If ever there were a match which personified a gimmick bout it would be this one. The first of the many match types associated with The Undertaker, the first Casket match actually wasn't a Casket Match at all- it was a Coffin Match held between Dusty Rhodes and Ivan Koloff in 1980. The gimmick wasn't used again after that until 1992, when Undertaker battled Kamala at Survivor Series. Since then, WWE has held another 6 Casket Matches, every one of them involving The Undertaker. The genuine risk here came two-fold: one, the object itself was cumbersome and sharply edged. I'm sure Shawn Michaels could easily testify to the danger of wrestling in such proximity to an object of such kind. It cost him 4 years of his career. Secondly, the issue of being locked in the Casket itself. Thankfully, WWE covered their back over the years, usually placing the Casket next to the ring, allowing wrestlers to escape through the bottom and under the ring, as air would've been tight inside. Once or twice, the actual lid of the casket was locked in storyline and twice set on fire. Woe betide that lock on the bottom exit jamming then, otherwise The Undertaker could've been in serious trouble.
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Secondly, the issue of being locked in the Casket itself. Thankfully, WWE covered their back over the years, usually placing the Casket next to the ring, allowing wrestlers to escape through the bottom and under the ring, as air would've been tight inside. Once or twice, the actual lid of the casket was locked in storyline and twice set on fire. Woe betide that lock on the bottom exit jamming then, otherwise The Undertaker could've been in serious trouble.