WWE Hell in a Cell’s Top 10 Moments

Hell in a Cell, Credit: WWE.com

WWE Hell in a Cell matches have featured some of the most hardcore moments in professional wrestling history. This list features the likes of Undertaker, Mick Foley and Shawn Michaels.

It all started nearly 20 years ago when Shawn Michaels and the Undertaker took a trip on the Highway to Hell at the 1997 Badd Blood event. Both men walked into the first ever Hell in a Cell match to determine the number one contender for Bret Hart’s WWE Championship at the time.

The near 30-minute exhibition set the bar high for any future Hell in a Cell matches that would follow. It was a five-star quality affair between the two. But it was more than just a number one contender’s match between two of the best superstars at the time. It began a near 20-year legacy of brutal matches where superstars lost gallons of blood, sweat and tears inside the cell.

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There were bruises and broken bones that were accumulated through the form of various weapons. The long list of foreign objects ranged from the traditional steel chairs and ladders to previously unconventional items like thumbtacks. It wasn’t until some of the most memorable Hell in a Cell affairs that fans even though of seeing hundreds, if not thousands of thumbtacks making a wrestler a human pin cushion.

The years of Hell in a Cell matches have given us some great moments in professional wrestling history. Whether they walked out of the cell under their own power or with assistance, they left the cage legends. The list only contains a fraction of the moments that wrestling fans visualize in their mind when they think of Hell in a Cell.

These moments have set the bar for the matches at this year’s WWE Hell in a Cell pay-per-view are going to be compared to by fans.

10. Triple H vs Undertaker (With Michaels as Referee)

It was billed as the End of an Era at WrestleMania 28. Based on their previous match, it only made sense to put The Undertaker and Triple H inside Hell in a Cell. The storyline was done perfectly as both legends who were big hits in the WWE’s Attitude Era were going face-to-face once again.

The addition of Shawn Michaels as the special guest referee made things extremely interesting. His career was ended by a loss to the Undertaker two years prior and some felt he would show favoritism to Triple H to put an end to the Undertaker’s WrestleMania streak. We even had that moment teased when Michaels hit Sweet Chin Music to Undertaker, which led to a Pedigree and a near fall by Triple H. That was just one part of the emotional roller coaster fans were a part of while watching the match.

It was one of the most brutal Hell in a Cell matches in recent memory. Part of that was due to WWE’s push for PG-friendly programming limiting wrestlers. But Triple H and Undertaker continued to push the envelope during their match with a number of hardcore spots that included several different weapons.

The only thing that ruined this moment is that this truly wasn’t the end of an era that the WWE had promoted. Both Triple H and Undertaker have each wrestled multiple times. Maybe it was meant more for Michaels, but he was involved in the scrum with the Wyatt Family at WrestleMania 32 last April.

9. Undertaker Hangs Big Boss Man

The Attitude Era of WWE history had a lot of messed up moments. The Undertaker was kind of a common factor. Remember when he had the very disturbing moment where he made Dennis Knight drink his blood to make him Mideon? The Undertaker was an extremely dark person and his character pushed the envelope in an era where nothing was off limits.

Even a live hanging of another wrestler. It was the ending that was one of the most talked about Wrestlemania moments back at WrestleMania XV. The match itself wasn’t necessarily a highly-rated contest, but it was just another example of how dark Undertaker had become during the late 1990s.

After defeating the Big Boss Man, Undertaker then had the help of the Brood faction. They helped provide a noose down to the Deadman, who then put it around Boss Man’s neck. While many wrestling fans know that most of the moves are planned and staged. But this was one moment that was genuinely disturbing to watch, even if you knew full well the truth about pro wrestling.

This kind of moment would never be possible in today’s professional wrestling. It’s also a perfect highlight to help support the argument of how different wrestling was back in the 1990s.

8. Kane’s WWE Debut

The first ever Hell in a Cell at Badd Blood 1997 was special for more reasons than being a five-star contest between the Undertaker and Shawn Michaels. It also provided one of the best debuts in the last 30 years. As Undertaker was preparing to end the match with the Heartbreak Kid, the lights end out in the arena, which was typically part of the Phenom’s trademark entrance to the WWE ring. But this was different.

The music was slightly different and there was a red light that welcomed the debut of Kane. This impending debut was teased for some time before Badd Blood 1997. Not a whole lot was known back then about the Undertaker’s brother who was believed to have died in a fire at the family’s funeral home.

Fans would then see a very large monster of a man be brought to the ring by Paul Bearer. The fact that Kane walked up to the Hell in a Cell and ripped the door off the hinges was the first sign that he was going to be taken seriously. Kane then attacked Kane with the Tombstone Piledriver to allow Michaels to get the pinfall victory.

Very few debuts had this type of impact for a superstar and the WWE booked Kane’s first appearance in WWE perfectly.

7. Shane McMahon’s Missed Elbow Drop

Maybe there was a lot of people who weren’t big fans of Shane McMahon and the Undertaker facing each other inside Hell in a Cell last April at WrestleMania 32. This might not have been the best match either man has had, especially since both were past their athletic prime. But that didn’t stop Shane-o-Mac from being able to pull off another memorable stunt.

McMahon was at the top of the cage while the Undertaker was lying on an announcer’s table at ringside. It wasn’t hard to figure out what was going to happen next; which took less time for someone to figure out the answer to “1 + 1.” McMahon decided to take another leap of faith, which is something that he’s been famous for in matches from the Attitude Era.

This might not have been one of McMahon’s biggest jumps in his wrestling career. But the fact that he decided to throw caution to the wind and jump from the top of the 20-foot-tall cage and onto the announce table took some guts. There isn’t a lot of protection for someone to fall from that high. Just ask Mick Foley.

McMahon’s jump was one of the few highlights of a WrestleMania card that received a lot of criticism from fans and writers. At least his fall wasn’t in vain, even though he lost the match that was supposed to give him control of WWE Raw.

6. Undertaker (Literally) Sends Edge to Hell

SummerSlam 2008 featured some interesting matches that included the Undertaker and Edge facing each other once again. It was the fifth time they faced each other during a pay-per-view that year. But this wasn’t for the World Heavyweight Championship and Undertaker was looking for revenge after Edge had him banished from WWE earlier that year.

The two were building up quite the rivalry and it felt like they were always finding ways to one-up their previous bout. This one was one of their best matches where they used the type of weapons they were known for. Considering Edge’s history, it felt fitting to have ladders involved near the finish of their Hell in a Cell match.

Both men stood atop a ladder before Undertaker got ahold of a fatigued Edge. Lipreaders knew that Undertaker told him that he was “going to hell.” His eyes were that of someone who had snapped, which was understandable considering their year-long rivalry. Undertaker then delivered a chokeslam that sent Edge through the ring.

Flames then came from the hole that Edge fell through, which showed that Undertaker truly sent the Rated-R Superstar straight to Hell. It was the best way to end a rivalry between two men who were key players for SmackDown during that time.

5. Shawn Michaels’ Fall from the Cell

We return to the first ever Hell in a Cell match between the Undertaker and Shawn Michaels during the 1997 Badd Blood pay-per-view. There were a lot of moments in this match that made it feel special. Like many great Hell in a Cell matches, this one included a high spot in the match that started with both men at the top of the cage. Because if you’re going to have a cage designed with a roof, fans would sort of hope to see both men at the top in some way, shape or form.

Their fight continued until Michaels, who was already a bloody mess at this point, was dangling from the side of the cage. The helpless Michaels was caught in a predicament as Undertaker stomped on his hand until HBK was unable to hold on. The WWE European Champion fell and crashed through the Spanish announcer’s table – because that’s the table that’s always broken first.

It wasn’t really a huge fall when compared to other Hell in a Cell moments, but this was the first and was special for the fans who were watching both live and on pay-per-view. While it wasn’t as big of a fall as other superstars have taken, this was huge at the time. Like Jimmy Snuka jumping off the steel cage back in the 1980s.

4. Undertaker Throws Rikishi Off the Cell

Only a few superstars have been willing to fall off the top of Hell in a Cell. That’s because it’s an incredibly insane thing to do. While Rikishi might be the biggest name among anyone who stepped inside Hell in a Cell, he certainly deserves being on this list for his own fall from the cell.

Rikishi was the sixth man in a WWE Championship match at the Armageddon pay-per-view in 2000. This six-way title match featured usual main event names like “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, The Rock, Triple H, Kurt Angle and the Undertaker (because this match needed a cell veteran). Rikishi wasn’t someone who was considered a favorite to win the WWE Championship.

While Angle ended up retaining the WWE Championship, Rikishi was part of one of the better moments in Hell in a Cell history. With chaos throughout Hell in a Cell, Undertaker pushed Rikishi off the roof and onto a bed of pine chips on a truck bed. Why pine chips? Because Vince McMahon apparently needed pine chips to tear down the cell.

Given how Rikishi had to fall back, it certainly was like a trust fall exercise. It’s not something anyone could easily do and you could tell it still freaked him out as the camera zoomed in on his lips quivering. This moment might not have led to a major push for Rikishi. But it was one of his more memorable moments in a long career.

3. HHH flips Cactus Jack through the Cell

While Shawn Michaels and the Undertaker were part of the first Hell in a Cell match in 1997, Mick Foley has certainly become the personification of how brutal the match is. It’s a big reason why he’s high on this list multiple times. Competing as Cactus Jack, Foley faced Triple H for the WWE Championship inside Hell in a Cell back at the 2000 No Way Out pay-per-view.

This match certainly lived up to the hype as Foley was able to use a variety of weapons during the 24-minute bout. This included a 2×4 that was wrapped in barbed wire and set on fire. Because professional wrestling at the beginning of the millennium was still crazy and filled with hardcore moments.

The two brought the fight outside the cell and eventually to the top, because that’s what happens during Hell in a Cell matches. Cactus Jack attempted to deliver a piledriver to Triple H at the top of the cell, but it was reversed. This led to Cactus Jack being flipped over and falling through the roof and pretty much denting the ring.

This wasn’t the first time Foley went through the roof, but it was still painful to watch. While Triple H would win to retain the championship, Foley continued to establish himself as one of the most hardcore superstars in WWE history.

2. Undertaker Chokeslams Mankind through Cell

We continue with the theme of Mick Foley falling in painful ways to one of the most iconic matches in Hell in a Cell history. It might not have been the main event of the 1998 King of the Ring pay-per-view, but it was certainly one of the most talked about matches from that card.

Consider that this wasn’t even the biggest fall Mankind took during the match, but it looked extremely painful with all things considered. His body had already taken a beating he had earlier in the match. When he went through the roof of the cell, his body hit the ring in an extremely painful way.

Mankind looked like a ragdoll that was thrown from a child’s bed and onto the floor. His body bounced off the mat and he looked as if he had been broken like an action figure thrown too much. The match continued as Mankind fell onto thumbtacks and hit with just about every weapon imaginable.

The funny thing is that the chokeslam wasn’t even the most iconic Hell in a Cell moment of all time. That actually happened earlier in the match.

1. Mankind’s Fall from the Cell

Memorable moments in professional wrestling history usually take place near the end of a match. It’s usually part of the climax that swings the win for one competitor/team or the other. Mankind and the Undertaker didn’t wait long to make Hell in a Cell history during their match at the 1998 King of the Ring pay-per-view.

Mankind first walked out into the arena and went straight to the top of the cell. He waited as the Undertaker took him time to get join him up there. The brawl started immediately as Mankind had a steel chair in hand to greet the Phenom. They exchanged fisticuffs before Undertaker had the upper hand within minutes. Both were close to the edge near the announce tables when Undertaker threw Mankind off the roof.

True to his reckless, hardcore style of wrestling, Mankind took a hard fall onto the Spanish announcer’s table. He bounced off the table and landed on the floor. There was not a whole lot that could be done to brace for that kind of impact. Mankind looked injured and the match was nearly stopped.

What makes this moment more memorable was that Mankind didn’t want to leave the arena. As he was about to be taken out on a stretcher, Mankind got back up and climbed to the top of the cell. This led to the earlier mentioned spot where he was chokeslammed through the roof.

Next: Goldberg for 2017 WWE HOF

A normal superstar could have stayed on the stretcher and went to a hospital. But moments like this proved Mick Foley wasn’t a normal wrestler.