The Contentious Ten 10.5.09: The Top Ten Hell in a Cell Matches

Alright, so my timing on this edition was a bit off. I should have put this one out last week as a build up to the Hell in a Cell pay-per-view, but for some reason I thought I had an extra week before the event. Anyway, since I write the column during the week, this list won’t include any of the Hell in the Cells from this past Sunday’s show. I also have to say that I went out and picked up the Hell in a Cell DVD set last week so I could refresh my memory, and after six hours of cell matches I was sick of the match. I don’t know how someone at WWE could have thought it was a good idea to have three cell matches in one night, because there’s only so many things you can do inside the cell before it starts to get really repetitive. Once again, I wrote this prior to the pay-per-view, so maybe it all worked out fine, but I think three cell matches in one night is going to expose the limitations of the Hell in a Cell and damage the match.

I couldn’t help but notice that some of the comments last week called into question the reasoning behind my opinion. Well, I’m a narrative guy, I like a good story, and I feel that if you have a good story for a match or show, the match is more entertaining as a result. So, if you are a regular reader you’ve probably noticed that I value the stories that surround a match as much, if not more, than the matches themselves. As far as I’m concerned Barry Horowitz and Kwang could have had a five star “Match of the Year” contender on an episode of WWF’s Action Zone, but what would have been the point if no one gave a shit about them, or the match had no meaning behind it? That’s how I feel anyway, and that’s why I tend to rank a lot of wrestling stuff the way I do.

I skipped the pictures and feedback this week because I’m going out of town and don’t have the time to make them or find decent ones, or write decent responses. Also, I decided to forgo the honorable mentions this week because outside of one or two, most of the Hell in the Cell matches are really pretty good.

The Top Ten Hell in a Cell Matches

X

The Undertaker vs. Edge
SummerSlam 2008

Although the feud between Edge and The Undertaker started not too long after WrestleMania 23, injuries kept these two from really locking up until WrestleMania XXIV. However, you could say that this feud both started and ended in the Hell in a Cell. Edge disguised himself as a cameraman so he could attack the Undertaker and cost him the World Heavyweight Title in his Hell in a Cell with Batista at Survivor Series 2007. Edge would win the same title at Armageddon, and Undertaker would go on to defeat Edge for it at WrestleMania. After beating Edge several times with the Gogoplata Vicky Guerrero, Edge’s fiance, banned the move and stripped the Undertaker of the belt. Edge won the vacant title in a TLC match against the Undertaker, injuring him in the process. When Guerrero found out Edge was cheating on her, she brought back the Undertaker and put Edge into a Hell in a Cell match with him to settle the feud once and for all.

The one thing that really stood out to me about this particular Hell in a Cell was the absence of blood. Some of the other Cell matches had been absolute bloodbaths, but there was hardly any in this one (PG WWE). The lack of blood, however, doesn’t mean it was any less brutal. Being a master of the TLC match, Edge turned the match into a Tables, Ladders and Cell match. Edge stacked up some tables outside the ring and at one point tried to suplex the Undertaker through them, but when that didn’t work he sent Undertaker crashing through a table in the ring. At one point Edge had Undertaker reeling on the cage, charged at him, leapt off the steps, and speared him through the cage wall. He then speared Undertaker through an announce table. After some more brawling and finisher countering in the ring, Edge climbed to the top rope, only to be chokeslammed through the stacked tables on the outside. Undertaker then struck Edge with a camera, smashed his head with a con-chair-to and Tombstoned him for the victory. After the match was over Undertaker set up two ladders, dragged Edge up to the top and chokeslmmed him through the ring into “Hell” and made the hole burst into flame.

Goofy ending aside, this Hell in a Cell had a lot of things going for it that some of the other entries didn’t have. First there was no question that this was a blood feud between Undertaker and Edge, so capping off the feud inside the Cell was more than appropriate. Also, because of the length and nature of the feud, the two were able to play off of a few reoccurring themes: the television camera, the con-chair-to, and the stacked tables had all appeared elsewhere in the feud adding a fun level of continuity. While this was a really fun and exciting match, it did feel more like a series of highspots with filler in between, which is pretty uncharacteristic of most other Hell in a Cell matches. So, that hurt its ranking a bit.

IX

Batista vs. The Undertaker
Survivor Series 2007

As I was going through potential entries for my list I knew that in all likely hood this match or the Randy Orton vs. Undertaker match would make the top ten. However, I hadn’t seen either of those until I watched them this week on DVD. While the feud between Orton and the Undertaker was better, their Hell in a Cell was pretty uninspiring and was pretty much on par with the Kevin Nash vs. Triple H cell match. The Hell in a Cell between Batista and the Undertaker was a much more satisfying offering. Basically the two had been feuding since WrestleMania 23, but injuries sidelined both men. Batista made it back first and captured the World Title and then beat the Undertaker in a match at Cyber Sunday. The rubber match between the two was the Hell in a Cell.

While the two big men started off wrestling it wasn’t long before a chair was introduced. After gaining a degree of control Undertaker drove the top of the chair into Batista’s Adam’s apple and slammed it legs first into the steps, causing him to bleed from the mouth. After some simply devastating exchanges of clotheslines and slams, the Undertaker lifted Batista up onto his shoulder and drove him face first into the mesh, and then hammered the point home with a sickening chair shot, causing Batista to bleed like a sieve. After hitting a superplex and escaping the Undertaker’s triangle choke, Batista returned the favor by repeatedly smashing Undertaker’s skull between the steps and the cage. With both men bleeding profusely Batista survived a Last Ride and powerbombed Undertaker through a table. He looked to powerbomb him onto the steps that had been brought into the ring, but Undertaker backdropped him onto them. Undertaker then hoisted him up and Tombstoned him on the steps. Before the referee could count to three, Edge, who had been disguised as a camera man, broke up the pin, smashed Undertaker with a camera, hit him with a con-chair-to and dragged Batista’s arm over him giving Batista the victory. Edge continued to beat up both men after the match.

Aside from the somewhat disappointing ending, this was a really intense and well put together Hell in a Cell match. Hell in a Cell is the perfect kind of match for Batista because it showcases all of his strengths (brawling, high impact moves, and intensity), while simultaneously masking all of his limitations (technical-wrestling stuff). All of the things Batista is good at are things needed to make a the Hell in a Cell work as a good gimmick. Not to compare, but Randy Orton on the other hand is far too calculating for a Hell in a Cell. Cell matches are supposed to be brutal, not strategic. As a result this was a good cell match. However, I think they rushed into the cell stipulation a little too quickly, and by this time the Hell in a Cell formula was starting to wear a bit thin.

VIII

Triple H vs. Shawn Michaels
Bad Blood 2004

The 2004 Hell in a Cell match between Shawn Michaels and Triple H was two years in the making. Michaels returned to WWE after a four-year absence and feuded with Triple H off and on, but the rivalry really heated up in the winter of 2003. The their ongoing war led to a Triple Threat match at WrestleMania XX also featuring Chris Benoit. Benoit’s victory that night allowed “The Game” and “HBK” to continue their feud, which was to be settled once and for all at Bad Blood 2004 in a Hell in a Cell.

Because of the reputation and experience of the two wrestlers it was speculated that the match could very well be the best Hell in a Cell to date. However, for a few reasons, those speculations didn’t pan out (as you can see by where I ranked it). The two men wrestled each other for several minutes before really bringing the cell into play, but when they did Michaels drew first blood. Eventually Triple H brought in a chair and began pummeling Michaels’s surgically repaired back with it, and slammed his back repeatedly between the cage and the ring-post. At one point Triple H opened the folding chair and dropped Michaels back first onto it. After another long period of wrestling and brawling Michaels was finally busted open (and bled like a stuck pig) after Triple H struck him with the steps. Near the end of the match Michaels brought in a ladder and a table and splashed Triple H off of the ladder and through the table. In the end though, Triple H pinned Michaels after three Pedigrees.

After numerous classic battles between the two, this one, surprisingly, fell a bit short. It was still a really good match, but it wasn’t as good as it could have been or should have been. The biggest problem with it was its length. At over 45 minutes in length the match was too long. Sometimes a long match is good, but when you’re talking about the “most brutal match in the WWE” that brutality should have a more immediate effect. That’s not to say they didn’t sell the effect, but that they oversold it. What should have been the suspenseful final moments of a great match were spread out over a five-minute period. Triple H hit a Pedigree, and after two minutes of “selling” he covered Michaels, who kicked out. Michaels hit a Superkick, and after two more minutes of “selling” he covered Triple H, who kicked out. Triple H hit a second Pedigree, and more selling, then a third Pedigree, then finally he got the victory. All of the downtime (throughout the entire match) sucked the life out of the crowd. The match would have been great if they had trimmed it down a bit, and while it’s just speculation I think the “Clique” was in full effect here, as there is no way that anyone other than Michaels would have been allowed to survive two Pedigrees. This sort of thing went on all match; it seemed to me that they were both building up each other to look like the two toughest guys WWE had ever seen. All of that said, it was still a pretty damn good match.

VII

Triple H vs. Chris Jericho
Judgment Day 2002

Triple H and Chris Jericho were in the middle of their third significant feud by the time this Hell in a Cell match took place. Two months earlier they had a pretty mediocre WrestleMania main event where Triple H won the Undisputed Title. The feud between the two got sidetracked by Triple H’s match with Hulk Hogan at Backlash, which saw Jericho interfere in on behalf of Triple H because he didn’t want to see Hogan beat the man that beat him. Vince McMahon had his own issues with Triple H so he recruited Jericho to take him out in a Hell in a Cell.

At first Jericho seemed a bit out of place inside the cell but he quickly adapted to the carnage, which started after some nice technical sequences. It wasn’t long before Jericho was bleeding from the arm. Triple H, already a veteran of two Hell in the Cell matches took control grinding and slamming Jericho into the cage, and at one point tried to piledrive Jericho into the steps. However, Jericho blocked the move and propelled Triple H into the cage with a slingshot. This allowed Jericho to retrieve a ladder under the ring and smack Triple H around with it, busting him wide open with a bulldog onto it. All the while referee Tim White had (unwisely) been trying to retain some semblance of control but he himself was propelled into the cage wall and bloodied. A few minutes later a frustrated Jericho tossed him violently into the mesh. Tim White became a victim of the cell and injured his arm so badly in the bump that he was forced to retire (a gimmick that was played up in some pretty lame sketches where he constantly tried and failed to commit suicide). White’s injuries caused the door to be opened allowing the fight to spill out side the cage. After using a DDT to drive Jericho through an announce table, Triple H retrieved a hidden barbed wire 2×4 near the timekeeper’s table (I guess he knew he’d get out), causing Jericho to climb the cage to get away. Triple H followed him up but Jericho managed to grab the 2×4 from him and struck him on the back with it. After some brawling Jericho locked in the Walls of Jericho on top of the cell, but Triple H powered out, made Jericho eat the barbed wire, hit the Pedigree and pinned him on top of the cage. This was the final cell match (up until this writing) that saw the contestants fight on the top, and the only one that ended outside the ring.

While this was a really good match (technical wrestling wise a much better match than most of the other entries), the feud really didn’t seem to warrant a Hell in a Cell. Jericho had pretty much been buried from the moment Triple H became the number one contender to the Undisputed Title, and despite the back and forth action Jericho lacked the credibility to be a believable challenge to Triple H inside the cell. The absolutely foregone conclusion really weakened the match for me, but when it’s removed from the storyline surrounding it, it’s a very good match, and very fun match to watch.

VI

Kurt Angle vs. The Rock vs. Triple H vs.
Steve Austin vs. The Undertaker vs. Rikishi
Armageddon 2000

In late 2000 Mick Foley had been named the WWF Commissioner, and was given as much match making authority as Vince McMahon. When he saw that most of the feuds that had been going on all fall were still going on he decided to throw all of the WWF’s top names into one giant six-man Hell in the Cell match for the WWF Title at Armageddon. McMahon vowed to stop the match so none of his multi-million dollar investments (wrestlers) would be injured in the match.

This match had all the makings of an absolute clusterfuck, but it actually flowed surprisingly smoothly. Each man had their chance to shine in the ring while the others brawled outside. One spot that really stood out to me was Steve Austin slamming Triple H’s face into the cage and then making a circle around the entire cage, shredding his face all the while. After several minutes of brawling all the wrestlers met up to do the thing where they each hit one of their signature moves only to have it broken up by another wrestler’s signature move. While this was going on Vince McMahon and his stooges drove one of the prop pickup trucks (there were all sorts of cars on the stage) down to ringside with intention of tearing the cell down. They only managed to rip off the door before Foley came out and ejected them. This of course allowed all the wrestlers to spill out and they all brawled on the cars. By the time they started to head back toward the ring every last one of them was a bloody mess. At that point several wrestlers climbed up to the top of the cage allowing the camera man to get some really cool shots from underneath them. It didn’t take long for wrestlers like Kurt Angle and Steve Austin to realize the danger they were in on top of the cage with the Undertaker who would simply throw people off, so after bashing his brains in with a chair they climbed down. Only Rikishi was left up on top with the Undetaker and he chokeslammed him off the top into the (padded) bed of the pickup truck. This left The Rock, Triple H, Steve Austin, and Kurt Angle to battle it out for the belt. Rock took down Angle, and them Austin hit the Stunner on The Rock, but started brawling with Triple H. This allowed Angle to drape an arm over The Rock and retain his title.

While the six-man format made for a much less personal, hate-filled battle, the “Armageddon” Hell in a Cell was a very fun and entertaining match. The action never even paused with six men taking turns dominating, and everyone did their part to make the match work. It’s hard to rank this one in the top five due there being no good storyline reason to have had the match inside the cell, but it’s a unique version of the match that we probably will never see again because of the six-man format of the Elimination Chamber.

V

Brock Lesnar vs. The Undertaker
No Mercy 2002

Brock Lesnar took WWE by storm when he debuted in 2002. By SummerSlam he had worked his way into the main event and defeated The Rock for the WWE Undisputed Title. Then he signed on to be SmackDown’s exclusive champion, and the Undertaker was named the number one contender. At Unforgiven the two had a match that ended in a no contest. The feud continued, but Lesnar simply tried to take the Undertaker out of the equation by attacking him backstage and smashing his hand. Although his hand was broken Undertaker opted to go through with the match and it was made a Hell in a Cell.

While Lesnar had been pushed to the moon, the Hell in a Cell was the match that had the potential to solidify him as the top star in WWE. If he could go toe to toe with the Undertaker inside the cell he would prove his worth beyond a shadow of a doubt. Unlike some of the other Hell in a Cell matches there wasn’t much of feeling out process, and that match turned violent right away. Because of his broken hand Undertaker was wearing a cast, which became a vile club that he used to hammer Lesnar. Fairly early in the match Lesnar’s manager Paul Heyman tried to get involved through the cage, but as his face was pressed up against it Undertaker delivered a boot to his face, busting him open. That didn’t stop Heyman from interfering as he managed to tie up Undertaker’s hand with a belt, allowing Lesnar to break the cast off with a chair and eventually bust him open with the steps. For the entire remainder of the match Undertaker’s forehead gushed blood. Later Lesnar was bloodied and between the two of them they practically coated the mat in a thin layer of blood. Finally, Undertaker looked like he was in control after a chokeslam and a Last Ride but Lesnar saved himself with the ropes. Undertaker lifted him up for the Tombstone, but Lesnar slid off and hit the F5 for the three count.

Most Hell in the Cell matches are bloody and brutal, but there is something (not unlike the Batista vs. Undertaker one) about seeing two huge guys go to war inside the cell that makes the match seem, somehow, even more sadistic than normal. The match was so ferocious that the fans came out of it respecting Lesnar and the result was a face turn for him not long after. While it was a great match, I think WWE pulled the trigger on the stipulation a little bit early. Like Triple H and Chris Jericho, the feud between Lesnar and Undertaker didn’t seem like a cell-worthy feud at the time. Nevertheless, by the time it was over it seemed like the cell was the only way they could have gone.

IV

Batista vs. Triple H
Vengeance 2005

As the number of Hell in a Cell matches piled up it seemed that on some occasions the match had been booked as simply another gimmick match as opposed to a match that would unquestionably bring an end to a long-standing feud. Undertaker vs. Big Boss Man, Triple H vs. Kevin Nash, and the Armageddon Six Man, all were matches where the Hell in a Cell stipulation seemed unwarranted. However, the feud between Triple H and Batista was long, personal, and intense. In the aftermath of Randy Orton being kicked out of Evolution, Triple H turned more and more to Batista to help him out of tough situations. Yet, at the same time Triple H was condescending to Batista, thinking that he was all muscle and no brain. After months of being used, Batista won the Royal Rumble and Triple H tried to talk him into going over to SmackDown. Batista had other plans and decided to turn on Triple H and challenge him at WrestleMania 21. Batista won the World Heavyweight Title that night, and was goaded into a rematch at Backlash, which he also won. As the feud grew more intense Triple H challenged him to one more match, a Hell in a Cell.

While Batista tends to get a lot of flack about his inability to work a “good” wrestling match, the Hell in a Cell was right up his alley. The brawling environment let him do what he does best, and that is simply brutalizing his opponents. Right away Batista took control, but the Cell veteran lured “The Animal” to the outside and got the upper hand. Triple H introduced a chain and a barbed wire wrapped steel chair in to the match, the latter of which visibly tore into the back of Batista. However, Triple H would be powerbomed onto the same chair later. After lots of blood Triple H brought in his trusty sledgehammer, but ate it when he came off the top rope. In the end Triple H tried to Pedigree Batista on to the lower section of the steps, but Batista countered with a spinebuster onto them. One Batista-Bomb later and the match was over.

A big part of what makes this such a good Hell in a Cell is that the feud between Triple H and Batista was booked so well. Batista’s slow turn was executed perfectly and the two put together great matches at WrestleMania and Backlash. By the time Vengeance rolled around Triple H was so desperate to prove he was better than Batista that he was willing to pull out what he thought was his trump card, the Hell in a Cell. Furthermore, after losing the match he was so dejected that he didn’t show up on WWE television for months. This length and level of booking made the match the perfect way to end the feud, and the two delivered in a huge way. It also solidified Batista’s place in the main event.

III

Triple H vs. Cactus Jack
No Way Out 2000

In a sense the Hell in a Cell is the match that really made Mick Foley into a major star. Thus, it is appropriate that the Hell in a Cell signaled the end of his career (yeah I know he’s come back a bunch of times, but it was his first retirement match). In a way, Foley returned the career making favor the cell gave him and used the match to set Triple H up as one of the match’s masters. Triple H and Foley had feuded off and on for several years, starting at the 1998 King of the Ring. For a while they were allies, but when Triple H broke away from D-generation X and set his sites on the WWF Title Foley became his first casualty. Several months, and degrading abuses later Foley had had enough and went after Triple H as his brutal Cactus Jack persona. The two met in a Street Fight at the Royal Rumble, a match that Triple H won. However Foley continued his assaults and an agreement was reached that Foley would put his career on the line for a shot at the WWF Title as long as he got to pick the match: a Hell in a Cell.

As a wrestling match, this match was much better (but less significant) than Foley’s match with the Undertaker. The two men pulverized each other with the steps, chairs, and the cage, delivering levels of action that redeemed the Hell in a Cell match after the previously dismal one between Undertaker and Big Boss Man. The action was escalated after Foley threw the steps at Triple H’s head. Triple H ducked and the stairs pushed out a section of the cage mesh. This allowed both men to escape the cell where Foley continued to pummel Triple H and smack him with a 2×4 wrapped in barbed wire. Eventually the two men made their way up to the top of the cage but when Foley was almost to the top a bloody Triple H managed to punch Foley off sending him crashing through an announce table. Foley finally made his way to the top and was hit repeatedly with the barbed wire 2×4. Foley regained control and beating Triple H some more he grabbed the 2×4 and, after a dramatic pause, set it ablaze and hit Triple H with it. While it was still on fire Foley set him up to be pile driven on it, but Triple H back dropped him sending him crashing through a cage panel onto (a prepared area of) the mat. Foley managed to get back to his feet but one Pedigree later and it was all over.

While the story of this excellent and emotional match may seem like it’s centered on Foley’s last chance and retirement, the effects it had on the career of Triple H were far more significant. Up until his WWF Title feud with Cactus Jack, Triple H was kind of a flop as champion. However, the Royal Rumble street fight made him seem credible. By not just surviving, but winning the Hell in a Cell he cemented his status as a top star, and successfully associated his name with the match itself.

II

The Undertaker vs. Mankind
King of the Ring 1998

I’m willing to bet that this entry is the most divisive. I’m sure everyone believes it belongs on this list, but I bet people will debate it’s placement. While there are plenty of great and awe-inspiring moments in pro-wrestling history only a few could be described as truly iconic. Hulk Hogan slamming Andre the Giant at WrestleMania III is a good example. Mick Foley plummeting off the top of the Cell is another one.

The history between Mankind and the Undertaker was extensive. In 1996 Foley debuted as Mankind and immediately set his sites on the Undertaker. From that point on they fought in nearly every manner of match imaginable, including some that had never been seen before, like the Boiler Room Brawl, and the Buried Alive match. In 1998, shortly after Dude Love’s feud with Steve Austin had run its course, Mankind returned and rekindled his feud with the Undertaker. While Mankind had had a lot of success against the “Dead Man” this time he bit off more than he could chew; the two would meet in a Hell in a Cell match.

I imagine every wrestling fan has seen this match. If you haven’t, shame on you. Mankind decided to start the match on top of the cell, and the Undertaker humored him, and climbed up after him. Moments later the Undertaker had driven Mankind to the edge of the cage, and simply grabbed Mankind and tossed him off. Foley fell fifteen feet and obliterated the Spanish announce table in the process. The match should have been stopped then, but Foley wasn’t finished. Minutes later they were wheeling Foley out on a stretcher, but Foley pulled himself up and began scaling the cage again. This time the Undertaker responded with a chokeslam that sent Foley crashing through the ceiling of the cage onto the mat below. This, according to Foley, was a mistake as the cage was supposed to slowly break away. Also, a chair came with him and almost shattered his face as it struck him. Terry Funk ran out to buy Foley some time. After letting him recover the “match” actually started, but the craziness hadn’t stopped, as Foley soon introduced WWF fans to thumbtacks. Foley was the one who ended up on a pile of them and was eventually put down via the Tombstone piledriver, ending what is, still today, the most brutal match in WWE history.

Unquestionably this is the match that made Foley famous and led to his rise in popularity that was ultimately rewarded with three WWF Title reigns. In some ways this match made the Hell in the Cell gimmick itself, as it has become the measuring stick of brutality that all other Hell in a Cell matches are measured against. The match itself is impossible to rate. If you look at it from a “technical” standpoint it’s an awful match. You can count the wrestling moves on two hands. However, if that’s how you want to rate it you’re missing the point. On the other hand this match is the iconic Hell in a Cell. It’s by no means the best match on this list but the reverberations of it can still be felt today.

I

The Undertaker vs. Big Bossman
WrestleMania XV

Unquestionably the greatest Hell in a Cell match ever. These two had a blood-feud that stretched all the way back to 1990 when the Undertaker debuted. After countless classic matches it was decided that the two would settle their long-standing differences at the Granddaddy of Them All inside the cell. There was a rumor that a plan was in place to put the title on Bossman so they could push the match up to the main event, but the benevolent Bossman refused to take the title and squash the futures of The Rock and Steve Austin. After a grueling hour long battle that saw both men perform feats of athleticism that have yet to be duplicated, the Undertaker managed to steel an upset victory over Bossman.

I’ll check the comments to see if any of you fell for this…

I

Shawn Michaels vs. The Undertaker
In Your House: Badd Blood 1997

This is the one that started it all, and it was a revolutionary one. The feud between Shawn Michaels and the Undertaker at SummerSlam 1997 when Michaels accidentally cost the Undertaker the WWF Title after hitting him with a chair shot that was intended for Bret Hart. Up until that point Undertaker and Michaels had rarely crossed paths so it was a fresh feud. They had their first match at In Your House: Ground Zero, but that match ended in a no contest, so it was decided that a special steel cage would be constructed for their rematch at Badd Blood. The match was called “Hell in a Cell.”

The idea was that if a roofed steel cage was placed around the ring it would be impossible for anyone (mainly any other D-generation X members) to get in, and it would be impossible to escape. Oddly enough, the structure did not prevent either thing from happening. Near the middle of the match Michaels was sent over the top rope and crashed into a cameraman on the way down. Irritated, and looking for a way out he pummeled the cameraman which resulted in the door being opened. Michaels escaped the cage, but Undertaker followed him out, and smashed Michael’s face repeatedly into the cage drawing copious amounts of blood. Michaels escaped up the side of the cell and onto the roof, but Undertaker followed him up. Eventually this led to Michaels trying to climb down the other side. However, Undertaker stomped on his hand causing Michaels to fall off the side of the cell through an announce table. At the end, Undertaker looked to have things well in hand, when the lights went out and organ music began to play. Paul Bearer made his way down to the ring with a masked monster of a man, who could have been none other than the Undertaker’s brother Kane. Kane ripped the cell door right off its hinges, Tombstoned the Undertaker and left him for Shawn Michaels, who subsequently won the match.

Simply put, this was an incredible match and unquestionably surpasses most of the matches on this list in terms of intensity, innovation and story telling. Because it was the first Hell in a Cell, Michaels and Undertaker could have just gone out to the ring and brawled and that would have been fine for the first one, but they took it to another level, literally and figuratively, when they climbed to the roof and truly risked their bodies. As a result they set the bar for these kinds of matches exceedingly high, so high in fact that the only thing that could have been done to top it was what Foley did. However, unlike that match this match had crazy spots, buckets of blood, and some excellent wrestling.

I’m out of here for two weeks. I’ll be stuffing face with beer, brats and revolting amounts of cheese curds while I visit my family in Wisconsin, then I’ll be presenting a paper on wrestling at the Florida Communication Association’s annual conference, so I’ll see you all in two weeks!