WWE: Ranking all 40 Hell in a Cell matches from worst to best
10. The Undertaker vs. Triple H
When and Where: WrestleMania XXVIII on April 1, 2012, in Miami Gardens, FL
I’ve seen this contest ranked as high as number one, and often in the top five or top three of lists. I don’t feel like it quite hits that level, but this match absolutely merited being inside my top ten.
This match was billed as, and truly felt like, “The End of an Era.” It was the culmination of years of issues that began with Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker tearing the house down at WrestleMania 25. The next year, The Undertaker defeated Michaels for a second time and sent him into retirement. Triple H tried to avenge him at WrestleMania 27 but was unsuccessful.
This time, Triple H had one last attempt with Shawn Michaels as the Special Guest Referee inside Hell in a Cell. What followed may not be the most violent, most over the top, or most technically impressive Hell in a Cell match, but few told this magnificent of a story. It was top-notch character work by all three parties involved that carries this match near the top of the list.
Triple H began to dominate early, beating down Undertaker and trying to get Shawn to call for the bell in order to stop the onslaught. Steel chairs, steel stairs, unbelievable false finishes, ref bumps, it was all there. When the dust finally settled, the era had ended, and The Undertaker stood tall in one of the most compelling Hell in a Cell matches of all time.
9. Triple H vs. Chris Jericho
When and Where: Judgment Day on May 19, 2002, in Nashville, TN
If I were to identify any of my top ten Hell in a Cell matches as a “hidden gem,” this would be the one. When discussions come up about great HIAC contests, this one seems to rarely enter the conversation. Just two months after Triple H had defeated Chris Jericho for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 18, these two aimed to settle their personal issues once and for all.
In what was only the eighth Hell in a Cell match of all time, we saw two men go to war 17 years before a new war begins. This Wednesday, AEW Champion Chris Jericho leads the charge for AEW on TNT the same night that Triple H’s NXT goes head to head with them via USA. If you want a warzone, this match is a great example of one.
Unfortunately, there were casualties that didn’t include the two competitors. Veteran referee Tim White was severely injured in this match in a spot where he bounced off the ropes and into the cell wall. White hurt his shoulder, which ultimately kept him out of wrestling altogether.
With referees down on the inside, that gave an opening for the door to be opened so help could arrive for them. This caused Triple H and Jericho to spill to the outside and ultimately find themselves on top of the structure. Jericho managed to lock in the Walls of Jericho on top of the cell, but Triple H fought out and hit a Pedigree into the cell to pick up the win.
8. Triple H vs. Shawn Michaels
When and Where: Bad Blood on June 13, 2004, in Columbus, OH
This is a controversial one, as I’ve seen the matched ranked as high as the top ten and as low as the bottom ten. The main bone of contention deals with the match itself, a brutal cap to a bitter rivalry between Triple H and Shawn Michaels that was resuscitated upon Shawn’s return in 2002.
From bell to bell, this match lasted 47 minutes and 26 seconds. Over three-quarters of an hour of struggle, carnage, and violence. For some, the length is just too much. However, I can’t help but see it as something before its time. Iron Man matches were seen on occasion before this point, but a single fall match going this long was very rare.
I can’t help but wonder what the reaction to this kind of a match in today’s era would have been. Think about the epic matches between Kazuchika Okada and Kenny Omega. At Wrestle Kingdom 11, they went 46 minutes and 45 seconds. At Dominion 2017, they went to an hour-long time limit draw.
This match might not be for everyone, like the epics between Okada and Omega, but it’s one I see as a true classic. The level of exhaustion as the match progressed was palpable. There was plenty of blood, a ladder, chairs, and more as these two tore into each other for nearly an hour. Triple H took the win once the dust settled, but both of these men deserve recognition for this masterpiece.
7. SmackDown Tag Team Championship: The New Day (c) vs. The Usos
When and Where: Hell in a Cell on October 8, 2017, in Detroit, MI
The most recent Hell in a Cell contest in this top ten is also less than half the length of the one ranked just below it. This was the first time the tag team titles of any variety were defended inside Hell in a Cell, and these two teams didn’t hold anything at all back. This wasn’t the first tag team match inside Hell in a Cell, but it felt like the first one that truly honored tag team wrestling.
Of the three tag team (or tag team handicap) matches inside HIAC that took place before this one, only one (DX vs Legacy) came close, but even that wasn’t quite at this level. The Usos and The New Day are objectively two of the greatest tag teams in modern professional wrestling, and they carried that weight well into this contest.
There was no shortage of creativity and brutality, which went hand in hand as this match went on. Colorful kendo sticks, plenty more plain kendo sticks, musical instruments, steel chairs, handcuffs, and the cell itself all played a role. Kofi Kingston was stuck on the outside, forced to watch in moments like a handcuffed Xavier Woods being isolated and wailed upon with kendo sticks by The Usos.
The New Day came close to fighting back near the end, with Xavier Woods saving a near fall despite being handcuffed. It wasn’t enough, as The Usos got Big E down on the outside long enough to place a chair over a handcuffed Xavier Woods and land their Double Uce onto the chair to pick up the win and become the new SmackDown Tag Team Champions.
6. World Heavyweight Championship: Batista (c) vs. Triple H
When and Where: Vengeance on June 26, 2005, in Las Vegas, NV
Just shy of the top five, we’ve got the 2005 matchup between reigning World Heavyweight Champion Batista and Triple H. Just a few short months after Batista had triumphantly defeated Triple H for the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 21, the two were set to settle their differences inside Hell in a Cell.
Things didn’t take long to escalate, with a steel chain becoming a focal point early on. Some of the shots of Triple H choking Batista with the chain just as things are getting rolling are truly amazing, and things really hit another notch when a steel chair wrapped in barbed wire joined the fun.
Of course, Triple H did eventually have “The Great Equalizer” which Jim Ross loved to call “The Damn Sledgehammer.” These two tore into each other at every turn, and we looked to see shades of Triple H using the sledgehammer to defeat The Undertaker at WrestleMania 17.
Batista got Triple H up high for the Batista Bomb, and Triple H had the sledgehammer. He looked ready to strike Batista with the hammer to slip out, much the way he did to Undertaker, but Batista was able to follow through with the Bomb before the strike could happen. It was enough for the win and gave Triple H his very first loss inside Hell in a Cell.