Hulk Hogan vs. Paul Orndorff

[8.0] "Another good peak Hulkamania match and I miss the classic blue bar steel cage as I get a big dose of nostalgia looking at that thing. It's a fun, dramatic and it's one of the more violent matches from this shows history. As with all of their matches, they deliver a good intense and well laid out match and what made this match stand out was the use of Danny Davies as a crooked second ref and a memorable false finish where the match is originally ruled as a tie with both men climbing over the cage at the same time and both men getting their hand raised. That was a brilliant hook to the match in an angle I don't think had ever been done on TV before where the match was restarted. Orndorff bleeds, and Heenan desperately tried to stop Hogan from winning when he got the leg drop and interferes and takes a bump in the cage while it gives Orndorff one last chance to recover and Hogan eventually won it the proper way. I've not always been a fan of the escape cage match rules, but the stipulation is used well here."

[8.0] "I think this match is fantastic, and it's not only a match, but a whole interesting and captivating angle, with a very hot crowd, and two sides of a story. This is basically the final big match of their feud, and even though it's not a conclusive finish, it's very interesting and heated. Hogan and Orndorff really understood the objective of a steel cage match, which is not necessarily dominate or inflict pain into your opponent, sometimes you just have to escape, and that's what they did the whole time, tried to escape, specially Orndorff of course, the heel of the match, who tends to be more coward. The struggle of trying to escape through the door, or climbing the cage, was great, and every near finish was bought by the crowd. At first the match ends by draw, when both wrestlers escaped from different sides, and touched the floor at the same time... it was a clever finish, completely debatable, the kind of thing people will comment and dispute for a long time, but the match restarted and Hogan managed to win properly. That was a little confuse, the restart without a referee, you keep wondering if it's for real or just a post-match brawl, that could've been better constructed, but it's good nonetheless, and Hogan won the match, even with Heenan's interference - {***3/4}"

[8.0] "Watched this on the Saturday nights main event greatest hits vhs tape and hey this is really fun. The fake finish actually got me because I just figured they were setting up a rematch. But yeah good intensity great outing by Paul Orndorff"

[6.0] "Good use of the cage and false finish. The timing was excellent. We'd have liked to see a little more from Orndorff, but the match was pretty decent, especially if you're starting to get the hang of Hogan's basic formula. In-ring quality: 0.75/4. Stakes: 2/2. Justification: ? /1. Place on card: 1/1. Suspense: 0.75/1. Bonus/Malus: none. Total: 6.5/10. Match seen on WWE Network."

[6.0] "A good solid matchup, of which Hulk doesn't have that many. I like the old fashioned cage, though the constant opening/closing of the door is annoying"

[7.0] "This is pro wrestling at its easiest, breeziest best! WWF was playing around with new, creative ideas as they began to make their mark on cable television. The double finish was a GREAT hook at the time to keep viewers engaged. Surely it worked, as tens of millions of people watched this at home! Mr. Wonderful is almost viewed as a footnote in modern professional wrestling, but it's easy to forget that he was at one point one of the biggest names in all of pro wrestling. It's a shame that he got hurt in the midst of his hot run with Hogan, as it severely limited the potential of their matches. Still, Hogan and Orndorff always went out and delivered! They made great use of the cage here, and Heenan only added to the entertainment value of the match...Good stuff all around! ***1/2"

[6.0] "This is a pretty solid match, and easily the best thing on the show. This is essentially two matches, since the match is restarted after both men hit the floor at the same time while escaping. Hogan does end up getting a clean win on Orndorff after the match is restarted. This was the conclusion to the really good rivalry between these two. Bobby Heenan was awesome here."

[5.0] "My bias against the blue bar cage is somewhat offset by Orndorff doing the match justice by blading. However, it's been a memorable feud and it needed a more memorable pay off. Logically the draw, in a cage, should have lead to something even more violent like a no holds barred match. Get them to a final solution where Hogan retains in a meaningful manner. Considering how important this feud was to the WWF and it's house show numbers in 1986, it's pretty sad it ended like this."

[7.0] "I remember watching this live as it aired and I couldn't tell who hit the ground first. I never understood Ventura's logic regarding bent knees proving Orndorff won, either. It was definitely a good match, probably the best they had together."

[7.0] "14/12/86 Saturday Night's Main Event WWF. Orndorff robbed of the title by the ever cheating Hogan, using his bandanna to strangle the life out of Mr Wonderful. This was one of the better Hogan matches. Orndorff was great and the selling was top notch. The cage gimmick was used well, but not to it's fullest, the false finish really made use of that gimmick though and really gave you a sense that Orndorff could win. The restart was a bit of a let down, rushed through, instead they could of turned it into a marathon match. Heenan once again getting trapped in the cage. The gobshite. 6.5"

[7.0] "Hulk Hogan climbing over the cage, ripping his shirt and going all Hulkamania while the fans went nuts for him, might be one of his best entrances ever. Vince McMahon mentioned this was the first-ever cage match to happen on network television as both participants made their way to the ring using the same theme song. This was your traditional WWF Steel Cage bout until the famous spot where both men's feet simultaneously touched the floor as they dropped down. They milked this for all its worth, making sure everyone stuck around for the decision after the break. Everything was at a fever pitch in the last five minutes, with several close calls that gave you the sense of it being anyone's game. Hogan stopped Heenan's interference by sending him flying over the place before climbing out for the win. Afterward, Hogan assaulted Heenan by driving him full-force out the cage door, showing how salty he was even when he already had the victory! This has all the drama a cage match needs, with the crowd being hot for every second of it. A befitting end to the spectacular Hogan/Orndorff program that carried the WWF throughout 1986. [***1/4]"

[5.0] "The first few minutes were quite exciting, the crowd was on fire. However, the match slowed down a lot and it was a bit boring until the end. The only punched, stomped and threw each other at the cage. Not bad to that era's standards but could be better."

[6.0] "The final showdown! Typical steel cage match of the day. Ends in a photo finish where Hogan CLEARLY touches the ground first and delusional Jesse Ventura insists that Orndorff touched first because "his legs are straight while Hogan's are bent? " Just give it up Jesse !"

[6.0] "This was pretty much what you would expect from a cage match between these two and Heenan. The crowd was on fire and Heenan had his time to get the crowd riled up, and of course, Hogan overcame it all for the win. Descent enough. ***"

[6.0] "Did Not enjoy this match as much as others of theirs but i did enjoy Jesse and Vince's nonstop back and forth commentary during the match. I actually thought this was quite a boring cage match but it did have its moments"

[7.0] "This was just as good as the other cage match I rate on here between Hogan and Orndorff, it was the perfect way to end what was a very successful rivalry. The drama at the end helped elevate this too. Definitely worth watching."

[8.0] "One last really good match between these two, this time a climactic cage match complete with a false finish and loads of fun in ring action. These guys almost always delivered big and they did so here."