10 Greatest Cage Matches On The WWE Network
2. Magnum T.A. vs Tully Blanchard - Starrcade 1985
Widely considered to be the first I Quit match, this is one of the perfect amalgamations of feud and crowd. The beloved Magnum T.A. had his sights set on haughty Horseman Tully Blanchard’s U.S title, and their war had reached such a fever pitch that it necessitated both a steel cage and the invention of a brutal new stipulation.
What follows is 15 minutes of utter brutality. Both men spill blood early on; faces are mashed into mesh, but neither is willing to give an inch - this may be a secondary belt, but the performers’ willingness to die for the cause elevates it beyond comprehension to a modern viewer.
And then there’s the crowd, who are at a fever pitch throughout. T.A. looks a million bucks, and was clearly going places before a car crash curtailled his career. Blanchard is the perfect foil, drawing an abundance of heat from the baying audience.
Oh, and the match finally ends when T.A. jams a shard of wood in Tully’s face, causing his rival to frantically quit before he’s presumably blinded.
They don’t make ‘em like they used to.