many competitors but I think the coverage worked quite well, but most importantly all the guys in the match are great performers and they all make it come across as pretty brutal.
The ending makes it seem even more so, with Sid Vicious powerbombing Pillman twice and then walking off as if he's so out of it that he's not going to be able to submit but then the match getting called off for Pillman's safety. A spot designed to make Vicious more heel and Pillman more of an underdog. This match was so much more enjoyable than I was expecting.
Rating: 4/5
17 August 1993
Intercontinental Championship
Shawn Michaels (c) v Marty Janetty
White Plans
DailyMotion
This match isn't great. It's most notable for the commentators criticisms of the steel cage format - "real men go over the top, wusses go through the door" and weirdly the referee running in to count a pin for Janetty even though the rules state you only win by escaping the cage.
Whilst this is the two guys from my favourite tag team as a youngster feuding, there isn't too many things that I enjoyed about it. The ending is the same as Owen/Reigns with one guy going over the top and the other going out the door - it always seems to be the heel taking the door. I wouldn't really recommend someone watch this over any of the other matches so far, so I have to rate it really low.
Rating: 1/5
29 August 1994
WWF Championship
Bret Hart (c) v Owen Hart
Summerslam 94
WWE Network
I was really looking forward to this one as I had vague memories of watching it as a teenager. The feud built up over almost a year. It was well plotted out and had great elements of tension and turning points.
Obviously these two knew each other well and both being great performers put on an awesome match, which the cage added to brilliantly. There are so many near escapes, a few good cage spots but most of all excellent wrestling and storytelling which make this match an almost perfect cage match.
The post match fall out adds to the tension and the story line brilliantly. This is a match that all wrestling fans should watch at some point.
Rating: 5/5
23 October 1994
WCW Championship
Career v Career
Hulk Hogan (c) v Ric Flair
Halloween Havoc
WWE Network
First things first: Hogan's WCW music was vastly inferior to his WWF music.
Now I've got the important stuff out of the way, onto the match. Two guys who never lose. One of them had to lose and end their career. Obviously, it was never going to be an actual end. I'm sure these guys between them had about 1,000 retirement matches.
It was genuinely interesting to see who would come out on top here. Mr T is the special guest referee and isn't as cool as Mr T can be. For some reason, Flair and Sheri decide to beat him down, which I feel wouldn't help his chances of winning the match, yet they do it repeatedly.
It is a better match than I expected it to be. Even with Hogan not selling moves well (including his own - he seems to stop dead after hitting someone. Follow through, man. It'll hurt more!) and the outside interference, it was still really quite enjoyable.
This match was part of Hogan's 469 day reign, the longest the belt was held for at all, which is even more impressive when you look through the list of champions and see how many times the title was vacated. I think perhaps they might have overused that storyline.
I've noticed a major difference between WCW and WWF/WWE cage matches - WCW have them to contain the action/keep people out and the winner is by pinfall or submission, whereas WWF/WWE focus on the winner needing to exit the cage.
Rating: 3.5/5
3 August 1997
Hunter Hearst Helmsley v Mankind
Summerslam 97
WWE Network
Two great competitors so this is a great match. Knowing what these guys have done in cells and other matches, I was hoping for something of an even higher caliber but it was enjoyable nonetheless.
Foley obviously takes a bump from the top of the cage but gets his moment when he does a Superfly elbow drop.
There are a couple of nice ways that Chyna manages to get involved from the outside of the ring, and you even think that she might steal it for Trips even when he is completely out of it.
Rating: 3.5/5
27 September 1998
The Rock v Ken Shamrock v Mankind
In Your House Breakdown
WWE Network
This match could be won by pinfall, submission or leaving the cage. I disagree with so many different ways to win. It makes it too chaotic, especially when you've got a triple threat match which is always chaotic anyway. I don't think the cage setting really added to this match too much. There was another Foley Superfly moment (he misses this time) and it is important for the ending which could possibly be seen as controversial, but otherwise it doesn't add too much, other than stopping one of the competitors from rolling out of the ring for a break.
It is still a good triple threat match, but it didn't really need to be in a age.
Rating: 2.5/5
14 February 1999
Stone Cold Steve Austin v Vince McMahon
St Valentine's Day Massacre
WWE Network
I think I came back to wrestling shortly after the Austin/McMahon storyline as I don't remember this at all. And I definitely would. It's awesome. Both of these guys played their parts so well in all of the build up, the characterisation is spot on and the need for a cage match is set up so perfectly.
I was not expecting the bump Vince takes from the cage before the match even officially starts, and then ending was truly unique. This was a joy to watch and if you haven't seen it, I suggest you watch it.
Rating: 5/5
2 October 1999
WWF Championship:
The Rock v Triple H (c)
Rebellion
WWE Network
These are obviously two of the best performers of the era. But this is definitely not one of their best matches. Sure they hit their big moves, but the storytelling doesn't make much sense. The Bulldog's involvement is probably because it's an event in Britain. Vince padlocking him in the cage at the end is really odd as he can just climb over. Chyna only coming out for the save after the match has restarted... lots of elements don't add up. The cage is there because... well... I'm not quite sure why.
The animosity hasn't reached the level where they need it and they don't do anything really cool with it. The match could have been told without it. It all reeks of trying to put on a spectacle for a British audience that made it seem like the title might change hands when really there was no chance of that happening.
Rating: 2/5
24 September 2000
WWF Tag Team Championship:
Hardy Boyz v Edge and Christian (c)
Unforgiven
WWE Network
These guys know each other so well, they steal each others moves and just have such a great in ring chemistry. Which made it even more confusing that Jeff Hardy seemed to spend half the match loitering on the outside doing nothing after seeming to unintentionally fall out of the ring.
The commentators couldn't make up their minds about whether he would be allowed back in the ring or not, and Edge and Christian take the opportunity to double team Matt and keep him out of the ring. Eventually he manages to get in and have the big spots. The Hardys do a conchairto to Edge on the top of the cage and Jeff obviously does a ridiculous moonsault off the top of the cages because, well, what was the point of him turning up if he wasn't going to do something crazy.
The rules are quite interesting. It's either a pinfall or both of one team climb over the top. The door isn't an option. I liked this. It made the interesting handicap situation. It was quite a good match. Definitely one of the best tag team cage matches.
Rating: 3.5/5
22 October 2000
Chris Jericho v X-Pac
No Mercy
WWE Network
This is one of many fights between these guys and that seems to be the reason for the cage. Victory is purely by escaping from the cage. No pinfalls or submissions. X-Pac still goes for a pin, which annoys me as when they do this sort of thing, it always makes the wrestlers seem dumb.
X-Pac brings in a chair through the door when he is attempting to crawl through it. There's always a chair by the door. A folded up chair not being used. This doesn't make any sense.
The big spots are Jericho hitting the walls of Jericho on the top of the cage. Gone are the days when it was a simple cage. There are proper platforms up there these days so they can hit good spots. And also X-Pac falling onto the cage nads first twice. Once on the open door as he was climbing down.
Despite this having my all time favourite wrestler, I can't rate it too highly because it isn't intense enough to require a cage, and there aren't enough spots to really justify it's inclusion.
Rating: 2/5
11 June 2001
Chris Benoit v Kurt Angle
Raw
DailyMotion
Stone Cold Steve Austin was on commentary with JR and Heyman as he was due to face Benoit and Jericho shortly after. I don't remember him turning heel/selling out and getting full on metal music. It must have been one of the times I had dipped back out of watching wrestling.
The was a very technical wrestling match and I didn't think the cage would get used much. I was mistaken. They used it to build the tension of the match well with the spots getting bigger throughout the latter half of the match, including a suplex off the top rope by Benoit, Angle doing a moonsault from the top of the cage, rather than escaping and then Benoit doing a diving headbutt from the top as Austin was preventing him from escaping.
Both of these guys are/were great technicians and this was an enjoyable match with a few nice spots.
Rating: 3/5
3 November 2001
Intercontinental Championship:
Edge (c) v Christian
Rebellion
WWE Network
Christian is the European champion at this time and as soon as they point out that the match is only for one of the titles, combined with the fact it is in the UK and at that point titles never changed hands outside of the US (and I can't remember the last time one did), it was obvious that Edge was going to be the winner.
Despite the possibility for animosity between these guys, and that they know each other so well, the match is a bit flat. It would have been an ok match without the cage. It is a bit less than ok without the cage as you're expecting something more.
The finish with Christian hanging upside down outside the cage with his feet tied together inside was a nice touch, but was really the only point where the cage came into play. That touch was nice enough to bump up the rating slightly, though.
Rating: 2/5
18 November 2001
WWF/WCW Tag Team Championship Unification:
Dudley Boyz v Hardy Boyz
Survivor Series
WWE Network 0:45
For some reason there is the pretense of this being an actual tag team match, with tags needing to be made for one of the competitors to be the legal man. This is a silly rule in a cage match, as the referee has no power to disqualify anyone if they disobey this.
At this time, the tag team division had been the Hardys, the Dudleys and Edge and Christina for quite some time. They must have had thousands of matches between them and so these guys are on the money for the match. There's not really much reason storywise for the cage, but it was important for Jeff to do a Swanton off the top through a table that Stacey Kiebler had got into the ring. There was a bit of brutality as well, with Matt seeming to have a mouthful of blood.
The rules about both competitors needing to exit the cage have meant that in both Hardys matches, one of them has been left inside effectively in a handicap match. If you're thinking about this, surely you wouldn't start to escape from the cage until you think your partner has a good chance of doing so as well. This bugs me a little. Decent match though.
Rating: 3/5
30 May 2002
Edge v Kurt Angle
Smackdown
WWE Network
This is after Edge shaved Angle's head and he started wearing a stupid wig. I'd entirely forgotten about that.Angle is such a great heel and he plays the part so well, with the mat skills to back it up. Edge loses a fair amount of blood in this match, especially compared to other cage matches of this time where the has been minimal.
It's a decent match but there are no big cage spots, and perhaps not as much use of the cage as I've come to expect.
Rating: 2.5/5
25 July 2002
Edge v Chris Jericho
Smackdown
WWE Network
Edge bleeds. That seems to be his thing in cage matches. A face and hair full of blood. A few spots that are ooh moments but that didn't really need to be in a cage to be so. The coolest thing the cage was used for was Rey Mysterio's run in at the end.
As these matches are just on Raw or Smackdown, it's probably asking a lot for really big spots which would likely be saved for PPVs. A little more use of the cage would be nice though.
The ending was the face climbing over and beating the heel who is crawling for the door. The more cage matches I watch, the more I think certain spots are overused.
Also, every time I see Edge, I'm reminded of how damn cool he is.
Rating: 2/5
10 May 2004
Chris Jericho v Christian
Raw
WWE Network
For a Raw main event, this was really enjoyable. Maybe the last few non PPV cage matches had got me expecting a low standard, but this worked well. I was very amused for find out there was a wrestler called Tonko, which made me think of a kiddies toy. A Google tells me his name is actually Tomko but that's not too much better.
The way that Tomko and Trish Stratus get involved in this match helps increase the excitement levels and adds to what these two guys do in the ring. A very enjoyable, well worked cage match.
Rating: 3.5/5
15 July 2004
WWE Championship:
JBL (c) v Eddie Guerrero
Smackdown
WWE Network (1:01)
This was an era that I definitely missed and it was great to see JBL in this incarnation and Eddie at all. I'm fairly sure I missed most of Eddie's best matches and to see how much everyone adores him, I feel like I've missed out on something special.
The frogsplash from the top was something special. A PPV worthy moment definitely, which makes me ashamed to have criticised TV cage matches just a couple of bouts ago. In terms of the psychology, it is perhaps less believable for him to do a big move rather than winning than it was for Jeff Hardy to have done so. I guess maybe I need to know more about the character but I would have thought someone with the mantra Lie Cheat Steal would have been more about the outcome than the big moment.
I liked that the cage door was locked. I also struggled to believe that JBL as heel would have been scared of being locked in with Eddie considering the big size advantage that he had over him. Enjoyable match.
Rating: 3.5/5
19 October 2004
Randy Orton v Ric Flair
Taboo Tuesday
WWE Network
The match stipulation is chosen by the fans with over two thirds voting for a cage match (ahead of falls count anywhere and subsmission match). Both of these guys end up absolutely caked in blood. They both prove their nicknames are correct - Orton the legend killer and Flair the dirtiest player in the game.
Flair is over twice Orton's age and after the match finishes, looks like he is really almost unable to stand. The amount of blood seems to be used in place of any big cage spots.
Rating: 2.5/5
6 September 2005
Eddie Guerrero v Rey Mysterio Jr
Smackdown
WWE Network
This match is just two months before Eddie's death, and he finally gets a win over Mysterio who had beaten him 7 times previously (at least in matches that the WWE counted at the time).
Again, these guys know each other really well and so they know how to produce a good match. There are a couple of cool bits that required the cage - fighting with both of them sat on it, Mysterio realising he couldn't do the 619, and the end where Eddie was about to walk out but decided to put the nail in the coffin, and do a frogsplash and get the pin to emphasise that he could beat Mysterio.
Rating: 3/5
8 September 2005
Matt Hardy v Edge
Unforgiven
WWE Network (1:10)
I'd heard this match was good and I was really looking forward to it. I was not disappointed in the slightest. The real life situation between the two made for really aggressive matches. This is probably the most aggressive cage match I've seen from both sides. The cage isn't used much but really heightens the match, especially at the end. This is incredible. I'm not sure how I feel about the WWE using the real life storyline for this - I can't imagine how Matt felt, especially. It makes for a truly spectacular match, though.
Rating: 5/5
1 November 2005
Intercontinental Championship:
Ric Flair (c) v Triple H
Taboo Tuesday
WWE Network
Despite the relatively short build up to this match, the build up still seems really important - partly because Triple H is so good at making things seem important and intense. The fact that it is in a cage also makes sense, partly because it was voted for by the WWE Universe.
They don't use the cage for big spots. That is a feature of most of Flair's cage matches. They are used to get blood - and a whole lot of it - but he's not the sort of guy who will be involved in big cage moments.
The storyline really works with where both these guys are in their careers, and the match plays into it as well. Both these guys are top performers and two of the greatest the business has seen, so should have a great match even if they're not on top form. Having said that, Triple H still seems to have to work quite hard to make Flair look good, including really dilly dallying when he first attempts to escape the cage.
Trips gets a chain which the referee forces away from him. The ref also forces a rope break on the figure four leglock. It doesn't make sense that he should have this power based on the fact that there is no disqualification.
Triple H comes to the ring sporting facial hair that appears to be trying to make him look like Lemmy. It seems odd, I'm not sure why but it doesn't seem right.
Rating: 3/5
2 October 2006
WWE Championship:
John Cena (c) v Edge
Raw
WWE Network (1:06)
"By god, what a match!" screams JR. That guy does like to exagerrate, doesn't he. This match is ok. It's nothing special compared to some of the others on this list. It's ok. It wasn't terribly memorable for anything. It was ok.
Rating: 2/5
13 April 2008
TNA World Heavyweight Championship:
Samoa Joe v Kurt Angle (c)
TNA Lockdown
YouTube
I like the fact that TNA has a six sided ring. I'd not watched any of their matches before and so have had to do a little research. The ring as an obviously different thing from WWE is now. It helps to differentiate the product. Lockdown features only cage matches and Angle, especially, looks the part. He looks really menacing as a cage fighter. So the cage isn't used too much in this match. I think that it only actually gets touched once, but it means that neither competitor can leave the cage for a breather. It's basically UFC style fighting at the start and then switches into almost a submission match, with a few suplexes thrown in here and there. The match is really well done. It's not what I was expecting at all and it's nice to have something completely different thrown at you every once in a while.
Rating: 4/5
18 May 2008
WWE Championship:
Triple H v Randy Orton
Judgement Day
WWE Network
Whilst these guys are two of the best in the modern era, they seem to be almost going through the motions in this match. There isn't anything that I could point to as being unique to this match up and not other cage matches, aside from Triple H standing atop the cage with the belt looking cool. It's ok but didn't set the world on fire.
Rating: 2.5/5
15 September 2008
WWE Heavyweight Championship
CM Punk v Chris Jericho
Raw
WWE Network
CM Punk looks way different to when I saw him at the end of his stint in WWE. This match is a bit more enjoyable than the Triple H/Orton match. What is interesting is that I have noticed they often threaten to do big moves from the top rope, aided by the cage (Pedigree in previous match, GTS in this one) but they don't seem to happen. I assume they become inherently more dangerous and therefore aren't done but it would be nice if once in a while you do see a modified finisher. The finish is great - an accidental victory and it makes Punk, the loser, still look like a valid contender.
Rating: 3/5
3 November 2008
World Heavyweight Championship:
Batista (c) v Chris Jericho
Raw
WWE Network
This match looked like Batitsta was going to come out victorious, partly because Jericho made several attempts to escape or win and Batitsta made none (he might have gone for a pinfall or two but there was definitely nothing that even looked likely of giving him victory), and so it looked to me like he would get one big move and then the victory - possibly with a threatened Batitsta bomb from the top ropes.
He had a few nice ways of keeping Jericho in the cage before that I'd not seen, and there were a few other nice bits that seemed original. Having said that, there wasn't the excitement level that there has been in other matches so whilst it was original in places, it lacked entertainment value - for me, at least.
Rating: 3/5
28 August 2009
WWE World Championship/Loser Leaves WWE:
CM Punk v Jeff Hardy
Smackdown
DailyMotion
Knowing that Hardy leaves and Punk was still around might have taken a bit of excitement out of this but it wasn't the greatest cage match. I would have though Jeff Hardy's final match would have had a few amazing bumps as that is what he built a large chunk of his career around. There was only a superplex from the top rope that could really have counted. It's a shame that he didn't go out by failing a swanton from the top of the cage or something like that, which would have been more in keeping with his character.
The main function of the match seemed to have been to use Hardy's leaving the WWE to cement CM Punk's status as a heel. Not only did he make a fan favourite leave the company, but he also attacked Hardy both before the match had started and also when he had just finished his leaving speech.
It is a shame that the match didn't live up to what these two guys could have been capable of.
Rating: 2/5
25 April 2010
Edge v Chris Jericho
Extreme Rules
WWE Network
I've been feeling let down by a whole bunch of these matches. When they've had two real world class performers in but have seemed to have been lackluster. I'm wondering if partly it is the post-Attitude era where everything got toned down a bit. This was enjoyable but could potentially have been so much more. The thing that annoyed me the most is that Jericho has a clear strategy in cage matches. Get out. He had an opportunity to walk out but turned back around to inflict more pain. Which would work for some characters - Lesnar, for example - but doesn't feel right for Jericho. It dampened the match a bit. On top of that, despite these two guys being in a multitude of cage matches, neither of them hits big spots in them. Some guys are suited to doing so, neither of these guys are. The most we get is a springboard codebreaker.
Rating: 2/5
1 May 2011
WWE Championship
John Cena v John Morrison v The Miz (c)
Extreme Rules
WWE Network
There are good points and bad points to a triple threat cage match. The good point is that there is always something going on. As soon as one competitor is down, the other two will be part of the action. There's nowhere for them to escape and take a break like in a regular triple threat match, so it is full of action. The downside to this is that it makes it more difficult to tell a story with dynamic pacing. Another downside is that one competitor really needs to be taken out of action completely before one of the others is able to win by temporarily incapacitating the third competitor.
The have to have a run in from R-Truth to take out John Morrison and make it all about Cena v The Miz. It isn't perhaps as natural as you might want it to be.
I had no idea who John Morrison was. He did a couple of cool flippy moves though so he's fine in my book. A look on wikipedia reveals that I had seen him before as part of the tag team MNM, but couldn't really remember much about them.
An AA from the top rope wins it from Cena in a fairly fun match, although nearly ruined by Michael Cole's commentary.
Rating: 3/5
30 August 2011
WWE Championship
Randy Orton (c) v Christian
Smackdown
YouTube
It's difficult to say much about this match as I could only find the end of it and then the fallout online. It ends with an RKO from the top turnbuckle and then Mark Henry beats up Orton. I can't rate this.
Rating: n/a
19 May 2013
Brock Lesnar v Triple H
Extreme Rules
WWE Network
Lesnar's matches often annoy me. He just flattens people and they're not fun. This is an exception. He sells the pain in his knee well and really seems to need to use the camoflaged sledgehammer (which was a really neat idea) to earn knock out Triple H. He then hits the F5 on a basically unconscious Hunter to show his mean streak. This works well. Possibly didn't need to be in a cage but enjoyable for a Lesnar match.
Rating: 3.5/5
8 June 2016
NXT Championship
Finn Balor v Samoa Joe (c)
NXT Takeover: The End
WWE Network
At the start, this goes dark and a spotlight is on both competitors. This is really cool. This feeling of stuff I've not seen before continues throughout the match. There are really nice bits - Joe doing an enziguri whilst hanging onto the cage, Balor using Joe's back to help him climb the cage and the finisher - the muscle buster from the second rope. These all make it quite a unique match and it's pretty enjoyable.
Somehow I'd missed this first time around. I knew that Joe was going to win based on what happens after, but it was still an enjoyable bout.
Rating: 4/5
