Triple H vs. Undertaker: Who Is the Greatest WWE Hell in a Cell Performer?
The WWE stars of today have an impossibly long way to go to match Triple H and Undertaker's contribution to the legacy of Hell in a Cell.
No one has stepped inside that daunting steel enclosure more times than those two men. And when reflecting on the greatest Hell in a Cell matches of all time, both Triple H and Undertaker dominate those memories.
Triple H outlasted Shawn Michaels in the longest bout inside The Devil's Playground to date. Undertaker took on The Heartbreak Kid in the first-ever Hell in a Cell. The Game walked into that cage as champion, as one-half of D-Generation X and with his mind set on ending Undertaker's WrestleMania undefeated streak.
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The Deadman hung a man and dragged another down to Hell. His first and last trip into that cell came some 19 years apart.
But which of those two icons most delivered in Hell in a Cell? Which titan has a better resume in that unsettling setting? The following is a look at that debate, determining who is the king of The Devil's Playground.
The Case for Triple H
The Game has been a masterful storyteller inside Hell in a Cell.
From his vicious dismantling of Cactus Jack in 2000 to his absolute classic against Undertaker 12 years later, Triple H has been right at home inside the steel. The Cerebral Assassin's mercilessness and craftiness have made for engaging theater inside Hell in a Cell several times over.
He and Michaels delivered a bloody saga in 2004. Triple H and Chris Jericho tore down the house at Judgment Day 2002 with a match that saw The Game celebrate atop the cell. And Triple H's Hell in a Cell collision against Batista at Vengeance 2005 is an often underrated trip inside that enclosure.
His name would be all over any good list of the best Hell in a Cell matches ever. He's an integral part of the bout's history.
And in nine tries, Triple H has yet to have a bad performance in that cage.
Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter agrees. Triple H's average star rating from Meltzer (h/t the Internet Wrestling Database) in Hell in a Cell matches is an outstanding 3.97, which tops Undertaker's mark of 3.44.
The least impressive outing he had was in 2003 against Kevin Nash, which was still pretty solid. Undertaker, on the other hand, has had certified clunkers against Kane in 2010 and Big Boss Man at WrestleMania XV. The latter is often talked about as one of the worst matches of its kind.
The Case for Undertaker
The story of Hell in a Cell begins with Undertaker. The Deadman battled in the debut of the match in 1997 as he and Michaels put on a show that arguably has yet to be topped.
The imposing big man chased around the cowardly heel in a bloody and breathtaking work of theater.
From there, Undertaker stepped inside The Devil's Playground 13 more times. He and Edge delivered a classic at SummerSlam 2008. His two Hell in a Cell showdowns with Brock Lesnar rank among the best ever.
And while Triple H has the batting average, so to speak, when it comes to match ratings, Undertaker has him beat in terms of total great bouts. Undertaker boasts a remarkable eight Hell in a Cell matches rated four stars or higher, twice as much as The Game, including the only five-star rating (vs. Michaels) The Devil's Playground has ever produced.
In addition to being a key part of the first and the top matches in Hell in a Cell history, The Phenom was also at the center of the most iconic.
Undertaker vs. Mankind at King of the Ring 1998 remains one of the most talked about matches in WWE history. The Deadman hurling his foe off the cage is a moment that is replayed again and again.
Mankind deserves a mountain of credit for his willingness to take that nasty spill and the toughness it took to get back up and fight on afterward. But Undertaker helped make that match memorable, too. He thrived as the stalking dark presence that hunted the masked man down.
And The Deadman has played a similar role in that structure over and over. Undertaker has wrestled in 14 Hell in a Cell matches, more than anyone in WWE history. That speaks to his longevity and how intertwined he is with the timeline of The Devil's Playground.
Verdict
Triple H has been more consistent inside the Hell in a Cell than Undertaker. From a technical standpoint, his performances have outdone The Deadman's.
But Undertaker has him beat in terms of memories and moments.
His win over Mankind in 1998 is the kind of match that seeps into the audience's bones. Its images will remain a part of the fabric of WWE history. It's a bout that has been examined and explored years after it ended. Fans have written poetry about it.
It's not the only time The Phenom has created something this enduring in Hell in a Cell, either.
His slim victory over Triple H at WrestleMania 28 will long be remembered as a stirring in-ring story. And NXT's Johnny Gargano is among those who were affected by Michaels vs. Undertaker:
Undertaker's flops don't take away from all the times he was an enthralling gladiator surrounded by steel.
He frequented that battlefield back when it was a more brutal place, when blood more regularly dripped on to the floor. And he often made the most of that aspect, putting on violent and moving works of art.
Triple H remains the runner-up behind him. The Game didn't have quite the volume of opportunities and didn't make a deep a mark in the audience's minds as his longtime rival.
No one has and no one will touch what Undertaker did inside Hell in a Cell.
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