If theres one spot that fans will never see again in a Hell in a Cell match, its the spot that only one wrestler has ever attempted: falling through the roof of the cage to the mat below. Obviously, the only person crazy enough to attempt this stunt is Mick Foley, who did it twice (although the first time wasnt planned). During his infamous cell match against the Undertaker, Foley (as Mankind) took a chokeslam on top of the cage, causing the panel to break and Foley to fall some 12-14 feet to the mat. This came moments after he had been thrown off the top of the cell and through an announce table. And then the match went another 10 minutes and ended after Mankind was dropped into a pile of thumbtacks. (Basically, this entire match couldnt take place in todays WWE.) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-wtqG8uHvs Although that fall through the cage wasnt supposed to happen, it didnt stop Foley (this time as Cactus Jack) and Triple H from replicating it this time in a somewhat safer manner. At No Way Out in 2000, Foley fought Triple H in a title versus career match. The two wound up on top of the cage with a barbed wire-wrapped 2x4, which Cactus lit on fire. An attempt to piledrive Triple H onto it backfired, and he was backdropped through the cage to the mat. This time, however, the mat was gimmicked to break Foleys fall. Despite the precautions that can be taken, this simply is too dangerous to replicate today. Not only is the cell four feet taller now, its just an unnecessary risk that was a product of the era in which it occurred. Although many of these moments will never take place inside Hell in a Cell again, wrestlers are perfectly capable of crafting a gritty, compelling match in the cell. Its been done before and will hopefully be done again at the upcoming PPV.
Scott is a former journalist and longtime wrestling fan who was smart enough to abandon WCW during the Monday Night Wars the same time as the Radicalz. He fondly remembers watching WrestleMania III, IV, V and VI and Saturday Night's Main Event, came back to wrestling during the Attitude Era, and has been a consumer of sports entertainment since then. He's written for WhatCulture for more than a decade, establishing the Ups and Downs articles for WWE Raw and WWE PPVs/PLEs and composing pieces on a variety of topics.
