This was a match that was built up perfectly. Owen beat Bret clean in the WrestleMania 10 opener and then Bret ended that night by winning the WWE Title. A couple of months later, Owen won the King of the Ring tournament just like Bret had done one year earlier. Both guys went into the match with a lot of momentum. The only way to win the match was by escaping the cage. No pinfalls or submissions like they do in most cage matches now including most of the ones already written about. You could win by either climbing out of the cage or escaping through the door. Beat the person up so bad that they can't stop you from leaving. The purpose of the cage is to keep two guys in the middle of the ring so they can settle their issues. Pinning or submitting shouldn't be an option. One of the best moments was a spot that you rarely see in cage matches. Owen was climbing out of the ring when Bret went after him. Instead of simply pulling him back in, Bret did a spectacular superplex off the top of the cage. You might see something like that in today's wrestling, but this was 20 years ago. It was huge. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5-jbydirbo There was a dramatic ending to the match with both guys trying to exit at the same time. If you watch it closely you would notice Owen hooking his leg on the inside to make sure he didn't accidentally fall out first. Bret rammed him into the cage, Owen went upside down, hanging by his leg and Bret dropped down to retain the WWE Title. Even the post match storyline was fantastic as Owen was joined by brother in law Jim Neidhart as they attacked Bret in the cage while others tried to break into it. Eventually, the British Bulldog helped Bret. It was an incredible story to see a family feuding like that. This match wasn't a bloodbath at all. It was a technical wrestling classic that took place within the confines of a steel cage. They were able to have a classic 30 minute battle and both guys came out of it looking as strong as ever.
John wrote at WhatCulture from December 2013 to December 2015. It was fun, but it's over for now. Follow him on Twitter @johnreport. You can also send an email to mrjohncanton@gmail.com with any questions or comments as well.
