10 shocking moments from WWF (WWE) 1998

#10 Mankind is thrown off Hell in a Cell

He is broken in half!

After the sensational performance put on by Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker in the first ever Hell in a Cell match, Undertaker and Foley knew they had a lot to live up to. Foley was well-known by this time for being a hardcore legend, and with Undertaker proving time and again that he was not afraid to take the odd risk, fans knew they were in for something special.

Rumour has it that following a conversation Foley had with Terry Funk, the decision was made to start the match off on top of the cell itself. Before a punch was thrown, Mankind started to climb and the audience held its breath as the two superstars precariously teetered at the edge.

Then, just as many fans were probably saying to themselves 'surely they aren't going to do this', Taker grabbed Foley by the back of his shirt and hurled his opponent 16 feet onto the Spanish announce table. In one of the most memorable pieces of commentary ever, JR was heard shouting 'As God as my witness, he is broken in half!'.

If this match had involved any other competitors, this bump would have been more than enough to call the whole thing to an end. But Foley being Foley, the hardcore legend refused to be carried off and instead rejoined the match by climbing to the top yet again.

It is said amongst the wrestling community that while the fall from the top of the cell strikes most fans as the most extreme part of the match, anyone who knows what it feels like to actually be in the ring will argue that what happened next was much worse. After a brief scuffle atop the cell, Undertaker choke-slammed Foley through the roof and down to the ring below. This was not a pre-planned spot, and many of Foley's colleagues and friends have spoken about their genuine fear that Mick might not have survived the fall. According to Foley, the ring mat was far less forgiving back in 1998 compared with today and his fall was essentially broken by immediate impact.

To make matters worse, a chair that had been placed on the roof of the cell actually fell through along with Foley, causing his tooth to become dislodged which pierced the lower part of his nose. The camera zoomed in on his face only to reveal that Mankind was laughing throughout the pain.

However you think this match measured up to the previous HIAC bout, you can't deny that this was one of the WWF's most memorable matches of all time, and it went to prove just how valuable Mick Foley was for helping the WWF claw back some much-needed credibility.

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