Best and Worst Hell in a Cell Matches in WWE History

It is just plain awesome that CM Punk and Drew McIntyre are headed for Hell in a Cell. The match should only be reserved for the most personal of rivalries.

It is a crowd-pleaser that promises more mayhem than one is used to in a regular match. Seeing these two men finish their feud within the confines of the steel will be fantastic.

The Hell in a Cell match is an instant favorite but its history is spotty. There have been 52 matches of such nature in WWE history, and the greatness of them is 50/50 at best.

There have been some classic matches and there have been some that were duds. Below is a list of some of these matches.

Best: Cody Rhodes vs Seth Rollins (Hell in a Cell 2022)

This entire program was designed around Seth Rollins‘ inability to defeat Cody Rhodes. It started with Rhodes’ return to the company at WrestleMania.

At the next PLE, Rhodes went over The Visionary again, sparking a rage in Rollins that led them to a Hell in a Cell match. It took 11 years but this match obtained the rare 5-star rating from Dave Meltzer, and with good reason.

This was as intense as any match could get. Rhodes’ torn pectoral muscle was a fantastic visual and also presented a heightened sense of realism to the contest.

You could feel the hatred with every move that Rollins and Rhodes performed. From jamming a kendo stick into Rhodes’ pec to a great spot with the cowbell, this match had it all.

Including Rhodes putting his first big WWE program to bed.

Worst: Seth Rollins vs The Fiend (Hell in a Cell 2019)

Moving Hell in a Cell to its own PLE was a mistake. The match should be the culmination of an intense feud.

Instead, the company shoehorned whichever program they thought necessary into the match, with usually disastrous results.

Rollins and The Fiend’s match is the biggest culprit. The Fiend and Rollins were great wrestlers but nothing about their talent translated into an entertaining match.

For starters, the ring being bathed in a red light made the match hard to watch. It blurred the action and didn’t help to get anyone invested in the match.

Also, the non-finish made no sense. This is a match that is supposed to have a definitive winner, the rules are structured that way.

To have the match (and the PLE) end in that way was a huge disappointment.

Best: Shawn Michaels vs The Undertaker (In Your House: Bad Blood 1997)

We have to go back to the original to see one of the best incantations of Hell in a Cell. Shawn Michaels had completed his heel turn by the time this match came around.

He had been running afoul of The Undertaker but managed to escape the Deadman at every turn. Thus, they were put into a cell to curb Michaels’ escape attempts.

The match revolved around HBK trying to run from The Undertaker, and it was expertly told. These men were two of the greatest to ever wrestle so it should come as no surprise that they were able to tell a great story.

That they were also able to wrestle the best-performed cell match should come as no shock to anyone. These were two greats doing what they did best.

Worst: The Undertaker vs The Big Boss Man (WrestleMania 15)

The Ministry of Darkness and The Corporation were feuding for the soul of WWE. The Undertaker and his followers were hell-bent on destroying Mr. McMahon while the boss was throwing whatever he could to stop them, including his bodyguard.

Big Boss Man was tasked to take The Undertaker down at WrestleMania in the match that ‘Taker had made famous. The Undertaker and Boss Man was a big-ticket match that fell flat

It was too slow to be considered entertaining. The fans were not invested in the action, even when things got extreme.

It plodded along to a predictable finish that was made worse by the controversial post-match hanging. Just not anything that anyone was interested in.

Best: Brock Lesnar vs The Undertaker (No Mercy 2002)

When Brock Lesnar moved solely to SmackDown, it was only a matter of time before the American Badass was going to stand in his way. Lesnar was the young buck who wanted to run the roster, and The Undertaker was the veteran who was going to make him earn it.

They engaged in many battles, but their Hell in a Cell match was head and shoulders the best. It was exactly what a cell match should be.

There was nothing flashy but there was hard-hitting action with two huge men throwing each other into a cage. Everyone got some color, including Paul Heyman, and it was punctuated by a great reversal finish.

The match went a long way to building the aura of Lesnar.

Worst: CM Punk vs The Undertaker (Hell in a Cell 2009)

Coming out of his program with Jeff Hardy, CM Punk was a top heel. He proved that he could carry a big-time feud, and the sky was the limit.

That is until he was put into a rivalry with The Undertaker. On paper, this should have worked.

Both were incredibly talented men and knew how to tell a great story. Unfortunately, nothing worked from the get-go and they produced some lackluster matches, their Hell in a Cell match being the biggest culprit.

The cell match was like their feud. It was short-lived, and no one came out looking great.

There was very little use of the cell, and a 10-minute run time did not give the two a chance to get anything going. The fans weren’t into the match and, frankly, the action didn’t give them any reason to.

Punk and Undertaker’s issues ended soon after that and no one was complaining.

Best: Becky Lynch vs Sasha Banks (Hell in a Cell 2019)

Becky Lynch and Sasha Banks had their issues in 2019. They battled over the Raw Women’s Championship, but this only ended in a DQ.

Not wanting to have their issues resolved in such a manner they agreed to step inside Hell in a Cell. There is an argument to be made that this is top five of Hell in a Cell matches of all time.

Both women were on point for the entire 20 minutes. There was violence but also great wrestling mixed in to change things up.

All of the spots were unique. They were things that no one had pulled off in a cell match.

Lynch and Banks set themselves apart from the pack. This was as entertaining as any Cell match out there.

Worst: The McMahons & Big Show vs D-Generation X (Unforgiven 2006)

Feuding with the boss is always going to take up time on television. For the most part, D-Generation X and The McMahons‘ issues provided for entertaining viewing.

Their segments were funny, and their matches were harmless, but putting them inside Hell in a Cell was a mistake. The addition of The Big Show helped the match slightly, but couldn’t make up for the lack of good spots for the contest.

The action was very stunted and there was too much downtime to make the match enjoyable. Too much comedy was inserted into Hell in a Cell, which is not the right place for it to happen.

WWE didn’t take this match seriously so why should we have?

Best: The Undertaker vs Triple H (WrestleMania 28)

The Undertaker had put together a great trilogy of WrestleMania matches against Triple H and Shawn Michaels, so why not run it back at WrestleMania 28? This time though, heighten the stakes and put them all inside Hell in a Cell.

It was a great idea and one that produced one of the most memorable WrestleMania matches in recent memory. Triple H and The Undertaker were two of the greatest wrestlers of their era, so there will be no conversation about how good the match was from a wrestling standpoint.

What made it great was the interwoven story of Triple and HBK’s desperation to end the steak. It added so much emotion to the match where these men were enjoying their limited time in the sun.

Also, who doesn’t remember how great that Pedigree/Superkick spot was? We all thought the steak was finished.

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