What Is A WWE Hell In A Cell Match?

The Devil's playground.

Mick Foley Hell In A Cell

WWE like their satanic structures: Steel Cages, Elimination Chambers, Punjabi Prisons, but none is more iconic than the Hell in a Cell. First introduced at the 1997 Badd Blood pay-per-view, the Hell in a Cell match has become renowned for being one of the most barbaric and bloody stipulation matches in WWE’s arsenal, one that’s often used as a thrilling conclusion to a rivalry between two bitter enemies.

The aim of a Hell In A Cell match is to pin or submit your opponent within the 15-foot high structure, made of cold steel and chain links. There are no disqualifications, nor count-outs and rope breaks, giving the superstars free rein over how they wish to punish their opponents.

Many of WWE’s most hardcore combatants have spilled blood within the Cell, with the likes of Triple H, Shawn Michaels and John Cena reguarly vising the Devil’s playground, but perhaps there are none as synonymous with the Hell in a Cell than The Undertaker and Mick Foley. A moment etched in the annals of WWE’s history, Undertaker and Mankind took their brawl to the top of the Cell structure, battling high above the crowd before putting together the spot of a lifetime.

Still relatively new to wrestling fans, nobody was expecting to see a man literally thrown off of the top, being sent crashing through the announce table below. It was incredible that Mick Foley even survived the fall, let alone go on to then scale the Cell once again to be Chokeslammed through the roof.

The Taker/Mankind match stands the test of time as one of the most incredible Hell in a Cell spectacles ever. Many have tried to emulate the drama of that match, but nothing beats a classic.

Since the late 00s, the Hell in a Cell match has become an annual feature in the form of a pay-per-view dedicated entirely to the gimmick. Each year, WWE superstars enter the Cell and innovate new ways to brutalise one another, with the most recent Hell in a Cell matches putting Roman Reigns against Jey Uso and Sasha Banks against Bayley in two critically acclaimed matches.

The Hell in a Cell remains one of WWE’s most savage stipulations, and despite the new red paint-job and lack of blood and guts, always has a place in the hearts of wrestling fans.

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