Cage of Death

The Cage Of Death is the Combat Zone Wrestling promotion's biggest annual professional wrestling show, which happens at the end of the year and always features the eponymous Cage Of Death match.

The Cage Of Death match has many different variations. The first two were simple pin to win cage matches with weapons littered in the cage (such as light tubes, glass panes, barbed wire).

Cage of Death
The first Cage Of Death was held on October 16, 1999 in Mantua, NJ where Lobo defeated Justice Pain in the first Cage of Death match for the Iron Man title.

CZW Cage of Death II...After Dark
The second Cage of Death took place on September 9, 2000 in Sewell, NJ and saw Lobo defeat John Zandig in the first Cage of Death match of the night. Justice Pain came out and wrestled Lobo in another Cage of Death Match. Justice Pain defeated Lobo for the CZW Title.

Cage of Death 3
Cage of Death 3 took place on December 15, 2001 in Philadelphia, PA, it was the companies first show in the ECW Arena and saw Justice Pain defeat Wifebeater.

The third Cage Of Death had the CZW World Heavyweight Title above the cage and the only way to win was to climb onto a scaffold laying across the top of the cage and grab the belt.

Cage of Death 4
This show took place on December 13, 2002 in Philadelphia, PA at the Viking Hall and saw John Zandig defeat Lobo in a Cage of Death match for the ownership of CZW. This fourth one followed the pattern of the third, except it was a contract of ownership for CZW instead of the CZW Championship.

According to John Zandig, the match was slightly cut short as Lobo was clearly injured after he was Mother F'n Bombed (Zandig's signature move) off the scaffold into a table with thumbtacks and a glass pane held up above the table by chairs. Lobo also broke the ring when he fell through.

This was the last Cage Of Death to use electricity as a hazard (Lobo was electrocuted early in the match).

Cage of Death V: Suspended
Cage Of Death V took place on December 13, 2003 in Philadelphia, PA where Team Ultraviolence (John Zandig, Lobo, Wifebeater, Ian Knoxx, Nick Gage, and New Jack) defeated Hi-V (The Messiah, Nate Hatred, Trent Acid, Adam Flash, Johnny Kashmere, and B-Boy).

The fifth Cage Of Death was a 6 on 6 match where there were two rings. One was the actual cage and the other was a ring filled with a million thumbtacks. There was a suspended metal scaffold leading from the stage to the Cage of Death. This scaffold also hung over the other ring. To win the match, you either had to get your entire team from the stage, into the cage, and back across the scaffold to the stage, or eliminate the entire other team. A wrestler was eliminated once they hit the floor.

Cage Of Death 5 won a poll in 2007 as 'Best Cage Of Death In History'.

Cage of Death VI
Cage Of Death VI took place on December 11, 2004 in the ECW Arena (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) where there were two Cage Of Death matches. One saw Team Ca$h (Chri$ Ca$h, J.C. Bailey, Nate Webb, and Sexxxy Eddy) defeat Team Blackout (Ruckus, Sabian, Eddie Kingston, and Jack Evans). The other match saw the battle of The H8 Club as Wifebeater & Justice Pain took on Nate Hatred & Nick Gage.

In the 4 on 4 elimination match wrestlers were eliminated when they hit the floor. The cage surrounded two rings, and there was also a scaffold on top of the cage where Maven Bentley and Robbie Mireno were holding the CZW Tag Team belts.

The other Cage Of Death match was a Fans Bring the Weapons match inside the cage. Wifebeater and Justice Pain won after Nick Gage turned on Nate Hatred by driving him through a pane of glass covered in salt and thumbtacks. Immediately after the match Pain and Gage turned on Wifebeater.

Cage of Death 7: Living in Sin
Cage Of Death 7 took place on December 10, 2005 in Philadelphia, PA New Alhambra Arena(ECW/CZW Arena) where The H8 Club & John Zandig defeated The Tough Crazy Bastards (Necro Butcher and Toby Klein), and Joker.

That years Cage of Death was a big octagon constructed around the ring with barbed wire around the top. Lots of other hardcore elements like a spidernet of barbed wire, thumbtack turnbuckles, barbed wire bats and also a pair of scaffolds and four tables placed inside the Cage.

Death Before Dishonor IV
The first Cage of Death that didn't take place at either a Cage of Death or CZW show took place on July 15, 2006 at rival promotion Ring of Honor's Death before Dishonor IV. The match, used to settle the seven month interpromotional feud between the two companies, was held in the same cage as Cage of Death 7. CZW's Chris Hero, Claudio Castagnoli, Necro Butcher, Nate Webb and Eddie Kingston lost the five-on-five match to ROH's Samoa Joe, BJ Whitmer, Adam Pearce, Ace Steel and Homicide. Homicide was sixth man for Ring of Honor, and entered the match after Bryan Danielson betrayed ROH by attacking Samoa Joe, who was then forced to quit the match.

Cage of Death 8: Coming Undone
Cage of Death 8 took place on December 9, 2006 where in a Loser Must Retire Fans Bring the Weapons Cage of Death match, Nick Gage pinned Zandig in a four way that also involved Lobo and LuFisto (in a last minute addition). The cage was an all new design made of wood and barbed wire featuring platforms, barbed wire spider nets, glass, and other assorted weapons. This was the first ever four way Cage of Death match, and the first one with a female participant.