10 Most Influential Moments That Were Precursors To The WWE Attitude Era

3. The Very First Hell In A Cell

Goldust Survivor Series 1996
WWE.com

Along with the aforementioned worked shoots, another keystone of the Attitude Era was the incredibly physical and extreme-style matches that would take place in, and outside of, the ring. WWE even created its own Hardcore Championship to be defended in contests that featured no disqualifications, no countouts, and where falls counted anywhere.

But before the Road Dogg found himself fighting through a blizzard and before Hardcore Holly and Al Snow ended up tussling in the Mississippi River, Shawn Michaels battled The Undertaker in one of, if not the, most physical matches in WWE history, up to that point.

The main event of October '97's In Your House: Badd Blood featured the first ever Hell In A Cell match. It was presented as a massive roofed cage that surrounded not only the ring but the outside mats as well. It had only one way in and out, through a padlocked door.

The gratuitous amounts of blood and violence that was showcased throughout this match was unlike anything ever seen before in WWE.

Similar to what he and Razor Ramon did with the Ladder Match, Michaels and The Undertaker put on a performance that set new standards for what to expect in a WWE grudge match.

Contributor
Contributor

A former stuntman for Paramount Pictures, Matt enjoys sports, water skiing, driving fast, the beach, professional wrestling, technology, and scotch. At the same time, whenever possible. Having attended many famous (and infamous) shows including WrestleMania XV, In Your House: Mind Games, and the 1995 King of the Ring, Matt has been a lifelong professional sports and wrestling fan. Matt's been mentioned in numerous wrestling podcasts including the Steve Austin Show: Unleashed, Talk Is Jericho, and Something To Wrestle With Bruce Prichard. As a former countywide performer, Matt has been referred to as Mr. 300 for his amazing accomplishments in the world of amateur bowling. He is also the only man on record to have pitched back-to-back no hitters in the Veterans Stadium Wiffle Ball League of 2003.