The History of WWE Hell in a Cell
The Origins of Hell in a Cell and a Look at the First Matches
Aug 15, 2008
The Hell in a Cell match is acknowledged by most people in the wrestling world as one of the most brutal mainstream matches contested, and with a history rife with spilled blood and legitimate mistakes and injuries; it’s easy to see why.
The Birth of the Cell
The origins of the HIAC match are usually linked to The Undertaker, being a competitor in 9 of the 16 official matches, however the actual idea was that of Shawn Michaels.
During a feud between Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker in 1997 the WWE creative team were looking for ways to end the feud on a high and were planning a cage match to do this. Shawn Michaels instead suggested they put on a match he had seen used for main events in the NWA, ‘The Omni’.
The Omni expanded on the idea of the traditional cage, having a gap between the mesh and the ring and being enclosed; whereas the traditional cage is open-topped.
The creative team loved it, and with a new WWE name the idea became a reality on October 7th 1997 at Badd Blood, Hell in a Cell was born.
I. Shawn Michaels Vs. The Undertaker, 7th October 1997, Badd Blood
A battered and bloodied Shawn Michaels defeated The Undertaker in a very well fought match.
The two most memorable aspects of this Hell in a Cell were that it was the first one of its kind and therefore no one had seen anything as brutal in the WWE and secondly it marked the debut of The Undertaker’s on screen brother, Kane.
At the climax of the bout, The Undertaker looked to be in control and about to end the match, when the lights cut out and Paul Bearer walked down the ramp with a masked figure who ripped off the cell door and delivered a tombstone (The Undertaker’s own finishing move), leaving a prone Undertaker to be pinned by HBK.
II. Stone Cold Steve Austin & The Undertaker Vs Mankind and Kane, 15th June 1998, Raw is War
This is one of only two Hell in a Cell matches that was not contested at a Pay Per View event, and is debatably not an actual match as there didn’t seem to be any bell to start the match, and no pin fall to end it.
Steve Austin and The Undertaker had never been on the best of terms, and before the match began there was speculation that The Undertaker would leave Steve Austin to take on both men, which seemed to be the case as Taker’s music played twice and the deadman didn’t show.
With Mankind and Kane on the outside of the cell getting beaten by Stone Cold, Paul Bearer decided he would be safest locked inside the cell, however this was not the case as The Undertaker would make a dramatic entrance, tearing through the canvas of the ring and beating his estranged father to a bloody pulp.
To read about the Best WWE Hell in a Cell Matches Click Here
To read about the Worst WWE Hell in a Cell Matches Click Here.
To read about The Undertakers Best Hell in a Cell Matches Click Here
