The First 10 Casket Matches, Ranked From Worst To Best

Casket matches are The Undertaker’s specialty, and there are no surprises that he has been featured predominantly in these matches. During the 1990s, there were a plethora of casket matches in WWE which were some remarkable contests and others were utterly atrocious. Gimmick matches sometimes can be letdowns but casket matches have generally delivered. The keys to victory are simple, place your opponent inside of the casket and close the lid for the win.

Nevertheless, it’s virtually a hardcore match as anything goes with no count-outs or disqualifications. It’s a morbid match type for sure as no one wants to be locked inside of an air-tight casket. However, due to the physicality of the danger of this match, there was a notable injury that robbed four years off a big name’s career, more on that later.

10 Mideon & Viscera Vs. Triple H (SmackDown 9/23/99)

Triple H had his work cut out for him if he was going to participate in the six-pack challenge for the vacant WWE Championship at Unforgiven 1999. The Game collided with Mideon and Viscera in the first-ever handicap Casket Match on the September 23, 1999 edition of SmackDown.

The Game was originally scheduled to meet Undertaker, but he was nursing an injury and walked out of WWE that night. It was a dreadful match, and the casket was only big enough to put one opponent in there. Triple H lost the contest in a forgotten Casket Match.

9 The Undertaker Vs. Kane (Raw 10/19/98)

The Undertaker and Kane met countless times in 1998, and their matches were starting to become tedious every time they met. Undertaker reconciled with Paul Bearer, turning heel for the first time in six years. The brothers collided in a Casket Match on the October 19, 1998, episode of Raw is War.

The casket may as well have been a prop, as Undertaker and Kane destroyed the casket completely. They beat the living hell out of each other, and the match ended up being ruled as a no-contest with no definitive winner.

8 The Undertaker Vs. Kamala (Survivor Series 1992)

The first Casket match was actually called a Coffin Match which took place at Survivor Series 1992. The Undertaker collided with Kamala, who had been a thorn in his side in the latter stages of the year.

Unfortunately, the match was disappointing, and to win the match you had to pin your opponent before you could put them in the casket. Undertaker demolished Kamala with ease, and Bearer handed Undertaker some nails as he physically nailed the casket shut with a hammer.

7 The Undertaker Vs. The Rock (Raw 5/17/99)

The Undertaker and The Rock had two blockbuster matches heading into Over The Edge 1999, but they still competed in a Casket Match on the May 17, 1999, edition of Raw is War. Unfortunately, Undertaker was limping in the ring, which signaled that he was not in peak condition to put on a vintage performance.

Nonetheless, they put on a decent match which could have been better. However, Undertaker’s Corporate Ministry ally Triple H interfered by clocking Rock’s arm with a vicious sledgehammer smash. The Undertaker prevailed but The Game destroyed the casket with The People’s Champion helpless inside it.

6 The Undertaker Vs. King Mabel (In Your House 5: Seasons Beatings)

Undertaker returned to action at Survivor Series 1995, and he sported a Phantom of the Opera-like mask after King Mabel crushed his orbital bone. At In Your House 5: Seasons Beatings, Undertaker was hellbent to lay King Mabel to rest in a casket match.

The two hard-hitters went head-to-head and mercifully the match wasn’t overly long as King Mabel was not trusted to be in the ring with the big names. Undertaker stuffed King Mabel and his manager Mo in the casket, and his year-long quest to regain the remnants of the urn was finally over.

5 Yokozuna Vs. The Undertaker (Royal Rumble 1994)

For the first time, the WWE Championship was defended in a Casket Match with Yokozuna putting his title on the line against The Undertaker at the 1994 Royal Rumble. Yokozuna was deathly afraid of caskets, and he did everything in his power to ensure that he hung onto the WWE Title.

The match itself wasn’t the greatest, and Yokozuna outsmarted Undertaker by throwing salt in his face. Moreover, Undertaker was in pole position to reclaim the WWE Title but several heels including Diesel and Jeff Jarrett viciously assaulted Undertaker. Yokozuna retained the WWE Championship but Undertaker seemingly descended to the Heavens after the match.

4 Goldust Vs. The Undertaker (In Your House 8: Beware Of Dog)

The Intercontinental Championship eluded Undertaker during his illustrious career, and he had a shot at Goldust’s title in a casket match at In Your House 8: Beware of Dog. Undertaker snuck up on The Bizarre One before the match even began to get the early advantage.

This is an underrated Casket Match, and Goldust showed that he was capable of going toe-to-toe with Undertaker. The Deadman Tombstoned Goldust and proceeded to place him in the casket but his bitter rival Mankind emerged and caught Undertaker with the Mandible Claw, which in turn allowed Goldust to retain the Intercontinental Title.

3 The Undertaker Vs. Kama Mustafa (SummerSlam 1995)

Undertaker’s year-long feud with the Million Dollar Corporation finally culminated at SummerSlam 1995. Undertaker took on his fellow Bone Street Krew member Kama Mustafa in Undertaker’s specialty, a Casket Match.

Kama didn’t quite click in this persona but he put on a couple of underrated matches with Shawn Michaels at King of the Ring 1995 and followed it up with another sublime outing at SummerSlam. The match was physical with Kama putting up a good fight but The Deadman proved to be too strong registering another win in a casket match.

2 The Undertaker Vs. Yokozuna (Survivor Series 1994)

The Undertaker made his grand return at SummerSlam 1994 after he was on the shelf for seven months nursing some nagging injuries. Undertaker reignited his feud with Yokozuna, and the two former WWE Champions headlined Survivor Series 1994 in another Casket Match.

However, there was an added caveat with Chuck Norris, the law in this match as the special guest enforcer. Unfortunately, his presence did not stop interference from occurring with King Kong Bundy emerging in the aisle which allowed IRS to attack Undertaker. This casket match was better than their Rumble outing, and The Deadman handed Yokozuna his comeuppance by placing Yoko in the double-wide, double-deep casket.

1 Shawn Michaels Vs. The Undertaker (Royal Rumble 1998)

Unquestionably, Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker’s Casket Match at the 1998 Royal Rumble for HBK’s WWE Championship was the best in WWE history. The Deadman was hunting for revenge after Michaels cost him the WWE Title at SummerSlam 1997.

Unfortunately, Michaels sustained a serious back injury when Undertaker attempted to throw Michaels over the casket. HBK’s back caught the back edge of the coffin. Remarkably, HBK showed hardly any signs of pain and put on an instant clinic with Undertaker. The Deadman executed a jaw-dropping Tombstone Piledriver onto the casket. Ultimately, Kane interfered and aided Michaels in retaining the WWE Title, and the casket was set ablaze afterward by Kane and Paul Bearer.