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WWE Superstars and roaring flames share a long history. From classic Inferno matches to shockingly brutal backstage brawls - several Superstars have relied on fire to establish their dominance on the roster. As dangerous as it may seem, involving fire in WWE matches have allowed the promotion to create an instant buzz amidst the pro wrestling business. As a result, the creative decides to take this risk time and again in order to book jaw-dropping segments.
In this article, we will take a look at five memorable instances in WWE history during which Superstars were set on fire. So, without further ado, let’s begin.
#5 Randy Orton sets ‘The Fiend’ Bray Wyatt on fire (WWE TLC 2020)
We will kick off our list with the latest example of a WWE Superstar setting his opponent on fire. All hell broke loose in the main event of WWE TLC 2020 when Randy Orton picked a huge victory over The Fiend by burning the latter inside the ring. This spot ended up closing the show and made the first-ever edition of Firefly Inferno match look super exciting.
The history shared between Orton, Bray Wyatt, and sky-high flames date back to 2017 when The Viper burned down the Wyatt Compound. This ruthless act also led to Sister Abigail’s death in the storyline, which would have a long-lasting effect on Bray Wyatt. Three years later, the creative banked on the shared history between both these Superstars and brought Orton and The Fiend face-to-face on WWE RAW.
The Fiend continued to torment Randy Orton for weeks, but the latter eventually found a way to gain the upper hand in this feud. He took each of Wyatt’s tricks and turned it against him. Orton even managed to use Alexa Bliss to expose The Fiend’s weakness. Ultimately, he managed to put The Fiend in a casket and set it on fire on RAW’s go-home show before TLC.
However, The Fiend managed to open the box and grabbed Orton by his throat. Following that, WWE announced that their match at TLC would be a Firefly Inferno match. This accounted for the final bout of the WWE pay-per-view in which both The Fiend and Randy Orton gave their best to deliver an entertaining match. At one point, The Fiend was close to setting Orton on fire, but the latter narrowly escaped.
Orton then quickly turned things around when he put The Fiend through the fire on the ringside. The latter’s jacket caught on fire as he struggled to get back inside the ring. Back inside the squared circle, Orton greeted his opponent with a devastating RKO that left The Fiend motionless on the match. He then poured gasoline over The Fiend and set him on fire to win the match. This attempted murder in the show's closing moments accounted for one of the best spots that we saw in WWE this year.
#4 Daniel Bryan puts Kane through a flaming table (WWE Extreme Rules 2014)
In 2014, Daniel Bryan won the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania, but he had a lot more trouble heading his way. Later in the same month, Bryan was celebrating his marriage with Brie Bella inside the ring. The joyous occasion was interrupted by Stephanie McMahon who announced that Bryan would have to defend his title against Kane at Extreme Rules.
Kane was in the audience at this point, and he immediately made his way to the ring in order to lay down a vicious attack on Bryan. He delivered three deadly Tombstone Piledrivers. Both Superstars then locked horns at Extreme Rules the following month with Bryan’s WWE World Heavyweight Championship on the line.
This was a brutal match that saw both Bryan and Kane rely on devastating in-ring maneuvers. From backstage brawl to high-flying moves off the top of a forklift, we saw everything transpire in this encounter. In the closing moments of this WWE match, Kane got his hands on the table, and he set it on fire using lighter fluid.
However, this quickly turned out to be ugly for Kane when Bryan pulled the rope and managed to throw his opponent through the table. The officials on the side quickly used a fire extinguisher to get the flames under control following which Bryan hit Kane with a well-executed Running Knee. This allowed Bryan to successfully retain his WWE World Heavyweight Championship while Kane battled through the burn marks.
#3 Kane sets MVP on fire (WWE Armageddon 2006)
Upon his debut on WWE SmackDown, MVP demanded tougher challenges on the brand. Unfortunately for him, Kane decided to answer those challenges, which led to a huge rivalry between them. Surprisingly, MVP managed to defeat Kane in a Street Fight as well as in a Steel Cage match with the help of Mr. Kennedy. These events led to their Inferno match at WWE Armageddon 2006.
For the first time in seven years, WWE had decided to keep the Inferno match for a pay-per-view. In fact, it was the first match of the show, and it did not go well for MVP. MVP tried to escape the ring multiple times, but he couldn’t do it because all sides of the ring was burning. To make things worse, Kane would knock him down every time MVP ran back inside the squared circle.
Finally, Kane grabbed MVP and started pushing him into the fire in order to win the match. The latter’s entire backside quickly caught fire and he ran onto the ramp to save himself. Thankfully, there were others with fire extinguishers who helped in controlling the flames while Kane celebrated his jaw-dropping victory at WWE Armageddon inside the ring.
#2 Randy Orton sets The Undertaker on fire (WWE No Mercy 2005)
The feud between The Undertaker and Randy Orton started at WWE SummerSlam that year when 'Taker lost his match against Orton owing to an interference from Bob Orton. The father-son duo then continued to tease The Undertaker by putting his mannequin inside a casket. Needless to say, Undertaker returned the favor and did the same to show the future of the Ortons at WWE No Mercy later that year.
At the pay-per-view, Undertaker was scheduled to face Bob and Randy Orton in a two-on-one Handicap match. This was a Casket match and the only way to win the match was by putting the opponent inside the casket that was kept at ringside. After an engaging in-ring battle, Undertaker was successful in shutting ‘Cowboy’ Bob Orton inside the said casket.
However, he failed to do the same thing with Randy Orton. As soon as Undertaker opened the casket, Bob Orton sprayed a fire extinguisher that temporarily blinded Undertaker. He was then thrown in by Randy Orton who then sealed the casket to win the match. Surprisingly, that was not enough for Randy Orton as he then started hitting the casket with continuously with an axe.
After repeatedly hitting the casket, Randy Orton and his father poured gasoline all over it and set it on fire. Everyone inside the arena got up to their feet as they acknowledged the cruel actions carried out by the father-son duo. Randy Orton stood there staring in shock as Undertaker’s casket was burning in flames.
#1 The Undertaker burns Kane (WWE Unforgiven: In Your House 1998)
Kane and his love for playing with fire is no secret. Throw in The Undertaker and Kane's kayfabe brotherhood into the mix, and we have an instant classic. This pay-per-view featured the first-ever Inferno match in WWE history. In an iconic encounter, we saw Undertaker and Kane engage in a brutal battle to see who would be the first to throw their opponent into the fire.
This match was well-balanced with both Superstars taking turns to dominate the match. Even chokeslams from both The Undertaker and Kane couldn’t keep them down. Several spots during the match saw them narrowly escaping the gruesome contact with fire. At this point, Paul Bearer managed to throw a chair inside the ring, which allowed Kane to keep Undertaker down for a while.
Following that, Kane tried to escape the arena, but Vader stopped him. In the meantime, Undertaker took care for Paul Bearer by driving his head through a bass drum. He then took the steel chair from his hand and used it to attack Kane inside the ring. Finally, Undertaker delivered a big boot to push Kane through the roaring flames. Kane’s right hand instantly caught fire, and he ran outside the arena, screaming in agony while The Undertaker stood victorious inside the ring in a historic WWE match.
