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Wrestling

What is a shark cage match? History of one of wrestling's most bizarre stipulations

Ash Rose
What is a shark cage match? History of one of wrestling's most bizarre stipulationsDAZN
WWE Bad Blood is to host the latest instalment of gimmick this weekend.

WWE is bringing back its Bad Blood event this weekend, the first show under the name for twenty years. 

However, it's not the only comeback in Atlanta. As part of Liv Morgan's defence of her WWE women's world championship defence against Rhea Ripley, Dominik Mysterio will be part of the match as he embodies one of wrestling's most unique concepts. 

What is a shark cage match? 

The Shark Cage match typically involves suspending a cage above the ring, with someone locked inside. The concept behind the gimmick is to prevent the person locked in the cage from interfering in the match - something he or she may have been guilty of in previous encounters. 

When was the first shark cage match? 

The Shark Cage can be traced back as far as the 1970s, with an early example coming from a bout between Don Kent and Jay Strongbow that actually took place inside a shark cage for a company called Big Time Wrestling. 

Since then, many of the top promotions have put on matches using a variation of the idea. 

Who has been involved in a shark cage match? 

There have been several Shark Cage matches in wrestling history, below is some of the most notable examples of the gimmick. 

  • WWE Saturday Night's Event 1987, Randy Savage vs. Honkey Tonk Man - Jimmy Hart in a shark cage 
  • NWA Great American Bash 1988, The Midnight Express  vs. The Fantastics - Jim Cornette in a shark cage 
  • NWA Clash of Champions 1988, Ric Flair vs. Sting - JJ Dillion in a shark cage 
  • WCW Clash of Champions 1992, Steve Austin vs. Ricky Steamboat - Paul E Dangerously in a shark cage 
  • WWE Raw 1995, Bret Hart vs.Issac Yankem - Jerry Lawler in a shark cage 
  • WWE Survivor Series 1996, Mankind vs. Undertaker - Paul Bearer in a shark cage 
  • WWE Unforgiven: In Your House 1998,  Triple H vs Owen Hart - Chyna in shark cage 
  • WWE SmackDown 1999, Big Show vs. Mankind - Triple H in a shark cage  
  • WWE NXT TakeOver Toronto 2016, Authors of Pain vs. TM-G1 - Paul Ellring in a shark cage  
  • WWE Royal Rumble 2017, Kevin Owens vs Roman Reigns - Chris Jericho in shark cage 
  • WWE SummerSlam 2017, Big Cass vs. Big Show - Enzo Amore in a shark cage 
  • WWE Extreme Rules 2018, Carmella vs. Asuka - James Ellsworth in a shark cage 
  • AEW Dynamite 2022, Eddie Kingston vs. Chris Jericho - JAS in a shark cage 

Bad Blood takes place on October 5th and can be streamed in the UK on the WWE Network



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