WWE Exec Bruce Prichard On Why He Hated The First Match Of This Trademark Stipulation

In fall of 1997, WWE introduced the Hell in a Cell stipulation with a match pitting The Undertaker against Shawn Michaels. While many fans look back on the match fondly today, WWE executive Bruce Prichard does not, as he recently revealed on "Something to Wrestle."

"We were looking for a different type of match," Prichard said. "We were looking for something to serve a lot of masters. I loved the Hell in a Cell concept. I hated that match, because they got out of the cell."

After months of anticipation, Kane was to make his WWE debut that night. He was meant to break into the cage, which should have been a shocking moment for the audience, both in the arena and at home. However, with The Undertaker and Michaels almost immediately breaking out of the cell, that tension was lost. That ability for performers to easily get in and out of the steel cell has diluted the stipulation in Prichard's eyes.

"So, well, if they're already out, what's the big deal about [Kane] getting in?" Prichard continued. "And we were able to — 'Okay, by God, that door's locked now,' and made a spectacle of it. So we made a story of it, but it was — it just came together. It really just came together."

In hindsight, Prichard doesn't feel that Kane's long-awaited debut had to coincide with the first Hell in a Cell match. Because the company wasn't able to integrate Kane's appearance into the match very well, Prichard isn't a fan of the company's first foray into the popular stipulation.

Additionally, the WWE executive revealed that there was initially a plan to have the match's performers enter through a "tunnel of fire." Unfortunately, the fuel for the fire kept leaking from the tunnel, forcing them to pare down the pyrotechnics for the event.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "Something to Wrestle" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.