[7.0] "Probably the best Casket Match in the history and it's hard to impress me with this stipulation, because they've tired me to death with this for the past few years. But here Taker can go against a smaller guy and throw him around, so it's not a slug like most of the other bouts of this type that he's been in. Michaels is great once again with his body language and overall charisma and watching him just move around is pure joy. Then there's a nicely produced chaos near the finish and in the aftermath with Kane clearing the house and setting Deadman on fire, which was an impressive visual. Great main event, I didn't mind it going after the Royal Rumble Match at all."
[8.0] "Not for nothing is this match considered the best Casket Match ever done in WWE, and in my opinion it deserves this "recognition". It's a very good match, with a lot of great spots to see, such as the Tombstone Piledriver inside the Casket. In addition, the spectacular post-match is historic"
[7.0] "The match that almost ended Shawn Michaels career. These two always had good chemistry, so this match was fun to watch in a big man vs. little man sort of way. That injury didn't really register at the time. It looked like a minor bump, but apparently sidelined HBK for 5 years"
[8.0] "This was actually weirdly entertaining, the wrestling was quite good, the suspense of closing the casket door was high, the ending was good shit. Probably the best casket match ever."
[7.0] "This is nowhere near the quality of their best matches, but a fun watch regardless. HBK goes full cowardly heel once again. They managed to get a good match out of the hindering stipulation and some of the casket spots are actually pretty cool. HBK diving from the top rope into the casket might have been a risky spot with little room for error, but they pulled it off magnificently. I particularly love the Tombstone into the casket. Kane comes out and turns on Undertaker, before attempting to murder him by setting fire to the casket with him inside. In a ridiculous moment that felt hilariously out of place for 1998, Undertaker cuts a promo through the PA after disappearing from the casket."
[6.0] "The famous match where Karma came back and bit Michaels in the ass in the form of an overzealous over the top rope bump to the floor and Shawn whacks his back on the casket on the way down. Taker seems to have Shawn's number but as one might expect, Kane shows up and screws Taker over which let's Shawn get a Honky Tonk Man victory and get the hell out of town. This was Shawn's last match until Mania 14 because his back was now shot. Kane sets the casket on fire with Taker in it. Taker mysteriously vanishes and then would finally take the match against Kane at Mania 14. Match was fine, but overbooking at the end with everybody interfering to save the belt for Shawn holds it back."
[7.0] "Die Michaels und Taker Fehde hat mit dem Hell in a Cell Match ihren Höhepunkt erreicht, aber das Casket Match war auch richtig gut. Beide gehen mit einer super Intensität ran und Michaels ist zwar noch immer sehr vorsichtig mit dem Taker, aber er traut sich schon mehr zu. Spots wie der Piledriver auf die Treppen und der Tombstone waren genial und gut gewählt. Das Chaos am Ende war auch unterhaltsam und Kanes Auftritt ebenso. Gefiel mir richtig gut(***3/4)."
[8.0] "This match isn't talked about much because these two have 3 matches that are much better than this but it's very good. I thought this was better than the one they had at ground zero for sure. Shawn suffers a back injury in this but you cant tell based on how he works. Shawn is actually in control for most of this which is shocking he does a great job, his selling when Taker is in control is good as well. As Taker is about to win we get a ton of interferences to set up Kane coming out to save Taker only to cost him the match a little later. It? s a finish that sets up Kane Taker at Mania and Shawn to get a win as we head into Wm.****"
[8.0] "A very good match here, especially given that Shawn waas wrestling with an injured back for most of it - unfortunately that injury would lead to him leaving wrestling for 4 years. The two only had a few filmed matches, and while this isn't the best of them it was still by far the best match on the card and well worth seeking out."
[8.0] "This was a really strong match between these two arch-rivals and it's probably the least talked/popular match because of Shawn's tragic back injury but he looked like a badass here while Undertaker was super solid with his offense being crisp without any hiccups. The interferences were meaningful and didn't overstay its welcome while the storyline advancement was on point and interesting to set up the first clash between The Brothers of Destruction at WrestleMania XIV which was a historic showdown. 4 out of 5 stars!"
[8.0] "Das war das beste Casket Match, welches ich jemals gesehen. Oft wirkt diese Stipulation unorganisch aber zum einen passte sie natürlich zum Undertaker, zum anderen konnten die beiden durchaus spannende und kreative Spots zeigen, die sie auch in die Matchstory und die Dramaturgie einbinden und nicht im luftleeren Raum zeigen. Das war ein wirklich gutes Match, welches in meinen Augen 8 Punkte verdent. Es ist echt beeindruckend, dass Michaels das Match trotz der Verletzung so beenden konnte."
[8.0] "I honestly didn't know HBK had suffered a serious injury in this match till I looked it up here, which really makes this match all the more impressive. A classic solid match, even if Michaels did some of his typical over-selling on certain spots. Crazy finish as well with the casket (with Undertaker in it) being lit on fire, though I don't really get the point of axing it so much before lighting the thing up."
[7.0] "Out of all their matches, this gets forgotten about (despite the back injury that HBK occurs early on) but it's a very good edition. It's better than the Ground Zero match for sure. Shawn Michaels looks fairly strong in this being the aggressive and most controlling out of the two. I suspect it was a decision to make Michaels look like a resilient, worthy champion for Austin to the new influx of fans that are tuning because it's usually the opposite. But he did a fine job. He kept his offence to hard punches to the head and stomach while using the aerial moves sparingly. And when Taker gained back control, Michaels pin-ball'd himself around the ring. Sometimes it was over the top but it was reserved mostly. Then they head to the finish with Kane attacking Taker after initially helping him from goons (The New Age Outlaws & Los Boricuas) and then setting the casket on fire. Super good main event with a strong finishing angle. ***1/2"
[8.0] "Not the most famous and Iconic match between this two legends, but overall it is an historic one for many reasons, first of all because it was the match that injured Shawn Michaels and that will lead him to a forced 4 years retirement. I think that there is no bad match between Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker, and the chemistry that this two have is incomparable, and they gave their all even in this match making it quiet possibly the best Casket Match ever, a Gimmick match not so easy to manage and to make it interesting. Shawn Michaels in this period was at his best as a performer and even in this match we have some moments when he is able to steal the show and leave an impressive mark in this match. First of all the Spike Piledriver on the stairs, remembrance of the first ever Hell in a Cell Match, and second that insane Cross Body into the Casket on The Undertaker inside of it. Undertaker himself is artificer of a great performance in the ring and the most remarkable move of the match is its Tombstone into the Casket, really amazing. About the ending, for the second time Kane cost to The Undertaker a match after the legendary Hell in a Cell ending at In Your House Bad Blood, making it the best storyline of the time and one of the best story ever narrated at Vince McMahon's Court. The fact that for the second time Shawn Michaels wins over Undertaker thanks to Kane's interfereance its brilliant with the Showestopper that has only to close the casket after Kane's Chokeslam on the Phenom into the Casket. The post match segment is amazing, with Kane sending on fire the Casket as the final scene of the event, making the whole match/ angle deserving of going on last rather than The Royal Rumble Match itself (to my knowlegde its the first of only two times where the Royal Rumble was not the Main Event... this time and 2006... both with a Championship match in the Main Event involving The Phenom). Only bad thing about this full segment is the misfire of Kane's fireworks in the ring before he betrayed The Undertaker for the second time... a real shame. If We should count all the 5 historic PPV matches between The Phenom and The Showstopper I think this one would go on as a fourth place, above only their first encounter at Ground Zero... not because this match is bad at all, but because the others are too great (their WrestleMania XXV/ XXVI encounters and their Bad Blood Hell in a Cell Match... we are talking about three of the greatest matches of all times, between the two greatest performers and attractions in WWE History). PS Incredible the resiliance shown by HBK that injured his back at the beginning of the match and carried himself to the finish line despite that."
[6.0] "The fact that this match was actually really good despite Shawn's horrific back injury at the start is amazing. It wouldn't say the match itself was anything more than really good, but the fact that they were able to produce this despite their circumstances is amazing. ***"
[8.0] "Richtig gutes Match dieser beiden Topstars! Alle Trademarkmanöver vom Undertaker waren zu sehen, Heartbreak Kid hat gesellt, wie es nur Michaels kann. Der Sarg wurde interessant verwendet, die erste Eingriffe waren kurz und prägnant. Und die Story-Entwicklung rund um Kane war ebenfalls klasse! Ganz klares Match of the Night."
[8.0] "Considering how badly Shawn hurt his back at the beginning of this match, it's a miracle that this was as good as it was. It's a testament to how good Shawn and indeed Undertaker were that they were able to make it look like nothing happened. Great casket match and another fine match between these two."
[8.0] "Easily the best casket match by a huge margin. The Chemistry of Taker and HBK shows at it's fullest. The Injury didn't really had an effect on Shawn during this match but overall it was a great bout. This inderectly saved Michaels because had it not been for the injury, personally i think he would have OD'ed or something because it was at this point where it was all jacked up Shawn. but thankfully he is with us today."
[10.0] "I saw this a long time ago and thought it was pretty clearly one of the lesser Taker/HBK matches, but watching it again I thought it was fantastic, especially consider Shawn is injured early on. You'd never know it from his gutsy performance, he lays it all out one last time here. Some really phenomenal cinematic moments, the only thing I didn't love was all the interference at the end but still, this is now my #3 Taker/HBK match after HIAC and WM25, yeah I think this is actually better than WM26."
[7.0] "Very fun and underrated match, definitely the best casket match in history but that's sadly not saying much since the stipulation hasn't led to many exciting matches like this one. Many gruesome spots here like the piledriver on the steel steps a la Badd Blood and the tombstone into the casket is a very cool spot. Love the visual of Michaels being dragged into the casket near the end of the match, Michaels' selling overall is phenomenal as usual. The back body drop on the casket to Michaels broke his spine but you wouldn't know by watching the full match, Michaels was a true professional here. Finish is a bit overbooked though, but the Kane turn was good in advancing their storyline. ***1/2"
[7.0] "Dieser Mainer liefert ein sehr wuchtiges Cagematch und eine Weiterführung der Kane-Story für den Undertaker. Zunächst bekommt Michaels eine ähnliche Packung wie beim HIAC Ende des letzten Jahres, aber hier darf er auch mehr Offensive zeigen, liefert aber auch dramatische Bumps. Einer dieser Bumps verpasst ihm dann eine tragische Rückenbverletzung, die ihm in den Folgewochen noch ordentlich zu schaffen machen und zu einer über vierjährigen Pause führen wird. Das ist bis dahin aber alles ein würdiges Titelmatch, bis es zu einem der härtesten Schock-Effekte der Attitude-Zeit kommt. Die Casket-Stipulation schadet dem flüssigen Ablauf jedoch eher, als dass sie ihm dienlich ist."
[8.0] "Das war wohl zweifelsohne das beste Sarg-Match aller Zeiten. Nicht nur mangels Konkurrenz sondern weil es auch objektiv betrachtet wirklich klasse war."
[8.0] "Nicht das beste Match der Beiden, aber es wurden genug Spots gesetzt um es unvergesslich zu machen. Nur das Finish, der Eingriff von Kane, hat das Match ziemlich runter gezogen. Dennoch unterhaltsam!"
[7.0] "It's not the best match from them, but it's still enjoyable thanks to many dangerous moves and the terrible Piledriver that broke Shawn Michaels' career for years. Most of the match has a good building, I still think it should have been before the Royal Rumble match. ***1/2"
[7.0] "Gutes Casket Match, allerdings nicht die beste Auseinandersetzung zwischen dem Undertaker und Shawn Michaels. Eigentlich bin ich kein Fan von Casket Matches, aber dieses hier ist wirklich gut. Michaels und der Taker können zusammen gar nicht enttäuschen! Das Ende mit Kane und dem brennenden Sarg war klasse gemacht. ***1/2 von mir."
[6.0] "Irgendwo zwischen sechs und sieben Punkten, Tendenz eher zu der Sechs. Solides und routiniert durchgeführtes Casket Match der beiden, aber viel mehr war es dann auch nicht."
[8.0] "Richtig gutes Match bei dem der Sarg auch immer wieder gut mit einbezogen wurde. Der Schocker war natürlich das Spektakel danach mit dem brennenden Sarg."
[8.0] "Solid match. Exact same booking at the 94 casket match but better execution. I liked the original beginning that was effective with lots of reversals without the usual wristlock, hammerlock, side headlock, criss cross, etc. Also, the heavily booked ending seemed to fit this better than the also awesome Ground Zero match ***3/4"
[6.0] "Für ein Casket-Match war es gar nicht einmal so schlecht. Die Stipulation kann einfach gar nichts und sollte nur genutzt werden wenn der Undertaker gegen schlechte Wrestler wie Kamala oder Yokozuna antritt um deren Defizite zu kaschieren. Aber gegen einen Gegener wie HBK ist das einfach nur ein verschenktes Match. Das Finish war zu allem Überfluss auch noch 1 zu 1 vom Finish Undertaker gegen Yokozuna von den Survivor Series geklaut. Kane hat es dann noch halbwegs gerettet. Der brennende Sarg war schon echt ein Schocker, aber das hat die WWE dann Jahre später bei Undertaker gegen den Legendkiller auch nochmal verwendet. Insgesamt also ein ordentliches Match, dass nicht langweilt aber es gab auch viele bessere Kämpfe zwischen den beiden."
[7.0] "Ein unterhaltsames Match und das wohl beste Casket Match der WWE Geschichte. Vorteil war einfach, dass der Taker mit HBK den Casket eher ins Match einbinden konnte als mit seinen sonstigen Casket Match Gegnern (Yokozuna, Kama usw. ). Der Tombstone in den Sarg war z. B. ein wahnsinniger Spot und das Highlight des Matches. Ärgerlich natürlich, dass sich HBK in diesem Match seine schwere Rückenverletzung zuzog. ***1/2 auch von mir."
[7.0] "Ordentliches Aufeinandertreffen der beiden, mit derbem Piledriver auf die Ringecke, sowie dem Smash und dem Tombestone in den Sarg. Trotz dieser Aktionen war das eines der schwächeren Aufeinandertreffen der beiden, was sicher auch dem Umstand der Story-Fortführung geschuldet ist. Sollte man, gerade im Hinblick auf das After-Match-Segment, mal anschauen, ist aber nichts, was die Klassikerlisten von oben grüßt."
[6.0] "Ich war persönlich noch nie ein großer Fan von Casket-Match, die Gründe hierfür haben meine Vorgänger schon zur Genüge ausgeführt. Der Matchverlauf an sich war dennoch durchaus Sehenswert und der spannende Eingriff Kanes sowie die Vorgänge nach Ende des Matches, welche die Bruderfehde sinnvoll fortführen, heben meine Bewertung. Leider schlussendlich ein nicht ganz würdiges Finale der starken Fehde zwischen dem Undertaker und Michaels."
[7.0] "Zwar eine der schwächeren Matches zwischen HBK und dem Taker, aber gleichzeitig das beste Casket-Match, das ich bisher gesehen habe. Ein paar sehenswerte Aktionen wie der Backbodydrop auf den Sarg, der für HBK wohl garnicht so ohne gewesen sein soll, sowie der Pildriver auf die Ringtreppe gibt es schon. Natürlich ist Match dann mehr von der Sargverbrennung durch Kane danach geprägt, da einem das Match an sich nicht so in Erinnerung bleibt."
[6.0] "Für ein Casket Match eigentlich ganz ordentlich mit ein paar netten Sarg-Spots wie Tombstone oder Flying Elbow in den Sarg und auch sonst anständigen Leistungen vom Taker und Michaels. Grundsätzlich stört diese Stipulation aber halt den Matchfluss und auch Hunters Eingriffe sowie das (94er Rumble Memorial) Finish sind Abzüge. Und dann versagt bei Kane's Turn im Ring auch noch die Pyro-Technik. Der brennende Sarg ist aber zumindest etwas, für das man dieses Match in Erinnerung behält."
[7.0] "Sicher das schwächste Aufeinandertreffen der Beiden, aber auch sicher eines der besten oder das beste Casket Match überhaupt. Gab einige schöne Moves bei denen der Sarg auch gut miteingebunden wurde. Die Eingriffe am Ende riefen starke Erinnerungen an ein etwas älteres Casket Match wach, aber durch den Angle des verbrennenden Sarges nach dem Match wurde das wieder ausgebügelt. Ok, es war recht vorhersehbar, dass Kane hier eingreifen würde und das der Taker sicher nicht Champion werden würde, aber dennoch, es war unterhaltsam. Leider verletzte sich Michaels im Laufe dieses Matches sehr schwer, aber da das im Match noch überhaupt nicht auffällt beeinflußt das auch nicht die Note."
[7.0] "Schönes Casket Match, auch wenn die Fehde schon als beendet galt. Trotzdem noch schönes Wrestling, trotz zu vieler Eingriffe. Das Anzünden des Sargs durch Kane ist auf jeden Fall jedem in Erinnerung geblieben. 7 Punkte."
[8.0] "Bestes Casket Match aller Zeiten, die beiden haben gezeigt was man mit nem Sarg alles machen kann. Leider hat sich HBK in dem Match seine Rückenverletzung zugezogen, dennoch ein starkes Match, mit krassem Aftermath. ***3/4"
[8.0] "Ein zu langes Match mit zu vielen Eingriffen! Abgesehen davon hatte man irgendwann das Gefühl, dass hier die Taker/Michaels Fehde, die im Herbst eigentlich schon beendet wurde, gar keine Bedeutung mehr fand, sondern sowieso jeder auf den Staredown Kane/Undertaker wartete. Aufgrund der perfekt abgewickelten Storyline mit dem Verbrennen des Sargs am Ende bekommt das Match noch ne knappe 2 von mir."
