5 of The Undertaker's best Hell in a Cell matches

The Deadman is synonymous with Hell in a Cell
The Deadman is synonymous with Hell in a Cell

October 08, 2017, will see the 9th annual Hell in a Cell PPV. Since being given its own show, the Hell in a Cell match has lost some of its lustre, but when it is done right, it is still one of the best stipulations in wrestling.

Since it's inception in 1997, there have been 36 matches that have taken place inside the cell. Due to the violent nature of the match, it became a staple of the Undertaker's repertoire, and he ended up being involved in 14 of those 36 matches.

These matches range from all-time classics to the worst match on the card, and it's not surprising that the matches that felt like they belonged in the cell are the ones that have fared the best. With that being said, here are the Undertaker's top 5 Hell In A Cell matches.


#5 The Undertaker vs Edge - SummerSlam 2008

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Undertaker sends Edge straight to hell

The Undertaker and Edge had a feud that ran through much of 2008. This was their fifth PPV match of the year and the previous matches included an excellent encounter at WrestleMania XXIV and a TLC match at One Night Stand.

By losing the TLC match, the Undertaker was banished from the WWE but he would be reinstated as a punishment for Edge after it was discovered that the Rated-R Superstar had cheated on Smackdown General Manager Vickie Guerrero. Vickie then announced that Edge would face Undertaker inside Hell In A Cell.

Undertaker went straight after Edge and the action spilt to the outside, with Edge being rammed into the cell wall. Back in the ring, the Undertaker tried to use the ring steps as a weapon but Edge countered and got a foothold in the match.

Edge went to what he is most comfortable with, bringing tables, ladders and chairs into the ring. He worked Undertaker over with a chair before putting him through a table with a chair-assisted elbow drop from a ladder. They fought back to ringside and Edge would hit a spear through the cell wall.

The broken cell wall allowed for brawling on the outside and Edge took advantage of this by spearing Undertaker through the announce table. Undertaker fought back and Edge retreated to the ring.

Edge attempted to perform Old School but he paid for it as it was countered into a chokeslam through two tables at ringside. That was the beginning of the end for Edge. Undertaker hit a Con-chair-to, followed by a Tombstone and picked up the victory. After the match, Undertaker chokeslammed Edge from a ladder and through the ring to cement his dominance.

It is an excellent match featuring great performances from both men. Undertaker's feud with Edge is often overlooked but it provided a number of excellent matches.

#4 The Undertaker vs Mankind – King of the Ring 1998

'Good God almighty, they've killed him'
'Good God almighty, they've killed him

I know some people will be annoyed that I have only put this in the number 4 spot but it has one major thing working against it: there isn't really a match to speak of. It is a series of big spots interwoven with some well-done stalling.

The match starts on top of the cell, and within 90 seconds, Mankind has been thrown off it. That bump is still the most memorable in wrestling history, even after nearly 20 years. It is made all the more legendary by the commentary of Jim Ross and his line: "As God is my witness, he is broken in half!".

If the match would have ended there it would still have been an incredibly memorable one but that was just the beginning. Mankind managed to climb back onto the cell and he was immediately caught by the Undertaker, who hit a chokeslam. The roof of the cell collapsed and Mankind crashed to the mat.

Unlike the first bump, this one was not intentional. The original plan was for the cell roof to sag but absorb the impact of the move. As Mankind went through the cell, a chair fell down with him, hitting him in the face as he landed. This knocked out some of Mankind's teeth and dislocated his jaw, the Undertaker later said that he thought Mankind was dead.

Somehow that still wasn't the end. Mankind fought back and introduced a bag of thumbtacks to the match. As could be expected, this backfired for him and he ended up being the one on the receiving end, taking a backdrop and a chokeslam into them. Undertaker finished him off with a Tombstone.

Both men were given a standing ovation and it was this match that put Mankind into the upper echelon of the WWE. While this isn't much of a match, as a spectacle it is in a league of its own.

#3 The Undertaker vs Brock Lesnar (WWE Championship) – No Mercy 2002

Brock Lesnar celebrates on top of the cell.
Brock Lesnar celebrates on top of the cell

During his rookie year in WWE, Brock Lesnar ran through everyone in his path until he came up against the Undertaker. The two men had met the previous month at Unforgiven where the match ended in a no contest.

In the weeks following that match, Lesnar proceeded to attack Undertaker, breaking his hand and forcing him to wrestle in a cast. This animosity led to the Hell In A Cell match.

Undertaker wasted no time attacking Lesnar with the cast, busting him open in the process. This would set the story for the early part of the match, with Lesnar attacking the hand and Undertaker fighting him off however he could.

Paul Heyman managed to distract Undertaker, only to be caught through the cage by his tie and rammed into the mesh. This caused Heyman to bleed but it gave Lesnar enough time to start working on the hand. Eventually, he wrapped a belt around Undertaker's wrist and, with the assistance of Heyman, he beat Undertaker's hand with a chair and removed the cast.

The match started to turn in Lesnar's favour as Undertaker missed a suicide dive, allowing Lesnar to hit him with the ring steps. This caused Undertaker to bleed very heavily, turning the left side of his face completely red. There was a moment where Undertaker hit the Last Ride, and during the pin attempt, blood gushed all over Lesnar's face.

In the end, the Next Big Thing prevailed and continued his rapid rise, but it was Undertaker's effort that was the most impressive. This was a bloody, violent match that had the story to back it up.

#2 Undertaker vs Shawn Michaels – Badd Blood: In Your House

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Shawn Michaels briefly has the upper hand

The first and (almost) best Hell In A Cell match. The feud started when Michaels accidentally cost the Undertaker his world title match at Summerslam. Michaels showed no remorse for his actions leading to him having a match with Undertaker at Ground Zero: In Your House.

That match ended in a no contest when Triple H ran in; to avoid that happening again, a cage match was announced for the next PPV. This would be a new type of cage match, one that would have a roof to stop interference. With that, the Hell In A Cell match was born.

The early portions of the match were all Undertaker, with Michaels getting in very little offence. Undertaker was finally getting the chance to exact his revenge. After a while, a cameraman who was in the cell was injured, forcing the unlocking of the cell door.

After Undertaker sat up following a Sweet Chin Music, Michaels tried to make a run for it and the fight spilt to the outside. A slingshot into the cell wall caused Michaels to bleed heavily. Following a low blow, Michaels scurried up to the top of the cell with Undertaker in pursuit.

They fought on the top and Michaels ended up hanging from the edge of the cage. Undertaker stamped on his fingers and sent HBK crashing through the announce table. Undertaker followed him down and continued to throw Michaels around like a ragdoll. At this stage, Michaels was bleeding very heavily.

The two men then headed back into the ring with Undertaker in complete control. He hit a top rope chokeslam and called for the Tombstone when the lights went out. A red light filled the arena and Kane make his debut. He ripped off the cell door and hit a Tombstone on the Undertaker, allowing Michaels to pick up the win.

This match was near perfect in its execution, from the build to the story they told in the ring. It had all the components of a classic match, making thoroughly deserving of a place in wrestling history.

#1 The Undertaker vs Triple H (Special Referee: Shawn Michaels) – WrestleMania XXVIII

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Undertaker drops a leg in the last truly great Hell In A Cell match

Unlike other Hell In A Cell Matches, this doesn't have buckets of blood or crazy bumps. What it does have is a perfect story told by three expert in-ring competitors.

Undertaker had defeated Triple H at the previous year's WrestleMania but was unable to leave under his own power. As a result of this, he felt like he needed to face Triple H again to get a measure of redemption.

Triple H initially refused to accept the challenge, even after Shawn Michaels had tried to convince him, stating that the Undertaker's streak was too important and that he didn't want to end it.

Undertaker tried to get under the skin of Triple H, saying that if Shawn Michaels couldn't end the streak, Triple H stood no chance.

The Cerebral Assassin was angered by this statement and said that if Undertaker wanted a match, they would go all the way and compete inside Hell In A Cell. Shawn Michaels then announced that he would be the special referee for this 'End of an Era' match.

Undertaker controlled the early going in the match, beating Triple H around ringside and using the ring steps to good effect. Back in the ring, Undertaker locked in the Hell's Gate but Triple H reversed it and hit a spinebuster onto the ring steps, turning the tide of the match.

Triple H brought a chair into the ring and relentlessly beat the Undertaker with it. He repeatedly told Michaels to stop the match but to no avail. The Game then used the sledgehammer but only got a 2 count. Once again, Triple H told Michaels to stop the match, but before HBK could make the call, The Undertaker locked him in the Hell's Gate.

Triple H broke up the move and ended up getting caught in Hell's Gate himself. A second referee came down as Undertaker hits a chokeslam but it only fetched a 2 count. The Undertaker then attacked the referee and what follows was one of the greatest near falls in wrestling history.

Undertaker rant into a Sweet Chin Music which was immediately followed by a Pedigree. When Undertaker kicked out of it, the arena comes unglued. They thought it was over. When I watched it at the time I thought it was over too. Michaels did an incredible job of selling it, too. It was incredible.

From there, both men threw everything they had at each other, kicking out of each other's finishers before Undertaker took full control with the aid of a chair. He exacted revenge for the beating he had received earlier in the match and, after one last act of defiance from Triple H, he finally put him away with a Tombstone.

This is a magnificent match that should be talked about in the same breath as the two WrestleMania matches that Undertaker had with Shawn Michaels. The final image of Triple H being helped the back by both men is the perfect finish to the match. This should have been where the Undertaker retired, going out on top, 20-0 at WrestleMania.


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