50 Fascinating Facts About WWE in The 1980s
8. ‘Mania II’s Cage Match Was Unique For 35 Years
Beating SD Jones in (whisper it) 24 seconds was an important part of King Kong Bundy's path towards a feud opposite federation cash cow Hulk Hogan. By the time 'Mania II rolled around, Bundy was well placed to headline vs. Hulk and believably threaten his WWF Title reign. Looking to up the ante further, the promotion booked the match inside a steel cage.
That'd be the first and last traditional non-Hell In A Cell cage bout in the series until 'Mania 37's Shane McMahon vs. Braun Strowman affair. Four HIAC matches have taken place at WrestleMania: The Undertaker vs. Big Boss Man (XV), Triple H vs. The Undertaker (XXVIII), Shane McMahon vs. 'Taker (32) and Edge vs. Finn Bálor (39).
That means Hogan vs. Bundy and Shane vs. Braun are the only traditional cage clashes.
Even more astonishingly, there was a huge 35 year gap between the pair. 'Mania II took place in 1986, whereas 'Mania 37 happened in 2021. It's kinda surprising that the WWF didn't book at least one more in the 80s or 90s before the Cell gimmick captured everyone's collective imaginations and became the go-to cage match to blow off heated big feuds once it debuted in 1997.
Hogan vs. Bundy was a slow plodder, but it was way more interesting than the duff McMahon vs. Strowman business. The live crowd response alone makes 'Mania II's effort superior. If only WWE had picked a better combo to work in the standard cage after 35 long years.
Oh well, maybe next time.