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Jim Ross once said that WWE Hell in a Cell is a perverse, vile, and diabolical structure that has been custom-built for injury – and that was before The Undertaker threw Mick Foley off the top of the cell.
Since that famous match, the expectations for WWE Hell in a Cell encounters have been sky-high. Some Superstars have tried to top Foley’s incredible feat from King of the Ring 1998, while others have created new ways to entertain fans inside the steel structure.
Although many Superstars leave WWE Hell in a Cell unscathed, plenty of high-profile names have sustained legitimate injuries after competing inside the cell.
In this article, let’s take a look at five times that WWE stars suffered real injuries due to WWE Hell in a Cell matches.
#5 Brock Lesnar (WWE Hell in a Cell match against The Undertaker)
Brock Lesnar defeated The Undertaker at WWE Hell in a Cell 2015 in the final match of their legendary rivalry.
When the two men faced off 18 months earlier at WrestleMania 30, it was The Undertaker who suffered a legitimate injury. In fact, his injury – a concussion, suffered in the early stages of the match – was so severe that he could not remember anything that happened that night.
At WWE Hell in a Cell 2015, Lesnar was the Superstar who required treatment after the show.
WWE reported that he needed nine staples to close the cut that he sustained to his head during the match.
“During his Hell in a Cell match against The Undertaker, Brock Lesnar suffered a large gash on his head after being pushed face-first into the steel ring post. The gash required medical attention during the contest, and WWE.com has learned that The Beast Incarnate received as many as nine staples following the match.”
While Lesnar’s WWE Hell in a Cell injury was not significant, it was reported by the Wrestling Observer’s Dave Meltzer that Vince McMahon was “upset” backstage.
“Blood, which is frowned upon by WWE, was a huge part of the match with both Lesnar and Undertaker clearly wanting to bleed, as opposed to it being an accident.”
Meltzer added that nothing was said to the Superstars about the amount of blood involved in the match, but McMahon ordered a doctor to go to the ring and have the blood wiped off Lesnar’s face.
#4 WWE referee Tim White (Chris Jericho vs. Triple H - WWE Hell in a Cell match)
Former WWE referee Tim White suffered a serious shoulder injury while officiating the WWE Hell in a Cell match between Chris Jericho and Triple H at Judgment Day 2002.
Midway through the match, Triple H launched Jericho into the direction of White, who took a nasty bump from the ring apron onto the WWE Hell in a Cell wall.
Moments later, Jericho picked White back up and threw him shoulder-first into the WWE Hell in a Cell structure again.
White, who was replaced in the match by referee Mike Chioda, reflected on the injury in a 2016 interview with Sportskeeda.
“The shoulder injuries started back at the 2002 Judgment Day pay-per-view, during the Jericho vs. Triple H Hell in a Cell match. I got knocked onto the cage and injured it as a result.”
White returned in 2004 as the referee for the Jericho vs. Christian match at WrestleMania 20. However, he injured the same shoulder while counting the three-count for Christian during the finish.
He retired from refereeing after the match.
#3 Shane McMahon (WWE Hell in a Cell match against The Undertaker)
Shane McMahon revealed in May 2020 that he suffered an injury to his belly button during his WWE Hell in a Cell match against The Undertaker at WrestleMania 32.
The man behind The Undertaker persona, Mark Calaway, was originally against McMahon’s idea to jump off the top of WWE Hell in a Cell, but the former authority figure got his way in the end.
Writing in an article for ESPN, McMahon reminisced about the injury that he sustained in the WWE Hell in a Cell match.
“In that match, I had exhausted everything in my toolbox to try and win. This is what WrestleMania needs. I blew my belly button out – an umbilical hernia – because I hit so hard [on impact]. I didn't expect that force to be that hard. But oh my god, it was.”
McMahon also wrote in the article that he always gets extra baseball jerseys made for his matches.
When he presented Calaway with one of his baseball jerseys after their WWE Hell in a Cell match, he received an Undertaker MMA-style glove in return.
#2 Randy Orton (WWE Hell in a Cell match against Jeff Hardy)
Jeff Hardy was carried away on a stretcher following his WWE Hell in a Cell match against Randy Orton at the WWE Hell in a Cell 2018 pay-per-view.
WWE reported after the show that Hardy, who fell through a table after attempting a splash from the WWE Hell in a Cell ceiling, was “throwing up blood” after suffering “huge abdominal pain”.
In reality, Hardy was actually cleared to compete again after the show. Just one day later, he joined forces with AJ Styles and R-Truth to defeat Orton, Samoa Joe, and Shinsuke Nakamura at a WWE live event.
Although WWE focused on Hardy’s storyline injury at WWE Hell in a Cell, Orton is the one who had injuries to show off after the event.
As you can see above, The Viper suffered injuries to his back and leg during his WWE Hell in a Cell match against Hardy.
Like his opponent, Orton was back on the road with WWE the next day and he did not require any time off.
#1 Mick Foley (WWE Hell in a Cell match against The Undertaker)
Who else but Mick Foley could appear first on a list of WWE Hell in a Cell injuries?
In 1998, Foley’s Mankind character went above and beyond to entertain the WWE Universe in a WWE Hell in a Cell match at King of the Ring.
Foley was thrown off the top of the cell and through an announce desk at ringside in the early stages of the memorable encounter. It looked as though the match was going to end there, but Foley was not done.
He got back up and climbed to the top of the WWE Hell in a Cell structure once again. This time, The Undertaker chokeslammed him through the cell and into the ring – something that was not supposed to happen at that moment.
If that was not enough, The Undertaker also slammed Foley back-first onto a set of thumbtacks to set up the finish to the match.
Speaking on WWE Untold, Foley revealed what Vince McMahon said to him after one of the most dangerous WWE Hell in a Cell matches of all time.
“Mr. McMahon sat me down and I remember those words specifically. He said, ‘You have no idea how much I appreciate what you have done for this company, but I never want to see anything like that again.’”
Needless to say, Foley sustained more than just one injury from the WWE Hell in a Cell match. The WWE legend suffered a dislocated left shoulder, internal bleeding, a concussion, bruised ribs, a dislocated jaw, and numerous puncture wounds.
To make matters worse, one of Foley’s teeth went through his lip and it could be seen lodged in his nostril in the closing stages of the match.
