The Three Stages of Hell

When Dante wrote his epic poem The Divine Comedy, in the first part - Inferno, he told of the nine circles of hell, each one more horrific than the last. What he can never have envisioned however is that the last of these three circles would be played out as a spectacle for the watching World 500 years after his time. For make no mistake, the triple header this Sunday of Casket Match, Buried Alive and Hell in a Cell are the living embodiment of three stages of hell. Each one is designed to inflict a certain type of punishment on its participants, all three will deal out the claustrophobia of enclosed spaces - the casket, grave and cell. All three will punish the body like no other matches can and all three will symbolize death and destruction, the very souls of the losers up for grabs. So lets take a look at the history of these very special matches and the after effects on the participants:

Casket Match: The Undertaker vs. Hunter

Rebellion 2002 - Steve Austin defeats The Undertaker
Global Warning 2003 - The Undertaker defeats Nemesis
WrestleMania XX - Kane defeats The Undertaker
Taboo Tuesday 2005 - Nathan James defeats The Undertaker

The casket match has clearly been one of the Undertakers trademark matches over the years, the Deadman involved in all four PPV matches, not including his match this Sunday against Hunter, one taking place every year since 2002 except for 2006. However, Hunter can take heart from the fact that he has lost three of those four matches, including to Kane at WrestleMania XX.

While The Undertaker not only has the experience in the casket match, but also the added career experience in general, Hunter goes into the match with both momentum, the mentorship of Nightmare who has faced the Undertaker on countless occasions and the raw power thats brought him to the dance. This one wont be a match for the purists, it'll be a good old fashioned slobberknocker as JR might say and to half coin a phrase - somebody will be going home in a casket.

Buried Alive: Nightmare vs. Doomsday

Unforgiven 2002 - Rob Van Dam defeats Kane

The fact there has only ever been one Buried Alive match on PPV perviously and none in the past five years shows just how dangerous and deadly this match is. The objective is simple - bury your opponent in a grave, shoveling or pouring ten tons of dirt on top of him. Hunter may consider himself lucky afterall because unless you posses the unearthly powers of the darkside such as Kane did at Unforgiven 2002 when defeated by RVD - you will not leave this match with a career, or even possibly a life, intact.

Nightmare however, may just be the favorite. His Seven World Titles were won by a combination of natural ability, an amazing wrestling mind and a ruthless streak that saw him eliminate almost every opponent he ever faced. He will stop at nothing to defeat DD but the worrying thing for the Dark Knight is - it STILL may not be enough. Since his return to WWE, Doomsday has been feeding off the power of the darkside, wrecking havoc at the side of the Undertaker and returning to his original roots as a bonafied monster. His destruction ranges from Shawn Michaels to MNM to Sabu and this Sunday at Ford Field, DD may very well add the biggest name of all to his list of victims.

Hell in a Cell: Forxx vs Nathan James

Judgment Day 2002 - Steve Austin defeats Kane
Unforgiven 2002 - The Undertaker defeats Steve Austin
WrestleMania XIX - Silent Assassin defeats Shawn Michaels
Judgment Day 2004 - The Undertaker defeats Kane
SummerSlam 2006 - The Undertaker defeats Shawn Michaels

Of all the matches in WWE, the Hell in a Cell comes closest to that ninth circle of hell as depicted by Dante. No man enters this demonic structure and comes out the same - physically or mentally.

Twenty feet of steel mesh surround the ring, theres no way in, no way out. Two men enter as gladiators, putting it all on the line - one survives.

For make no mistake, this match is the last word in a feud, the last resort in setting a score such as the issues between Nathan James and Forxx. When these two bemoths collide on the grandest stage this Sunday, they walk into what could possibly be the most brutal match in the history of the event - not only will they both be looking to end their storied rivalry but they will be doing it inside the demonic structure known as Hell in a Cell.

The Championship has only ever been on the line inside Hell in a Cell on one occasion - the very first such match. On that night at Judgment Day 2002, Stone Cold put on an immortal match winning performance to take the Championship and Kane would be over a year in recovering his Main Event position. The second match six months later however had reverse fortunes for Austin, losing to the Undertaker it was the beginning of a mental collapse for the Rattlesnake, apparently going borderline insane and turning heel prior to his famous Icon vs Icon match with Hulk Hogan.

What Hell in a Cell does to a man mentally is well documented, however to see what it does physically, you need look no further that the SummerSlam 2006 - Shawn Michaels vs The Undertaker. This match took barbarity to an unseen level in WWE and possibly the whole of professional wrestling. For 45 minutes the bodies of these two men, HBK in particular, were put through what can only be described as cruel and unusual punishment - onto the cell, into it, off it and at one point through the door itself. Weapons and tables were used, men bled and when it was all said and done, Shawn Michaels professional career as we know it was over.

Neither Forxx nor Nathan James will hold any fear this Sunday, but those images will be in the back of their mind, they know that this match is the biggest of their lives and also the most dangerous. The stakes couldn't be any higher, careers and pride are on the line - one man will leave Ford Field with both, the loser? may very well leave with neither.