I haven't seen these guys fight, but this promo from 2002 (I think?) really made me want to see it.
Selling a wrestling show might just mean getting hard men promoting having a fight. Who knew?!
I’m assuming you’re British judging by your unfortunate choice of words there. Regardless, it was a pretty cool feud aside from Undertaker screwing him out of a win in their first match. But I’m giving, so here’s the Hell in a Cell match that paid everything off:
Probably my favorite HITC.. Underrated classic..
ReplyDeletegreat day of wrestling so far.. EVOLVE was good, ROH was great.. Might even take in some Kaiju Big Battel.. definitely a shame to miss Morrison/Liger & NewJack/Butcher, but the end of that ROH ppv was something special, so i'm sure i made the right choice....
I love that match. It's my second favorite Hell in a Cell match. I also cannot say enough about the promo they aired on SmackDown following No Mercy. It was simply one of the best they've done. It showed highlights of the match with creepy ass voice over provided by Heyman(Where's your head at Taker? Are we in it?)
ReplyDeleteCan't find it on YouTube but damn it's amazing.
What's wrong with a couple of hard men coming together for wrestling?
ReplyDeleteToo bad they weren't standing as well, as in erect men.
ReplyDeleteMeh.
ReplyDeleteIt's so great. Just pure brutality. I think it and the Shawn-Taker HIAC capture what Hell in a Cell is all about. Keep the chicken shit heel inside and without help, and sheer hatred and brutality.
ReplyDeleteI laugh at humor like this.
ReplyDeleteThis as well.
ReplyDeleteApparently hard men are all the rage in England.
ReplyDeleteTaker forgetting that he had a broken hand about halfway through the match hurts it, but I give credit to Cole and Taz by saying that he's got a huge rush of adrenaline (even if it's bullshit lol).
ReplyDeleteWith that said, this was a damned good cell match, just a great, bloody fight.
I'm still pissed about my first ever live PPV ended in a double DQ. Fuck Taker/Brock 1, fuck it in its stupid fucking ear.
ReplyDeletePaul Heymans actong is top notch on this match
ReplyDeleteI always bought into it by just thinking it went numb. But maybe it's just me trying to overprotect a match I love.
ReplyDeleteBrock please! We're looosing. Brock we're losing!
ReplyDeleteYeah, there was the bit where he gets the cortisone shot from the doctor before the match...but if he was going to use the hand, either intentionally or forgetting about it in the heat of the match, why do the broken hand angle to begin with? Never needed it.
ReplyDeleteThe feud, yeah. With all that shit of Heyman hiring some chick to say she had an affair with Taker.
ReplyDeleteIt's not as good as a couple of hard men coming in each other.
ReplyDeleteIf you play the first Youtube clip, it leads to a confrontation between Brock and Taker on the SD after No Mercy. Really, once Brock had beaten Hogan and Rock all he needed to complete the trifecta was a solid feud/storyline where he was put over, and after the Cell match Taker came through and concluded the story by respecting him and telling him that he won like a man.
ReplyDeleteWWE have simply lost the art of getting people over this way. The last guy was Batista, who was a made man EIGHT years ago.
No wonder people have no connection to Cena as a fighter and a man. Every former champion he went up against from 2005 till now had been established as legit at one point, thus fans cheered for them instead. In hindsight his greatest foil was Edge, because in kayfabe he didn't deserve the title and people really hated his guts, but they blew the heat of that feud in favor of having Triple H challenge John at 'Mania.
Hindsight is 20/20 and all.
Hardy did a good job of selling with it, though (and his hand injury was legit, I think) and he got injured again which derailed any kind of push he was going to get.
ReplyDeleteIf my hand were numb, though, I don't think I'd be able to clench it and punch someone with it.
ReplyDeleteMuch as I love the match, arguably the greatest HIAC ever, Heymans squawking at ringside is something I could have done without.
ReplyDeleteSeriously, the guy has one of the most irritating voices in all of wrestling.
They only did that because Brock was turning face to fight The Big Show. If he wasn't, Taker would never have said that. I mean it's good booking to pay-off the feud, but it'd never happen with Ziggler.
ReplyDeleteAs for Cena... I don't know. Whenever he fights a stipulation match, he gets cheered. I think maybe the WWE should book him like they did the old champs, where he doesn't conclusively beat anyone until the feud ending cage/whatever match.
ReplyDeleteRight! Undertaker sold the loss as if it were to someone he respected, which usually would be a face. Although this was the beginning of the turn for Brock, you could easily have The Rock do something similar with Cena on Raw.
ReplyDeleteAnd of course it would never happen with Ziggler. He's WWE's bitch. I know the smarks love him, bless their hearts, but I think he's a hack.
I think Cena and Rock would be booed in that segment, and it would be hilarious.
ReplyDeleteCena should be cheered and respected, but he won't ever be. Because people still think he can't wrestle. Despite holding his own with Punk, Michaels, Orton, Edge, and getting great matches out of Batista, Khali and The Big Show.
Oh, Cena's too far gone. He's just the guy who's good but people don't like him.
ReplyDeleteI don't think his wresting ability has anything to do with it. He's not a slug by any means and he's had enough great matches for even smarks to respect him as a wrestler. He simply has no appeal to people who have since hit puberty, and WWE's booking doesn't do him any favors. He makes money, so the company doesn't have a fire up their ass.
Actong, baby
ReplyDeletethat show was so amazing.
ReplyDeletePossibly the bloodiest match in WWE history rivaled only Eddie - JBL. This match was great for the fact that it was the first good Hell in the Cell not to go outside the cell. Also one of the only times Undertaker really let someone get one over on him big time.
ReplyDeleteCena's problem is he's 1990s Hogan without the steroid accusations/botched chat show appearance/split to rival company and booed stuff.
ReplyDeleteHe could benefit from a heel turn character wise, but there's no incentive to money wise.
Didn't he have a legit broken hand at the time? I remember reading that in the dirtsheets at the time, and the fact that he's wearing the same cast at the SD taping and on the PPV supports the theory. If so, then I don't take points off for not selling since he's legit working through pain. lol
ReplyDeleteYeah, I remember it being legit too but I can't find a source confirming.
ReplyDeleteWatching Brock struggle through a relatively long scripted promo here is really painful. It's a good thing they gave him Heyman.
ReplyDeleteFortunately you aren't the Undertaker or you would have been screwed against Brock!
ReplyDeleteI remember at the time the forums were wondering if Taker meant to do one of the goriest blade jobs ever or if he was just super out of practice since at the point he hadn't sold any offense in like a decade besides the stunner.
ReplyDeleteIt has nothing to do with his wrestling ability, and everything to do with his character.
ReplyDeleteI wonder who would win a sword fight between Brock and Taker.
ReplyDelete