10 Greatest Hell in a Cell Matches in WWE's History

Hell in a Cell is a match originally intended to serve as the blowoff to WWE's most intense rivalries and feuds. It was the setting for some of the most violent matches to ever occur, not to mention some of the most memorable. 

Over time, the match became so popular that the company could not help but realize the potential earnings that could result from a show devoted to the contest.

In 2009, WWE produced the first Hell in a Cell pay-per-view. Rather than being a great show full of matches true to the formula that had made the popular gimmick match such a success in the first place, it became more about popping a buyrate while staying the course with the top programs of the time, whether or not they were Hell in a Cell material.

Regardless of fan backlash or underwhelming results, the show remains a staple of the pay-per-view calendar and is unlikely to change.

As the 2014 edition of the broadcast rapidly approaches, relive the 10 greatest Hell in a Cell matches ever.

10. John Cena vs. CM Punk vs. Alberto Del Rio (Hell in a Cell 2011)

Fall 2011 featured a three-way war over the WWE Championship that was born at SummerSlam, when Alberto Del Rio emerged following a classic between John Cena and CM Punk, cashed in the Money in the Bank briefcase and captured the title from Punk.

The following month, Cena knocked off Del Rio and regained the title. With Punk remaining a fixture in the title picture, it was only a matter of time before the three marquee stars clashed with the top prize in the sport on the line.

That time came at Hell in a Cell 2011, when they stepped inside the devil's playground for the main event of the annual October pay-per-view extravaganza.

After some interesting interactions early in the match, Del Rio cleverly locked Cena outside the cell, meaning the leader of the Cenation would have no impact on the finish of the contest. This left Del Rio one-on-one with Punk. While that may not have been a favorable match for the Mexican aristocrat, the introduction of a steel pipe evened things up.

Del Rio repeatedly bashed Punk with the weapon, stopping every so often to taunt Cena, who had no choice but to watch from the outside. The villainous Superstar was able to pin Punk and regain the title, much to the chagrin of Cena and his fans, who never really had a chance to see their favorite wrestler get a fair shot at the gold.

The match was outstanding, with all three competitors working hard and a story that put over the dastardly nature of Del Rio, something he desperately needed in order to recover from his quick title defeat a month earlier. 

9. The Undertaker vs. Edge (SummerSlam 2008)

The feud between The Undertaker and Edge dominated the SmackDown brand in 2008 and led to several memorable encounters.

The Deadman defeated The Rated-R Superstar at WrestleMania XXIV with the Hell's Gate submission hold. While that is typically a perfectly legal, perfectly acceptable hold, SmackDown general manager and Edge's main squeeze Vickie Guerrero set out to ban the move.

When Undertaker used the move again at Backlash and Judgment Day, she stripped him of the World Heavyweight Championship and put it up for grabs at One Night Stand in a Tables, Ladders & Chairs match. The same TLC match that Edge mastered during his days as a tag team with Christian. Interference from La Familia led to Edge regaining the title and a months-long disappearance by Undertaker.

After Edge was caught cheating on Vickie with wedding planner Alicia Fox, the GM was hell-bent on punishing her former fiance and to do so, she booked him in a Hell in a Cell match with The Undertaker. Just days away from the titanic clash, Edge hosted an episode of the Cutting Edge with guest Mick Foley, who pulled out of him the diabolical competitor that defeated the Hardcore Legend at WrestleMania 22.

Undertaker punished Edge inside the cell, making up for months of torment at the hands of his opponent. Despite a spirited showing by the future Hall of Famer Edge, Undertaker scored the pinfall victory and ended his program with the longhaired Canadian in an absolutely outstanding match at SummerSlam 2008. 

8. Batista vs. The Undertaker (Survivor Series 2007)

Credit: WWE.com

Batista and Undertaker had spent the majority of 2007 feuding with each other by the time Survivor Series approached in November. Their physical battles over the World Heavyweight Championship had been some of the bright spots of an otherwise drab year, but an injury to The Phenom had put a halt to their program. 

They resumed their rivalry inside the steel structure that had been home to so many bloody, brutal and violent encounters over the years. Their Hell in a Cell match was no different.

For over 20 minutes, the heavyweights delivered a high-impact, hard-hitting match that saw each man unleash their signature offense and even a few finishing maneuvers. Each determined to emerge from the event with the gold around their waist, kicking out of the moves and refusing to stay down. 

It took interference from the returning Edge and a shot to Undertaker's face with a camera for Batista to be able to put away his opponent.

The finish set up a Triple Threat match the next month at Armageddon, but that match failed miserably to live up to the quality of the Hell in a Cell match, which ranked as one of the better and more intense matches of the year.

7. Six-Pack Challenge for the WWE Championship (Armageddon 2000)

Credit: WWE.com

The year 2000 was a banner year for storytelling in World Wrestling Entertainment. Triple H and The Rock feuded on and off. Kurt Angle rose through the ranks, becoming WWE champion just under one year into his career. Undertaker returned as the American Badass and Steve Austin successfully came back from a near-crippling neck injury to main event for the company. Most interesting was the evolution of Rikishi from fun opening match act to legitimate midcard star to main event villain.

In December, those stories and Superstars would come together for a huge Six-Pack Challenge match for the WWE Championship at the Armageddon pay-per-view.

Every bit as wild and chaotic as one would expect from a match involving those stars, the contest was an excellent way to cap off what may have been WWE's greatest year.

All six Superstars bled buckets, Austin paired off with hated rival Triple H, Undertaker tossed Rikishi off the top of the steel structure and onto the bed of a pickup truck and the Texas Rattlesnake teased a future contest with The Rock.

At the end of the day, it was Angle who was able to sneakily retain his title. For the first time in his young career, he had been tested in a violent, bloody war—and he emerged victoriously. The win proved his toughness and resolve and forced respect from fans, even if they still did not particularly like him.

6. The Undertaker vs. Triple H (WrestleMania 28)

After an epic brawl at WrestleMania 27 that saw Triple H come incredibly close to putting an end to Undertaker's undefeated streak at the Showcase of the Immortals, The Game looked to finish what he started as he entered Hell in a Cell to do battle with The Phenom one year later at WrestleMania 28.

With Shawn Michaels serving as guest referee, the industry icons delivered a dramatic contest full of heart-stopping near-falls and gasp-inducing spots. At one point, Michaels caught Undertaker with Sweet Chin Music, then Triple H followed up with the Pedigree. The crowd in Miami came unglued, thinking the most decorated streak in wrestling history was about to end. Then Undertaker shot his shoulder off the mat and the crowd erupted.

Eventually, Undertaker delivered a Tombstone piledriver to a defiant Triple H and picked up win No. 20 at WrestleMania. 

5. The Undertaker vs. Mankind (King of the Ring 1998)

The Undertaker vs. Mankind from King of the Ring 1998 is, easily, one of the most underrated matches of all time. That statement is not meant as a knock against the match itself, nor is it an indictment of either of its participants, but merely an observation. From the moment Mick Foley was thrown to the top of the cell and through the announce table, the contest earned an unfair reputation as one of the best Hell in a Cell matches of all time.

While that may be the case, and it may very well be the most memorable, it is far from the undisputed top choice for best ever.

There was no wrestling to speak of and Mick Foley put his body on the line for the sake of entertainment but, at the same time, terrified those concerned for his well-being. He was beaten, broken, brutalized and left one tooth short in a match that was more uncomfortable to watch than it was brilliant.

By the time Foley was thrown through the top of the cell, crashing to the mat below and knocking himself unconscious, the match had descended into violence for violence's sake.

A Tombstone from Undertaker ended Foley's misery and left the wrestling world buzzing about the contest they had just seen.

The match elevated Foley's star in the industry, making it the one good thing to come out of the match. Unfortunately, his performance set a bar far too high for his peers to ever match. Nor would they want to, especially if it meant enduring the punishment he did. 

4. Cactus Jack vs. Triple H (No Way Out 2000)

The best of Mick Foley's Hell in a Cell matches came in February 2000 when, as Cactus Jack, he challenged Triple H for the WWE Championship at No Way Out.

The rivalry between the two had been so incredibly personal and so intense that the only suitable way to bring it to an end was in the most dangerous structure known to professional wrestling.

After a Match of the Year candidate at the Royal Rumble in January, Foley and Triple H followed it with a contest equally as great as its predecessor.

Action spilled outside the squared circle, outside the cell and to the arena floor. There, they battle back and forth, Foley scoring with a piledriver through the announce table before heading to the top of the cell. There, a 2x4 was set ablaze, Triple H was blasted in his bloodied face and Foley appeared well on his way to capturing the heavyweight title. Unfortunately, a backdrop through the cell's ceiling spelled the end of Foley's night—and career.

The Game finished him off with a Pedigree, finally cementing himself as the undisputed top heel in the industry. 

3. The Undertaker vs. Brock Lesnar (No Mercy 2002)

Brock Lesnar's meteoric rise was the top story in WWE during summer and fall 2002. He had torn through Hulk Hogan, The Rock, Rob Van Dam and anyone else put in his path before Undertaker stepped up to the plate to try to knock the rookie down a peg.

At Unforgiven in September, the two big men fought to a wild no-contest finish that concluded when the Deadman tossed Lesnar head-first into the stage.

No Mercy would be the culmination of their feud, which had seen Lesnar break his veteran opponent's hand and then be forced to deal with the fact that he would be allowed to wear a cast for the contest. Worse yet for the inexperienced champion, he would be forced to defend the top prize in the industry against one of the greatest Superstars of all time in a Hell in a Cell match.

Lesnar was bloodied and battered with the cast, showing more weakness than he had to that point. Showing great toughness, however, he withstood Undertaker's onslaught, targeted the hand and ultimately busted The Phenom wide open.

With blood pouring from the wound at an incredible rate, there was very little Undertaker could do to halt the momentum of his younger, stronger and more athletic opponent. Eventually, Lesnar countered a Tombstone attempt with the F5 and secured the pinfall victory. 

2. The Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels (Bad Blood 1997)

Shawn Michaels was the cowardly heel, trapped like a rat in a cage, when he entered Hell in a Cell to square off with The Undertaker in the main event of Bad Blood 1997. The match, the first of its kind, was the result of a truly chaotic and crazy match between the two Superstars at In Your House: Ground Zero in September and the constant interference on Michaels' behalf by Triple H and Chyna.

As one could have predicted, Michaels bumped around the cell for Undertaker, putting the Deadman over as a force of nature. Michaels demonstrated great fear and desperation as attempted to evade his opponent. Unfortunately, no matter how badly he beat Michaels or how thick the proverbial crimson mask on the Heartbreak Kid's face became, Undertaker would never get the opportunity to score the victory.

His long-lost brother, Kane, made his debut and flattened Undertaker with a Tombstone, allowing Michaels to drape an arm over his opponent and score the win.

1. Batista vs. Triple H (Vengeance 2005)

The greatest Hell in a Cell match of all time is the 2005 war between Batista and Triple H. While other incarnations of the contest had worked desperately to incorporate a big bump of sorts, it was the two former Evolution teammates that worked a more bruising, physical style full of barbaric spots and stomach-churning violence.

It was exactly what the Hell in a Cell match was originally intended to be. It was brutal and bloody and the perfect way for Triple H and Batista to end their rivalry. More importantly, it put Batista on the map and solidified his spot at the top of the industry.

The strikes were stiff, the moves high impact and the weapon use bone-crunching. The competitors introduced a steel chair wrapped in barbed wire, Triple H grabbed hold of his faithful sledgehammer and Batista finished him off with a Batista Bomb onto the ring steps.

Triple H put his protege over clean and Batista legitimized himself as the star of the next decade.