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Pro Wrestling

Rollins vs. Ambrose: An Instant Classic?

By @nickmarsico

WWE Universe Facebook

WWE Universe Facebook

There have been 29 matches contested inside the structure known as Hell in a Cell. While the concept has become watered down over the last few years — thanks mostly to the inception of the WWE Hell in a Cell pay-per-view, which has given us an average of two HIAC matches a year (plus one at WrestleMania XXIII) — cranking out 13 Hell in a Cell matches in six years. That is just ludicrous, with 16 matches in the 11-year span from 1997 thru 2008 accounting for the rest.

Yes, there are some matches WWE wishes to wipe out of the history books. For example, the forgettable WrestleMania XV matchup between The Undertaker and Big Bossman, which was on the priority list for erasing from the Universe’s memories, is right between Chris Benoit and CM Punk. I’d like to forget about Hell in a Cell 2010 in which Kane defended the World Heavyweight Championship successfully against The Undertaker. Not only was the match horrifyingly bad, but it boasts one of the worst finishes of any match in the history of professional wrestling, HIAC or otherwise.

Today, however, I want to discuss the first-ever Hell in a Cell match and the most recent one. Badd Blood 1997 — the first HIAC to ever take place — saw Shawn Michaels take on The Undertaker in a match to determine the No. 1 contender for the WWF Title. They were locked inside this debuting roofed cage for a number of reasons — let’s look at the reasons that this, as well as the match pitting Seth Rollins against Dean Ambrose, came about.

Michaels was a generally unlikeable, small yet tough and plucky heel. He had a stable to watch out for him and help him out of jams he created for himself because of his over-the-top ego and not enough time spent thinking about his words and actions. He laid out Undertaker with a brutal shot to the head with a chair and caused him to lose the title to Bret Hart at SummerSlam and did everything he could to duck the Deadman, which ended with him cornered in the Cell.

Seth Rollins has become a generally unlikeable, small yet tough and plucky heel. He had a new stable to watch out for him and help him out of jams he created for himself due to having an over-the-top ego and not enough time spent thinking about his words and actions. He laid out his Shield brothers with chairshots and broke up the team that had been dominant for nearly two years.

Does that look familiar?

Rollins went on to duck Ambrose and tried to avoid him at all costs. This eventually ended up getting him cornered inside Hell in a Cell. Except, that’s not how it started. Not surprisingly, King, JBL and Cole conveniently forgot about the most famous Hell in a Cell match by explicitly stating they had never seen another HIAC match start on top. I think it would have helped the mystique of this match by having them namedrop Undertaker vs. Mankind, but that’s just me.

The first Hell in a Cell was declared an instant classic by anybody with a set of eyes, and the most recent Hell in a Cell has many similarities on top of the circumstances that led up to them. Shawn Michaels tried to run away from The Undertaker and ended up falling through the commentary table. Seth Rollins tried to run away from Dean Ambrose and ended up falling through the commentary table, but in this match, the protagonist took the big fall as well. Both Undertaker and Dean Ambrose took out all of their aggression on their hated opponent and the intensity and tension was off the charts.

The original Hell in a Cell match from Oct. 5, 1997 was the match of the year and one of the best matches of all-time. The most recent Hell in a Cell match from Oct. 26, 2014 may not be the match of the year, but it was a fantastic match and certainly topped the night’s prior contest within the structure. Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins created the kind of mood and aura that we haven’t seen from a Hell in a Cell match in a very long time. It felt special. It was special.

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