Now then, this is a VERY morbid line of thought, and I'm not encouraging a discussion of death on these forums. I also understand that Owen Hart passed away ten months after the incident I'm about to refer to, and thus this may come across as insensitive. I'm going to apologize in advance for the morbid tone of this discussion, but it's something that actually came into my head earlier today. Again, all I'm trying to do is inspire discussion.
On June 28th, 1998, The Undertaker and Mankind fought in what most dub the most famous, and what some would dub the best, Hell in a Cell match. I for one disagree on the idea that it was the absolute "best" Hell in a Cell, as I feel that Shawn and Taker's, Y2J and Triple H's, and Mick and Triple H's, were better than this one. However, there's two moments in this match that, for better or worse, will live in the hearts of wrestling fans forever.
That would be these two horrifying, and in my eyes sickening, bumps:
[youtube]1Uy2tuw6dU8[/youtube]
[youtube]U09oXyiAkOc&feature=related[/youtube]
Now, one of these bumps, the throw off the cage, was planned, but it was never planned for Mick to go through the cage in the manner he did. Again, though, that's neither here nor there. Both of these bumps were extremely dangerous, and could have led to reprecussions that could have impacted the sport of pro wrestling as we see it now. So what if we were to see exactly what those reprecussions are?
Simply enough, what if Mick Foley were to have suffered crippling injuries, or even worse, have passed away, from the bumps he took in that fateful Hell in a Cell match?
Now then, it seems the obvious can be said that we would never see another Hell in a Cell match ever again in the history of World Wrestling Federation/ Entertainment. As God as his witness, Vince would do everything in his power to pull any of these type of matches away from his programming. The Elimination Chamber, and to a lesser extent, the ladder and TLC matches would have been dramatically impacted.
And for that matter, besides the obvious sorrow in the passing of Mick Foley, a man widely recognized as the nicest guy in wrestling, Mick was also very much responsible for placing wrestling in the media's eye. Remember the New York Times' Bestsellers? He was very much involved with the media during the time of Attitude's launch. Before Chris Jericho, Mick Foley was usually the one asked to speak for the WWE on all aspects of the media (excluding the Rock, of course). Mick had a lot to do with getting the WWE's name out there, and was one of the more media friendly wrestlers of his time. Losing Mick Foley would have been a loss that I'm not sure the WWE would grow nearly as strong as it could. Not to mention the simple fact that Foley's passing would be something all in the wrestling world would mourn. He was the proof that nice guys could perform well in the WWE, and for that matter within the wrestling business.
Some will say that the WWE has faced a similar situation in the passing of Owen Hart. And for all intents purposes, I'd agree to some extent. I will also say that had Mick passed on that night, June 28th, 1998, Owen would still be alive. There's no way Vince would have risked a similar situation happening for something as ridiculous as the Blue Blazer gimmick. Especially after ten months had passed after the matter that one of his biggest stars passed away. However, there is quite a bit of a difference in one manner. You see, while much of Owen's death can be placed upon Vince's hand, the fact of the matter is that the death of Owen Hart was accidental. There was no way that Vince could have controlled how the cording was going to go, as had attempted it beforehand, allegedly. It was a pretty accidental event, and no one could have forseen the events that occured.
However, at least on the first bump, Vince had complete control to nix the bump. Vince knew how dangerous the bump was, and could have simply told Mick and Taker that he was not going to allow it. Had Mick passed away, all of the blame could have been placed on Vince. I'm sure some type of criminal charges would be filed, perhaps even on Mark Calloway as an accomplice to homicide.
But any way, that's merely a few thought. Tell me how you feel in regards to how Vince, Taker, the WWE, and the world of pro wrestling would have been affected.
On June 28th, 1998, The Undertaker and Mankind fought in what most dub the most famous, and what some would dub the best, Hell in a Cell match. I for one disagree on the idea that it was the absolute "best" Hell in a Cell, as I feel that Shawn and Taker's, Y2J and Triple H's, and Mick and Triple H's, were better than this one. However, there's two moments in this match that, for better or worse, will live in the hearts of wrestling fans forever.
That would be these two horrifying, and in my eyes sickening, bumps:
[youtube]1Uy2tuw6dU8[/youtube]
[youtube]U09oXyiAkOc&feature=related[/youtube]
Now, one of these bumps, the throw off the cage, was planned, but it was never planned for Mick to go through the cage in the manner he did. Again, though, that's neither here nor there. Both of these bumps were extremely dangerous, and could have led to reprecussions that could have impacted the sport of pro wrestling as we see it now. So what if we were to see exactly what those reprecussions are?
Simply enough, what if Mick Foley were to have suffered crippling injuries, or even worse, have passed away, from the bumps he took in that fateful Hell in a Cell match?
Now then, it seems the obvious can be said that we would never see another Hell in a Cell match ever again in the history of World Wrestling Federation/ Entertainment. As God as his witness, Vince would do everything in his power to pull any of these type of matches away from his programming. The Elimination Chamber, and to a lesser extent, the ladder and TLC matches would have been dramatically impacted.
And for that matter, besides the obvious sorrow in the passing of Mick Foley, a man widely recognized as the nicest guy in wrestling, Mick was also very much responsible for placing wrestling in the media's eye. Remember the New York Times' Bestsellers? He was very much involved with the media during the time of Attitude's launch. Before Chris Jericho, Mick Foley was usually the one asked to speak for the WWE on all aspects of the media (excluding the Rock, of course). Mick had a lot to do with getting the WWE's name out there, and was one of the more media friendly wrestlers of his time. Losing Mick Foley would have been a loss that I'm not sure the WWE would grow nearly as strong as it could. Not to mention the simple fact that Foley's passing would be something all in the wrestling world would mourn. He was the proof that nice guys could perform well in the WWE, and for that matter within the wrestling business.
Some will say that the WWE has faced a similar situation in the passing of Owen Hart. And for all intents purposes, I'd agree to some extent. I will also say that had Mick passed on that night, June 28th, 1998, Owen would still be alive. There's no way Vince would have risked a similar situation happening for something as ridiculous as the Blue Blazer gimmick. Especially after ten months had passed after the matter that one of his biggest stars passed away. However, there is quite a bit of a difference in one manner. You see, while much of Owen's death can be placed upon Vince's hand, the fact of the matter is that the death of Owen Hart was accidental. There was no way that Vince could have controlled how the cording was going to go, as had attempted it beforehand, allegedly. It was a pretty accidental event, and no one could have forseen the events that occured.
However, at least on the first bump, Vince had complete control to nix the bump. Vince knew how dangerous the bump was, and could have simply told Mick and Taker that he was not going to allow it. Had Mick passed away, all of the blame could have been placed on Vince. I'm sure some type of criminal charges would be filed, perhaps even on Mark Calloway as an accomplice to homicide.
But any way, that's merely a few thought. Tell me how you feel in regards to how Vince, Taker, the WWE, and the world of pro wrestling would have been affected.
