Ranking All 30 WWE Hell in a Cell Matches

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2) Shawn Michaels vs. The Undertaker – WWF Badd Blood 1997: In Your House

This match was to determine the new number one contender for the WWF Championship.

This bout featured Undertaker essentially going up against the entire Degeneration X. It even featured Rick “The Insurance Policy” Rude for those who don’t remember his brief run in one of WWE’s greatest factions.

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HBK and Undertaker battled for weeks on Raw is War to set up this first-ever Hell in a Cell match. No match like this was ever seen before and Michaels played that up to perfection because before the match even started, he panicked over being trapped in a steel structure with the Dead Man.

Michaels would face a difficult time dealing with Undertaker, who controlled most of the early action. He couldn’t attack ‘Taker without DX in weeks past and it was showing here. This created a terrific story for the match with HBK’s struggles. He did work his way back, though, by finding openings to take down and injure the Phenom. He even took out a cameraman in the process.

However, Michaels and Undertaker methodically brutalized one another. From the symbolism of the chair shots from early in the rivalry to the piledriver into the steel steps, they pulled out plenty of stops.

The cell quickly became introduced as a weapon as well, which set a precedent for future WWE Superstars. Undertaker tossed Michaels into the structure multiple times. It would get used in more dangerous ways in future matches too.

The turning point came when Commissioner Sgt. Slaughter opened up the cell door, which also set the precedent for future matches. This led to both competitors breaking out and continuing their war and using the cell for more blood. They then climbed to the top of the cell, which led to the first fall off the cell when HBK got his hand kicked off the steel, making him crash through the announce table.

However, as Undertaker went to finish off Michaels in the ring, the lights went out and Paul Bearer came out with a masked man. “That’s gotta be Kane, that’s gotta be Kane!” This was the introduction of the Big Red Machine, Undertaker’s little brother. Kane would Tombstone ‘Taker and leave. HBK slowly crawled onto his battered body and successfully picked up the pin to end this brutally entertaining contest.

The first Hell in a Cell match was certainly one of the best. It gave HBK a huge win but introduced one of the better rivalries in WWE history with Undertaker vs. Kane. This match also set the precedent for future the other 29 Hell in a Cell bouts that followed.

Next: No. 1