June 28, 1998. Pittsburgh.
If you were watching the Civic Arena that night, you weren't just watching a wrestling match. You were watching a car crash that refused to stop. Honestly, the Undertaker v Mankind Hell in a Cell match at King of the Ring is the kind of thing that shouldn't exist in a "safe" entertainment environment. It’s brutal. It’s uncomfortable. It’s legendary.
Most people know the highlight reel. We’ve all seen Mick Foley—as Mankind—flying off the top of that 16-foot mesh cage. Jim Ross screaming about someone being "broken in half." But the actual story of how that match happened, and the terrifying reality of what went wrong, is way weirder than the memes.
The Plan That Almost Didn't Happen
Mick Foley wasn't supposed to be the "hardcore" guy in this specific way. He was just trying to top what Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker did the year before at Badd Blood. Foley actually admitted later that he didn't even like the cage. He was scared of heights. Seriously. He looked at the structure and realized he couldn't out-wrestle the previous classic, so he decided he’d have to out-suffer it.
He and Terry Funk were brainstorming. Funk, in his typical "madman" fashion, jokingly suggested, "Maybe you should let him throw you off the top."
Foley laughed. Then he stopped laughing. He decided to do it.
What’s wild is that The Undertaker, Mark Calaway, didn't want to do it. He actually asked Foley why he was so intent on killing himself. Calaway was also working with a fractured ankle at the time. You can see him limping in the entrance. Two guys, one who can't walk right and one who's about to fall from the sky, entered a cage that wasn't even properly braced for their weight.
The match started on top of the cell. That was the first mistake. The mesh panels weren't bolted down with the intention of holding two giants walking around on them. They were sagging. You can see the zip-ties snapping in the footage. It’s horrifying.
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The Toss That Changed Everything
When Undertaker threw Mankind off the cell and through the Spanish announce table, it was a planned spot. Sorta. They knew it would be dangerous, but they had practiced how Foley would land. He cleared the table perfectly, his body absorbing the impact in a way that looked fatal but was technically "controlled."
But the second fall? The one through the roof of the cell?
That was a total accident.
The "Chokeslam" was supposed to just indent the mesh. Instead, the cell gave way completely. Foley didn't have time to brace. He fell 13 feet straight down onto the ring canvas. A chair followed him down and smashed him in the face.
If you watch the footage closely after that second fall, you see The Undertaker looking down through the hole. He looks legit terrified. He wasn't "in character" for a second there; he genuinely thought he had just killed his friend. Terry Funk ran into the ring to check on him, and Undertaker actually chokeslammed Funk just to give Foley a few seconds to breathe and see if he was still alive.
That’s the nuance of Undertaker v Mankind Hell in a Cell. It wasn't just a "hardcore" match. It was a chaotic scramble to finish a performance while one participant was literally coughing up teeth. Foley’s tooth was hanging in his nose. You can see it in the close-ups. It’s gruesome.
The Aftermath Nobody Talks About
Foley didn't go to the hospital right away. He went back out for the main event to interfere in the Stone Cold vs. Kane match. Think about that. The man had a concussion, a dislocated jaw, a hole in his lip, and internal bruising, yet he still did "the job."
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The medical staff back then was different. Today, that match is stopped three minutes in. In 1998, they just let them keep going.
- Foley lost one and a half teeth.
- He suffered a dislocated shoulder.
- The internal bleeding was significant enough that he was told he was lucky to be walking.
The impact on the business was immediate. It set a bar that was impossible to clear. It actually created a problem for WWE (then WWF) because every Hell in a Cell match afterward was compared to this one. Fans expected someone to fall. Writers felt pressured to "stunt" their way out of stories.
Why the Match Still Matters in 2026
We talk about "moments" in sports. This wasn't a moment; it was a shift in the cultural zeitgeist of pro wrestling. It moved the needle from "cartoon theater" to "grim reality."
Critics often point to this match as the beginning of the end for "sane" wrestling. They aren't entirely wrong. It popularized a style of "garbage wrestling" that saw people taking unnecessary risks for smaller and smaller pops. But you can't blame Foley or Undertaker for the imitators. They were telling a story about human endurance.
Basically, Mankind represented the guy who wouldn't stay down, and Undertaker represented the inevitable force of death. When Mankind kept getting up—even after being wheeled out on a gurney—the crowd didn't just cheer. They were in awe.
There's a reason why, decades later, "The Cell" is a permanent fixture in the WWE calendar. But nothing will ever replicate the raw, unscripted terror of that night in Pittsburgh. The cage was taller than it looked. The ring was harder than it looked. And the men involved were more fragile than we liked to believe.
Common Misconceptions
People think the whole thing was scripted. "Wrestling is fake," right?
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Try telling that to the surgeons who had to fix Foley’s face. While the finish (Undertaker winning) was predetermined, the physics of the second fall were entirely unscripted. The cage failed.
Another misconception: Undertaker was 100% healthy. He wasn't. As mentioned, his ankle was a mess. Every time he jumped or moved on that mesh, he was risking a career-ending snap. The fact that they both finished the match is a miracle of adrenaline and, frankly, poor judgment.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Historians
If you’re looking to truly understand the impact of Undertaker v Mankind Hell in a Cell, don't just watch the YouTube highlights. You have to look at the context of the Monday Night Wars. WWF was fighting for its life against WCW. They needed something "Attitude" heavy.
Here is how to properly analyze this match for its historical value:
- Watch the "re-entry": Pay attention to the moment Foley gets off the gurney. That is the moment he became a legend. It’s the visual of a man refusing to accept his own physical limits.
- Listen to the Commentary: Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler provide the perfect soundtrack. Ross’s genuine fear is what sells the gravity of the situation to the home audience. He wasn't just "calling a match"; he was witnessing a potential tragedy.
- Study the "Mick Foley: For All Mankind" Documentary: It provides the best first-hand account of the "white light" Foley saw when he hit the mat. It’s essential viewing for anyone who thinks this was just another day at the office.
- Observe the Cage Construction: Notice how the panels are attached. You can see why they failed. Modern WWE cages are reinforced with heavy-duty steel bracing at every seam specifically because of what happened to Mick Foley.
The match remains a uncomfortable masterpiece. It’s the "Citizen Kane" of pain. While we shouldn't want wrestlers to do this anymore—and thank goodness they don't—we have to respect the absolute madness it took to pull it off.
If you want to understand why wrestling fans are so loyal, this is the match you show them. It’s not about the moves. It’s about the fact that, for one night, the line between "acting" and "surviving" completely disappeared.