Ranking Every Undertaker vs. Brock Lesnar Match in WWE History

This Sunday, at WWE's seventh annual Hell in a Cell pay-per-view event, The Undertaker and Brock Lesnar will square off inside Satan's Structure to blow off their ruthless rivalry. This comes after their SummerSlam outing ended in controversy, but the rubber match of the series will no doubt feature a decisive and undisputed winner.

The history between the two behemoths, however, dates back much further than WrestleMania 30. They first feuded in the fall of 2002, and in the 13 years since have had nothing but bad blood for each other.

From their wars inside The Devil's Playground to a unique Biker's Chain match, Undertaker and Lesnar have just about done it all. While some of their matches have been better than others, all of them have cemented their place in history one way or another.

As two of WWE's most storied rivals, it's only appropriate that we look back at their decorated feud in preparation for their final faceoff at the upcoming event. Criteria for each match's place on the list includes build, aftermath, storytelling, in-ring action and more.

Where will their latest hellacious encounter this Sunday rank among these memorable matchups?

5. Unforgiven 2002

Credit: WWE.com

There wasn't a hotter star on the scene in 2002 than Brock Lesnar. In a matter of months, he won the prestigious King of the Ring tournament, put Hulk Hogan on the shelf and knocked off The Rock to become the youngest WWE champion in history.

However, his reign of terror on top was just getting started coming out of SummerSlam. After annihilating all competition on Raw, he decided to take his talents to SmackDown.

Waiting for him on Thursday nights was none other than The Undertaker, who earned No. 1 contendership to the WWE Championship at Unforgiven. Things got personal between them when Lesnar targeted Undertaker's wife Sara as an attempt to get inside his head, but all it did was infuriate The Deadman.

As a result, their pay-per-view match was more of a brawl than a standard wrestling match. The bout was entertaining nevertheless, but it was clear they were holding back in order to build to an even bigger match at No Mercy the next month.

The double disqualification was a slightly underwhelming finish to the heated affair, but at least WWE ended the evening on a high note by having Taker toss The Beast Incarnate through the stage set.

Fans have speculated over the years that the original conclusion to the contest was supposed to see Matt Hardy get involved and cost Undertaker the win, so you can be the judge as to which would have been better.

4. WrestleMania 30

Credit: WWE.com

Following a nearly 10-month absence from WWE TV, The Undertaker made his shocking return to Raw on the Feb. 24, 2014 edition to confront Lesnar. The replenished Deadman manhandled the former UFC heavyweight champ with ease, planting the seeds for their long-awaited match at WrestleMania 30.

Unfortunately, the buildup to the bout was anything but special. Due to Undertaker and Lesnar both being part-timers, their Raw appearances were far and few between, and when they did encounter each other, their segments fell flat.

Aside from an attack on Undertaker days before WrestleMania, WWE did nothing to make Lesnar look like a threat to The Streak. The saving grace in the minds of the fans would be the match quality, but even that wasn't what it could have been.

Due to The Phenom's getting concussed minutes into the match, it was all one giant mess, with the two icons trading finishers and the crowd sitting on their hands the entire time. And no, it wasn't boring by design to make the outcome of Lesnar's victory more surprising; it was just genuinely not good.

It's highly debatable whether Lesnar should have been the one to break The Streak, or if it should have been broken at all, but it certainly succeeded in launching Lesnar into another stratosphere of superstardom. That alone made the match monumental, and the sheer shock stemming from the clean three-count will never be replicated.

Plus, it wasn't The Deadman's final match, so at least he didn't end his career on a sour note.

3. No Mercy 2003

Credit: WWE.com

One year removed from their incredible outing inside Hell in a Cell at No Mercy 2002, The Undertaker and Lesnar met for the WWE Championship once again at the subsequent installment.

Lesnar was fresh off his classic series of matches against Kurt Angle and rekindled his rivalry with Undertaker after attacking him on an episode of SmackDown.

However, much had changed since they last went one-on-one a year prior. While Lesnar had made an even bigger name for himself, Undertaker was hungrier than ever before to score his first victory against his longtime rival.

What made this match unique was the Biker's Chain stipulation, which saw a biker's chain hanging from the top of a pole; the first competitor to unhook it and use it to beat his opponent would win.

Granted, it was a silly stipulation that was thankfully never brought back, but everything leading up to pulling the chain off the pole was excellent. It was saddled with interference from the Full Blooded Italians, but it somehow worked to their advantage, as the chaos helped make the matchup more exciting.

As excellent as the in-ring action was, anything-on-a-pole matches are always goofy, and this was no exception. There were several other points throughout the bout where either of them could have emerged victorious with his finishing maneuver, so the use of the biker chain slightly took away from the overall enjoyment of it.

It was only after Mr. McMahon pushed Taker off the top rope that Lesnar was able to capitalize and pick up the win. Although Lesnar was the one who had his hand raised at the conclusion of the contest, it had yet to be decided who the truly superior Superstar.

2. SummerSlam 2015

Credit: WWE.com

When Undertaker vs. Lesnar at WrestleMania 30 fell short of expectations, fans weren't longing for a rematch coming out of the event. Both icons went their separate ways at the following WrestleMania, with Undertaker meeting Bray Wyatt and Lesnar defending the WWE World Heavyweight Championship in the main event.

Despite that, Undertaker made an unannounced return at Battleground 2015 with revenge on his mind. Granted, it came 15 months after the fact, but costing The Beast Incarnate his shot at championship glory was his way of evening the score.

The next night on Raw, Undertaker and Lesnar engaged in a brawl for the ages that set the stage for their SummerSlam encounter nicely. It was the perfect preview of what to expect from them in their rematch at the biggest party of the summer.

The former WWE champions delivered a much better bout than any could have anticipated. They took the fight all over ringside, with Lesnar at one point putting Taker through a table with a devastating F-5.

It was well on its way to being the best match they've ever had up until the finish. Undertaker tapped out, but the referee didn't see it, which forced the match to be restarted, and saw Lesnar pass out to the Hell's Gate and hand The Deadman the victory.

To some, it was a crafty work of brilliance. To others, it was a disappointing cop-out. Either way, it left the door open for their final faceoff this Sunday inside Hell in a Cell.

1. No Mercy 2002

Credit: WWE.com

The Undertaker vs. Brock Lesnar: Hell in a Cell Match

Coming off their brutal brawl at the conclusion of the Unforgiven pay-per-view, The Undertaker and Lesnar were set to meet again the next month at No Mercy. This time, however, they would be doing battle inside Hell in a Cell.

Having never before stepped foot in The Devil's Playground, Lesnar was at a distinct disadvantage against Undertaker, but that didn't stop him from taking him to his absolute limit. Paul Heyman coached Lesnar from outside the cell, though it wasn't long before Taker battered him with his own tie through the steel structure.

The founder of ECW wasn't the only one bloodied during the bout; Lesnar and Taker were both busted open as well. But this match was more than just a blood bath.

In the second half of the contest, Lesnar relentlessly targeted the injured hand of The Phenom, going so far as to rip off his cast and smash it into the cell wall. Undertaker battled back against the young upstart, but the drive of The Next Big Thing was too much to overcome.

Ultimately, it was Lesnar who came out on top after nailing Taker with an F-5 for the clean—albeit messy—victory. It was a landmark title defense for The Beast Incarnate that established him as a force to be reckoned with on the blue brand.

To celebrate his high-profile win, Lesnar ascended the side of the cell and held the prestigious prize high above his head on top of Satan's Structure. Will we see a similar sight this Sunday when they clash one final time?

Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, is a journalism major at Endicott College. Visit his website, Next Era Wrestling, and "like" his official Facebook page to continue the conversation on all things wrestling.

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