“Tell My Family I Love ‘Em” – Rikishi Was Scared for His Life before The Undertaker Chokeslammed Him from the Steel Cage

The Undertaker dropped more than one Superstar from the top of the steel cage during his illustrious career, especially at Hell in a Cell. One Superstar on the list is Rikishi.

The event was Armageddon 2000. The Undertaker had warned Rikishi not to push his limits prior to the multi-Superstar match. The duo climbed to the top of the cage, and Taker chokeslammed Rikishi off the cage. He fell on a truck filled with pine chip bed.

Now, Rikishi revealed that before taking the fall, he told The Deadman to let his family know he loves them. The reason? Had Rikishi not fallen exactly where he was supposed to, quite unfortunate things would have happened.

“I already knew I had to take that bump. That was the money bump. But when it came out and I seen those railings, in my mind, I’m good. But if I don’t hit my mark on that flatbed, I might as well say — I wouldn’t be here today to talk to you. So when that time came, you know, Taker had grabbed me in the chokehold. And I just paused for a minute. Because I didn’t know if this was gonna be the end of me or am I gonna make it. And the last thing I said to him, I said, ‘Tell my family I love em.’”

The reason Rikishi said that is because the setting of the arena had changed. It differed from what they had seen during the walk-through. Even though they knew it had to be done, the former Superstar knew the change in settings could result in devastation.

“When the time came for what we call a walk-through, the walk-through is like, ‘We’re gonna see where you’re coming from here to here’. And during that time during the walk-through, that same flatbed when it came out the first time, there was no steel railings. There was no steel railings here. But during the live show when they came out, there were steel railings here. Now, you’re trained as a professional wrestler–during a live show–is to adapt. The show goes on.”

Read More: The Undertaker Recalls “The Craziest Thing” About Hell in a Cell Match With Mankind

Rikishi continues to benefit from that moment

In the interview, Rikishi revealed that while the fall wasn’t ideal, and had several dangers attached to it, he continues to earn from it.

“So Hell In A Cell for me, I love it because ‘till today, every time they show a Hell In A Cell pay-per-view, I get residuals because they show me falling backwards off that cage from Undertaker.” H/t Post Wrestling

To this day, it remains one of the most dangerous yet thrilling moments of WWE history.

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