#132: Kurt Angle vs. Triple H vs. Rikishi vs. Undertaker vs. The Rock vs. Steve Austin, WWE Armageddon (12/10/2000).
This is a Six Man Hell in a Cell Match for Angle's WWE Championship.
This is a culmination of a multitude of storylines throughout 2000. Kurt Angle was the WWE Champion, feuding with Undertaker after winning the title from The Rock, who lost the title thanks to interference from Rikishi, the man who ran over Steve Austin – and he did it for The Rock. Rikishi, by the way, was enlisted by Triple H to take Austin out in that hit and run incident, so Austin had a bloodlust for ending Triple H’s career – and he himself tried to basically kill Rikishi in his return match in October.
Commissioner Mick Foley sees that Hell in a Cell is the only way to bring these stories to a conclusion. Vince McMahon sees Foley as a psychopath who is bitter that his own career ended inside Hell in a Cell earlier in the year. He has tried to have this match called off multiple times – including talking to the wrestlers one by one – but they won’t do it. To date, this is the only Six Man Hell in a Cell Match in WWE history.
Kurt Angle is waiting outside of the Cell while everyone makes their entrances, and as Steve Austin comes out, he grabs him and throws him inside. The match is on! Taker and Angle fight on the floor, while Austin goes right for Triple H. Rock and Rikishi brawl on the floor as well. Rock throws Rikishi into the Cell Wall, while Taker irish whips Angle into the turnbuckle and follows with a clothesline. Taker strangles Angle with his bandana.
Rock fires off strikes to Rikishi in the ring, while Austin continues to kick Triple H’s ass on the floor. Angle stomps away at Taker on the floor. Rikishi smashes Rock’s head off the steel steps. In the ring, Triple H pops off a facebuster to Austin, who responds with the Thesz Press. Right hands, and an elbow to the head for a nearfall. Austin crushes Triple H with a leg drop against the ropes for 2. Angle goes to work stomping away at The Rock.
High Harley Race knee by Triple H. He drags Austin to the ring post and works on his legs. Samoan Drop by Rock to Angle, and that gets a close nearfall. Back elbow by Angle to Rock. Taker and Rikishi fight on the floor. Triple H with a suplex to Austin on the floor. Rikishi with hard right hands to Rock on the floor, and then he whips him into the Cell Wall. Taker whips Triple H into Austin, who clotheslines him. Now, Austin rakes Triple H’s face off the Cell. And again, on another part of the Cell.
Triple H is the first to bleed, as Austin continues to tear away at his face. Rikishi drives his boot into Taker’s throat. Austin rakes Triple H’s face around the entire cage, one panel at a time. Austin brings Triple H into the ring, and gets caught with a leg drop to the back of the surgically repaired neck by Rikishi. Triple H hits the Pedigree on Rikishi following a false embrace, and Rock breaks up the pin. Nice DDT by Rock, and Angle breaks up that pinfall.
Olympic Slam by Angle, and Austin breaks up that pin. Stunner by Austin to Angle, and Taker breaks that pin up. Taker with the Chokeslam to Austin, and Triple H breaks it up. They brawl on the floor now. Taker whips Triple H into the Cell Wall multiple times. Austin with a clothesline to Rikishi. Hard right hands and a clothesline sends Taker back to the floor. Thesz Press to Rikishi next. Here comes Vince McMahon, Pat Patterson and Gerald Brisco with a flatbed truck, covered in hay.
Some workers hook chains up to the Cell Door, and they rip it off. Vince is looking to tear the Hell in a Cell down piece by piece. But, here comes Commissioner Mick Foley to stop this ordeal. He’s demanding that McMahon and his henchmen leave, and he attacks Patterson and Brisco. Security escorts McMahon away. As he’s dragged away, he screams that he owns the WWE. Hehe, not in 2024, bitch.
Triple H has crawled out of the Cell, and Austin is on his tail. Austin clotheslines him in the back, and tosses him onto a car that’s apart of the set. Austin grabs one of the boom cameras, and sends it swinging into Triple H, then drops an elbow on him. Rock, Rikishi and Angle have also escaped the Cell. Taker is there as well. Austin and Triple H fight back to the truck, and Triple H throws Austin through one of the windows.
Austin is busted open. Rock fights Triple H up to the stage, and they’re fighting on top of the cars. He looks for the Rock Bottom, but Triple H counters with a low blow. Taker and Angle are throwing shots at each other, while Triple H hits the Pedigree to Rock on the car. Austin avoids a shot from Rikishi with an oil drum. They now fight on top of the cars. Taker powerslams Angle onto the car, and his back is bleeding. Triple H sends Taker and Angle face first into the cars. Austin grabs him and catapults him into the windshield of another.
Triple H barely avoids having an oil drum thrown at him by Austin. Taker and Angle are fighting their way back to ringside, by the announcer’s tables. Taker strikes Angle with a microphone, then he chokes him with it. Rikishi sends Rock face first into the Cell. Angle grabs a chair and strikes Taker right in the head with it. Austin smashes Triple H’s head off the back of the truck. Taker is busted open now. Triple H begins his climb up to the top of the Cell. Austin is trying to cut him off. Taker throws Angle over the barricade onto concrete.
Austin starts to climb the opposite side of the Cell, and he meets Triple H on top of the cage. What a visual, seeing Austin stomping his way to Triple H on the roof. He unloads with strikes, nearly knocking him off. They each throw strikes, as Angle begins his climb to escape Taker. Austin with the Stunner to Triple H. Taker begins his climb to the top as well. Austin and Angle brawl, while Triple H and Taker brawl. The sight of four men on the roof of Hell in a Cell is wild.
Taker hits Angle’s head off of one of the support beams, and now he’s bleeding. Triple H climbs down the cage, and Austin follows. Taker continues his attack on Angle. Rikishi starts his climb up now, to get away from The Rock. Taker demands that one of the ringside assistants throw him a chair. After a few failed attempts, Taker now has a chair on the roof. Amazing visual from in the ring, looking up as Taker plants Angle with a chair to the head. Rikishi grabs the chair, and hits Taker with it repeatedly.
Rikishi approaches Angle with the chair, but Angle is able to slip away in time. Taker is back up and he goes right after Rikishi with strikes. They fight towards the edge of the Cell. The other four slowly make their way back into the ring. Taker continues to punch at Rikishi, getting him closer to the edge. He grabs him by the throat, and Chokeslams Rikishi off the Cell, right into the back of the flatbed truck. Good thing that Hay was there, right? Still, what a wild fucking sight.
Back in the ring, Austin and Rock go face to face in my favorite spot of the entire match. Crowd pops big, as they exchange fisticuffs. Rock avoids a Stunner and hits the Spinebuster. Rock sets up for the People’s Elbow, but Triple H cuts him off with a forearm. Rock with multiple punches to Triple H, and he goes to the floor. Rock Bottom to Angle out of nowhere! Austin breaks up the pin just in time. Austin hits a huge Stunner on Rock. He makes the cover, but Triple H cuts him off. Austin tries for a Stunner, but Triple H counters with a neckbreaker. In the midst of this, Angle crawls over and pins Rock with just his hand to win and retain the title.
Post match, Angle is hit with a Stunner by Austin, because you have to send the people home happy! I don’t know if this qualifies as a great Hell in a Cell Match or not, but it is entertaining as hell, and I love watching it every time I get the chance. It has a sweet spot in my heart for me as well. Around this time, I didn’t have cable at home. I missed WWE programming from August 2000 to April 2001. I missed the end of the Attitude Era as it happened, and my only way of seeing this era was via VHS tapes at my local video store.
So, when I saw this event had a Six Man Hell in a Cell Match, my first thought was “why is Rikishi in this match?” My second thought was “Holy shit, a Six Man Hell in a Cell Match!” This is just a lot of fun. A wild, crazy brawl between six of the most prominent figures of the time. And yes, I am including Rikishi, because weird heel turn aside, Rikishi at this time ruled. This was sold as a barbaric, world ending match, and it was sold well, despite nothing super crazy or unseen happening, the truck spot aside.
God bless Rikishi for taking that bump. He was safe, mind you, but still, taking a Chokeslam into the back of a truck from a 16 foot high structure is bonkers. If more use of the Cell had happened, I’d say this would be an all timer in the genre. As it is, it’s a very fun Attitude Era style brawl filled to the brim with nostalgia.