Buried Alive match
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A Buried Alive Match is a type of professional wrestling match occasionally seen in World Wrestling Entertainment. The objective is for one wrestler to completely cover his incapacitated opponent in a designated area of the arena, set up as a "grave." A winner is declared when, in the judgement of the referee, the opponent has been "buried alive."
Generally, these matches are no-disqualification affairs; outside interference, illegal manueuvers and use of objects are allowed, and countouts are disregarded.
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[edit] History
The Buried Alive" match was introduced at WWF In Your House 11: Buried Alive, as part of the feud between The Undertaker and Mankind. The Undertaker has fought in each of the four "Buried Alive" matches to date, compiling a 2-2 record vs. his opponents. As such, these matches have been used to settle the Undertaker's feuds, or – more often than not – intensify them.
[edit] Match History
| No. | Match | Event, Date and Location | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | The Undertaker defeated Mankind | In Your House 11: Buried Alive October 20, 1996, Indianapolis, Indiana |
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| II | Stone Cold Steve Austin defeated The Undertaker | In Your House 26: Rock Bottom December 13, 1998, Vancouver, British Columbia |
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| III | The Undertaker and The Big Show defeated Mankind and The Rock to win the WWF Tag Team Championship |
WWF SmackDown! September 9, 1999, Albany, New York |
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| IV | Vince McMahon defeated The Undertaker |
Survivor Series November 16, 2003, Dallas, Texas |
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[edit] Escaping the "grave"
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What is implied by losing a "Buried Alive" match is that the defeated wrestler really has been "buried alive," and his fate left unclear.
A once-popular myth held that the losing wrestler simply waited until the end of the show, breathing via an oxygen canister, and then was dug out. However, this is not the case due to such dangers as the wrestler suffocating beneath the weight of the dirt, or the oxygen canister failing.
In reality, the wrestler booked to be defeated escapes the "grave" via trap door on one side of the pre-dug hole. The wrestler lies in the grave until enough dirt has been piled onto the hole to conceal the escape and create the illusion that he has been "buried alive", at which point he moves into the hidden chamber joined to the grave.
The construction of the grave is crucial to the act. The grave is a precisely constructed fibreglass fabrication. This can be observed by watching the sides of the grave. If the grave were real, dirt would be cascading down the sides of the grave during the show, which does not happen.
The grave is constructed backstage as a two-chambered contraption. The first chamber is the open grave. The second chamber is hidden. The pile of dirt is always on the same side of the grave to conceal the exit hatch from the hidden chamber. The open grave has a trapdoor on the right side of it which leads to the hidden chamber in which the wrestler who is "buried alive" sits in until the end of the show. A flashlight, towel and some water are placed in the hidden chamber for the wrestler who stays there until the end of the show. If the match takes place in the middle of the show, an oxygen container might also be provided.
These two chambers are then covered with sod, and a pile of dirt is placed on top of the grave. To enhance the appearance, real dirt is placed around the grave to create a "mound" effect. Stagehands touch up the grave, add a headstone, and do some last minute cosmetic touches to complete the grave. The headstone serves to block the view of fans behind the grave so they can't see the escape. The pile of dirt serves a similar purpose, to block the view of fans sitting to the right of the grave. Dirt is also placed into the grave to cushion the fall of the wrestler who falls in.
During the show, the buried wrestler falls into the grave. Once inside the grave, the camera cuts away while the victorious wrestler begins to dump dirt into the grave. The buried wrestler waits for a bit of dirt to fall in before making his escape through the trap door. The buried performer then waits in the chamber until the arena is empty of spectators before he can come out. This myth can also have arguable proof. WWF In Your House: Rock Bottom featured a match between The Undertaker and Stone Cold Steve Austin when, part-way through the match, an explosion came from inside the grave and Kane emerged from the grave to attack The Undertaker. It would be unlikely that Kane was just "lying in wait" in the grave, but was indeed in the secret trapdoor when the explosion happened.
When it is time for the buried wrestler to get out, stagehands take the pile of dirt on top of the hidden hatch and shovel it into the half-filled grave to reveal the hatch. The hatch is opened, and the performer comes out, still alive.
Contrary to popular belief, there are no hidden tunnels to the locker rooms, as WWE plays in arenas either where the floor is concrete, or in ice hockey venues, where either the concrete or the ice under the floorboards would make a tunnel impractical.
