4 ways WWE has ruined Hell in a Cell in recent years

WWE's Hell in a Cell is a structure that will always guarantee superstars inside of it a violent time. Fans, on the other hand, are promised an entertaining watch, though that wasn't the case in recent years.

The first WWE Hell in a Cell match was held in 1997 wherein Shawn Michaels defeated The Undertaker. Both legends wrestled inside the structure several more times before retiring, and other stars followed in their footsteps. Several changes have been made to the structure and matches that happened over the years. For example, the structure has turned red and even had its own premium live event. HIAC is always expected to guarantee an interesting match-up, but that wasn't the case in some of its showings.

For this list, we will look at four ways WWE ruined Hell in a Cell in recent years.

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#4. Roman Reigns vs. Braun Strowman at WWE Hell in a Cell 2018 ended in a no-contest

The 2018 main event of the WWE Hell in a Cell Premium Live Event between Roman Reigns and Braun Strowman had elements to make it a good match. Two powerhouses of the company were competing inside a hellish structure and Mick Foley, one of the stars synonymous with HIAC, served as the guest referee. However, the company managed to mess things up.

The first half of the match was quite good but things went downhill due to interferences from Dolph Ziggler and Drew McIntyre, followed by Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose. To add to the surprise, Brock Lesnar returned to attack both competitors. After the chaos, the referee deemed Roman and Braun unable to compete and announced that the match was a no-contest.

The multiple interferences were expected back then and several fans said it was overbooked, but it was truly the No Contest ending that angered fans as it wasn't an expected ending for a big match like that.

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#3. The Fiend's appearance in the 2019 event was not remembered well

Seth Rollins vs. The Fiend in 2019 ended due to referee stoppage [Image Credits: WWE.com]

Seth Rollins and Bray Wyatt, especially with The Fiend gimmick, are arguably some of WWE's top stars in the modern era. They are both known for their great character work and impressive in-ring skills, but their showcase in 2019 was not their best moment.

Many fans found it difficult to watch the match due to the red lighting paired with the red cage, but that wasn't the only problem. Seth as the Universal Champion at the time looked weak while fans were getting behind Wyatt's character as The Fiend. However, WWE not only ruined Bray's character in the match but it ended in a disqualification, despite being inside HIAC after Rollins used a sledgehammer. The match diminished Seth as the champion and failed to improve The Fiend's character.

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#2. Too many Hell in a Cell matches in 2020

The 2020 Hell in a Cell Premium Live Event had no audience due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It took place on October 25, 2020, with seven matches on the card, while three were inside the cell. While the cage always guarantees an exciting feeling, the 2020 edition made it feel overused.

Roman Reigns vs. Jey Uso, Sasha Banks vs. Bayley, and Randy Orton vs. Drew McIntyre all happened inside Hell in a Cell. While it made sense for the feuds to be settled inside the structure, it felt overused at that point and lost its appeal.

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#1. RAW and SmackDown started having their own Hell in a Cell matches

Speaking of Hell in a Cell matches losing their appeal due to being overused, that feeling was in full effect in 2021. Hell in a Cell was no longer exclusive to its titular premium live event and also appeared on RAW and SmackDown.

Roman Reigns and Rey Mysterio competed inside the structure on SmackDown in June 2021, as did Bobby Lashley and Xavier Woods in that same month on RAW. The Crown Jewel 2021 event also hosted a Hell in a Cell match. In that year alone, five HIAC matches occurred. Fortunately, this did not become a recurring theme in the following years.