10 Wrestling Feuds That Borrowed From Unlikely Inspirations
8. The Undertaker Vs Shawn Michaels (Buzz Sawyer Vs Tommy Rich)
The peak of Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker's incredible 1997 rivalry came with the innovation of a stipulation that has lasted beyond its original intent, and all thanks to their incredible utilisation of it.
Hell In A Cell was as well confined by the narrative as 'HBK' was in the structure himself. Alongside the nascent D-Generation X, Michaels had taken every opportunity to cheap shot 'The Deadman' then run like f*ck when confronted with the consequences. The prison was his penance. WWE had embraced the blue bar cage for over a decade before the return of the mesh, whilst the Cell called for a roof to theoretically block his escape. And it was this that sprung from the wrestlers and Jim Cornette's memory of the legendary 'Last Battle Of Atlanta'.
There - and in a blood feud of their own - Tommy Rich and Buzz Sawyer contested a classic that was for years lost to archive photos and the memories of those who saw it. Far from a faithful recreation, Michaels and The Undertaker propelled the concept into WWE lore at the first time of asking.