10 Best WWE Hell In A Cell Matches Ever
A history of violence, brutality, and death-defying falls.
Though not quite the fearsome, foreboding monolith of old, Hell In A Cell still carries a mystique. It remains a legendarily career-shortening structure with a legacy built on blood and behemothic bumps, and while the stipulation has served up countless clangers over the years (let us never speak CM Punk vs. Ryback again), its strongest offerings stand among the most visceral in company history.
This year's incarnation is just a few days away (16 September), with Braun Strowman vs. Roman Reigns and Jeff Hardy vs. Randy Orton set to go down inside the titular cage. What better time, then, to run through the Hell In A Cell stipulations biggest and best?
Pure match quality takes precedent. Unfortunately, this means there's no room for The Undertaker vs. Mankind. It's an important bout, the dives are iconic, and it'll remain part of wrestling folklore forever, but Foley's injuries rendered the clash a concussive slog. Conversely, 'Taker vs. Brock (HIAC 2015) and Ambrose vs. Rollins (HIAC 2014) are great, but can only be accommodated as honourable mentions.
Will this year's pay-per-view yield a bout of such calibre? Looking at the list, it'll be a tall order...
10. Kevin Owens Vs. Seth Rollins (Hell In A Cell 2016)
Our most recent inclusion wasn't just the best match of Kevin Owens' cowardly Universal Title reign, but also the last time he felt like a true 'Prizefighter' between the ropes.
KO was presented as the bully of old early on. He slapped Rollins around the ring in a manner that has since been lost, and while the bout took time to get going, there was enough heat to carry it few a handful of slower exchanges. The contest opened up with the cage door, and in came Chris Jericho. This should've spelled the end for 'The Architect's' challenge, but his spirit drove him forward, compelling him to scrap through the numbers game, seemingly neutralising the Universal Champion with an awesome table powerbomb to the outside.
But like most unfair fights, Seth's surge was eventually cut off. Though he started the match a sociopath, Owens' cowardice and inability to win one-on-one resurfaced, perpetuating a reign that continually presented him as a loser - even in victory.
Nonetheless, the match itself was about as attritional as you can expect from WWE's modern era, particularly when Psycho Kev was in control.