Hell in a Cell

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Hell in a Cell (sometimes referred to as Hell in the Cell) is a type of professional wrestling match seen in World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) in which the ring and ringside area are surrounded by a roofed steel cell which stands 16 feet (5 meters), or, more recently, 20 feet (6 meters), off the ground.

Contents 1 Background 2 Match history 3 Legacy 4 References 5 External links

[edit] Background

Hell in a Cell matches are rare; there have been only fifteen such matches in WWE since the first in 1997. Due to the logistical difficulty in setting them up, their dangerous nature, and their perception as a special attraction, Hell in a Cell matches are generally seen only at pay-per-view events; only two matches have been shown on regular television, both of which occurred on RAW in 1998, and ended in no contests.

The match and cell are billed as very dangerous. Michael Cole and Tazz described it as the most gruesome match in WWE. Jim Ross calls the cell a "devil's playground" that is "custom built for injury."

The cell differs from the cage used in a normal steel cage match, having a roof (cages in traditional cage matches have no roof) and a wide space between the ring apron and the cell (cage match cages hug the ring closely). Generally, the cell door is locked during the match. Despite this, many Hell in a Cell matches have featured wrestlers fighting out of and even on top of the cell:

• In the first Cell match, the door was unlocked to allow the removal of an injured cameraman, which led to Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker fighting on top of the cage.
• In the Mankind / Undertaker match, the competitors began the match on top of the cage, both climbing on top of the cage and fighting and resulting in Mankind being thrown off the top of the cage and onto the commentators table and also being chokeslammed through the roof of the cage.
• In the Triple H / Cactus Jack match, Cactus Jack threw steel steps at Triple H, but missed and damaged the wall, then charged the cell wall until it broke enough for the two to get through.
• In the six man Armageddon Cell match, Vince McMahon used a truck to pull off the door of the cell while attempting to destroy the cell and stop the match.
• The Triple H and Chris Jericho match, the door was opened with bolt cutters to allow the removal of legitimately injured referee Tim White.
• The Triple H and Chris Jericho match was the last Hell in a cell match where the wrestlers climbed and fought on top of a cell. It was also the first and only Hell in a cell match where someone (Chris Jericho) got pinned on top of the cell.

Naturally, there are no disqualifications in the match, and the match can only be won either by pinfall or submission. However, to date, a Hell In A Cell match has never been won by submission. Also, no title changes have been made inside Hell in a Cell.

Also, every single Hell In A Cell match has in some way involved Triple H or The Undertaker, including the 1998 match between Kane and Mankind (although neither was officially featured in that match, Undertaker did come to try and interfere, which would lead to the match becoming a no contest). Although, only the Six-Way Hell In A Cell match at Armageddon 2000 featured both Triple H and The Undertaker as participants.

[edit] Match history

No.	Match	Event and Date	Length
I	Shawn Michaels defeated The Undertaker to become the number one contender for the WWF Championship.	In Your House: Badd Blood October 5, 1997	29:59
II	The Undertaker and Steve Austin vs. Mankind and Kane went to a no contest	RAW is WAR June 15, 1998	5:10
III	The Undertaker defeated Mankind	King of the Ring June 28, 1998	17:38
IV	Mankind vs. Kane went to a no contest	RAW is WAR August 24, 1998	7:41
V	The Undertaker defeated The Big Boss Man	WrestleMania XV March 28, 1999	9:46
VI	Triple H defeated Cactus Jack to retain the WWF Championship	No Way Out February 27, 2000	23:59
VII	Kurt Angle defeated The Undertaker, Triple H, Steve Austin, The Rock and Rikishi to retain the WWF Championship	Armageddon December 10, 2000	32:14
VIII	Triple H defeated Chris Jericho	Judgment Day May 19, 2002	24:31
IX	Brock Lesnar defeated The Undertaker to retain the WWE Championship	No Mercy October 20, 2002	27:18
X	Triple H defeated Kevin Nash to retain the World Heavyweight Championship (with special guest referee Mick Foley)	Bad Blood June 15, 2003	21:01
XI	Triple H defeated Shawn Michaels	Bad Blood June 13, 2004	47:26
XII	Batista defeated Triple H to retain the World Heavyweight Championship	Vengeance June 26, 2005	26:54
XIII	The Undertaker defeated Randy Orton	Armageddon December 18, 2005	30:31
XIV	D-Generation X (Triple H and Shawn Michaels) defeated Vince McMahon, Shane McMahon and The Big Show	Unforgiven September 17, 2006	25:04
XV	Batista defeated The Undertaker to retain the World Heavyweight Championship	Survivor Series November 18, 2007	21:25

Note: The cell itself was used during a First Blood Match between Steve Austin and Kane at King of the Ring 1998, but the match itself was not a Hell in a Cell match. The cell had been used earlier in the evening for the match between the Undertaker and Mankind. It was lowered twice during Austin and Kane's match. It was also used in a Kennel From Hell match between Al Snow and Big Boss Man at Unforgiven 1999. The cell was used every year since its debut with the exception of 2001.

[edit] Legacy

The Hell in a Cell match was first introduced by The Undertaker at the Badd Blood pay-per-view event on October 5, 1997 in St. Louis, Missouri, when he challenged Shawn Michaels for the number one contendership to the WWF Championship. The Undertaker had been feuding with Michaels since SummerSlam 1997, where Michaels was a special guest referee in a match between the Undertaker and Bret Hart for the WWF Championship. Towards the end of the match, Kane made his debut.^[1] The match became the only Hell in a Cell match to earn a five star rating from Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

The Undertaker vs. Mankind, the third ever Hell in a Cell match occurred at King of the Ring 1998. A couple of minutes into the match, The Undertaker threw Mankind off of the top of the cell, which was a full 16 feet, onto the Spanish Announce team table. The footage of that fall has since become one of the most used videos in professional wrestling history.^[2] The match was named PWI Match of the Year in 1998 and is the only Hell in a Cell match to win the award.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• WWE.com's History of the Hell in a Cell
• History of the Cell at WWE.com