10 Wrestlers Who Innovated New Stipulation Matches
2. Jim Cornette - Hell In A Cell*
If proof were needed that an honest-to-Christ tenured pro wrestling mind is needed within WWE's creative process - just in case the most dogsh*t promos you've ever heard don't count - consider the conception of one of WWE's greatest ever creative triumphs.
The Hell In A Cell gimmick was a Jim Cornette creation - or, more accurately, a Jim Cornette adaptation.
He drew inspiration from the famed Last Battle of Atlanta fought - bloodily - between Tommy Rich and Buzz Sawyer. Unlike the traditional steel cage match, a roof covered it, a simple, mostly aesthetic touch that conveyed the extent to which the animosity had to be contained.
Cornette, a keen historian with a deeper love of the southern '80s territories than the WWF, used it for inspiration when creating the Hell In A Cell gimmick. He updated it, somewhat ironically, given his latter reputation, to account for the advanced ring style; the space between the mesh and the ring allowed for a more athletic and dynamic match, with the claret-drenched ultra-violence remaining firmly intact.
The WWF's more filmic psychological approach worked in synergy to create a positively awesome hybrid of pro wrestling, old school and new, and horror cinema.