5 Forgotten WWE Hell In A Cell Matches

Hell in a Cell has been WWE’s premier gimmick match for over two decades. The demonic structure is set to be dusted off once more for a titanic feud-ending battle between CM Punk and Drew McIntyre at Bad Blood, on October 5, 2024.

Coincidentally, that marks 27 years to the day, since the roofed cage made its debut at the first-ever Badd Blood event. The headliner was the memorable contest between Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker, which saw Kane’s debut appearance at the climax.

However, over the past 27 years, there have been some Hell in a Cell matches that have not lived long in the memory or have been forgotten completely. This feature reflects on five such bouts.

#5 Roman Reigns vs Rey Mysterio – SmackDown (June 18, 2021)

Originally scheduled for the Hell in a Cell premium live event the following night, this Hell in a Cell Universal Title match was instead moved to SmackDown.

Defending champion, Roman Reigns clashed with Rey Mysterio in an emotionally charged and engrossing brawl. Mysterio was the aggressor early, introducing weaponry to the mix, in response to Reigns battering his son, Dominik.

After 17 minutes of back-and-forth action, Reigns locked in a guillotine choke and forced Mysterio to submit.

Although the action was excellent, it is not as well remembered as many of Reigns’s other matches during his epic three-year title reign. Whether that is because it was bumped from the Hell in a Cell PLE, or that it took place during the ThunderDome era, without live fans, during the COVID-19 pandemic. In fact, this was the final PLE to take place within the ThunderDome, as WWE began live touring again prior to the next event, Money in the Bank.

Whatever the reason, it is one of the lesser-remembered Hell in a Cell matches in history.

#4 The Undertaker vs The Big Boss Man – WrestleMania XV (March 28, 1999)

WrestleMania XV is remembered for the classic match-up between The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin, which saw ‘The Texas Rattlesnake’ claim his third WWE Championship.

It is definitely not remembered for the Hell in a Cell clash between The Undertaker and veteran, The Big Boss Man. Unlike the previous cell battles on pay-per-view, there were no memorable spots or stunts in this encounter. Instead, the pair had a slow-motion brawl, which lasted a paltry 10 minutes.

Worse, the bout was heel versus heel, so the crowd did not react to anything either combatant did. Even the sight of Boss Man reversing a Tombstone did little to elicit a crowd response.

‘The Phenom’ did manage to nail a Tombstone himself to earn the win and improve his WrestleMania streak to 8-0.

The match is infamous as it is the first time the cell made an appearance at WrestleMania and Boss Man hanging from the rafters post-match, apparently deceased, is synonymous with the very worst of wrestling angles.

Unsurprisingly, this bout is never referenced when discussing famed Hell in a Cell matches. 25 years later, it is increasingly lost to history.

#3 Triple H vs Kevin Nash – Bad Blood (June 15, 2003)

Triple H has competed in more Hell in a Cell matches than any other wrestler. He has contested many classics within the structure, including his bloody bout with Cactus Jack, his epic encounter with Shawn Michaels and his era-defining match-up with The Undertaker.

However, his contest with a long past his prime, Kevin Nash in 2003 is not as well remembered. In fact it is not remembered at all. In the summer of 2003, WWE ratings were at a six-year low. Raw in particular seemed to be full of ageing veterans in the headline positions.

In their third consecutive pay-per-view battle, Triple H and Nash fought over ‘The Game’s’ World Title. In a futile attempt to create some buzz around the match, Mick Foley was installed as the special referee.

Amusingly, it was Foley, rather than the combatants, who actually took the biggest bumps in the match-up. It was a poor, poor contest and was one of the first examples of the cell being wheeled out in a desperate attempt to generate interest and pull a respectable buy rate.

In that respect, the match was a mild success as Bad Blood 2003 pulled 385,000 buys; 70,000 more than Judgment Day the previous month which had played host to a straight Triple H vs Nash bout.

The match was pedestrian, overlong at 21 minutes and bereft of action and crowd heat. Completely unworthy of the cell gimmick. Forgotten by many who did witness it and many of today’s fans are unaware of its existence at all.

#2 Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Undertaker vs Kane and Mankind – Raw (June 15, 1998)

Many fans believe the second Hell in a Cell contest was the iconic King of the Ring 1998 war between The Undertaker and Mankind.

However, that is incorrect. In actuality, the sequel to the original cell battle actually took place on Raw, as part of the promotion for King of the Ring. It wasn’t so much a match as an angle. Stone Cold and The Undertaker teamed up to face their King of the Ring opponents.

‘The Texas Rattlesnake’ battled with Kane and Mankind in the aisle whilst Paul Bearer locked himself inside the cell. The Undertaker then burst through the canvas and battered Bearer while both were locked inside the steel structure.

Kane and Mankind then abandoned Austin to try to help Bearer. Stone Cold wiped out Mankind with a nasty chair shot to the skull and fought Kane atop the cell. There was no finish to the match.

Energetic, violent and crazy. This turbo-charged cell battle encapsulated the wackiness of the Attitude Era. However, in essence, it was little more than a set-up for King of the Ring 1998. The famous cell bout at that event, meant this little-known Raw contest will continue to be long forgotten.

#1 Kane vs Mankind – WWE Raw (August 24, 1998)

A little over two months after the first Hell in a Cell match on free television, WWE promoted another one between Tag Team Champions, Kane and Mankind. Much like the earlier Raw Hell in a Cell contest, this existed to hype SummerSlam, where the champions were set to defend their gold against The New Age Outlaws.

The story of the bout was teasing that Kane and The Undertaker were a united force.

This was very much an extended beatdown angle rather than a match, with Kane completely decimating Mankind, with assistance from his brother, The Undertaker.

Kane nailed Mankind with a Tombstone on a chair and seemed set to win. However, in true Attitude Era style, Stone Cold emerged from under the ring and started to decimate ‘The Big Red Machine.’

This led to the match being ruled a disqualification win for Kane, and you thought Seth Rollins versus The Fiend was the first DQ finish inside the cell.

More post-match madness took place as Austin smashed Kane with a chair, which led to his SummerSlam opponent, The Undertaker trying to attack the WWE Champion. Vince McMahon then raised the cage to keep Stone Cold and ‘The Phenom’ apart.

A tremendous segment but with a match time of just seven minutes, a complete waste of the cell and long, long forgotten.