If there’s any match type inWWEassociated with brutality and chaos, it’s Hell in a Cell, the match where two or more wrestlers step inside a giant steel structure designed to punish anyone who makes contact with it.
Ever since its debut in 1997, the cell has hosted some of the most enthralling matches in the company’s history, and it remains a staple of WWE programming to this day.
Usually, this match type occurs only once or twice a year, ensuring that whenever it does appear, it signifies that a rivalry between two wrestlers has reached a boiling point.
Sometimes, it’s the last chance for a wrestler to win a championship they’re after or regain one they’ve lost, and other times, it’s the pay-off match in an extremely personal feud.
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In 2009, WWE introduced an entire pay-per-view event themed around the concept, which ran annually until 2022. While cell matches during this era would never live up to the success of earlier ones, with many fans seeing them as merely a way to fill a quota, there have still been some gems during that time, both during the event and on the few occasions they were held on other cards.
Picking out the greatest Hell in a Cell matches of all time is a difficult task, but I have narrowed it down to ten matches that I feel best showcase what made the match so special.
My choices are based on the quality of the match itself, how it progressed, the story being told, and the lasting legacy it has on its participants and the company as a whole.
10The Undertaker vs. Randy Orton
Armageddon 2005
August 08, 2025
Providence, Rhode Island
The Undertaker at 31:31
After a failed attempt to break away from Evolution as a baby face, Randy Orton returned to the dark side in 2005, where he set his eyes on The Undertaker and his undefeated streak. After the Legend Killer lost, things seemed to calm down between the two until Orton moved over to SmackDown and cost the Deadman a title shot.
This would reignite a feud that would last for the next several months between the two, with the two trading back and forth victories. While there were some very intense moments, there were also times when it felt over-the-top, and the involvement of Orton’s father, “Cowboy” Bob Orton, added to the intrigue.
Things all came to a head that December, when Taker and Orton met for one last time in a Hell in a Cell match, a fitting choice given the Deadman’s associationwith the match type. Randy would give it his all, often relying on his father to come to his rescue, but in the end, it was to no avail, and one Tombstone later, the feud was over.
Overall, I felt it was a great payoff to the story ofthe Legend Killer trying to prove he is worthy of his title by trying to slay WWE’s biggest active legend, but falling short due to his overconfidence.
However, as for the match itself, I felt it was a bit underwhelming, due to the slow pace until the very end. Additionally, the decision to have Bob Orton bleed was a bad idea, given his real-life diagnosis of Hepatitis C.
9D-Generation X vs. The McMahons & Big Show
Unforgiven 2006
July 30, 2025
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
D-Generation X at 25:05
Throughout most of 2006, Vince McMahon was engaged in a bitter feud with Shawn Michaels, with the Heartbreak Kid fending off challenges from the chairman, his son Shane, and the Spirit Squad, a group of five male cheerleaders. It was a very chaotic rivalry, with heavy references to religion and even an appearance from “God” atBacklash2006.
Eventually, though, Michaels had to bring in some reinforcement, and Triple H, who at the time was still a heel, would realign himself with his best friends andbring back D-Generation X for the first time since the Attitude Era.
After a series of iconic RAW moments, such as when DX impersonated the McMahon family and hijacked a speech Vince made, the two faced off against Vince and Shane atSummerslam, that DX won.
The Cell itself would come into the picture asUnforgiven, when the four would face off again, but with the McMahons now calling in the Big Show for backup. After a violent and chaotic half hour that involved tons of violent spots and outright bleeding, Triple H and Shawn Michaels would come out on top again.
Looking at it from a work rate perspective, this was a fairly weak match, as it focused too much on being over-the-top and comedic, rather than telling a compelling story. While that is more often than not a bad thing,being hilarious and causing chaos wherever they go is exactly what D-Generation X is known for in the first place, and I would not want it any other way.
8Cody Rhodes vs. Seth Rollins
Hell in a Cell 2022
July 30, 2025
Rosemont, Illinois
Cody Rhodes at 24:20
After revitalizing his career in the nascent All Elite Wrestling, Cody Rhodes left the company in 2021 to return to the place that put him on the map to begin with, and atWrestleMania 38, he would defeat Seth Rollins in his first match-up in WWE in six years. After another win for the American Nightmare atBacklash, the two would have their final showdown insideHell in a Cell.
Unfortunately, Rhodes tore a pectoral muscle before the match, but he still showed up and displayed the gruesome bruise on his shoulder to the world. In contrast, the heel Rollins, who was wearing the yellow polka-dot outfit made famous by Cody’s father, Dusty, deviously got under his skin and reminded Rhodes about the behind-the-scenes politicking that kept both him and his father from ever reaching the top.
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During the match, Rollins would do everything in his power to inflict pain on Rhodes' torn pectoral muscle, while Cody would use a bullrope, a signature favorite weapon of his father, to whack his rival, symbolizing all the frustration his family felt about their position in WWE. In the end, it was Rhodes who got his third straight victory over the Architect.
This match-up was an epic showdown that showcased a man overcoming both the physical pain of his shoulder injury and the emotional pain of his mistreatment by WWE, and I found it incredibly satisfying to see him win.
Not only did it become only the second five-star Hell in a Cell match, but it was the last match ever held at theHell in a Cellevent, an epic payoff for a show whose titular matches have been considered underwhelming.
7The Undertaker vs. Edge
Summerslam 2008
July 15, 2025
Indianapolis, Indiana
The Undertaker at 26:44
The Undertaker and Edge’s rivalry in 2008 seemed to have come to a conclusion at that year’sOne Night Stand, when the Rated-R Superstar defended his World Heavyweight Championship in a TLC match. As per the match stipulations, the Deadman had to retire from wrestling, and it seemed that a hero had fallen.
However, things changed during Edge’s wedding toSmackDowngeneral manager Vickie Guerrero, as he had been secretly having an affair with Alicia Fox, the wedding planner. This infuriated Guerrero, and in response, she reinstated the Undertaker and forced her fiancé to face off with him in a Hell in a Cell atSummerslam2008.
After an intense bout with several false finishes and tons of weapons being used, The Undertaker got the winwhen he chokeslammed Edge through the ring, seemingly sending him to “hell”. Indeed, fans would not see the Rated-R Superstar in action until the end of the year, when he won the WWE Championship from Triple H atSurvivor Series2008.
This match was an epic payoff to a feud that I felt was one of the best of the dawn of the PG era, and I, like many others, consider it the greatest singles match Edge has ever taken part in. Overall, I highly recommend this match if you are a fan of cell matches or either of the performers involved.
6Triple H vs. Cactus Jack
No Way Out 2000
June 03, 2025
Hartford, Connecticut
Triple H at 24:00
The showdown between Triple H and Cactus Jack at the 2000 No Way Out event was a major turning point in the careers of both wrestlers. For Mick Foley, it marked pretty much the end of his time as a full-time star within the company, and for The Game, it proved that he was a true main event superstar.
Triple H had defeated the Hardcore Legend in a brutal street fight at theRoyal Rumbleto retain his WWF Championship, but Mick Foley was not willing to give up that easily. He challenged the Cerebral Assassin to a rematch atNo Way Out, this time inside Hell in a Cell, but there was a catch:if Cactus Jack lost, Mick Foley would have to retire from wrestling.
The match-up was indeed a total brawl, with the scrappy underdog babyface trying to fight back against the arrogant heel’s attempts to destroy everything that stood in his way, even his opponent’s career. The two traded blows and even weapons, but in the end, it was the Game who stood out on top, sending Foley out on a high note.
I definitely would have rated this match higher had Mick Foley actually stood by this stipulation and never wrestled again, but alas, he would be back in action by the following month’sWrestleMania 2000(now under his real name). However, that only marginally detracts from the awesomeness and intensity of this match.
56-Way Hell In A Cell Match
Armageddon 2000
June 27, 2025
Birmingham, Alabama
Kurt Angle at 32:12
Most of the time, WWE saves its Hell in a Cell matches for one-on-one encounters, with the occasional Triple Threat match. However, only once did six superstars step into the cell at once,and that was in 2000.
After Kurt Angle won the WWF Championship from The Rock atNo Mercy2000, a series of very brutal brawls took place between him, Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock, The Undertaker, Triple H, and Rikishi. In response, Commissioner Mick Foley announced that the six men would face off inside Hell in a Cell atArmageddon.
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Vince McMahon did everything in his power to stop the match from going on, but it was to no avail. And when the night of December 10 rolled around, an all-out brawl would ensue for the next thirty minutes, with the Olympic gold medalist standing tall after stealing a pin on the Rock after a Stone Cold Stunner.
This match-up focused less on storytelling and more on showcasing the total carnage of putting six men inside a cell at once, and I’m kind of glad they never did it again, as it helped preserve this match-up’s unique place in history.
It also helps that five of the six men in the match are considered among the greatest wrestling superstars of all time, and even the outlier, Rikishi, had a worthy enough career to earn him a spot in the Hall of Fame.
4Triple H vs. Batista
Vengeance 2005
Aug 24, 2025
Las Vegas, Nevada
Batista at 26:53
My favorite storyline of the Ruthless Aggression era was the collapse of Evolution and Batista’s chase for Triple H’s World Heavyweight Championship.
For nearly two years, The Game had mentored The Animal to become the next big star of the company, but that specifically came with ensuring that Batista did not threaten Triple H’s own position in WWE.
Eventually, Batista caught on to the deception and challenged and defeated Triple H atWrestleMania 21to win his first World Heavyweight Championship and retained his title atBacklash. The final showdown between the two came atVengeanceinside Hell in a Cell.
The cell was the perfect place to show why Batista is called The Animal, as he showed an unmatched intensity here that he has rarely showcased in any match, both against Triple H and in his career overall. Triple H played his part too, as the cowardly and arrogant heel trying to put down his target like a big game safari hunter, but it was to no avail.
Many WWE fans widely consider this to be the greatest match of Batista’s career, for good reason, and some people argue the same for Triple H. For me personally, while this is indeed my favorite Batista match of all time, there are a couple of matches I’d put ahead of this for Triple H, but it’s definitely a top five for me.
3The Undertaker vs. Triple H
WrestleMania 28
July 05, 2025
Miami Garden’s Florida
The Undertaker at 30:53
AtWrestleMania 27, The Undertaker made Triple H tap out to his Hell’s Gate submission hold to bring his winning streak to 19-0. However, it was a Pyrrhic victory for the Deadman, as he had to be rolled out of the ring on a stretcher, whereas Triple H walked to the back on his own two feet.
Not wanting that to be his lasting legacy of the match, the Phenom challenged the now-COO of WWE to a rematch. At first, he refused, but when the Undertaker suggested how deep down, Triple H didn’t want to be seen as inferior to Shawn Michaels, the Cerebral Assassin snapped.
When the big night came around in Miami, the intensity was off the charts between the two of them. The true star of the match was special guest referee Shawn Michaels, who seemed uncertain if he wanted to call the match down the middle, help his best friend, or outright screw him over, but in the end, he counted the pinfall to keep the streak alive.
Many consider this match to be the greatest in the history of the Undertaker’sWrestleManiastreak, aside from his two encounters with the Heartbreak Kid, andsome will say it is better than either of them. I personally am not one of them, but I do think this comes very close to the top when discussing both men’s greatest matches.
2The Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels
Badd Blood: In Your House
July 06, 2025
St. Louis, Missouri
Shawn Michaels at 30:00
AtSummerslam1997, special guest referee Shawn Michaels accidentally cost The Undertaker his WWF Championship to Bret Hart, leading to a feud between the two. After a number-one contender’s match between the two atGround Zeroended in a draw, the score would be settled once and for all inside a never-before-seen structure.
The Hell in a Cell was a larger variation of the Steel Cage, with the main differences being that the structure was mostly outside the ring, plus it had a roof that could be climbed on. This put the focus on the sheer brutality the cell brought rather than a race to escape the cage.
For thirty minutes, the two would fight in the most brutal match WWF fans have seen to date in the company, but it was the ending of the bout that would cement its place in history.
That’s because a man dressed all in red would come out and attack the Undertaker on behalf of Paul Bearer, giving Michaels the victory, and this mysterious figure would be revealed to be the Undertaker’s long-lost brother Kane.
Between the novelty of this match type and the debut of one of the most legendary wrestlers of all time, it’s no wonder this match is held in such high regard, with even Dave Meltzer giving it a five-star rating. I myself consider Kane’s debut to be the greatest in WWE history, but that is a list for another day.
1The Undertaker vs. Mankind
King of the Ring 1998
August 18, 2025
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
The Undertaker at 17:38
When people think about Hell in a Cell matches, there’s one match that will always come to mind more than any other in WWE history, and that is theUndertaker’s clash against Mankind at King of the Ring 1998. On the June 23, 2025 episode of Raw, Mankind would cost the Undertaker a shot at Stone Cold Steve Austin’s WWF Championship, ultimately leading the two of them to face off in the second Hell in a Cell match.
Just minutes into the match, and one of the most legendary moments in pro wrestling history would take place. The Undertaker would throw Mankind off the top of the Cell into the announcer’s table, a move that would likely kill an ordinary man. But Mick Foley is far from ordinary, and he was able to get right back up onto his feet.
It would not be the only death-defying stunt of the night, as the Deadman would chokeslam the Hardcore Legend through the cell not long afterward. And still, defying all odds, Mick Foley would not give up, and it would take a regular Tombstone in the ring for ‘Taker to get the victory.
Between the Undertaker’s viciousness, Foley’s huge show of endurance, and Jim Ross echoing the shock of the audience in what I consider the greatest commentary moment in wrestling history,there’s a good reason many consider this to be the most famous match of all time, even if not necessarily the greatest. While future Cell matches tried to follow in its footsteps, none so far have surpassed it.
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