The Squared Circle

[Lobo]

for anyone interested

Friday, October 19 2-4 p.m.
E for All Expo at the Los Angeles Convention Center, Los Angeles, CA
Meet RAW’s announce team of “Good Ole JR” Jim Ross and Jerry “The King” Lawler starting at 2:00 p.m!

Friday, October 19 6-8pm
Best Buy, Hialeah, FL

Lilian signing at Best Buy
4001 W. 20th Avenue
Hialeah, FL 33012-4526
6pm-8pm




Friday, October 19 2:30 pm - 9 pm
Amway Arena, Orlando, FL

Meet WWE Diva Maria and “The Nature Boy” Ric Flair at the DEW Action Sports event!

2:30 pm – 3:30 pm – Autograph signing at the Clear Channel Radio Booth (Festival Village)
5 pm - 6:30 pm – Autograph signing at the CW-18/WESH-TV Booth (Festival Village)
8 pm- 9 pm – BMX Vert Finals (Interviews and award presentations)

Saturday, October 20 6-8 p.m.
Spooky World located at 200 Mount Vernon Street, Boston, MA
Meet WWE Superstar Mick Foley starting at 6:00 p.m. on behalf of CW.

Tuesday, October 23 12 - 2 p.m.
Borders Books & Music, Overland Park, Kan.

Batista will be signing copies of his autobiography Batista Unleashed at Borders Books & Music.

Borders Books and Music
12055 Metcalf Avenue
Overland Park, KS 66213

For more information, call Borders at (913) 663-2356.


Wednesday, October 24 6-8 p.m.
FYE - Paddock Mall, Ocala, Fla.

SPECIAL WRESTLEMANIA XXIV TICKET PRE-SALE: On Friday, Nov. 2, from 6-8 p.m. ET, there will be a special WrestleMania XXIV pre-sale at Ticketmaster ticket centers in participating Florida FYE stores. Visit your local FYE store for details.

The Miz and Jimmy Hart at FYE - Paddock Mall
3100 Southwest College Road, Ste. 118
Ocala, Fla. 34474-8491


Thursday, October 25 6-8 p.m.
FYE, Gainesville, Fla.

SPECIAL WRESTLEMANIA XXIV TICKET PRE-SALE: On Friday, Nov. 2, from 6-8 p.m. ET, there will be a special WrestleMania XXIV pre-sale at Ticketmaster ticket centers in participating Florida FYE stores. Visit your local FYE store for details.

The Miz and Jimmy Hart at FYE
6419 W. Newberry Road, Ste. A-5
Gainesville, Fla. 32605


Friday, October 26 8:30 p.m.
Borders Books & Music, Sterling, Va.

Batista will be signing copies of his autobiography Batista Unleashed at Borders Books & Music.

Borders Books & Music
21031 Triple Seven Rd. Suite 100
Sterling, VA 20165

For more information, call Borders at (703) 430-4675.





Friday, October 26 6-8 p.m.
SunRise Mall, Massapequa, NY

Come meet CM Punk starting at 6:00 p.m.

For more information call (516) 541-4475




Friday, October 26 6-8 p.m.
FYE - Volusia Mall, Daytona, Fla.

SPECIAL WRESTLEMANIA XXIV TICKET PRE-SALE: On Friday, Nov. 2, from 6-8 p.m. ET, there will be a special WrestleMania XXIV pre-sale at Ticketmaster ticket centers in participating Florida FYE stores. Visit your local FYE store for details.

The Miz and Jimmy Hart at FYE - Volusia Mall
1700 West International Speedway Boulevard, Ste. 240
Daytona Beach, Fla. 32114-1300


Saturday, October 27 6-8 p.m.
Best Buy Store 493 - located 3401 Jefferson Davis Hwy, Alexandria, VA 22305

Come meet WWE Superstar Rey Mysterio from 6:00 -8:00 p.m. Rey will be signing copies of his new DVD - Rey Mysterio: The Biggest Little Man


Saturday, October 27 8 - 10 p.m.
Mackey’s 1823 L St NW, Washington D.C. 20036
Meet WWE Superstars Matt & Jeff Hardy at 8:00pm as part of WJFK’s Trick or Beer Tour presented by Bud Light – 21 and over crowd ONLY.

Go to www.wjfk.com for more details.

Monday, October 29 7:30 - 9 p.m.
Bookends Bookstore located at 232 Ridgewood Avenue, Ridgewood, NJ
Meet “The Animal” Batista as he signs his new autobiography!

Monday, October 29 7:30 p.m.
Bookends, Ridgewood, NJ

Batista at Bookends. 232 East Ridgewood Ave., Ridgewood, NJ 07450. Call 201-445-0726 for more information or visit their website at www.book-ends.com.


Monday, October 29 6:00 p.m.
AutoWorld KIA located at 400 West Old County Road, Hicksville, NY

Meet WWE Superstar Rey Mysterio starting at 6:00 p.m. For More Information Call Autoworld at 1-888-484-8071


Tuesday, October 30 6-8 p.m.
FYE - Oveido Marketplace, Orlando, Fla.

SPECIAL WRESTLEMANIA XXIV TICKET PRE-SALE: On Friday, Nov. 2, from 6-8 p.m. ET, there will be a special WrestleMania XXIV pre-sale at Ticketmaster ticket centers in participating Florida FYE stores. Visit your local FYE store for details.

Jim Ross and Lilian Garcia at FYE - Oveido Marketplace
1300 Oveido Marketplace Boulevard
Orlando, Fla. 32765


Tuesday, October 30 6-8 p.m.
FYE, Lakeland, Fla.

SPECIAL WRESTLEMANIA XXIV TICKET PRE-SALE: On Friday, Nov. 2, from 6-8 p.m. ET, there will be a special WrestleMania XXIV pre-sale at Ticketmaster ticket centers in participating Florida FYE stores. Visit your local FYE store for details.

Jimmy Hart and Maria at FYE
4220 South Florida Ave., Ste. 102
Lakeland, Fla. 33813-1628


Tuesday, October 30 11-1 p.m.
Best Buy 5001 Northern Blvd., Long Island City, NY 11101
Meet WWE Diva Torrie Wilson, on behalf of RCN Telecommunications, starting at 11 a.m.

Thursday, November 1 6-8 p.m.
FYE - Brandon Town Center Mall, Tampa, Fla.

SPECIAL WRESTLEMANIA XXIV TICKET PRE-SALE: On Friday, Nov. 2, from 6-8 p.m. ET, there will be a special WrestleMania XXIV pre-sale at Ticketmaster ticket centers in participating Florida FYE stores. Visit your local FYE store for details.

Edge at FYE - Brandon Town Center Mall
350 Brandon Town Center Mall, SPC 344
Brandon, Fla. 33511



Thursday, November 1 6-8 p.m.
FYE - Regency Square Mall, Jacksonville, Fla.

SPECIAL WRESTLEMANIA XXIV TICKET PRE-SALE: On Friday, Nov. 2, from 6-8 p.m. ET, there will be a special WrestleMania XXIV pre-sale at Ticketmaster ticket centers in participating Florida FYE stores. Visit your local FYE store for details.

Elijah Burke at FYE - Regency Square Mall
9501 Arlington Expressway, Ste. 305
Jacksonville, Fla. 32225-8243


Thursday, November 1 1-3 p.m.
Westfield UTC, San Diego, CA
Meet WWE Legend “Mouth of the South” Jimmy Hart at the Time Warner “Home of the Future” Tour.

Saturday, November 3 2-4 p.m.
Chula Vista Center located at 555 Broadway, Vista, CA

Meet WWE Superstar Jeff Hardy starting at 2:00 p.m. on behalf of AT & T.


Sunday, November 4 11-1 p.m.
Carlsbad Village Fair, Carlsbad, CA
Meet WWE Superstar CM Punk at the Time Warner “Home of the Future” Tour.

Monday, November 5 6:30 - 8:30 p.m.
Borders Bookstore, Bakersfield, CA
Meet “The Animal” Batista as he signs his new autobiography!

Monday, November 5 6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
Borders #512, Bakersfield, CA

Batista at Borders Books and Music #512, 4980 Stockdale Highway, Bakersfield, CA 93309. Call 661-328-9800 for more information.


Saturday, November 10 2-4 p.m.
Wal-Mart, Santa Isabel, Puerto Rico

Meet WWE SuperStar Carlito starting at 2 p.m.


Wednesday, November 14 2 p.m.
Toys R Us located at 1514 Broadway, New York, NY
Meet Rey Mysterio at the Smackdown vs. RAW 2008 launch party!

Saturday, November 17 2-3 p.m.
Gulf Coast Dodge located at 15565 S Tamiami Trial, Ft. Myers, FL
Come meet The Hardys live in Ft. Myers starting at 2:00 p.m.!

Saturday, November 24 4-5 p.m.
Ford Dealership, Knoxville, TN
Come meet Deuce, Domino and Cherry starting at 4:00 p.m.!

Saturday, November 24 2 p.m.
World of Wheels located at the George R Brown Convention Center, Houston, TX
Meet WWE Diva Jillian starting at 2:00 p.m.

 

[strikezone89]

thanks for the updates lobo

 

[the_ultimate_evil]

**** that means no maria and no lillian at the house show here in belfast tomorrow

 

[Warhammer]

God forbid you have no Maria there.

 

[The Sage]

http://www.411mania.com/wrestling/columns/61520/Shining-a-Spotlight-10.18.07:-Hell-in-a-Cell.htm

Shining a Spotlight 10.18.07: Hell in a Cell
Posted by Michael Weyer on 10.18.2007

Marking ten years of one of the bloodiest and brutal matches ever devised, from high (King of the Ring '98) to lows (Wrestlemania XV). Yes, I know the Shimmy just did it but this is more detailed. Plus, reader mail.

I sometimes think we at 411 need to cordinate better. I had planned this subject for last week but put it off due to Pillman. So I wrote it all up on Sunday because I got called for jury duty this week and wanted it taken care of just in case. And then, only a couple of hours after I put it to bed, the Shimmy posts his own look. So be assured I had this planned out and will keep it up for two reasons. First, it's more detailed than the Shimmy, which really examines whether or not HITC merited being used. Second, because I did spend a while writing it and would be annoyed to thorw it all out.

So, here's my look at one of the most unique matches in wrestling as it hits its 10th anniversary. It's a match that's been notable ever since it was created as a way to really end feuds and be a major climax to programs, which is a key reason specialty matches exist. It's a bout known for its brutality, violence and wild spots and has a great name too: Hell in a Cell.

The creation of Hell in a Cell is open for debate. A major candidate might be Pat Patterson, the same guy who created the Royal Rumble and so many other great bouts. However, Shawn Michaels claims to have come up with it in his autobiography, saying he was inspired by the classic War Games battles. While you should take a lot of HBK's claims with a grain of salt, it's clear War Games was an influence with the idea of a roof on the cage to keep people in. It also seemed inspired by a style of cage bouts WCW had used with the cage surrounding the ringside area. WWF combined the two to create a terrific cage that looked intimidating as hell. As cool as it was, it took the right workers and the right first two matches to give HITC its reputation.

The first took place at Badd Blood, October 5th, 1997. Shawn Michaels had cost the Undertaker the WWF title at SummerSlam by hitting him with a chair accidentally while referring the bout between ‘Taker and Bret Hart. Interestingly, Bret had worried about Shawn stealing some of the heel heat and the fears were justified as fans went against Shawn. He and the Undertaker had a great battle at the previous month's "Ground Zero" with Undertaker flying over the top rope to splash Michaels and a host of heels outside after their wild brawl. So WWF decided that this was the perfect program to break in this new match. The storyline was that Undertaker conceived the Cell not only to keep out DX but also to cause Michaels the most pain. But even they didn't expect the wildness to follow.

The sight of the cage lowering around the two men was enough to cause goosebumps but the battle that followed made it even better. Taker dominated utterly although Michaels managed to get him tied up in the ropes and went for a charge. Undertaker managed to flip him over, out of the ring and right onto a cameraman. Michaels was so annoyed, he pounded on the poor cameraman for a few moments before going back to Undertaker. Sgt. Slaughter (then the WWF Commissioner) ordered the cage door unlocked so the cameraman could be brought out. During this, Michaels hit Taker with his signature Sweet Chin Music only to have Taker sit right back up which freaked Michaels out so much, he ran out of the open cage door. Undertaker gave chase, ramming HBK's face into the cage and Michaels did a terrific blade job, turning into a bloody mess within seconds. Michaels escaped by low-blowing Undertaker and climbing to the roof of the cage. Undertaker followed, pummeling Michaels and backdropping him onto the cage roof as fans watched in amazement. Michaels was eventually sent to the edge of the cage, clinging to the top as the Undertaker stomped on his fingers, sending Michaels flying 12 feet to smash through the Spanish announcer's table.

As the fans went wild (keep in mind, this was before smashing the table was a common occurrence), Undertaker grabbed Michaels and dragged him "back into Purgatory" as Jim Ross put it. He gave Michaels a clothesline, a chokselam from the top turnbuckle and a savage chair shot before getting ready for the Tombstone. Before he could, the arena lights went out and the organ music began to play for the first time. Flames burst out and a red spotlight showed Paul Bearer bringing out a massive masked figure that everyone realized was the long-built-up Kane. Kane went to the cage and ripped the door off its hinges to stare down the stunned Undertaker. After a stare-down, Kane attacked, hitting Taker with a Tombstone and then leaving. A bloody and battered Michaels managed to crawl over and cover Taker for the pin ending what many felt was the most violent non-ECW match of that year.

Now, not a lot of folks know this but the actual second HITC took place on RAW in June of 1998. It was set to be Undertaker and Steve Austin against Mankind and Kane but Austin went out alone to attack the two men outside the cage. Paul Bearer decided to lock himself in the cage for protection so naturally the Undertaker came out from under the ring to brutalize him. Kane tried to rescue him but was stopped as Austin hit Mankind with a chair several times and ended up brawling with Kane on top of the cage while the Undertaker continued to pummel Bearer. The wild battle was only a hint of the carnage to come.

I know that the 1998 "King of the Ring" battle has been written about before but I will go over it again, not just the match but the context. In his autobiography, Mick Foley gave it all a new dimension revealing that the Undertaker had a broken leg and they were worried this match couldn't live up to the first. So, in what he now acknowledges as one of the single worst ideas of his life, decided to listen to the advice of old friend Terry Funk and start the fight on top of the cage. So, Mankind came out to climb the cage and waited for the Undertaker to join him. They spent a few minutes punching and pushing and then came the moment that lives forever in wrestling fans' memories: Undertaker grabbed Foley and tossed him off the roof of the cage and through the Spanish announcer's table fifteen feet below. Even today, watching it on DVD, it's still one of the biggest "HOLY ****!" moments ever as the crowd goes wild with shock and Jim Ross howls "Good God, Almighty, they killed him! As God is my witness, he's been broken in half!" For once, that didn't seem to be announcer hyperbole.

The cage was raised with the Undertaker still on the roof as everyone seemed to break kayfabe to come out and help Foley onto a stretcher. Just as Ross was apologizing for the shortness of the match, Foley stood up and, unmindful of a broken shoulder, pushed aside the officials to climb up the cage as the fans went wild seeing him back on his feet. He and the Undertaker fought for a few more moments with a chair before Taker chokeslammed him on the cage roof. It was a bad chokeslam in that one of Foley's feet never left the surface of the roof. It was good in that if it had been done right Foley might be dead as both men had vastly overestimated the strength of the cage roof which gave way under Foley's three hundred pounds, sending him smashing down to the mat below, the chair landing right on his face. "That's it, he's dead," Jerry Lawler moaned as Ross said. "Enough is enough! Will someone stop the damn match!"

In his bio, Foley gives real credit to the Undertaker, saying that while everyone puts the success of the match on his own head, it was the Undertaker who helped it along giving Foley time to recover. As men once more ran into the ring, Undertaker climbed down the broken part of the roof, landing on his feet and hobbling a bit on his broken leg. Funk bought Foley time to recover by getting a chokeslam that knocked his shoes off. They showed replays of the fall and when it was over, Foley was somehow, someway back up.

Lawler: "How…how is he still standing?"
Ross; "I don't have a damn clue. There's shoes, there's chairs, there's a cage hanging down…"
Lawler: "And there's a human being in there who is unbelievably indestructible! I never thought I'd say that about anybody but this guy is indestructible!"

Undertaker went for his typical walk the ropes move but Foley pushed him off and the cameras caught him smiling wickedly as a loose tooth was sticking through a hole in his bloody mouth. They spent a few more minutes pounding on each other with metal stairs, rammed into the cage so both were bleeding and more as everyone just stared in shock that Foley was capable of moving, let alone fighting. Mankind went to bring out a bag of thumbtacks, pouring thousands of them onto the mat and attacked Undertaker. He went for the Mandible Claw but Taker managed to lift him on his back and fell backward so Foley landed right on the tacks, rolling so they pincushioned him all over. Undertaker followed it up by chokeslamming Mankind onto the tacks as Lawler gasped "People are cheering this, JR!" Finally, the Undertaker hit a Tombstone and Lawler summed up the feelings of everyone watching by saying "Mercifully…this is over!"

The butcher's bill for Foley was incredible: a dislocated jaw, dislocated shoulder, two broken limbs, one missing tooth, a concussion and 14 stitches for his lip. It took him two months to get back to full working health although he's still not totally the same. However, all that pain did pay off. After 15 years of working, Foley had finally won the wide respect of wrestling fans everywhere for his amazing achievement, leading to the push that would make him WWF champion by year's end and a hardcore icon. The match was voted "Match of the Year" by many fans and magazines although some complain about that. The most notable critic is Scott Keith, who gave it one star, saying there was no buildup to the bumps and no real action in between. That does seem to be overly harsh and even dismissive of the agony Foley and Undertaker went through to entertain the fans. Sure, there were better worked matches in 1998 but if you ask fans what the most memorable of that year was, HITC would probably top it.

After such brutality, Vince McMahon seriously considered never having a HITC match again. What is largely forgotten is that Mankind would have an HITC match with Kane just two months later on RAW, notable for how Foley repeated the cage dive but only the lower half of his body hit the table, the rest on the concrete. Foley would actually claim this hurt far more than either fall in the first match. He would recover to pull out a bag of thumbtacks and piledrive Kane onto them. Kane would bounce back to brutalize Mankind with three chair shots, a chokeslame and two Tombstones, one on the chair. Just as Kane was about to win, Austin came to attack him, ending the match in a no contest.

The next HITC is generally considered the worst of them all. It took place at Wrestlemania XV as the Big Bossman took on the Undertaker and lasted under 10 minutes, the shortest HITC match ever. Frankly, it's worth noting only for the ending where, after being pinned by Undertaker, the Bossman was attacked by Edge and Christian, who tied him up with a noose and so as the cage was lifted, the Bossman was "hanged," a move WWF took a lot of flack for.

 

[The Sage]

Continue...

Thankfully, the next one would help redeem the reputation of the match, taking place at No Way Out 2000. A month earlier, Cactus Jack had lost a wild street fight to HHH for the WWF title, the match that pretty much put Hunter over as a true main-eventer for fans. Naturally, Foley wanted a rematch, Hunter saying he'd give one but only if Foley promised to retire if he lost. Cactus agreed then named HITC as the match. Needless to say, fans expected a bloody battle and they got that in spades as HHH showed his love of violence by throwing steel steps at Cactus who retaliated by leaping off the top rope to the outside to smash HHH with a chair and grind his face into the cage. HHH tried to give Cactus a Pedigree on the stairs but was sent flying face first into the cell wall. Cactus threw the steps himself but HHH ducked, breaking a hole in the cage which Cactus widened enough for both to get through and brawl outside. Piledriving HHH on an announcer's table, Foley followed it up by attacking with a 2X4 wrapped in barbed wire.

The two tried to climb up by HHH stomped on Foley's hand sending him smashing through the Spanish announcer's table. Foley would recover to climb up and they fought it out more. Cactus grabbed the 2X4 as Jim Ross said he probably had worse in store. Just as Lawler asked "What can be worse than a 2X4 wrapped in barbed wire?" Cactus answered him by lighting the weapon on fire and hitting Hunter across the back. He tried to piledrive HHH onto it but HHH backdropped Foley through the cage roof. This time, it was planned, the roof giving way and Foley smashing through the mat in a sizeable hole. HHH entered and was horrified to see Foley start to rise up. It was short-lived as a single Pedigree ended Foley's comeback and allowed HHH to retain while Foley went into (semi) retirement.

Fittingly, 2000 ended with a HITC match as well. It was for December's "Armageddon" and was set up as a six-man match for the title with Kurt Angle defending against Austin, HHH, the Rock, the Undertaker and Rikishi. The build-up was fun as Vince had tried to sway all the men from taking part in the match but got the hell beaten out of him in response. As you can expect, the match was a wild mishmash of various pairings and brawling with a nice series of each man hitting a finisher on an opponent only to have the pin broken up, the guy doing it hitting his own finisher only to have the spot repeated onward. After ten minutes of brawling, Vince came out with a pickup truck to try and remove the cage but was ejected by Commissioner Foley. The men exited the open cage to brawl around the ringside area, including on the cars used as props nearby with the Rock getting a pedigree on one truck by HHH who got hit by a boom mike by Austin and slingshot into a windshield. All the guys ended up brawling on the cage and Rikishi took the big bump, getting chokeslammed by the Taker off the roof and onto the back of the pickup truck (which, luckily, was filled with hay). The Undertaker would seemingly pass out from blood loss and stay on the roof for the rest of the match. The other four kept brawling it out, with another series of finishers on each other, the Rock taking a Stunner and while Austin and HHH fought, Angle crawled over to cover the Rock and retain the title, ending yet another wild Cell battle.

A long break was held before the next Cell match, which took place at Judgment Day in May of 2002. HHH had won the WWE title from Chris Jericho at Wrestlemania but had lost it to Hulk Hogan at Backlash due to interference from Jericho. So, a HITC match was held to settle their differences. It was, of course, a great match with as much technical battling as brawling with Jericho bulldogging HHH on a ladder. A notable bit was when official Tim White knocked into the cage and pummeled by Jericho which legitimately injured his shoulder and pretty much ended his officiating career. Once again, the Spanish Announcer's table was a target as Jericho was DDTed on it. HHH then pulled a page from Foley to bring out a 2X4 in barbed wire and chased Jericho up the cage. They fought with the weapon back and forth before HHH finally hit Jericho with the Pedigree and, in a move that's frankly surprising took so long, pinned him on top of the cage, the first time that's ever happened. It's also notable for being the last time a HITC match had the combatants on the roof.

As if to make up for the long absence, HITC returned only a few months later as Brock Lesner was riding high as WWE champion, feuding with the Undertaker who Lesner brutalized, supposedly breaking his arm. The Undertaker assured he'd be back for the title match at No Mercy and Smackdown GM Stephanie McMahon announced it would be a Cell match. Lesner's manager, Paul Heyman, begged that the Undertaker not be allowed to use the cast as a weapon but Steph refused and the battle was on. It was incredibly brutal with Undertaker doing one of the absolute bloodiest blade jobs I've ever seen, his cut refusing to heal so he was gushing like a pig. Heyman would interfere, at one point wrapping his belt around Taker's cast so Brock could nail it with a chair until the belt broke. Brock would peel off the cast and attack the Undertaker who would fire back with great power blows to rock the champion. At one point, after a chokeslam and Last Ride, Undertaker actually leaned over a fallen Brock to let the blood from his head pour into Brock's open mouth in a sick shot. He would go for the Tombstone, but Brock managed to wiggle out and hit Taker with the F5 to pin him. This was a great battle that really helped put Lesner over with the fans and even Taker passing the torch a bit to this new star.

The next HITC battle was another poor one, taking place at Bad Blood in June, 2003. It was HHH defending the World title against Kevin Nash and naturally, there were worries over how the infamously stiff Nash could work a Cell match. They tried to add to it a bit by making Mick Foley the special ref with the idea that no regular ref wanted to handle the match. It turned out to be one of the better Nash matches due to HHH really carrying him well with the wild brawling such as using a hammer and HHH being sling-shot into a barbed-wire 2X4 hung in a corner (honestly, do those things just come with the cage?). Nash also did a nice blade job after being attacked by a screwdriver. In the end, HHH managed to pin Nash with a hammer shot and a Pedigree, not a real surprise to anyone.

An entire year passed before HITC returned at Badd Blood 2004, which was the latest in the long line of matches between HHH and Michaels. It's notable for being the longest HITC match ever, lasting 47 minutes as both men did their best to brutalize the other. Ladders, tables, high flying, stairs, hammers, everything was used as they smashed each other around and both were a bloody mess. Actually, it might have been too long, both men doing too much of the "too exhausted to move" stuff to drag things out rather than non-stop action of past Cell matches. Don't get me wrong, both guys are great workers but by the half hour mark, it just seemed they were killing time for no real reason. In the end, Michaels went for the SCM but missed and after three Pedigrees, Hunter finally pinned him, a satisfying end to their long program.

Another break would take place before HITC returned at Vengeance '05 as Batista defended his newly won World title against HHH. Most everyone expected HHH to regain the belt here as he was undefeated in HITC matches. Hell, in his recent autobiography, even Batista said that was expected but instead, after so long on top, Hunter seemed ready to give the rub at last. They started with wild brawling before HHH introduced a chain to smack Batista and hang it from the top rope with it. HHH found a chair wrapped in barbed wire (so they were changing it up a bit) to attack Batista with. HHH tried to Pedigree him onto it but Batista managed to powerbomb him on it instead. HHH would bring out his trusty sledgehammer to hit Batista with, the champ trying to do it himself only to get punched with the chain. Hunter leapt off the ropes to punch with the chained fist but Batista held up the hammer to catch him in the mouth. The steel steps were brought in which HHH tried to Pedigree Batista on but the champ hit him with spinebuster, then the Batista Bomb on the steps to retain. The match was a great battle that cemented Batista as a main-event star with the fans and showed HHH was willing to put someone over.

The year would end with another HITC at Armageddon as Randy Orton and the Undertaker settled their long feud. It was a half hour of wild action with Undetaker showing some old brutality by ramming Orton face first into the cage to bloody him up. Orton would respond by busting Taker up with the steps Bob Orton Jr. interfering to break into the cage while personnel were attending to a fallen ref only to get nailed by his own son. Orton would borrow a page from HBK by splashing Undertaker through a table in a great spot. Taker would go for the Last Ride only for Orton to reverse it an RKO but the ref was laid out so Orton used the urn to stun Taker. Undertaker went for the Tombstone again but Orton reversed it into his own which Taker sat up from. Taker would try for a chokelsam only to pummel the elder Orton, ending up hitting both men with Tombstones and pinning both to end the feud.

The last HITC match was at Unforgiven 2006, debuting a new design to the cage with a wider edge and higher roof to allow more top rope maneuvers to take place. It was part of the long DX-McMahon feud as Vince, Shane and Big Show battled HHH and HBK. It was the first HITC handicap match and once again, Shane showed his daredevil side as he took an elbow drop from Michaels with a chair wrapped around his head. Vince also showed how far he was willing to go to entertain the fans by getting cut with a screwdriver and a hammer shot from HHH. Big Show seemed slow selling a groin shot but still had some good power moves throwing HHH and HBK around. Shane broke out the old Van Terminator to bloody HHH up while Vince dropped his pants for the Kiss His Ass club only to be splashed accidentally by Show. DX then grabbed Show to groin him around the ring post as all five were absolute bloody messes from face and even arms. In the end, Vince took a savage shot to be pinned and ended a match much more wild than fans expected.

So for ten years, Hell in the Cell has provided some of the most brutal and bloody matches one can imagine with one in particular an absolute classic. It's helped end feuds and elevated stars to a new level and with its new design work, seems ready to keep on giving us some Hell for quite a while yet to come.

 

[BloodyWolverine]

Is there any Stone Cold news out there about any movie projects or WWE apperances on shows or pay-per view.

 

[BlackLantern]

Is there any Stone Cold news out there about any movie projects or WWE apperances on shows or pay-per view.

No but 1999 called and they said to move on......j/k...he might be at Cyber Sunday as a special guest referee..that's the most recent news I had heard

 

[BloodyWolverine]

1999 WAS A better WWE time then the crap on Raw and Smackdown now Batista and Cena weren't close being a legend like a Rock, HHH or Autisn of these times.

 

[Hunter Rider]

99 was one of the worst years EVER, for actual in ring product, It was the peak of that crash TV garbage that Russo pioneered.

 

[BlackLantern]

99 was one of the worst years EVER, for actual in ring product, It was the peak of that crash TV garbage that Russo pioneered.

I'd agree there.....I think RAW back then had maybe 4 matches in a 2 plus hour span, the rest was backstage stuff and promos.....

 

[BlackLantern]

1999 WAS A better WWE time then the crap on Raw and Smackdown now Batista and Cena weren't close being a legend like a Rock, HHH or Autisn of these times.

Notice how without Cena around.....the No Mercy buyrate was less than spectacular and the RAW rating has been dipping noticeably...

 

[BlackLantern]

Wrestling goes in waves......once Hogan left WWE there was a rough couple years there....."Legends" don't come along every couple years, it takes awhile....

 

[NDX]

Source: PWTorch.com

Vince McMahon has a history of singling people out backstage and embarressing them in front of other wrestlers. Last Monday when Shawn Michaels was the target of Vince's juvenile behavior, it blew up in Vince's face and left even Stephanie McMahon speechless.

Despite the fact that Shawn Michaels returned to WWE a month ahead of schedule, he still has heat with Vince. Shawn made it clear before he returned that he wants more control over his schedule. He won't be doing any overseas tours and will work a somewhat reduced schedule so he can spend more time with his family.

When Shawn showed up to RAW last Monday for the first time since his injury, Vince started "chewing him out" in front of the lockerroom. He made fun of Shawn's attitude and his clothing, among other things. To the surprise of everybody, HBK fired back at Vince and put him in his place. Shawn made it very clear to Vince in front of everybody that he won't be disrespected by anybody or treated like a rookie.

The wrestlers were shocked that somebody finally stood up to one of Vince's tirades. According to our source, nobody was more shocked than Stephanie McMahon. Witnesses were reportedly amused that Shawn humbled Vince in front of everybody. The McMahons are not necessarily disliked by the roster but this definitely brought Vince down off his high horse.

Shawn and Vince have had a volatile relationship for well over a decade. There is no indication that this incident will have any ramifications on Shawn's WWE status.

 

[Frico]

YES!
:heart:

 

[Frico]

Source: PWTorch.com

Vince McMahon has a history of singling people out backstage and embarressing them in front of other wrestlers. Last Monday when Shawn Michaels was the target of Vince's juvenile behavior, it blew up in Vince's face and left even Stephanie McMahon speechless.

Despite the fact that Shawn Michaels returned to WWE a month ahead of schedule, he still has heat with Vince. Shawn made it clear before he returned that he wants more control over his schedule. He won't be doing any overseas tours and will work a somewhat reduced schedule so he can spend more time with his family.

When Shawn showed up to RAW last Monday for the first time since his injury, Vince started "chewing him out" in front of the lockerroom. He made fun of Shawn's attitude and his clothing, among other things. To the surprise of everybody, HBK fired back at Vince and put him in his place. Shawn made it very clear to Vince in front of everybody that he won't be disrespected by anybody or treated like a rookie.

The wrestlers were shocked that somebody finally stood up to one of Vince's tirades. According to our source, nobody was more shocked than Stephanie McMahon. Witnesses were reportedly amused that Shawn humbled Vince in front of everybody. The McMahons are not necessarily disliked by the roster but this definitely brought Vince down off his high horse.

Shawn and Vince have had a volatile relationship for well over a decade. There is no indication that this incident will have any ramifications on Shawn's WWE status.

Wow, props to Shawn

 

[BloodyWolverine]

I think Austin does it as well and i am Sure Hulk HOgan and The Undertaker are Wrestlers who don't take Vinces tirades.
Look at The Rock he has a big career and alot of Wrestlers see there is life other then beating your body up.

 

[BlackLantern]

I think Vince also does it to see who will push back and stand up to him.....

 

[bullets]

vince has had numerous falling outs with stone cold , hulk hogan , and bret hart but i never heard anything about hbk or the undertaker , im sure hes just on his high horse and needs to be reminded that he cant take all the credit for what happens in the wwe

 

[nite-owl]

I think when people say they want wrestling to be like 1999 again it's not actually about the wrestling matches but about wrestling being cool to like again.

 

[Hunter Rider]

Source: PWTorch.com

Vince McMahon has a history of singling people out backstage and embarressing them in front of other wrestlers. Last Monday when Shawn Michaels was the target of Vince's juvenile behavior, it blew up in Vince's face and left even Stephanie McMahon speechless.

Despite the fact that Shawn Michaels returned to WWE a month ahead of schedule, he still has heat with Vince. Shawn made it clear before he returned that he wants more control over his schedule. He won't be doing any overseas tours and will work a somewhat reduced schedule so he can spend more time with his family.

When Shawn showed up to RAW last Monday for the first time since his injury, Vince started "chewing him out" in front of the lockerroom. He made fun of Shawn's attitude and his clothing, among other things. To the surprise of everybody, HBK fired back at Vince and put him in his place. Shawn made it very clear to Vince in front of everybody that he won't be disrespected by anybody or treated like a rookie.

The wrestlers were shocked that somebody finally stood up to one of Vince's tirades. According to our source, nobody was more shocked than Stephanie McMahon. Witnesses were reportedly amused that Shawn humbled Vince in front of everybody. The McMahons are not necessarily disliked by the roster but this definitely brought Vince down off his high horse.

Shawn and Vince have had a volatile relationship for well over a decade. There is no indication that this incident will have any ramifications on Shawn's WWE status.

What was Vince thinking ?

I think Austin does it as well and i am Sure Hulk HOgan and The Undertaker are Wrestlers who don't take Vinces tirades.
Look at The Rock he has a big career and alot of Wrestlers see there is life other then beating your body up.

I doubt anyone other than the suicidal talks **** to Taker, the other 3 have all had business run ins with Vince but ive never heard of anything as weird as the above.

I think when people say they want wrestling to be like 1999 again it's not actually about the wrestling matches but about wrestling being cool to like again.

Exactly!

 

[bullets]

I think when people say they want wrestling to be like 1999 again it's not actually about the wrestling matches but about wrestling being cool to like again.

yeah there is no way they are refering to the actual wrestling aspect , i though it was a relatively weak year, i thought 2000 was more entertaining

 

[Hunter Rider]

This year's Survivor Series takes place on Sunday, November 18th from Miami, Florida. It will be the 10-year anniversary of the infamous "Montreal Screwjob".

WWE has started running television and radio commercials to promote the PPV. In those ads, the main event for Survivor Series has been announced.

WWE Champion Randy Orton will team with Umaga against The Heartbreak Kid Shawn Michaels and Triple H. At this time, there are no plans to formally reunite DX.

 

[bullets]

that kind of sucks they should just do a traditional survivor match if thats going to be the case

they should have one from each brand

 

[Hunter Rider]

So for ten years, Hell in the Cell has provided some of the most brutal and bloody matches one can imagine with one in particular an absolute classic. It's helped end feuds and elevated stars to a new level and with its new design work, seems ready to keep on giving us some Hell for quite a while yet to come.

HBk/Taker ?

that kind of sucks they should just do a traditional survivor match if thats going to be the case

they should have one from each brand

I think they will but last year it didn't really work having top guys like HBK, Cena, Orton, Edge, Umaga and HHH in meaningless elimination matches.