Best WWE Hell in a Cell Matches Ever (Ranked)

With Bad Blood set to make a return to the WWE Premium Live Event calendar in October, there is a very good chance that we’ll be seeing the return of the Hell in a Cell match, a concept that began at ‘Badd Blood’ in 1998 and appeared at both of the next two PPV events for the show with that name in 2003 and 2004.

With that in mind, I wanted to take a look back at some of the best Cell matches in the history of the company, because frankly there have been way too many of them and it is easy to forget just how important they were in the past.

4. Batista vs Triple H

Vengeance 2005 (Cagematch Rating: 9.20)

2005 was an absolutely massive year for Batista, with The Animal winning the Royal Rumble and turning face to take on Triple H for the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 21. ‘Tista would also defend his title against The Game a month later at Backlash before finishing up their trilogy at Vengeance in this WWE Hell in a Cell match.

The Cell match was far and away the best of the three, with Hunter making sure that he pushed The Animal to the limit to put him over in the same way that Cactus Jack did for him five years earlier. This was a huge part of legitimising The Animal and kept him at the top level before he would retire after WrestleMania 26.

3. The Undertaker vs Triple H

WrestleMania XXVIII (Cagematch Rating: 9.15)

The match between these two men was the only decent part of a dismal WrestleMania 27 PPV, but this HIAC match completely surpassed it in every metric. With Shawn Michaels as the Special Guest Referee, it laid the foundation for what would actually be a match that was better to watch at home than it was live, with the interactions between the three men in the ring and the nuances between them taking this to a different level than other Cell bouts.

On top of that, the Sweet Chin Music to Pedigree on ‘Taker during the match produced was is quite possibly the best false finish in WWE history, with people believing that they were going to see the end of the streak right there.

2. Triple H vs Cactus Jack

No Way Out 2000 (Cagematch Rating: 9.29)

After a Streetfight at Royal Rumble 2000 that established Triple H as a legitimate main eventer, this Cell match with Cactus Jack’s career on the line was just under it in terms of quality, but only just.

The added emotional element of Mick Foley ending his career against the vicious Hunter Hearst Helmsley gave this match a completely different feel to other iterations, with the final pinfall being a gut punch to fans who had followed the beloved Foley over his incredible career.

1. Shawn Michaels vs The Undertaker

Badd Blood: In Your House (Cagematch Rating: 9.57)

Although the first is usually the best when it comes to films, that isn’t always the case when it comes to pro wrestling. Having said that, the first ever Hell in a Cell match between Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker at Bad Blood: In Your House in 1997 was about a good a show-stealer as you’re ever likely to find.

The in-ring quality of this bout undoubtedly helped the debut of Kane towards the end of it, with ‘Taker’s brother coming out to decimate his older brother before HBK would somehow steal the win.