Bruce Prichard has given some behind-the-scenes details regarding one of the most dangerous stipulation matches in WWE history.
Debuting at Unforgiven 1998, the rules of the Inferno Match were simple, whoever lit their opponent on fire first was the winner. With the rivalry between The Undertaker and Kane reaching a boiling point at the time, The Brothers of Destruction faced off against one another in the debut of the stipulation.
Throughout the match, flames would shoot up in the air when the competitors took bumps. As the company was literally playing with fire at this point, management needed someone trustworthy to make sure that neither man was burned prematurely.
Discussing the stipulation on the Something to Wrestle podcast, Prichard confirmed that former Stooge and Hall of Famer Gerald Brisco was the one tasked with controlling the flames and how the flames shot up with every bump:
“Yeah, and that was just something that happened. Do, Gerry was there because you want somebody that you can trust and sh*t. We found that when they would take bumps, he started hitting the thing. It was like, ‘Hey, that’s cool. Do that on every bump.’ So he did. He controlled it. Every time they would take a bump, he would do it. He was just messing around at first.”
There have been 6 Inferno matches in WWE history. The most recent took place in 2020 when Randy Orton faced “The Fiend” and engulfed Bray Wyatt in flames after the match.
Bruce Prichard Holds Nothing Back Regarding Former WWE Star
Although Prichard has seen the rise of some of the biggest stars in pro wrestling history during his tenure with the company, not everyone can become a household name. During a previous episode of his podcast, Bruce Prichard described a former WWE star as “Absolutely rotten.”
H/t to Fightful.