10 Times WWE Gambled On A New Gimmick Match
3. Inferno
Blessed fire, making a mid Kane match appealing on some level!
With origins stretching back to the Puerto Rico territory, the Inferno match debuted in the WWF at Unforgiven 1998 in what made for an inspired second chapter in the rivalry between the Undertaker and Kane. This new stipulation was germane to the first act of the childhood prologue, and while it deprived the Undertaker of his dive - about the only lively moment of their lumbering WrestleMania XIV dud - the flames shot up with every basic back bump a month later in what was a neat smoke-and-mirrors match that effectively reduced us to stupefied bystanders. All of it was undermined by the casual and liberal use of the Irish whip, a total psychological no-no in its Barbed Wire match antecedent, but never mind: the flames looked cool, they went really high, and a sidewalk slam is really quite meh without them.
A spectacle that makes no sense outside of its signature antagonist, the Inferno match remains a rarity, likely because its risk/reward factor is skewed horrendously.
Risk: a contracted performer suffers third-degree burns in the event of an accident.
Reward: an above-average at best Kane match!