10 Times WWE's Fake World Got Dangerously Real

9. Somebody Should Have Stopped The Damn Match

Kurt angle gammy neck
WWE

At King Of The Ring 1998, Mick Foley felt he could not possibly follow the original Hell In A Cell match at In Your House: Badd Blood ‘97.

He was probably right - Shawn Michaels bumped so well that ‘Taker, never more terrifying, carried himself like a great old one - but his solution was as successful as it was moronic. 

Foley, infamously, climbed to the top of the titular structure before Undertaker threw him off it. The incredible timing of a bump that had never been attempted and could never be rehearsed is rarely praised - he could have shattered every disc in his back, had he mistimed it and sprawled over the guardrail - but it was obviously incidental to the bump in and of itself. 

This was the best possible execution of a terrible and inspired idea. 

The second bump was the worst possible execution of an only slightly less terrible but inspired idea. The Undertaker wasn’t meant to blast Foley through the roof. The mesh was meant to give way. 

Foley was only meant to dangle before taking a flat-back from a marginally less scary height onto the old WWF ring with no give!

It was too much. In retrospect, the WWF was as lucky as a white-flowered heather in 1998. 

Mick Foley actually did it again - that very same year, before No Way Out 2000…

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!