Top 10 best Hell in a Cell matches in WWE history

Hell in a Cell is one of the best matches introduced in WWE

In the 1990s, WWE introduced the concept of Hell in a Cell, a steel cage match with a twist. The steel structure was enclosed from all sides, with the only opening being the gate, which was tightly shut with iron chains and locks.

Over the years, the Hell in a Cell structure has evolved, becoming a signature way to end blood feuds between rivals. This year, at Bad Blood, CM Punk will face Drew McIntyre in what is being advertised as the last match in their iconic rivalry, which has been ongoing for almost nine months inside Hell In A Cell.

Hell in a Cell lost its appeal for a while in between, especially after it got its own pay-per-view event. The matches became less about the rivalry and more about the sake of the pay-per-view.

As a result, we got a few subpar matches, but that doesn’t take away from the brutality of the structure and the high-profile Hell in a Cell match we’ve seen over the years. Let’s take a look at the top 10 best Hell in a Cell match in WWE history:

10. Six-Pack Challenge for the WWE Championship (Armageddon 2000)

The main event of Armageddon was a six-man Hell in a Cell match for Kurt Angle’s WWF Championship. The challengers were The Undertaker, The Rock, Triple H, Rikishi, and Stone Cold Steve Austin. At the time, The Rock and Triple H were engaged in a blood feud, as were The Undertaker and Rikishi, who had just risen through the ranks from a mid-carder to a main event player.

Meanwhile, Stone Cold had just made his return from a career-ending injury. The match was an absolute banger, with all the superstars involved bleeding buckets. The most memorable spot was when The Undertaker chokeslammed Rikishi off the cell and into the pine chip-filled bed of the truck used by Mr. McMahon. Austin and Rock also had an intense staredown, teasing their future rivalry. In the end, Kurt Angle sneakily retained his championship, making him a formidable force that the fans started to respect thereafter.

9. Brock Lesnar vs The Undertaker (No Mercy 2002)

One of the best matches in Brock Lesnar’s career, and one of the very best Hell in a Cell match of all time, was his encounter with The Undertaker. What stands out the most in this match is the intense storytelling. Vince McMahon was very high on Lesnar at the time and wanted to make him the next face of WWE. As a result, he booked him like a monster in this match.

Undertaker understood his job and made Brock look the part by getting dominated by him for the majority of the match. Lesnar had an answer for everything The Phenom threw at him, and they cleverly told a story around Brock repeatedly targeting Undertaker’s injured hand, making him look like a ruthless monster. In the end, Brock secured the win, defeating Undertaker clean, fair, and square in the middle of the ring.

8. Seth Rollins vs Edge (Crown Jewel 2021)

Seth Rollins is the only guy who has had stellar Hell in a Cell match repeatedly in the modern era of superstars. One of those matches that truly stands out is the one he had with Edge at Crown Jewel.

As surprising as it might sound, Edge was just as good in his second run in WWE as he was in his first run. It didn’t seem like he had lost a beat, and if anything, he drastically improved in terms of storytelling inside a match.

Every match he had in his second run told a story, and this one was no different. In many ways, Seth Rollins was to the Modern era what Edge was to the Ruthless Aggression era, and it was referenced throughout the match.

Edge had to embrace the darker side, which he was trying to fight off the entire match, to finally put Rollins away for good. This match was a masterpiece in terms of storytelling and rightfully deserves its place on the list.

7. The Undertaker vs Mankind (King of the Ring 1998)

This is the most memorable and well-known Hell in a Cell match of all time. Even if you’re a casual wrestling fan, you’ve seen a memorable spot from this match at least once in your life.

For anyone who still hasn’t been able to figure it out, this was the match in which Mankind was thrown from the cell roof, only to get up again and be chokeslammed through it and down to the ring.

This match was not great; it was a brutal mess. It was scary and it elevated Mankind to the next level, earning him respect among the fans for being someone who could give his life for the business. This match belongs in the list not for the match itself, but for the moment that will be forever etched in WWE history.

6. Batista vs Triple H (Vengeance 2005)

Batista and Triple H would face off several times in 2005, but their most memorable clash would be inside Hell in a Cell at Vengeance, where the two arch-rivals would face off for the final time in their then-rivalry.

This match was exactly what the Hell in a Cell match was originally intended to be: brutal and bloody, and the perfect way for Triple H and Batista to end their rivalry.

More importantly, it put Batista on the map and solidified his spot at the top of the industry. Triple H put his protégé over clean, and Batista would take his spot as the star of the upcoming decade.

5. The Undertaker vs Edge (SummerSlam 2008)

The Edge vs. The Undertaker feud was the biggest feud in the blue brand in 2008. In a story spanning general managers, affairs, marriages, and screw-ups, the rivalry had everything.

It was more of a daily soap at that point, and many assumed that the Hell in a Cell match between the two wouldn’t be gruesome enough, as it was the PG era and blood was no longer allowed.

However, Undertaker and Edge showed just how effective this gimmick match could still be, using plenty of weapons, big spots, and their psychology to showcase the heated nature of their rivalry.

Undertaker scored the pinfall victory and ended his program with the long-haired Canadian, capping off one of the best rivalries of 2008.

4. Triple H vs Cactus Jack (No Way Out 2000)

While many might remember this match as Mick Foley’s return to the cell and his recreating his spot from the top of the cell, taking the iconic bump once again, this was a much better match overall.

Mick Foley and Triple H had insane chemistry together, and the stakes being the WWE championship and Mick Foley’s career being on the line just made it much more engaging and worthy. Both superstars backed it off with phenomenal performances on their part.

A backdrop through the cell’s ceiling followed by a Pedigree by Triple H would end Mick Foley’s career, while Triple H would retain his title and take his spot as the new top heel of the business.

3. The Undertaker vs Shawn Michaels (Bad Blood 1997)

This was the first Hell in a Cell match, and even after all these years, many people still consider it the greatest Hell in a Cell match of all time.

This match had everything: brutal spots using the cell as a weapon, memorable moments with Michaels falling off the side of the cell to the announce table, and finally, to top it all off, the debut of Kane, who would attack his brother and cost him the match against the Heartbreak Kid.

The pioneers of the match set the bar quite high for themselves, making sure they delivered a match that even after all these years stands unparalleled and is considered one of the greatest cell matches of all time.

2. Cody Rhodes vs Seth Rollins (Hell in a Cell 2022)

Cody Rhodes, after debuting in WrestleMania 38 as the American Nightmare, immediately started a blood feud with the biggest heel in the company at that time, Seth Rollins.

They would face off for the last time in their rivalry inside Hell in a Cell, and Cody Rhodes would legit compete in this match with a torn pec, which could be seen in the huge bruising all over his body.

This added to the realism, and the fact that he fought through real pain and still delivered a critically acclaimed 5-star masterpiece with Seth Rollins just shows how great the two performers are.

They literally can bleed for this business. The match was intense and brutal, and even without blood, they made it gruesome and scary.

This was the best Hell in a Cell match in the modern era of WWE, and Cody Rhodes taking up the victory whilst being severely injured launched him to the stratosphere, earning him respect from the fans.

This is one of the many reasons why he is still so beloved and over among the fans despite having an average WWE Championship reign for the past six months at best.

1. The Undertaker vs Triple H (WrestleMania 28)

Also known as “The End of an Era,” this match, at least to us, is the greatest Cell match in the history of the company. Triple H and Undertaker would face off for the second time in WrestleMania 28, where Undertaker would ask for this match from Triple H, as even though he won the previous year, it was Triple H who walked while Undertaker was being carried in a stretcher.

It was a great way to show that, in the end, Undertaker might have won the match on paper, but Triple H was the stronger warrior, and Undertaker knew he would have lost had The Game not shown remorse. The Phenom was hell-bent on changing that, hence setting up the match at WrestleMania 28.

Doing it inside Hell in a Cell with Shawn Michaels as the special guest referee, whose career was ended by Undertaker only two years ago, made for an unbelievable grudge contest.

This match had everything: the streak was on the line, the star power was immense, and they gave us one of the greatest performances of their careers. We can still remember the point when Michaels caught Undertaker with Sweet Chin Music and then Triple H followed it up immediately with the Pedigree.

Everybody thought that the streak was over, but Undertaker took his shoulder off in the last seconds, creating one of the nearest falls in the history of WWE.

What also makes this match the greatest is the story being told and the emotionally intense moments that follow it. This was two wrestlers with over 15 years of a decorated legacy and beyond well-defined characters battling it out in the devil’s playground to see who the superior one truly is.

This match made the streak more important than it has ever felt. Triple H, one of the most dominant champions in WWE history, literally gave every amount of blood, sweat, and tears he had in his body, and it still wasn’t enough to end Undertaker, really making it feel as though the streak was immortal.

As far as the match goes, it was just an utter masterpiece. The storytelling was layered and went in different directions with twists and turns, a completely unpredictable roller coaster that brought the viewer on a completely dramatic journey.

The selling of not just moves but the match’s destruction on their bodies, really allowing the moment to sink in on many occasions, was brilliant. The structure of the match really was well thought out and executed, as it really built to the crescendo. And the psychology was just top-notch, with everything they did seemingly intense, brutal, and real. So this match indeed deserves its place at the top of the list.

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