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The steel cage match. Its unforgiving structure and menacing steel sides give lend more danger and drama to a wrestling match. Cage matches have been around for nearly a hundred years. The first ever steel cage match took place in Atlanta, Georgia in 1937 when Jack Bloomfield defeated Count Rossi in a match surrounded by chicken wire. The wire was as much to protect the wrestlers from hurled objects out of the crowd as it was for any dramatic effect, but the innovative performers incorporated the structure into their match.
The cage match proved popular, and began to evolve. The chicken wire was replaced by iron bars, and then by cyclonic fencing, which proved to be the most popular due to the smooth edges and flexibility, though larger wrestlers had a hard time climbing such structures.
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By the 1970s, steel cage matches were the epitome of violence in pro wrestling. When two men could not end their feud any other way, the steel cage was brought into play. Given the popularity of gimmick matches like the steel cage, there have been numerous other match types, such as the Texas bullrope matches, where the opponents are connected by a bullrope and have to drag each other and touch all four corners.
Still, steel cages remained the most popular 'feud ending' match types. By the 1990s, however, Vince McMahon was searching for a way to make cage matches more entertaining. He also was disgruntled that he could not trademark the name Steel Cage Match because it was public domain. The WWE creative team set to work crafting a bigger, bolder steel cage. This new cage would not only be the biggest in wrestling history, it would also be the first to encompass the ringside area, meaning the performers had a bigger canvas upon which to create their art.
Hell in a Cell was born, and the world of wrestling has never been the same since. Here are ten of the best Hell in a Cell matches:
Shawn Michaels vs. Undertaker--Bad Blood, 1997
The inaugural Hell in a Cell is still regarded as one of the best. It featured Undertaker and HBK, two of the best of all time, in their primes battling in a unique match that had never been attempted before.
Never afraid of heights, both men climbed to the top of the imposing structure, taking their battle literally to the heavens. Steel chairs scrambled brain cells, power moves shook the ring, and blood was spilled before the end of the contest.
The first Hell in a Cell was so memorable, that a lot of folks forget that it was also the debut of the Big Red Machine Kane, who interfered and cost his 'brother' the Undertaker a certain victory.
Mick Foley vs. Triple H--No Way Out 2000
Though their contest was heavily scripted, Mick Foley and Triple H engaged in one of the bloodier Hell in a Cell matches when they collided at No Way Out in 2000.
Some fans were critical of the match copying some spots from the first HIAC match, but it also featured Cactus Jack at his most deranged and sadistic and got Triple H over as more than just a comedy act.
Batista vs. Triple H--Vengeance 2005
Batista defended his hard won Heavyweight title against former Evolution stable mate Triple H in this classic confrontation that was both brutal and bloody.
This match not only got Batista over as a no questions asked main event talent, it also proved that a good HIAC match doesn't have to involve someone taking a dive off the top of the cage.
Randy Orton vs. John Cena--Hell in a Cell 2009
Hell in a Cell proved so popular it became its own PPV!
John Cena and Randy Orton had parallel roads to greatness. While Randy ascended from the mid to the upper card on Raw, Cena did the same on Smackdown. It was only a matter of time before the two men would meet and fight.
Fight is exactly what they did in 2009, as the two now veteran performers took each other to the limit within the confines of the HIAC.
Kevin Owens vs. Shane McMahon--Hell in a Cell 2017
Ah, what might have been. Had Shane McMahon NOT been the child of Vince McMahon, he would have been WWE world champion a dozen times over. Tall, powerful, and yet incredibly agile and acrobatic, Shane McMahon is ironically one of the most talented performers to never win the big belt.
He put that athleticism to the test against a capable and equally agile Kevin Owens. The two men tore each other limb from limb in the cage, on top of the cage, and all over the arena in a contest that does not disappoint.
Degeneration X vs. the McMahons and Big Show, handicap match--Unforgiven 2006
In one of the bloodiest HIAC matches, the re united Degeneration X took on Shane, Vince, and Big Show in a handicap match that's not for the squeamish.
Before the PG era, WWE did not flinch from showing blood, and there's plenty on display in this contest of wily veterans.
Kurt Angle vs. Rikishi vs. Undertaker Vs. Steve Austin vs. Triple H vs. the Rock--Armageddon 2000
In the wildest of all HIAC matches, the six biggest stars in WWE at the time faced each other with the world title at stake.
Since this was to be the last WWE match of the 20th century, the bookers pulled out all the stops in an amazing contest that's virtually a who's who of the Attitude Era.
Undertaker vs. Edge--Summerslam 2008
Edge was considered a huge underdog in this match, and surprised many by bringing the fight to the Undertaker.
In fact, Edge tried to mock Undertaker by mocking his Old School move. As you can see from the photo above, it didn't work out well for him. The match is everything you would expect from the two men involved, including a ladder.
Sasha Banks vs. Charlotte--Hell in a Cell 2016
Hell in a Cell had been an exclusive boy's club--until Sasha Banks and Charlotte broke the glass ceiling at HIAC 2016.
As athletic and spectacular as it was brutal, the match is credited as being perhaps the most technically sound HIAC match in history.
Mankind vs. Undertaker--King of the Ring 1998
We saved the best for last. Mankind vs. Undertaker HIAC is a legendary match, as well it should be.
First, a little history on the two characters: When the Undertaker was brought into the WWE, he was billed as a nigh-unstoppable monster who could feud with entire stables of wrestlers at once. He felt no pain, and he only lost under contrived conditions.
Mankind changed all that. As Jim Ross once put it, no one has a better win/loss record against Taker than Mick Foley. Mankind and Undertaker had already set the wrestling world on fire with their Boiler Room brawl, and pressure was on to top their previous effort.
The result was this brutal, barbaric, and sometimes unscripted contest that resulted in a concussion and a lost tooth for Foley and an unscheduled guest appearance by Terry Funk.
There you have it; Ten of the biggest Hell in a Cell matches of all time. What are your favorite HIAC moments? Please comment them below, and thanks for reading!
