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There is no doubt that Hell In A Cell is easily one of the most recognizable stipulations in WWE. Having been in the WWE scene for more than two decades, the match has simultaneously destroyed and created many WWE careers. Along with the Elimination Chamber and TLC Match, it is the most violent and brutal match that the WWE has to offer to the fans.
However, just like any other stipulation, Hell In A Cell has seen many ups and downs during its 21 year existence. While some of the matches inside the Cell are counted among the very best in pro wrestling history, the response to a few others is exactly the opposite. Among the 38 Cell matches that have taken place so far, there are a few matches that helped improve the legacy of The Demonic Structure. Here are the 5 matches that define Hell in a Cell's legacy.
#5 The New Day(c) vs The Usos - Smackdown Tag Team Championship (Hell in a Cell 2017)
Before the 2017 edition of Hell in a Cell pay per view, 36 matches had taken place inside The Devil's Playground in the 20 years since its inception. However, for the majority of those matches, the stipulation was either used to end a highly personal rivalry or had a World Championship involved. Rarely, and by rarely I mean only 3 times, was the stipulation used to feature tag teams inside the Hell in a Cell, all of which involved full-time single superstars.
It all, however, changed in 2017. The rivalry between The Usos and The New Day was the only shining light during that abysmal summer of 2017 for WWE's Blue Brand, and the two teams traded Tag Titles with each other and constantly wrestled outstanding matches for almost four months. This match, the first Hell in a Cell match to feature a Tag Team Title defense and two proper tag teams, was the summit of that stunning rivalry.
Not only did this match bring the best out of the two crown jewels of WWE's Tag Team Division, it was the perfect example of what the Tag Team Division is capable of doing, inside the Cell, if they are given an opportunity.
The two teams wrestled a barn-burner of a match that was super violent and was easily the best match of the night, something that could be seen as an example in the future years. While it was The Usos who emerged with the titles, in the end, the real winner was the entire WWE Tag Team Division.
#4 Sasha Banks(c) vs Charlotte - Raw Women's Championship (Hell in a Cell 2016)
Exactly one year before WWE decided to put all the limelight on its Tag Team Division inside the Hell in a Cell, they did something that seemed impossible just 5 years ago. Not only did two Women Superstars main event a pay per view for the first time in history, they did so inside the Cell. It was a mighty bold decision on WWE's part to have two of the biggest female Superstars on the roster wrestle inside the most dangerous stipulation.
This match between Charlotte and Sasha Banks, along with the arrival of the two and Becky Lynch on the main roster and their Triple Threat match at WrestleMania 32, is considered as the start of the Women's Revolution in WWE. Add to the fact that it was the main event of the show, ahead of two other Cell matches featuring the other two single titles on Raw, and it was the perfect history-making moment for the WWE.
What stood out the most was the fact that WWE didn't take the easy root with the women and just had them fight inside the ring and not get violent. Both Charlotte and Sasha took hefty bumps during the course of the match, with Sasha going through the announce table after a powerbomb being the most dangerous one.
As the highest point of their historic rivalry, this match, that Charlotte won in the end, gave a new life to the Women in WWE and opened the doors for future Women contests inside the Cell.
#3 The Undertaker vs Triple H (WrestleMania XXVIII)
If there was one stipulation whose credibility and popularity took a huge dip after WWE went PG in mid-2008, that match was Hell in a Cell. Often regarded as the bloodiest and the most violent stipulation in WWE history, the quality of the matches toned down several levels following the Undertaker vs Edge classic in the Summer of 2008. This resulted in a series of lackluster Hell in a Cell matches in the next few years.
This trend, however, changed with a monumental match, a match that came to be known as 'End of an Era'. With two Hell in a Cell stalwarts fighting inside the Cell, face to face, for the first time and the third legend in Shawn Michaels officiating the match.
This match laid a whole new script about how to wrestle a phenomenal, violent and iconic Hell in a Cell match without the use of blood. It was something that future matches incorporated and achieved massive success.
Often regarded as one of the best matches in WWE history, the focal point of this match was not the use of blood but the smart use of sensational booking. Despite using only a handful of foreign objects(chairs, steel steps and a sledgehammer) and making minimal use of the cage, Taker and HHH wrestled a barn burner of a match in Miami.
It had everything - drama, violence, crowd support and a big match. This 30-minute historic clash, which The Undertaker won, stands as the epitome of a perfect Bloodless Cell match.
#2 The Undertaker vs Mankind (King of the Ring 1998)
When you think about the most widely known WWE matches of all time, matches such as Hogan vs Andre from Mania III, Hogan vs Warrior from Mania VI, Austin vs Hart from Mania 13 and Taker vs Michaels from Mania XXV come to our mind.
Part of every wrestling fan's list of favorite matches is a legendary contest that not only changed the careers of the superstars involved in it but also the entire landscape of the Hell in a Cell stipulation - The infamous Undertaker vs Mankind clash from 1998.
It doesn't matter if you are an avid professional wrestling fan or someone who just likes to be up to date with the product without ever watching the show, there is a very high chance that you have either watched or at least heard about this match. As just the third match with this stipulation, the match was so violent and so breathtaking that it set the level of Cell matches so high that the level of violence level in subsequent matches never reached the same level.
The iconic images of Mankind being thrown off the Cell roof through the announce table, going through the roof the Cell and then getting chokeslammed onto a pile of thumbtacks are still raw and fresh in the minds of the fans. And the fact that all these things happened within a span of just 10 minutes is enough to tell you how extreme and violent the match must have been.
This match, which lasted only 16 minutes, turned Mick Foley into a megastar and unleashed a new era of super violent, full of breath taking moves, Hell in a Cell matches that became the staple of WWE programming in the next decade.
#1 Shawn Michaels vs The Undertaker (Badd Blood 1997)
WHERE IT ALL BEGAN!!!
It is said that, no matter how hard you try, it is impossible to beat the original, and this could not be truer for the Hell in a Cell match. While there have been instances when WWE has debuted a new stipulation match to humongous success, such as the inaugural Elimination Chamber Match at Survivor Series 2002 and the first TLC match at Summerslam 2000, they somehow fade in comparison to the inaugural Cell match at Badd Blood 1997.
Featuring two of the biggest Superstars in the promotion at that time, in Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker, the match is considered by some as the start of the Attitude Era. It was more violent and extreme and brutal than probably any other match that the fans had witnessed till that point in the WWF. While both Michaels and Taker were huge stars in the WWF at that point, this 30-minute classic started their journey to being bonafide WWE legends.
As the only Hell in a Cell match to receive that illustrious 5-star rating from Dave Meltzer, this match set the bar so high that even the extreme violence and bumps from the infamous Taker vs Mankind match weren't enough to upstage this match's legacy.
If all that wasn't enough, it featured the maiden appearance of Kane, a monumental moment that has not been matched by the WWE even today. Hell in a Cell is one of the most popular stipulations in the WWE right now, and a lot of that is due to the success of this classic 21 years ago.
