Following the conclusion of the Rock/Shamrock tournament final, Mankind entered the King of the Ring, steel chair in hand, and immediately climbed to the top of the 16-foot, two-ton steel cage that surrounded the ring. The unconventional development was met with wild encouragement from the Pittsburgh fans in attendance.
In a prelude to the severe bodily punishment that both men were to inflict upon each other, a small section of the cage roof caved in during a brief brawl between the combatants. Highlighting the very real danger involved in the staging of a Hell in a Cell match, the mesh gave way under the weight of the Undertaker and Mankind, and both had to steady themselves to avoid falling to the ground below.
Shortly after the one-minute mark, the Undertaker blocked a DDT attempt from Mankind and, in a sickeningly swift movement that would go on to become the most memorable moment in pro-wrestling history, threw his opponent off the cage. Akin to the collective gasp that met Jimmy Snukas bodysplash 15 years earlier, the Pittsburgh crowd erupted at the sight of Mankind free-falling through five metres of air before crashing into the Spanish announcers table at ringside.
