Ranking the Top 7 Most Memorable WWE Hell in a Cell Matches Ever

With plenty to pick from, there have been a heck of a lot of memorable Hell in a Cell matches over the years.

Memorable doesn't exactly mean that the match was littered with hours and hours of mat mastery, more that they're matches that will stand the test of time as some of the best cell bouts ever seen.

It's difficult to grade the very best of the bunch, but with this year's edition of Hell in a Cell on the horizon, now seems as good a time as any to pick out the very best.

Here are the seven most memorable Hell in a Cell matches we've ever seen.

7. Triple H vs. Shawn Michaels (Bad Blood, 2004)

There have been matches a lot better in terms of technical exploitation, but to kick us off, it's a bout from 2004 between two of the greatest of their generation.

The rivalry between former D-Generation X compatriots Triple H and Shawn Michaels was sparked by a number of interferences in each of their matches, which led to Michaels being suspended by Eric Bischoff, the Raw General Manager.

There was no title on the line after Michaels interfered in a battle royal to determine the No. 1 contender for the World Heavyweight Championship, costing Triple H the chance of a title shot. 

It was booked for Triple H and Michaels to meet at Bad Blood inside the cell to settle their differences, and although the match was slow-paced on occasions, it was still a great bout between two megastars of the business.

Like any good Hell in a Cell match, it had blood, it had physicality and it had some gruesome spots. Triple H was busted open after Michaels threw him into the structure, before Michaels, too, was busted open after taking a bump from the steel steps. 

Eventually, Triple H would gain the advantage and nail Michaels with a Pedigree for the win. Michaels was afforded a standing ovation afterwards; the proof that this was one of the most memorable cell matches we've seen.

6. Batista vs. Triple H (Vengeance, 2005)

In terms of the most brutally brilliant Hell in a Cell matches in history, the 2005 classic between Batista and Triple H is up there with the very best.

It was part of their epic, epic war they had throughout the year as the two former Evolution teammates took it to each other in spectacular fallouts. 

The demonic structure was made for matches like this. The brutality, the sheer amount of blood and the culmination of a dramatic and engrossing feud.

Batista's victory crowned his road to glory by being put over one of the biggest names in the business, whilst Triple H's use of his sledgehammer worked perfectly with the background of the feud and the setting of the match.

5. The Undertaker vs. Triple H (WrestleMania XXVIII, 2012)

There have only been two Hell in a Cell matches to take place at the grandest and biggest show of the year, WrestleMania.

The Undertaker has been involved in both, but it's his clash with Triple H at the 28th installment of the marquee pay-per-view which is most memorable. 

At WrestleMania 27, they had both pushed each other to their very limit in an absolute classic with the rematch locked in for the following year. The previous year, Triple H had come desperately close to ending the Deadman's streak, and to add extra spice to the affair this year, Shawn Michaels was thrown into the bout as the special guest referee.

It was three of the biggest names in the business in the main event of the biggest pay-per-view of the year. It was expected to be a memorable bout, and it certainly lived up to the billing.

Michaels laying out Undertaker with Sweet Chin Music seemed to hint that "The Streak" was finally going to end in dramatic fashion, but when the Deadman kicked out on numerous occasions, the crowd went crazy.

After a hellacious match, Undertaker finally put his great rival away when Michaels had to hammer the three-count. 

What made it completely and utterly memorable? The image of all three greats standing on the ramp afterwards. Truly unforgettable. 

4. The Undertaker vs. Brock Lesnar (No Mercy, 2002)

2002 was the year in which Brock Lesnar established himself as one of the company's very top stars. 

A whole host of superstars had stepped forward and had been ripped apart by the impressive rookie before WWE decided to pit him with Undertaker to really test his credentials.

They had a brutal battle earlier in the rivalry at Unforgiven where they competed in a wild fight that ended in a no-contest, culminating when Lesnar was slung into the stage head-first.

But they went round again at No Mercy with the cell as the stipulation. Lesnar was the champion at that point, but he was facing the Deadman in the scenario he loved best: Hell in a Cell.

It was bloody, brutal and incredibly physical, which culminated in Taker being busted open to a serious degree. He was losing blood at an alarming rate and eventually succumbed when Lesnar dropped him with an F5 to put Taker away and secure his legacy as the next big thing.

Why was this one so memorable? Well, it was one of Lesnar's real early triumphs in WWE. This was one of the nights that seemed to hurl him forward as a top star and someone who could really mix it up with the best.

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

Although there is another of Mick Foley's Hell in a Cell matches which undisputedly ranks as more memorable, this bout with Triple H back in 2000 was perhaps his best inside the structure.

It was during Foley's Cactus Jack days, and he had managed to earn himself a shot against the company's top heel, Triple H, for his WWE Championship.

This rivalry seemed to have so much more than an in-ring story to tell, in truth. It had personal vengeance and plenty of brutality from start to finish.

They'd already had some stellar matches, most notably one at the Royal Rumble in the same year where they really pushed each other to the limit. But here, with Hell in a Cell as the backdrop, this one was even better.

What made it so memorable was that the action wasn't confined to inside the cell as plenty of hardcore, brutal moments (you would expect nothing less from a match involving Cactus Jack) left fans in awe of what they were seeing.

The most standout moment of all was perhaps when a two-by-four was set alight and hurled into Triple H's face, but he still managed to survive the bout after Foley went through the ceiling of the cell.

It was a night that proved pivotal in bringing the in-ring career of Foley to an end, but it was undisputedly his best effort inside the cell. 

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

There have been some iconic, career-defining moments inside Hell in a Cell, something the final two entrants on this list certainly prove.

The match that comes in as the second-most memorable was all the way back in 1997, at WWE's Bad Blood pay-per-view, and it was the very first Hell in a Cell match.

European Champion Shawn Michaels, then working as a heel, took on The Undertaker with a shot at Bret Hart's title on the line.

It was a fairly brutal match as you'd expect from the first of its kind. There were plenty of brutal spots, most of which involved Michaels being thrown around like a rag doll to put the point across of how aggressive and dangerous a match like this could be.

But, despite the actual in-ring action being more than average, the bout is remembered for its ending, where The Undertaker's long-lost brother, Kane, made his debut. 

Out he strolled, with Paul Bearer behind him as they made their way to the ring, taking down the Deadman with a Tombstone and allowing Michaels to sneakily pick up the win.

The legacy from that one night alone is still being felt to this day with Kane still very much apart of WWE's top end. He will challenge Seth Rollins for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at this year's event.

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

Forget just Hell in a Cell. There can't be many matches that are more memorable than this one.

It was when the WWE was at the peak of its powers, and it's still a match that is remembered for one brutal spot when in fact, the whole of the bout was truly something special.

The scene of the battle was King of the Ring 1998, and Undertaker and Mankind threw absolutely everything at each other in one hellacious match.

Of course, the reason it's so memorable? The moment Foley was thrown from the top of the cell and through the announce table, instantly producing one of the most hardcore, death-defying and truly incredible moments of WWE's recent history.

The fact that there were so many fears about Foley's health in and around the bout, intensified by the fact he truly put his body on the line just to entertain, also makes it more memorable. 

It was one of the nights that elevated Foley to true main-event material, and it is still one of Undertaker's most fondly remembered matches. It may not have been the best cell match in terms of mat chemistry and skill, but in terms of bouts that stick firmly in the memory, there's no other place this could have been except No. 1.