"Absolute debacle" - Jim Ross reflects on WWE's six-man Hell in a Cell match booking
Jim Ross believes the six-man Hell in a Cell match at Armageddon 2000 was “desperation booking” by WWE’s creative team.
Kurt Angle defeated Rikishi, The Rock, Steve Austin, Triple H, and The Undertaker inside the steel structure to retain the WWE Championship. One of the most memorable moments from the match came when The Undertaker threw Rikishi off the cell and into a flatbed truck.
Ross, who worked as a commentator at the event, criticized the chaotic match on the latest episode of his Grilling JR podcast.
“Just in my opinion, the Hell in a Cell with six guys… an absolute debacle of booking. It’s desperation booking. We got no better ideas? We got no individuals who are totally hot, so we’re just gonna put everything in the stew? We got potato over here, carrot over here, we got some onions here, let’s put some sage in there… momma used to do that. They had no clue what they were cooking,” Jim Ross said.
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Jim Ross also spoke about the six-man Hell in a Cell match on the 20th anniversary of Armageddon 2000 last year. He said Rikishi’s fall from the top of the cell “seemed too forced” and “didn’t look good.”
Jim Ross on WWE Superstars’ reaction to the Hell in a Cell match
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The winner of the Hell in a Cell match, Kurt Angle, left Armageddon with his reputation enhanced thanks to his pinfall victory over The Rock.
However, Jim Ross says the rest of the participants had concerns about who would “get over” with fans during the chaotic match.
“I remember the talents in that six-man match. Who’s gonna get the shine? Who’s gonna get over? It’s not about who goes over, it’s who gets over. I just thought it was overthought, overbooked… you can’t just go token booking with talents like Rock and Austin and Triple H. Even Kurt, to a lesser degree, at that time,” Jim Ross said.
Armageddon 2000 was the first and last time WWE staged a Hell in a Cell match with six participants. The reason for that is likely due to the six-person Elimination Chamber match, which WWE introduced in 2002.
Please credit Grilling JR and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.