10 Greatest WWE Hell In A Cell Matches Ever

There were high hopes for Hell in a Cell when the concept debuted in 1997. The original caged battle between Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker was a handy way of blowing off their rivalry while segueing into another, as Kane famously debuted at the end of the bloodbath to confront his brother (which you can read about in WhatCulture's Titan Screwed, the look-back at the WWF's changing times of 1997-98, available now!). The success of the first match opened the door for future incarnations, the ultimate battleground for settling the promotion's most hate-filled quarrels.

Over the ensuing nineteen years, the Hell in a Cell match has been diluted to a hefty degree. Having a spot on the October calendar designated for Cell matches means that you're shoehorning the gimmick in for matches that aren't necessarily worthy of the epic setting. The lack of planned blood since 2008 has also hurt the match. Safety first, sure, but with the Hell in a Cell match, you're promising mayhem and carnage, and such rules make it hard for Cell matches to attain legendary status.

Regardless, of the thirty-plus Cell matches over the past two decades, many of them have stood the test of time. Here are the ten greatest.

The "End of an Era" match was plagued by confusing booking beforehand, as Triple H was basically saying, "Nah, Undertaker, you're old and I don't wanna hurt you badly again," so Undertaker shaved his head in some form of protest. When the match finally came about, it ended up being really, really good, but not quite as legendary as others have claimed it to be.

It had its issues, like referee Shawn Michaels trying to stop the match after Undertaker (a zombie mortician that has survived immolation and being buried alive) sustained three spinebusters. As far as storytelling goes, the match hit its marks, and was an appropriate end of the trio's association that dated back a generation. It's a "flawed epic", to put it one way.