WWE popularized one weird cage match rule that I never cared for but definitely added excitement depending on the bout: escaping the cage.
Escaping the Steel Cage Goes Against the Purpose of Having a Steel Cage Match
The steel cage used to be the ultimate feud ender in wrestling. It meant that this feud has gone on too long, it’s become too violent, and these guys need to hash it out a dangerous match that protects the fans and staff from their carnage.
So some deranged individual drew up a structure to enclose these foes while allowing fans to watch the rage and we ended up with the steel cage.
It’s like notorious Chicago serial killer H.H Holmes was moonlighting while drawing up the plans for the Murder Castle in the 1880s.
However, there was something else about the cage that was important. It was meant to keep the mayhem inside. That meant pinfall or submission, not climbing out of it.
After all, we as humans don’t want to be in a small, enclosed space while others watch and cheer. It’s partially why many of us don’t commit crimes that result in jail time.
If the goal was to escape the cage why bother getting into the cage anyway? You’re already outside, you’re winning at life. If you have to enter a cage to settle your wrestling dispute, all parties involved really f**ked up on the road to the match.
The One Challenging Someone to a Cage Match is Deranged
As I said before: no one wants to be in a cage. Well, that’s a kink for some but most of us avoid them like the plague. Then you have the one person who is down bad and really wants a fight with their foe.
It might be a face who wants a situation where the heel can’t escape. Maybe it’s a heel who just really wants to spank the face brutally. It doesn’t matter; the person who issues the challenge is deranged.
That wrestler sat up, fumed for a bit, and decided “F**k that guy, I want him in a cage match!”
Then you have the authorities figures who either have no recourse but to run the cage match to deal with this situation or the ones who are just abusing power and really want to see the face suffer.
All of these add an interesting element to a story. It’s not just “We have a scheduled cage match tonight!” There’s a reason for the cage match and the viewing audience has been witness to this.
That’s why we’re stoked when any kind of dangerous match is announced. We’re watching and we know some feuds are going to need something big for the blow-off.
Pitting two opponents in a cage match where it’s pinfall or submission only has always worked. Escaping the cage leaves things open for a feud to continue and makes the cage a stopover instead of a solution to the problem.
Let’s Add Eliminations!
Let’s not get into Elimination Chamber. While I love cage matches and elimination matches, the two of them together just seem odd. Mind you, I love Elimination Chamber matches and the main reason to be in one is for the title opportunity. That’s it!
Without a shot at the belt, the Chamber could be skipped. There’s nothing to gain in being in the Chamber against someone you’re beefing with at the moment. You could just…continue ambushing them and get a satisfactory result.
Also, there’s the element of leaving the Chamber once eliminated. You just got in the cage, you cleared your schedule for the Elimination Chamber and now you’re gone? Then you have to exit an even more dangerous structure meant to keep in? Audacious!
What do you think? Do you like the idea of escaping the cage or do you prefer a fall in the ring during a cage match? Why not both? Let us know down below!
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