Why Mick Foley Jumped Off The Hell In A Cell In WWE, Explained
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Highlights
- Mick Foley's iconic Hell in a Cell match with The Undertaker showcased his willingness to take extreme risks and push the limits of professional wrestling.
- Foley's arrival in WWE in 1996 allowed him to showcase his unique hardcore style of wrestling and establish himself as a prominent superstar.
- Foley's decision to fall off the Hell in a Cell structure was his own idea and added excitement to the match, ultimately elevating his status and popularity with fans.
There's no other wrestler quite like Mick Foley. Fans who grew up watching professional wrestling in the 1990s know firsthand that Mick Foley is one of a kind, especially during the height of his career when he was in WWE during the Attitude Era. One of the most memorable moments of the Attitude Era and Mick Foley's career was the infamous Hell in a Cell match with The Undertaker, where Mick Foley fell from the top of the cell twice, once through the announce table and once onto the middle of the ring. Pulling a ridiculous stunt that fans have never seen in a Hell in a Cell match up to that point, some might be wondering what drove Foley into taking such a stunt like falling off the cell and risking his life.
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Mick Foley Makes An Instant Impact Upon Arriving In WWE
Mick Foley is arguably the most known hardcore specialist in professional wrestling history. Someone who'd been wrestling in hardcore-style matches for many years before joining WWE, when Foley signed with WWE in 1996, it was an opportunity for him to showcase what he could bring to the table in the biggest professional wrestling company in the world.
Not long after debuting on the Monday Night Raw episode after WrestleMania 12 as the psychotic "Mankind" character, Mick Foley instantly established himself as a prominent WWE superstar when he began a high-profile feud with The Undertaker in 1996. Mick Foley and The Undertaker engaged in a series of classic matches before the official start of the Attitude Era in November 1997, the same generation that put Foley on the map. Matches with The Undertaker included an action-pack Boiler Room match at SummerSlam 1996 and the first-ever Buried Alive match at In Your House 11, as Mick Foley was one of the few WWE superstars in history to push The Undertaker to his limits.
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The Infamous Hell in a Cell Match Between Mick Foley And The Undertaker
Fast-forward to 1998 during the early stages of the Attitude Era, after Mick Foley failed to win the WWE Championship from "Stone Cold" Steve Austin after turning heel. As Mankind, Foley rekindled his rivalry with The Undertaker as the two got set for a PPV rematch at King of the Ring. To make things different from their other past encounters, Foley and The Undertaker were set to wrestle in the second-ever Hell in a Cell match.
In one of the most infamous matches in WWE history, the Hell in a Cell match between Mick Foley and The Undertaker was chaotic from the start, as the two started brawling from the top of the cell before the bell officially rang. Teasing that someone was going to get thrown off the cell during the brawl, The Undertaker tossed Foley off the 16-foot-high cell, sending him crashing down through the announce table.
The moment had everyone in the arena losing their minds, as Jim Ross had one of his most famous calls when he uttered "Good god all-mighty, they've killed him!" To make things even more chaotic, Mick Foley continued to Hell in a Cell match as he went right back up the cell, only to get thrown off the cell again when The Undertaker chokeslammed him down to the ring.
Why Mick Foley Fell Off The Hell In A Cell Structure
For those wondering why Mick Foley falling off the cell occurred in the first place, it was his idea to add spice to the match. Foley discussed the preparations for the Hell in a Cell match with The Undertaker on his Foley Is Pod podcast, where he also revealed a different variation of getting chokeslammed off the cell was the original plan of the match.
RELATED: Mick Foley’s Ear & 9 More Visually Shocking Wrestling InjuriesMick Foley further elaborated on the events when he asked The Undertaker and Vince if he could fall off the cell from a different angle. And even though Foley stated that Vince McMahon was hesitant about him doing it, he ended up taking two high spots off the cell during his Hell in a Cell match with The Undertaker, including an unplanned spot of getting chokeslammed on the cell that sent him crashing down to the ring.
Foley explained that he knew ahead of time he could pull off a stunt like falling off a cell. Despite him going on to lose the Hell in a Cell match with The Undertaker, falling off the cell twice sent Mick Foley to another level, and it helped him get more over with the Attitude Era fans.
