With the upcoming release of the new WWE DVD “The Greatest Cage Matches of All Time”, I thought that I would sit back and reflect on some of my very favorite cage matches of the over 25 years I have been a wrestling fan. They are in no particular order, and I know I will leave some out but here is a sample of why I feel the Cage Match is one of wrestling’s best.
1. Hulk Hogan vs Paul Orndorff from Saturday Night’s Main Event
It’s the culmination of Orndoff and Hogan’s “benedict arnold” storyline where Orndorff turns on Hogan after months of build and frustration mounting (I can still picture Paul’s face when Adrian Adonis calls him Hulk Jr.). While the feud was great, my lasting memory of this match is the finish. As Hogan scales one side of the cage, Orndorff does the same and they both drop off at the same time and appear to TIE. As this show was taped in December 1986 and aired in January 1987, Kevin Dunn and company had weeks to edit this to make it look great! I can still remember Jesse Ventura’s analysis of how Paul hit first because his knees were bent more.
2. Bret Hart vs Owen Hart Summerslam 1994
This is my favorite cage match of all time. There was no blood, cage was merely used as a way to have a great, brutal wrestling match without Jim The Anvil Neidhart interfering. In an era that housed Pig farmers, cowboys, and Native Americans, this match was a pure wrestling clinic on how to keep a match in the ring and it reminds me of days gone by that I dearly miss in wrestling. And I miss it because it had, well, WRESTLING! The cage itself was barely in play but the shear deterrent of interference was enough to culminate the summer of 1994 with a classic.
3. Hulk Hogan vs Big Boss Man Saturday Night’s Main Event 1989
This was an interim feud that Hulk Hogan had in 1988 when Randy Savage was the Champion and Hogan feuded with the Twin Towers with Savage. Now Hogan was the champion again and Boss Man was chosen as the challenger to play off of that feud. Hogan was also in a movie called “No Holds Barred” with a costar who’s character’s name was Zeus. Zeus attacked Hogan before the match to promote the movie and the Hulkster battled back (yes this was BEFORE John Cena) and beat Boss Man in a great match. The highlight of this match was a massive superplex from the top that Hogan did to Boss Man. Highlight reel stuff for sure!
4. Kurt Angle vs Edge Smackdown 2002
This match occurred in my hometown of Calgary and I was there live. This is the best cage match I have seen live (although to be fair it’s competition includes Devon “Hannibal” Nicholson vs Abdullah the Butcher in a crappy indy match where the cage was falling apart). Kurt was the established star and Edge was really on the rise at this time before an injury curtailed this push. Kurt had already lost a hair match to Edge and the highlight of this match is the finish, one of the best spears I’ve ever seen.
5. Jacquline vs Gail Kim TNA Lockdown 2007
This match really showcased the difference, at the time, to me between the TNA Knockouts and the WWE Divas. While I may have seen a woman’s cage match before, I can’t remember one other than this tremendous match. While this match starts outside of the ring, it eventually makes it’s way into the Six Sides of Steel and it was another example of the cage being the backdrop for a great, brutal wrestling match. The highlight of this match was a HUGE cross body block from the top of the cage by Gail onto Jackie for the finish.
These are just some of my favorite memories of cage matches from the years gone by. I haven’t included War Games, Hell in the Cell, or Elimination Chambers as I feel that those are a whole column all to themselves. As I said in the opening of this article, I have missed some great moments. I’d love to hear your favorites as well. Shoot me an email at addie@wetalkwrestling.com.
