The beauty of the Steel Cage Match is in the simplicity of the purpose. Designed to keep any other wrestlers from interfering, the metal acts as a symbolic barrier to what has gone on before in the rivalry, namely interference from those working alongside the heel, repeatedly costing the babyface victory. This is where the cage comes into play, stopping rivals from getting involved, theoretically meaning that the good guy has the bad guy exactly where he wants him. By 2005, TNA wanted to try some different things, looking to narrow the gap between WWE and themselves. It was here that the concept of Lockdown was born, an event during which every single match would take place inside a Steel Cage. This sounds cool at first, but as fans started thinking about it, what would make any of the bouts stand out? If all of them were taking place inside the steel, what differentiated one from another? Of course, this is what happened, and the show suffered as a result. There have been events where matches didn't take place as Steel Cage affairs, but by and large TNA has stuck to its guns with the initial idea. As a consequence, fans are often tired of the cage format by the time the main event rolls around, which is the complete opposite of what the event should have achieved.
Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.
