The History of Hell in a Cell
The Hell in a Cell match is acknowledged by most people in the wrestling world as one of the most brutal mainstream matches contested, and with a history rife with spilled blood and legitimate mistakes and injuries; it’s easy to see why.
The Origins of The Cell
The origins of the HIAC match are usually linked to The Undertaker, being a competitor in 9 of the 16 official matches, however the actual idea was that of Shawn Michaels.
During a feud between Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker in 1997 the WWE creative team were looking for ways to end the feud on a high and were planning a cage match to do this.
Michaels instead suggested they put on a match he had seen used for main events in the NWA, ‘The Omni’.
The Omni expanded on the idea of the traditional cage, having a gap between the mesh and the ring and being enclosed; whereas the traditional cage is open-topped.
The creative team loved it, and with a new WWE name the idea became a reality on October 7th 1997 at Badd Blood; Hell in a Cell was born.
I. Shawn Michaels Vs. The Undertaker, 7th October 1997, Badd Blood
A battered and bloodied Shawn Michaels defeated The Undertaker in a very well fought match.
The two most memorable aspects of this Hell in a Cell were that it was the first one of its kind and therefore no one had seen anything as brutal in the WWE and secondly it marked the debut of The Undertaker’s on screen brother, Kane.
At the climax of the bout, The Undertaker looked to be in control and about to end the match, when the lights cut out and Paul Bearer walked down the ramp with a masked figure who ripped off the cell door and delivered a tombstone (The Undertaker’s own finishing move), leaving a prone Undertaker to be pinned by HBK.
II. Stone Cold Steve Austin & The Undertaker Vs Mankind and Kane, 15th June 1998, Raw is War
This is one of only two Hell in a Cell matches that was not contested at a Pay Per View event, and is debatably not an actual match as there didn’t seem to be any bell to start the match, and no pin fall to end it.
Steve Austin and The Undertaker had never been on the best of terms, and before the match began there was speculation that The Undertaker would leave Steve Austin to take on both men, which seemed to be the case as Taker’s music played twice and the deadman didn’t show.
With Mankind and Kane on the outside of the cell getting beaten by Stone Cold, Paul Bearer decided he would be safest locked inside the cell, however this was not the case as The Undertaker would make a dramatic entrance, tearing through the canvas of the ring and beating his estranged father to a bloody pulp.
III. The Undertaker Vs Mankind, 28th June 1998, King of the Ring
This is the benchmark as far as Hell in a Cell matches go. Whenever the WWE mentions Hell in a Cell, you can almost guarantee they will bring up this epic battle in which blood was spilled and a career was almost ended.
The Undertaker threw Mankind off the top of the cell and down onto the Spanish announce table, a drop of about 19ft, which led to J.R uttering the words:
“Good God almighty, Good God almighty! That killed him! As God as my witness, he is broken in half!”
which became a popular sound bite/clip and has been used on numerous ‘Don’t try this at home’ segments and every Hell in a Cell promo since.
This match was also the first Hell in a Cell where something genuinely went wrong.
The problem arose when The Undertaker hit a chokeslam on the top of the Cell and a section of the roof gave way, dropping Mankind 15ft to the unforgiving mat.
The Undertaker finally picked up the win after delivering a chokeslam onto thumb-tacks and then a tombstone to get the 1-2-3 and round off what is still known as one of the most brutal matches ever to take place in the WWE.
IV. Mankind Vs Kane, 24th August 1998, Raw is War
Like a child with a new toy the WWE used the Hell in a Cell for the third time in 1998.
Much like the first one that took place on raw it did not have a definite outcome, as The Undertaker and Stone Cold both got involved and it was officially ruled a ‘No contest’.
In the shadow of the brilliant Mankind Vs Undertaker Hell in a Cell which took place two months prior, this was one of the poorest uses of the Cell in WWE history and match was little more than a promo for the bigger matches set to take place at Summerslam.
The only interesting thing to note is that it is the only Hell in a Cell match to take place that featured neither The Undertaker nor HHH as a contender.
V. The Undertaker Vs The Big Boss Man, 28th March 1999, Wrestlemania XV
Although this was the only Hell in a Cell match to take place on ‘the grandest stage of them all’, it was also the least memorable.
In a match that never really got going, The Undertaker finally prevailed before Edge, Christian and Gangrel (known then as ‘The Brood’) appeared on top of the cell and lowered a noose to Taker who then ‘hung’ Bossman in the centre of the ring, claiming him as a sacrifice and notching up a point for The Ministry in their long running battle with The Corporation.
This would not be the Bossman’s only disappointing performance inside the Hell in a Cell structure.
???. The Big Bossman Vs. Al Snow, 26th September 1999, Unforgiven
This was not an official Hell in a Cell match, but it definitely deserves a mention as it is regarded as the worst use of the Cell to date.
The ‘Kennel from Hell’ match consisted of a steel cage, inside a Hell in a Cell, with Rottweilers running rampant inbetween, the objective was to beat the hell out of your opponent and then escape both structures. That was the plan anyway, what the fans actually got to see was a selection of sedated animals relieving themselves while the rather dull match went on in the ring.
This match is widely regarded as the worst match of 1999, and even one of the worst matches of all time.
VI. Cactus Jack Vs HHH, 27th Feb 2000, No Way Out
Promoted as Mick Foley’s retirement match, this was one of the better Hell in a Cell matches, and the first in which the World Heavyweight Championship would be contested.
In a bout that featured chair shots, flaming barbed wire 2×4’s and Foley once again falling onto the Spanish announce table, the turning point came when HHH reversed a piledriver and sent Mick crashing through the roof of the cell and onto the mat (this time on purpose).
A pedigree later and HHH had retained his title and ended the career of Mick Foley….for a few years anyway.
VII. Kurt Angle Vs The Undertaker Vs The Rock Vs Stone Cold Steve Austin Vs HHH Vs Rikishi, 10th December 2000, Armageddon
Going with the theory that ‘you can’t have too much of a good thing’ the WWE booked a 6 man Hell in a Cell match featuring all of the top superstars of the time…and Rikishi. The match was always destined to descend into chaos with so many big stars sharing a cell, and when Vince McMahon drove a flat bed truck out to ringside and ripped off the cell door in an attempt to wreck the match, the chaos simply spread to the outside and became even harder to follow.
In the absence of Mick Foley, (who made a brief appearance in a non-wrestling capacity) it was Rikishi who had to bite the bullet and be thrown from the top of the cell, landing in back of the conveniently parked flat bed, which was full of soft wood chippings.
After a finisher-fest Kurt Angle crawled onto the prone body of The Rock and got the 3 count.
VIII. HHH Vs Chris Jericho, 19th May 2002, Judgement Day
Although this was as solid a match as you could hope to see, it would kick start a run of distinctly average Cell battles over the next couple of years.
Jericho and HHH put on a brutal and bloody match but the big story behind this Hell in a Cell was the career ending injury suffered by referee Tim White.
Tim was knocked from the apron into the wall of the cell with some ferocity, Jericho then proceeded to throw him into the wall of the cell and kick him repeatedly for failing to count a possible pinfall, at some point during this White sustained a shoulder injury that would stop him doing his job until 2004, when after 1 match he re-injured himself and retired for good.
HHH eventually picked up the win on the top of the cell, the only match to date that has ended on top of the demonic structure.
IX. Brock Lesnar Vs The Undertaker, 20th October 2002, No Mercy
This was another solid performance and a very bloody affair; however the WWE fans had come to expect a ‘big bump’ from this type of match and this one simply didn’t have one.
A good, if not forgettable match won by Lesnar, which could have been just as good without the cell surrounding the ring.
X. HHH Vs Kevin Nash, 15th June 2003, Badd Blood
This was by far the worst contested Hell in a Cell match, mostly down to Kevin Nash’s poor fitness levels and rusty ring work.
In a match that the WWE often brush under the carpet, HHH managed to grab a win and retain his World Heavyweight Title with the help of Evolution buddies Randy Orton and Ric Flair.
XI. HHH Vs Shawn Michaels, 13th June 2004, Badd Blood
In amongst a sea of average cell matches, this gargantuan battle that lasted almost 50 minutes has to be one of the best there has been.
Throughout the 50 minutes Michaels and HHH spent a lot of time laid out in the centre of the ring, which would normally run the risk of boring the fans, however in this case it helped to add tension.
The match would finally come to an end when HHH hit a third Pedigree to put a temporary end to a fantastic feud which had seen the two beat the hell out of each other in a selection of different matches.
XII. HHH Vs Batista, 26th June 2005, Vengeance
Another very average bout in which Batista retained his Heavyweight Title at the cost of HHH’s undefeated Hell in a Cell record.
There really isn’t much else to mention about this match, the highlights were HHH strangling Batista with a belt, a barbed wire wrapped steel chair and a poorly executed spinebuster onto the steel steps.
As with the IX Hell in a Cell match between Lesnar and The Undertaker, this match didn’t really need to be in the cell as it wasn’t really utilized as much as it should have been.
XIII. The Undertaker Vs Randy Orton, 18th December 2005, Armageddon
This was by far the best Hell in a Cell match Smackdown had produced since the roster split and saw the end of a Legend killer Vs Legend feud that ran practically the whole length of 2005.
The Undertaker prevailed after busting open Orton’s father and delivering a Tombstone to both of them.
XIV. D-Generation X (HHH & Shawn Michaels) Vs Vince & Shane McMahon and The Big Show, 17th September 2006, Unforgiven
Introducing a mixture of brutality and comedy to the Hell in a Cell, this match had its good and bad points.
While a pre-diet Big Show beat down both members of D-X, Vince and Shane span out the same old ‘taunting while someone else does their bidding’ routine culminating in Shane hitting the Coast to Coast complete with trash can on HHH and Vince reigning down punches on a bloodied HBK.
Vince had a chance to end the match after Show hit the Hog Log leg drop on Michaels but he decided to lift his shoulder before the 3, a move that would come back to haunt him.
DX soon recovered control of the match and it was their turn to do some routine spinning, with a AA spinebuster from HHH and a HBK top rope elbow drop.
The culmination of the match saw Big Show hung over the top rope after a Sweet Chin Music, which then lead to Vince’s head being pushed into his naked rear end.
DX wrapped up the match, and the feud, shortly afterwards.
XV. Batista Vs The Undertaker, 18th November 2007, Survivor Series
This was another pretty standard affair, saved only by the brilliant colour commentary of JBL and the conclusion of the match.
The Undertaker would eventually hit the Tombstone onto the steel steps and cover Batista for what looked like it was going to be a 3 count. However just as the referee’s hand was coming down for the third time he was dragged out of the ring by the returning Edge, who had been posing as a cameraman throughout the match. Edge then drilled Taker with a video camera and dragged Batista, who was still out cold, on top of him to get the 3 and retain his title.
XVI. Edge Vs The Undertaker, 17th August 2008, SummerSlam
This match came about after an extended absence from the ring for The Undertaker, who had been suspended by General Manager Vickie Guerrero in an attempt to protect her love interest; Edge.
Guererro reinstated The Deadman after finding out Edge had cheated on her and the scene was set for an epic Hell in a Cell battle.
From the first bell to the last both men put in amazing performances risking it all to put on a match worthy of Summerslam’s legacy.
There were shattered tables, bent chairs, ladders and bloodied ring-steps scattered in and around the ring, and even pieces of the cell un-attached by the time The Undertaker drilled Edge with a camera and hit the Tombstone to get the 1-2-3.
However it was the events that took place after the final bell made this Hell in a Cell bout one to remember.
In a stunt reminiscent of the Attitude era of the late 90′s/early 00′s, The Undertaker chokeslammed Edge from the top of the ladder, through the canvas of the ring, leaving a hole from which the very fires of hell began to erupt.
The Future of The Cell
With a whole Pay Per View dedicated to the Hell in a Cell match it initially looked like running the risk of damaging the impact the match has.
However, with only the 3 main events being contested inside the Cell, it should be able to maintain it’s reputation as a brutal way to heighten tension or even end a long running rivalry.
The hardest aspect of having 3 Cell matches at the top of the card will be coming up with new things to make the matches stand out and it’ll be interesting to see how this is achieved.
JayD
Sections of this article were first published on Suite101.com
