 The Civic Arena in Pittsburgh, the site of the match | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date | June 28, 1998 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Venue | Civic Arena Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Event | King of the Ring | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Kayfabe | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Working | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Result | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The Undertaker defeated Mankind (pinfall, 17:38) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Mankind vs. The Undertaker was a professional wrestling match between Mankind (Mick Foley) and The Undertaker (Mark Calaway) of the then-World Wrestling Federation (WWF), and took place inside a Hell in a Cell, a 16-foot (4.9 m) high steel cage structure with a roof. It was the third Hell in a Cell match in history, and took place at the King of the Ring pay-per-view on June 28, 1998, at the Civic Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Though the match had received little build in the way of storytelling before the event due to the unpredictability of the WWF's Attitude Era, the two characters had an extensive backstory that motivated both performers heading into the match.
The match would immediately set the standard for future Hell in a Cell matches, due to Foley taking two dangerous and highly influential bumps from the top of the cell in an attempt to surpass the previous Hell in a Cell in 1997; planned with veteran wrestler Terry Funk, the first came when The Undertaker threw Mankind through an announcer table positioned on the arena floor, but the second occurred unintentionally when The Undertaker performed a chokeslam on Mankind through the roof of the cell. The match was nearly stopped as a result of both incidents, but continued at the urging of Foley.
Foley received numerous legitimate injuries performing the stunts, and though the match had little impact on his career in the short term, it took a severe physical toll on him in the long term, and eventually became the match he is most remembered for following his retirement in 2000. The match received instant critical acclaim from the wrestling media and is widely regarded as a classic match in the careers of both wrestlers, as well as one of the greatest and most important Hell in a Cell matches and wrestling matches in general. The commentary duo of Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler also received praise, Ross in particular making some of his most famous calls during the match which have overlapped into popular culture.