There is no structure that quite strikes fear into WWE competitors quite like the Hell in a Cell. Maybe that’s because in the third ever match to be held inside the cell, a bloke was thrown off it.
The newest crop of superstars are now being exposed to the legendary match type as Hell in a Cell is just around the corner.
Granted, WWE could have done with some more creative naming of their PPV, but it is what it is.
We here in Power Tower are excited and to celebrate, we’re counting down to the top ten Hell in a Cell matches of all time.
10. The Undertaker v Shane McMahon – Wrestlemania 32
See, here’s the thing about Hell in a Cell. You can have a rubbishly-paced match that’s hard to watch and you can completely overshadow it by creating a single magical moment.
Like we’d been doing in video games for years previously, Shane McMahon jumped off the top of the lofty structure to give one of the most iconic moments in Wrestlemania history.
Just as well, because the match was rubbish – at best.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xuiotl3R35Y
9. The Undertaker v Brock Lesnar – Hell in a Cell 2015
Granted, this match only went for 18 minutes due to Mark Callaway’s near-dead body slowly deteriorating in front of everyone’s eyes, but the finish won everyone over. Lesnar’s sheet nastiness with the low blow, amid torn-up canvass was a sight.
If you’re already sick of seeing the Undertaker on this list, this one may not be for you.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=naQ9nidGKqE
8. The New Day v The Usos – Hell in a Cell 2017
It’s hard to plan a bout in this structure. All the spots have been done, all the potential drama has been seen before. So, Vince thought it wise to shake things up and put a tag team match in the cell again.
And what a show these two groups put on. There’s every chance these two teams will go down as the defining pairs of their generation. After Rusev Day, of course.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3I0lMHXx1H0
7. The Undertaker v Mankind – King of the Ring 1998
If you don’t know, then you’ll never know. Still to this day, the most iconic moment in WW(F)/E history.
6. Charlotte v Sasha Banks – Hell in a Cell 2017
As WWE began their women’s revolution, evolving from the tacky ‘Divas’ tag, they began to get more and more adventurous with their female competitors.
This step was one that intrigued and the platform they were given was completely justified as the two athletes put on a Match of the Year contender.
5. The Undertaker v Brock Lesnar – No Mercy 2002
Maybe the most brutal of all the cell matches. There was blood everywhere – and it was bloody beautiful.
While you may be put off by Undertaker’s midlife crisis where he became a biker, that mattered little as these two put on yet another masterclass.
Also – remember reversing that tombstone into an F5? Brock’s highlight.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9TFzfRk-1k
4. Triple H v Cactus Jack – No Way Out 2000
Okay, bear with me: A flaming 2×4, the cell ripping open, Foley being backdropped through the ring, and a piledriver through an announce table.
Maybe the most spot-filled encounter outside of a TLC there has ever been.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=601XHsPZLdc
3. Triple H v HBK – Bad Blood 2004
Shawn Michaels may be coming back for another run. Well, when he first tried that trick, his rivalry with Triple H may have only been bypassed by Stone Cold versus Vince in terms of brilliant storytelling.
Sometimes good promos and solid scripts make you forget these rivalries are orchestrated by a writing team.
The image of Michaels diving onto the table to elbow drop his long-time pal brings back incredible memories.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qRswlmADRa8
3. Six-Man Hell in a Cell – Armageddon 2000
This shouldn’t have worked. The Hell in a Cell should always be the culmination of an intense rivalry that requires the steel to settle differences. But with this, there were so many overlapping stories culminating in one ring, that it was complete and utter madness.
Do you remember the one about the large Samoan gentleman falling 25 feet through the air into the trailer filled with hay?
Yeah, that one.
1. The Undertaker v Shawn Michaels – Bad Blood 1997
The first and best. It will never be topped simply because of the absolute fear factor the Undertaker had at this moment in time, as well as the fresh nature of the stipulation.
It just makes sense that the match this cell was built for would go on to be considered the prototype.
The use of the cell, the psychology and the clash of styles between the competitors meant that the bout itself felt like a story rather than a competition.
Watch this back and relive a masterclass in in-ring selling.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vSG9Vsp0zbY
