Steel Cage Match

The Steel Cage Match is one of the most historic stipulations in wrestling, with the first match taking place on June 25, 1937, featuring Jack Bloomfield against Count Petro Rossi.

In this stipulation, the ring is surrounded by a steel cage that extends from the apron and has no roof, preventing either wrestler from escaping or outside interference.

Winning Conditions

Typically, this match can be won in several ways: by pinfall, submission, or escape from the cage (either by climbing over the top or through the door). For an escape to be considered valid, both feet of the athlete must touch the floor outside the ring. The door can be opened by a referee at the request of a wrestler, but it will be closed again if the wrestler fails to escape.

There are variations in the rules of a Steel Cage Match. Some matches allow victory only by pinfall or submission, excluding escape (as seen in TNA's Six Sides of Steel matches), while others allow victory solely by escape from the cage ("Escape only").

Since this match is contained within a cage, count-outs do not apply. Disqualifications are also not in effect, meaning wrestlers can use the cage as a weapon, execute illegal moves, and utilize foreign objects (often passed in by an ally outside the cage). External interference can occur, despite the cage's presence.

Formats and Variations

The design of the cage has evolved over the years. It originally featured a fine mesh similar to that used in chicken coops, later transitioned to blue bars (debuted at WrestleMania 2) then black bars, and has later adopted the current version made of metal mesh.

This stipulation can be contested in various match types: in Tag Team Steel Cage Matches, typically only one member of a team needs to escape or secure a pinfall for the match to end.

Here are some of the match-type variations that involve cages of various shapes and sizes:

Asylum Match: A Steel Cage Match with weapons, including items themed around a mental asylum, hanging above the cage. Victory can only be achieved by pinfall or submission.
Barbed Wire Steel Cage Match: The top of the cage is covered in barbed wire, while maintaining traditional Steel Cage Match rules for victory (escape, pinfall, or submission).
Cage of Death Match: A brutal CZW steel cage match filled with various weapons, including electrified cage walls, cacti, tables, light tubes, glass, thumbtacks, and barbed wire. Always featured as the main event of CZW's Cage of Death show, with some matches done under WarGames rules using two rings.
Dixieland Match: A hybrid of a Ladder Match and Steel Cage Match, only seen in TNA. Wrestlers must first escape the cage and then use a ladder to retrieve a title belt hanging on the stage.
Doomsday Cage Match (or Tower of Doom/Triple Decker Cage Match): A three-level cage match used in WCW, where teams fight across the levels, aiming to reach the highest cage, where pinfall or submission is allowed.
Doomsday Chamber of Blood Match: Wrestlers compete in a cage topped with barbed wire, and to win, they must pin a bleeding opponent.
Electric Chair Match (or Chamber of Horrors Match in WCW): Teams of three face off inside a cage with an electric chair. To win, they must tie an opponent to the chair and activate an electric shock.
Electrified Cage Match: The cage is electrified, and victory is only possible through pinfall or submission. In AAA's version, escaping the cage is the goal, with electricity deactivated temporarily to allow it.
Fight Pit Match: A cage match without ropes or turnbuckles, featuring a catwalk at the top. Wrestlers can only win by submission or knockout, making it a hybrid of pro wrestling and MMA. The first match was in NXT in May 2020 between Matt Riddle and Timothy Thatcher.
Kennel from Hell Match: The ring is surrounded by a Steel Cage and Hell in a Cell, with Rottweilers between them. Wrestlers must escape both cages to win. This match was seen in WWF Unforgiven 1999, featuring Al Snow and The Big Boss Man.
Lion's Den Match: A match held inside an octagonal cage, designed to mimic MMA fights. Victory is achieved by knockout or submission. This was Ken Shamrock's specialty match, notably featured at SummerSlam 1998 and 1999, where he fought Owen Hart and Steve Blackman, respectively.
Prison Yard Match: A TNA stipulation where the goal is to lock an opponent inside a small cage in the ring. First featured at TNA Against All Odds 2007, with Sting defeating Abyss.
Triple Cage Match: Similar to the Doomsday Cage Match but with three differently-sized cages. Wrestlers pass through trapdoors in the ceilings, and victory can be achieved by retrieving an object from the top or by escaping the structure, depending on the variation.
Xscape Match: A signature match of TNA's Lockdown pay-per-view. A variable number of competitors (between 4 and 8) are eliminated by pinfall or submission until only two remain, with the winner being the first to escape the cage by climbing out and reaching the floor.