10 Times WWE Gambled On A New Gimmick Match

2. Hell In A Cell

Kennel From Hell
WWE.com

1997 was amongst if not the greatest year in WWE history.

It yielded its greatest artistic in-ring triumph, its best, dovetailing shared universe storytelling. How they arrived at Hell In A Cell, and how it furthered Bret Hart Vs. Shawn Michaels in parallel, was transcendent. Said match was also WWE's greatest ever match creation beyond, perhaps, the Royal Rumble - but the Rumble never reached the pinnacle of In Your House: Badd Blood.

That seminal main event mastered the WWF's weird fascination with the escape element. The huge, spacious structure felt dangerous enough to excuse the story beat. It almost demanded Shawn's frantic, terrified bids to get out, but the Cell itself seemed to draw him back in by his mess of a bloodied head. All those fabulously corny Jim Ross metaphors were justified by a match that didn't so much get a stipulation but a mythology over.

Inspired by the structure of the Last Battle of Atlanta, Hell In A Cell was still a distinctly WWF creation; the scope of the cage allowed for full creative expression, updating the bloodthirsty flesh-on-steel element with ultra-dramatic tumbles, all threaded together with a fantastic story that echoed the pulsating anxiety of a thriller.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!