Armageddon Hell in a Cell: How Would it Work Today?

[aboynameddirt]

Almost exactly 11 years ago, the WWE's (then WWF's) Armageddon PPV featured the first and only 6-man Hell in a Cell match. The match was for the WWF Championship. It was between Kurt Angle, The Rock, Steve Austin, The Undertaker, Triple H, and Rikishi.

There have been umpteen Hell in a Cell matches since, but not one with 6 men. The entire landscape of the WWE has changed in the last 11 years. The match worked well then, but how would it work today?

I have a few questions for everyone...

Would you like to see another Armageddon Hell in a Cell match?

If so, who would you include in the match and how would you book it?

Do you think we will ever see this match again?

Lastly, how do you think this would go over with today's fans?

Let me know your thoughts.

 

[MetalBuffalo911]

Would you like to see another Armageddon Hell in a Cell match?
If done properly, absolutely. But the thing is most Title matches nowadays are strictly about the title, and not about a grudge between the two competitors. For a match of this magnitude, there has to be something more at stake or something personal between them all.


If so, who would you include in the match and how would you book it?
The match 11 years ago had the biggest names in the company for the most part so I would do the same. John Cena, Randy Orton, CM Punk, The Miz, Big Show and Sheamus sound really good at the moment. But I'm not sure how to make all this personal enough to warrant HIAC so I guess it would have to be about the title, but each men have to have a legitimate reason why thye deserve to be in it. Maybe one of them is King of the Ring, another wins a #1 contender Battle Royal, One needs a rematch for the title they lost, one is champion. a MITB winner, and maybe a corporate poster boy put into the match by the GM who is hoping for them to win. Have all of this build over a month or month in a half. To be specific have John Cena as Champion, Big Show as the Bayyle Royal Winner, Sheamus as MITB, The Miz as Corporate guy, Randy Orton wanting a rematch, and CM Punk as K.O.R.

Do you think we will ever see this match again?
Not anytime soon as I don't think one show has enough star power to pull it off.

Lastly, how do you think this would go over with today's fans?
Once again, if booked correctly it could be great and do wonders. Who wouldn't wanna see six men battle through a HIAC match.

 

[The Suplexer Perfecter]

No because there is something called the Elimination Chamber. Plus they wouldn't go outside and climb to the top in today's Hell in a Cell.

Would you like to see another Armageddon Hell in a Cell match?

No.

Do you think we will ever see this match again?

No, like I said before they have the Elimination Chamber.

Lastly, how do you think this would go over with today's fans?

Wouldn't react any differently to any other gimmick match.

 

[WORD-LIFE-16]

I'd rather see a six man hell in a cell match,at TLC maybe or extreme rules. This would be a perfect environment between Sheamus, randy Orton,wade barrett, Alberto del rio, Cody Rhodes and Dolph ziggler in SD one for the world heavy weight championship. And the a raw side swell

 

[Mr. HD]

Would you like to see another Armageddon Hell in a Cell match?

Of course. The thing that WWE misses these days is the WOW factor. A 6 Man Hell in a Cell Match seems like one of those Holy S*** Moments that'll have people talking. Besides, the match itself 10 years ago was very well done. If booked properly, I would see it.


If so, who would you include in the match and how would you book it?

The way this type of match has to be booked is with intertwined storylines. I think that's why it worked so well in 2000.

Triple H paying Rikishi to run over Austin

Rikishi admitting it was him and claimed he did it for The Rock

Austin returning and dropping Triple H off a Forklift in a car

Undertaker being screwed out of the title by Angle and then chokeslamming him off the stage

Triple H still had problems with Angle because of the whole Stephanie thing


And then in the end, the thing that brought all these guys together was the need to be WWF Champion

All 6 Men wanted to be Champion, but yet it was bigger than that. It was all the storylines coming together and we had a big payoff with the Hell in a Cell Match. The anticipation with all these storylines coming together really made it exciting to see how it was all going to turn out.


In today's WWE, they would have Cena, Miz, Punk, Del Rio and 2 other jobbers probably.

That's also a reason why The old Elimination Chamber matches were so good. All 6 men had history and were put in the Chamber to settle it.

IMO, the best Elimination Chamber match was the one from NYR 2005 with HHH, Orton, Edge, Benoit, Jericho, and Batista. Again, the storylines.


HHH turning on Orton

Batista slowly starting his face turn

Edge's crazed need to be WWE Champion

HHH and Benoit still have history

Jericho already hated Evolution to begin with and more specifically had a feud with Batista prior to this

And then HBK being the referee


Individual storylines, bringing them together, good build, great payoff.


Unlike today, 6 random guys are just thrown in for a few spots. What makes matches so good is the build and the story behind it.

The Armageddon 2000 Hell in a Cell was great, but it was even better because of the months of build it took to make the story behind this even better. I'm a fan of good build. Storylines that come full circle and end with a Bang. That's what this match brought us.


In today's WWE, the match would work with Cena, Punk, Miz, Del Rio, Truth, and possibly Kane.


Punk's problems with Del Rio

The whole conspiracy angle

The breakup of the Awesome Truth

Kane returning to chokeslam Cena


The story pretty much writes itself and it would just involve a bit of tweaking to bring the stories together



Do you think we will ever see this match again?

Nope. Highly doubt it. They made the Elimination Chamber so that they'd never have to do a 6 Man Hell in a Cell anymore.



Lastly, how do you think this would go over with today's fans?

Not good. The fans of Today wouldn't appreciate it. They'd probably be dead during the whole thing. Then again, it all depends on how the match is booked and where it was held. It would probably work if the match was in Chicago. They seem to be the only Hardcore Fans left.

 

[TheNextBigThing94]

This was one of my favourite matches ever, but i see no place for it anymore. I think for the most part, the match was essentially seen as a cluster-f**k. That doesnt mean it was bad but it was just random and chaotic as the match went to the ramp, the announcers tables, the top of the cell and inside the ring - ALL AT THE SAME TIME!

I believe wwe brought in the elimanation chamber as a simpler way of doing a six man title match as the superstars come in in intervals and theres no real way you can take the fight out of the structure due to its size and round roof.

So i would definately love to see another one of these matches as i think there is so much more that can be done with this match as opposed to a HIAC match.
If it ever did happen again, it would have to include all the major players from both brands. Having a match of this magnitude exclusive to just one brand wouldnt be right. It would be hard to do so because of the brand split and the matter of which title will be defended. It simply wouldnt make sense in todays product.
However if it were to happen, the fans would apsolutely love it, me included - what better main event for HIAC ppv than a six-man HIAC match!!

 

[shooter_mcgavin]

The stipulation would work today ... no problem. It's no different than many of the mult-man Hell in a Cell matches we see today.

However is it necessary? Besides a chance of Lazy (let's book 6 people in a title Match) booking on the WWE part I would say no. Reason is that the Elimination Chamber already fulfills a lot of what an Armageddon Hell in a Cell could do. Plus there's more opportunity for creative booking in an EC anyways.

 

[Cracka Jack]

Would you like to see another Armageddon Hell in a Cell match?

Yeah, it'd be cool. I remember how much of a crazy concept it was back when it happened the first time, and the match itself was really fun. The action was hard to follow at times, but the number of guys involved means you can have plenty of action and a lot of cool spots while giving some guys in the match time to rest when the focus is on someone else.

If so, who would you include in the match and how would you book it?

While I'd expect it on Raw, being the A-Show and all, I think Smackdown has a more rounded main event right now. I'd use Orton, Sheamus, Show, Henry, Barrett, and Bryan, and even then, I'm leaving out contenders like Cody and Christian.

Do you think we will ever see this match again?

Maybe. WWE seems fond of trying out big gimmick matches these last couple of years. I wouldn't think they'd bring this one back though, as they'd probably just try and come up with something new (not that I'm against that). Maybe, since Hell in a Cell has its own PPV, they can put this on as the main event of that show one year. I think it'd be interesting.

Lastly, how do you think this would go over with today's fans?

I think they'd like it. Hell in a Cell, while not what it used to be, is still regarded as the feud-ender it should be, despite popping up at the same time every year. Anything with the potential for awesome spots and lots of violence can get over with the WWE's audience, even in today's PG climate.

 

[S.J. Maximus]

Would you like to see another Armageddon Hell in a Cell match?

No way, not in 2011. It would've been exciting in any year in the last decade but since then the WWE has lost too many stars and created too many gimmick ppvs (such as Hell in a Cell) to make another 6-man HiaC exciting or entertaining.

If so, who would you include in the match and how would you book it?

Although I wouldn't like to see it, someone made an excellent point that in order to make it as epic as the first one you'd have to have storylines that bring each individual together in addition to the main picture of a title match. Neither RAW or SD have a roster that would make this HiaC exciting but if it were crossbrand I'd somehow get Orton, Cena, Punk, Triple H, Miz, and Sheamus intertwined in storylines.

-Triple H turns on Punk& Cena, thus turning heel and feuding with them

-Miz decided to help Triple H out of his hate for Cena, but HHH pedigrees him and says he works alone

-Sheamus pretends to be an ally of Cena but turns out to be HHH's accomplice

-Sheamus and Miz feud for Triple H's companionship until he turns on them both

- Orton reveals himself as a true ally for Punk & Cena who knows a lot about HHH and Sheamus

- Punk starts callin Orton and Cena the poster boys and getting them angry

-Cena's dad returns to cut a promo on how Orton punted him in 07, restarting the feud between them

Do you think we will ever see this match again?

No I don't, it doesn't really suit the PG guidelines and they don't have the star power to make it work.

Lastly, how do you think this would go over with today's fans?

Well a lot of today's fans are completely unaware of the original 6-man HiaC at Armaggedon so I think those people would be pretty excited to see such a unique match. For the ones who are aware, some of them probably agree with my sentiment of it being legendary then but a disgrace now, while others would probably be excited for the match purely because of the success for the last one. That would mean that overall, I think it would go over pretty well with today's fans.

 

[TWJC: The Beginning]

Would you like to see another Armageddon Hell in a Cell match?
If done properly, absolutely. But the thing is most Title matches nowadays are strictly about the title, and not about a grudge between the two competitors. For a match of this magnitude, there has to be something more at stake or something personal between them all.


If so, who would you include in the match and how would you book it?
The match 11 years ago had the biggest names in the company for the most part so I would do the same. John Cena, Randy Orton, CM Punk, The Miz, Big Show and Sheamus sound really good at the moment. But I'm not sure how to make all this personal enough to warrant HIAC so I guess it would have to be about the title, but each men have to have a legitimate reason why thye deserve to be in it. Maybe one of them is King of the Ring, another wins a #1 contender Battle Royal, One needs a rematch for the title they lost, one is champion. a MITB winner, and maybe a corporate poster boy put into the match by the GM who is hoping for them to win. Have all of this build over a month or month in a half. To be specific have John Cena as Champion, Big Show as the Bayyle Royal Winner, Sheamus as MITB, The Miz as Corporate guy, Randy Orton wanting a rematch, and CM Punk as K.O.R.

Do you think we will ever see this match again?
Not anytime soon as I don't think one show has enough star power to pull it off.

Lastly, how do you think this would go over with today's fans?
Once again, if booked correctly it could be great and do wonders. Who wouldn't wanna see six men battle through a HIAC match.

Nostalgia is a horrible thing. Show vs Henry, Punk vs Cena, shit man EVERY match has been about a grudge.

You don't need some convoluted "5 number 1 contenders" reason. Just have 6 guys who want the title and a match maker who is crazy enough to book it.

Yes, it would work. Orton, Cena, Punk, Miz, Henry, Truth sounds pretty good to me.

Why would you do it again? Looking to the past for inspiration is kinda dumb. Putting 6 main eventers in one match limits the marketability of the rest of the card. The rest of the Armageddon 2000 card was pretty shitty.

 

[Why Always Me]

I'm not sure that it would.

PG Hell In A Cell matches are crap. The Armageddon HITC was brilliant, not as brutal as HBK v Taker, Taker v Foley or Lesnar v Taker but the star power alone made this match work.

Kurt Angle, Rikishi (perhaps the least well known star in the match, Triple H, Stone Cold, The Rock and The Undertaker, thats 6 big names. They all had issues with each other and it fitted in very well in the HITC match.

Now you would probably have a choice Cena, CM Punk, Orton, Miz, Sheamus, Del Rio, Bryan, Marc Henry, Christian , Kane and Big Show, to me after the first couple of names that doesn't carry the same allure as the Armageddon HITC.

 

[rocksaviour]

Would you like to see another Armageddon Hell in a Cell match?
Yes, but at the HIAC PPV for one year and it be the only match of that type on the card.

If so, who would you include in the match and how would you book it?
The top six sports entertainers on the RAW brand so if it was tomorrow it would be:
CM Punk
John Cena
The Miz
Alberto Del Rio
Kane
Triple H

Do you think we will ever see this match again?
Highly unlikely, but if it did happen I would want to see it be the only match of its type on the card and at the other side of the year from the Elimination Chamber matches at the Feb PPV.

Lastly, how do you think this would go over with today's fans?
The value on the HIAC gimmick has fallen in the past few years, I mean was there really a major call to see Orton/Henry in a HIAC match?? Depends on the storylines going in, you could have it that all six men want to hold the gold but in the six names I have put down you have links some how between most of them, especially taken from TV over the past six months. You could add that it maybe Triple H's last venture for the big title etc.

 

[Richard Blonoff]

That was a fun match and great concept but even back then most people didn't really buy into Rikishi as a credible top heel and world title contender.

It would be fun today but one of the issues is when they do the EC they always have that one guy you feel like "why is he here?" Plus the interconnected storylines from that period helped. Lets say going by current storylines you throw in
Cena, Punk, Orton, Ziggler, Barret, Miz. 3 heels 3 faces

You throw Cena in who currently has no storyline with any of the heels, he is currently wrapped up with Kane who isn't in title contention so it would be hard to sell him in the match

Punk is currently feud with Ziggler in a story building good heat so those two work but the Cena/Punk/ del Rio story line fell off and Punk has no issue with Barret or Miz currently

Orton has his feud with Barret but nothing else going on with the others.

You start to get the point, its hard to sell so many guys in a match that have no heat with each other at the moment.

 

[Sheamus' Suntan]

Would you like to see another Armageddon Hell in a Cell match?

Yeah, it'd be fun to watch and if set up properly...it could be awesome.

If so, who would you include in the match and how would you book it?

I think a match of this magnitude needs to start with no-one having control. IE, no-one should be champ. So simply enough, on RAW we have ourselves a title match which ends with both men knocking one another down and a count to 10 happening on both. Both guys lose and therefore the champ "retains." However...a heel GM basically states "Look, you never won...your opponent never won. I cant therefore warrant EITHER of you the title." Before vacating it.

During the time the title is vacated, on an edition of RAW...we have a tag match with 2 other stars. For instance...

Cena + Del Rio draw for the title. Title gets stripped.
Punk + Cena team to face Del Rio + Ziggler (Rough example).
Punk + Cena wins - Punk claims as he's gained a win over Del Rio, one of those who should be champ, he should get a match for the vacated title.
Next week on RAW, 3 singles matches are set up. Cena, Punk + Del Rio face Miz, Ziggler + Rey. Respectively the 3 who ARENT in the triple threat for the HIAC PPV win and all also get put into the match.

They all want the title. they have previous issues with each other. This would work well as THE pay off for all of these feuds. It doesn't need to be flashy.

Do you think we will ever see this match again?

Doubtful, we have EC now.

Lastly, how do you think this would go over with today's fans?

You tell x amount of fans that 6 guys are going to go nuts on each other in a steel structure and...there you have it.

Let me know your thoughts.[/QUOTE]