10 best Hell in a Cell matches in WWE history

With the WWE Hell In A Cell pay-per-view right around the corner, here’s a look back at the 10 greatest Hell In A Cell matches in WWE history.

In 1997, the World Wrestling Federation, obviously now know as WWE, introduced a structure never before seen in the company. For years, WWE fans had been treated to steel cage matches (remember the blue cage) but Hell In A Cell not only had a top to it, but it also covered the ringside area as opposed to just the squared circle itself.

Promotions in Memphis had used a similar structure, as had NWA and WCW for their WarGames matches, but this was something completely new to WWE. Jim Cornette is believed to be the creator of the Hell In A Cell structure and Vince Russo takes credit for the name.

The structure debuted in 1997 in a match between The Undertaker and Shawn Michaels (more on that match in a bit) and since its inception, there have been 33 Hell In A Cell matches with three more to take place this Sunday at the now-annual WWE pay-per-view, one of which will feature the first Hell In A Cell match between two women as Sasha Banks vs Charlotte will probably close out the night.

While many of them have been fantastic, they haven’t all been winners. Who can forget the train wreck between The Undertaker and Big Boss Man at WrestleMania XV or either of the confrontations between CM Punk and Ryback? But for the most part, these matches, usually designed to be the end of a feud, have been pretty solid with a select few being some of the most memorable matches in WWE history.

Here’s a look at the top 10 Hell In A Cell matches.

Image via WWE

10. John Cena vs CM Punk vs Alberto Del Rio – Hell In A Cell 2011

Triple threat matches are usually a bit difficult to pull off but at the Hell In A Cell pay-per-view in 2011, John Cena, CM Punk and Alberto Del Rio put on quite a show.

The months leading up to the match were quite entertaining as well. If you remember, this was the summer that CM Punk delivered his epic “pipebomb” before “leaving” the company, only to return a short time later with his WWE Championship that he had won from John Cena. The problem was that Cena had already won the replacement title. This led to a classic match between the two at SummerSlam in which Punk emerged victorious to become the “real” champ only for Del Rio to cash in his Money in the Bank contract to steal the title away. Naturally, Cena would then beat Del Rio for the title meaning that all three men were involved in the title picture, which led to this matchup.

There were some great moments early on in this match between the three men, including a great bit with the steps in which Punk mocked Cena at one point, only to have Del Rio slash his back open a few moments later. However, the greatest moment came when Del Rio actually tricked Cena into leaving the cell, making it a one-on-one match between he and Punk with Cena looking on with no way to save his championship.

A steel pipe became the deciding factor in the match as Del Rio was able to recapture the WWE Championship and solidified his place as one of the top heels in the company. The chemistry between these three men throughout the entire feud was excellent and the match itself was very fun to watch … even if what happened with The Miz and R-Truth afterwards was a bit ridiculous.