The old school blue cage

[Sephiroth]

I can't be the only one who remembers this. Part of me actually misses old big blue; it was such a cartoony looking conraption by today's standards, but its still a memory of childhood. And the visual of trying to imagine John Cena or Kurt Angle having matches inside a giant, blue bird cage is pretty unique, for sure. I've long assumed that this was replaced by the wire mesh cages we have today for aesthetics and for safety; the wire mesh cages just look more sleek and modern, and the mesh at least gives a little when the boys are tossed into it-big blue looked more like having to get thrown into it was the equivelant of tossing yourself headlong onto a brick wall. I also seem to recall WWE once considered adding an option to its video games that would let you unlock a special feature that would allow you to replace the hell in a cell with old big blue-god I wish it had happened.

[Chip]

Feb 15, 2013 10:28:56 GMT -5 Sephiroth said:

I also seem to recall WWE once considered adding an option to its video games that would let you unlock a special feature that would allow you to replace the hell in a cell with old big blue-god I wish it had happened.

Actually you can kinda do that in WWE13, it won't count as Hell in a Cell seeing as it would be a cage match, but the blue cage is in there.

[hitch]

I loved this cage. Firstly it's better from a television perspective as you can see what's going on in the ring and not have to have the same view as an elderly lady with cataract probems.

Secondly it's more physically impressive and doesn't look like someone's just popped out to a hardware store to pick up some cheap wire-mesh.

Thirdly it's much better in kayfabe as being thrown into steel metal bars hurts. Being thrown into a fence....doesn't.

[Deleted]

Feb 15, 2013 13:45:30 GMT -5 hitch said:

Thirdly it's much better in kayfabe as being thrown into steel metal bars hurts. Being thrown into a fence....doesn't.

That's probably one reason one why it's gone. Shawn Michaels mentioned on his 2003 DVD that the blue cage was brutal on the body.

[hitch]

Feb 15, 2013 13:50:19 GMT -5 @chrisc said:

Feb 15, 2013 13:45:30 GMT -5 hitch said:

Thirdly it's much better in kayfabe as being thrown into steel metal bars hurts. Being thrown into a fence....doesn't.

That's probably one reason one why it's gone. Shawn Michaels mentioned on his 2003 DVD that the blue cage was brutal on the body.

But that doesn't make sense. They're SUPPOSED to hurt each other and we're supposed to think that they are.

It annoys the hell out of me when I see someone thrown into the wire-mesh with an incredible about of give and they lay there unconcious. It's about as believable as someone being knocked out by an eye-rake

[Deleted]

Feb 15, 2013 13:57:21 GMT -5 hitch said:

Feb 15, 2013 13:50:19 GMT -5 @chrisc said:

That's probably one reason one why it's gone. Shawn Michaels mentioned on his 2003 DVD that the blue cage was brutal on the body.

But that doesn't make sense. They're SUPPOSED to hurt each other and we're supposed to think that they are.

They're supposed to NOT hurt each other, and we're supposed to think they are. Ideally, it's supposed to look real without it actually being real. The blue cage looked like it hurt because it really did hurt.

[hitch]

Feb 15, 2013 14:10:06 GMT -5 @chrisc said:

Feb 15, 2013 13:57:21 GMT -5 hitch said:

But that doesn't make sense. They're SUPPOSED to hurt each other and we're supposed to think that they are.

They're supposed to NOT hurt each other, and we're supposed to think they are. Ideally, it's supposed to look real without it actually being real. The blue cage looked like it hurt because it really did hurt.

but the underlying principle is that things have to look like they hurt. The wire-mesh cage doesn't. So it doesn't work on any level.

Being thrown into the ring post looks like it hurts - and it likely does. But they didn't stop doing that. If wrestling eliminated everything that DID hurt athletes then they'd be wrestling on safety mats each week

[Deleted]

Feb 15, 2013 14:20:02 GMT -5 hitch said:

Feb 15, 2013 14:10:06 GMT -5 @chrisc said:

They're supposed to NOT hurt each other, and we're supposed to think they are. Ideally, it's supposed to look real without it actually being real. The blue cage looked like it hurt because it really did hurt.

but the underlying principle is that things have to look like they hurt. The wire-mesh cage doesn't. So it doesn't work on any level.

Being thrown into the ring post looks like it hurts - and it likely does. But they didn't stop doing that. If wrestling eliminated everything that DID hurt athletes then they'd be wrestling on safety mats each week

It would be pretty damn hard to have matches without doing anything that could hurt. It's easy to have a match without the big blue cage or chair shots to the head.

[Todd Pettengill]

Feb 15, 2013 10:28:56 GMT -5 Sephiroth said:

I've long assumed that this was replaced by the wire mesh cages we have today for aesthetics and for safety; the wire mesh cages just look more sleek and modern,

Big Blue actually became Big Black for the early part of the attitude era, then they switched to the fence cage. I prefer Big Blue to the cage, as others have stated you could see the action better, it was easier to climb, seemed more like a cage than a fence, and it really separated the WWE from other feds (who were all using fence cages).

[Deleted]

I though the wire mesh was introduced because of the Attitude Era - it looks more realistic than the old school looking metalic blue gridded cage.

Plus the blue metal cage looks so much easier to climb up - it looks practically built to accomodate that function. Climbing a wire mesh fence (which is built to function more as a fence) just seems much tougher to me....

[crowwreak was WRONG]

It was actually used again (black) in 2001 for an E vs C match at rebellion (because it's easier to set up, I imagine)

[fuzzywarble, squat cobbler]

The best cage ever, IMO. One of my favorite things was watching the wrestlers climb out of it to try to escape and, in the process, win the match. I'm very nostalgic for this cage.

[Deleted]

They should use Big Blue for matches where the objective is to escape and the fence model for pinfall/submission cage matches.

I too love the Big Bird Cage.

[Brandon Walsh is Insane.]

I liked them.

I don't like how the new mesh cages have the precut holes in the sides.

[Craig-UK]

Feb 15, 2013 15:22:33 GMT -5 crowwreak was WRONG said:

It was actually used again (black) in 2001 for an E vs C match at rebellion (because it's easier to set up, I imagine)

That's probably because it was possibly the only cage WWE had already in the UK at that time as it was used 2 years earlier at Rebellion '99 (I was there).
Also alot of you seem to be forgetting that before the "Big Blue" was the mesh cages anyway. In alot of the 80's WWF had used the mesh cage for cage matches

[DoubleDare]

I would think one of the reasons they changed to it, was that it was around they started to lower it from above the ring, so I am sure the mesh cage was easier in this setup. I know they did it with the blue/black cage a few times at first.

[Paco]

I'd make WWE cage matches go back to the Big Blue/Black style.

Keep the wire-mesh as a Hell in a Cell exclusive and thus giving more distinction between the two cause right now it just feels like "but one is bigger so..."

[TuneinTokyo]

Someone already stated that wire mesh was the first cage style, but I'll add that as a kid closed circuit WM2 was when I first saw the blue one and was really disappointed. I like the wire mesh and nothing says fake pain like raking the forehead against the mesh.

[willywonka666]

The mesh does look painful, especially when you rub someone's face across it

[BlackoutCreature]

Interesting how things have changed. I remember growing up smarks regularly criticizing the blue cage because it looked too silly and kiddy, like a jungle gym. They wanted the gritty, "more realistic" looking cyclone fence.