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The most brutal, violent and career-threatening WWE pay-per-view is only a few weeks away. Hell in a Cell returns on Sunday, October 25th.
Hell in a Cell is a fantastic spectacle. Reaching twenty feet into the air with five tonnes of steel enclosing the ring, one cannot deny that the cell is an incredible and imposing sight. The cell lowers to ominous music as a wave of anticipation and excitement grows in the arena. Why? Because those who are watching know they are about to witness a match like no other.
Initially, WWE only used the Hell in a Cell match for special occasions, blood feuds or a climatic end to a rivalry. Due to the violence these matches provide, they were an instant fan favourite and still are.
Hell in the Cell matches started being used more frequently, before the unforgiving structure would get its own pay-pay-view in 2009. It has been part of WWE’s recurring shows ever since.
We first saw the heinous structure on October 5th, 1997 at WWE In Your House: Badd Blood. The match saw Shawn Michaels taking on The Undertaker in a wild and wonderful brawl that was like nothing WWE fans had ever seen before, and they loved every second of it.
The Undertaker would become synonymous with the cell and went on to have fourteen Hell in a Cell matches, the most out of any WWE Superstar.
There have been many great matches to take place inside the demonic structure, such as: Cactus Jack vs. Triple H at No Way Out in 2000, The Undertaker vs. Triple H at WrestleMania 28 and, of course, the infamous The Undertaker vs, Mankind bout at King of the Ring 1998.
In this article, we will be looking at Hell in a Cell matches that have taken place from 2009 onwards. Below are the top five Hell in a Cell matches showcased at the pay-per-view.
#5 Kevin Owens vs. Shane McMahon (Hell in a Cell 2017)
Kevin Owens and then-SmackDown General Manager, Shane McMahon were previously in a very bitter and personal feud. It all started at SummerSlam 2017, when Shane was the special guest referee for Owens and AJ Styles' WWE United States title match. Owens and Shane would get into a shoving contest during the match, which allowed Styles to get the win.
Over the following weeks, Owens and Shane continued to clash. Tensions would escalate as they started viciously attacking one another.
WWE Chairman, Vince McMahon then set up the Hell in a Cell match between the two warring competitors. Owens met Vince in the ring and shockingly took him out with a brutal headbutt, superkick and frog splash. The match was everything many expected it to be, given the two daredevil competitors involved.
They brawled, battered and beat each other senseless. KO and Shane littered the match with nerve-racking sequences and insanely dangerous spots in and around the cell. They would make it to the top of the cell for a nail-biting finale and a great surprise of an ending left everyone shocked, with Sami Zayn returning to help Owens pick up the win.
It was a crazy and exhausting affair, and one that needs way more love than it gets. Go and check it out.
#4 Kevin Owens vs. Seth Rollins (Hell in a Cell 2016)
Kevin Owens and Seth Rollins took their WWE Universal Championship feud into Hell in a Cell.
They had fought at Clash of Champions a month prior. Owens would retain but mainly from the help of Chris Jericho on that occasion. The two fellow Canadians had become best friends as they shared great chemistry and bonded over interfering in each other’s matches.
Jericho’s interference became such a nuisance that RAW General Managers, Mick Foley and Stephanie McMahon set up Owens and Rollins’ championship rematch inside of Hell in a Cell.
The match had it all, as the two competitors put it all on the line and brought a real “indie spot fest” vibe to WWE.
The match had brutal brawling, big spots, wild bumps, loads of weapons, cell-induced violence, tension, comedy, drama and of course, another Chris Jericho interference.
The two-on-one dynamic added further excitement to an already-thrilling encounter. The ending was awesome and closed a fantastic and action-packed Hell in a Cell match.
#3 The New Day vs. The Usos (Hell in a Cell 2017)
This was the first tag team match to take place inside Hell in a Cell with the SmackDown Tag Team Championships on the line. The New Day and The Usos were in the midst of a great feud over the blue brand’s tag team titles, trading the belts back and forth in some fantastic matches.
At SummerSlam 2017, Jimmy and Jey Uso defeated The New Day to win the SmackDown tag titles. This loss would lead to a rematch in a Street Fight a few weeks later, which Big E and Kofi won. The Usos would challenge The New Day for a rematch of their own at Hell in a Cell, but the latter would go one better and place the match inside the cell.
Both teams went all out from start to finish. They beat and battered each other all over the cell, using an array of creative and inventive ways. Kendo sticks, handcuffs and chairs were the weapons of choice, along with the cell itself.
Two of the best teams to ever do it put on a banger of a match to end a thrilling feud.
#2 Becky Lynch vs. Sasha Banks (Hell in a Cell 2019)
Becky Lynch and Sasha Banks had the second-ever women's Hell in a Cell match in 2019. "The Man" and "The Boss" had met previously at Clash of Champions, after Banks' shock return had resulted in the two entwined in a vicious feud.
The Clash match ended in a DQ when Lynch inadvertently hit the referee with a steel chair. But the fighting wouldn't stop there as they brawled throughout the arena, which set the stage for their Hell in a Cell match.
Sasha Banks was part of the first women's cell match two years earlier, so she knew what to expect from the unforgiving stipulation. However, Lynch would have a few tricks up her sleeve.
The match kicked off in furious style as the two used much more than just the cell as a weapon. There were weapons galore scattered all around the ring to inflict further punishment on one another. Chairs, ladders, tables and kendo sticks all came into play, with both Lynch and Banks taking crazy bumps in new and imaginative ways.
Two perfect enemies met at the perfect time. Both were at the top of their game and had a point to prove. And prove it, they most certainly did.
#1 The Undertaker vs. Brock Lesnar (Hell in a Cell 2015)
We couldn’t have a list about Hell in a Cell matches and not include The Undertaker. “The Phenom” took on “The Beast” Brock Lesnar at the Hell in a Cell pay-per-view in 2015.
Brock Lesnar and The Undertaker have a deep-rooted rivalry. At WrestleMania 30, Lesnar did the unthinkable and defeated Taker to end the streak. The Undertaker would exact his revenge on Lesnar a year later at Battleground.
Lesnar was challenging Seth Rollins for the WWE Championship but mid-way through the match, the lights went out. When they came back on, Taker stood in the ring before planting Lesnar with a painful-looking low-blow.
That attack would set up several matches between the two, all of which would end controversially. There was only way to settle the bitter feud, a Hell in a Cell match. It was the second time they met inside the “devil’s playground," after No Mercy in 2002, in which “The Beast” won.
It would be the last time these two WWE legends would meet in the ring, and they gave us a match that most definitely lived up to the hype. It was an intense, dramatic and violent spectacle, everything a Hell in a Cell match should be.
The match was a brutal and graphic affair, with both warriors leaving it all in the ring. The story, the action and the result was a fitting end to a great feud between two of WWE’s most iconic figures.
