Posted on by bdamage1
Brian Damage
When you think of steel cage matches in pro wrestling, you think of the violent, bloody and barbaric nature of them. You may immediately think of the mesh fence type structures that have been synonymous with cage matches. Whether it was Jimmy ‘Superfly’ Snuka leaping off the top of the cage at Madison Square Garden or the violent confrontation between Harley Race and Ric Flair at Starrcade. That’s what many fans old school and new school see and remember.
On April 7th, 1986, the way WWF fans looked at steel cage matches would all change. Wrestlemania 2 had Hulk Hogan defending his WWF world title against King Kong Bundy inside a steel cage. The typical chain link fence material usually used in those matches was replaced by bright blue steel bars. This structure weighed more, was taller, more sturdy, easier to climb and as a fan in attendance at the arena, could see through the larger spaces in between the cage.
The excuse given by announcer Jesse Ventura at the time, was the cage needed to be restructured and fortified because of the massiveness of King Kong Bundy. I can vividly remember fans watching the pay per view on closed circuit television hating the entire look of the new blue steel cage. It wasn’t what fans were expecting at all. In reality, the change was made to put Vince McMahon’s stamp on what a steel cage should look like.
If WWF fans were expecting to see this blue cage of doom disappear with the end of Wrestlemania 2, they would be sadly mistaken. The blue steel cage was McMahon’s creation, it was his re imagining what a cage should look like and it wasn’t going anywhere. As a matter of fact, that version of the cage would remain with the company for over a decade. It was used on pay per views, house shows, Monday Night Raw and Saturday Night’s Main Event.
It saw matches between The Big Bossman and Hulk Hogan, Bret Hart versus Sycho Sid, Ultimate Warrior versus Rick Rude and Hogan versus Mr. Wonderful Paul Orndorff. It stayed a bright blue color until February 14th, 1999. It was on that date when the WWF held the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre pay per view. The cage match was between Vince McMahon against ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin. The cage color was changed from blue to black. The reasoning for the slight change was to make the cage look more ominous than cartoonish.
That, however, would be the final time that version of the cage would appear on any major show in the WWF. Soon after, the company returned to using the traditional chain link for their cage matches. Why the sudden change after close to 13 years? The wrestlers of that era complained about it. They felt that the structure had no real give and was putting more punishment on their bodies. Thus, the end of the blue steel cage era in the World Wrestling Federation.