Author: In 1997, WWE engineered something chilling: a towering steel structure designed to settle scores and break spirits. Hell in a Cell wasn’t just a new match type. It was a line in the sand, and crossing it meant pain, sacrifice, and sometimes, legacy. Inside this cage, legends were made… and broken. Revisit six of the most defining moments in Hell in a Cell history (and the untold stories behind them) that shaped the match into WWE’s most feared battleground. The tale of how it came to be, and what it cost the wrestlers who dared step inside, might just change the way you see it forever.
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1. "We Needed Something Bigger" – The Birth of WWE’s Most Dangerous Match: Hell in a Cell
The Hell in a Cell match was born out of necessity in 1997, during a heated feud between Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker. Their previous match at In Your House: Ground Zero had delivered intense action, but the rematch needed something even bigger.
In a 2020 interview with Bleeding Cool, Shawn Michaels recalled the moment inspiration struck:
“The chemistry was there. We decided to throw some gasoline on that story. We knew it had to go to something big. The next logical step was in a cage, but we wanted it to be different.”
Michaels suggested an idea inspired by an old-school classic, a 1983 steel cage match between Buzz Sawyer and Tommy Rich at The Omni in Atlanta.
“I had seen this Buzz Sawyer, Tommy Rich match in the Omni when they had a cage with the roof on it. It was a suggestion that I made and just threw out there. Vince McMahon took that and created what is now our Hell in the Cell. The first time we saw it was that day of the pay-per-view, walking into St. Louis and looking at that thing like, ‘Wow, that is cool,’ and of course, the first thing I said was I gotta get on top.”
Speaking to Maven Huffman, Undertaker shared his take on the Hell in a Cell structure.
“That structure was intimidating, and it added to the aura of the match. It felt like a real prison, and that’s exactly what we wanted."
That night at Badd Blood: In Your House in 1997, history was made.
The Cell loomed ominously as Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker tore each other apart in one of the most innovative and dangerous matches WWE had ever presented at the time.
The match famously contained an exchange with Michaels dangling from the exterior Hell in a Cell wall, only for The Undertaker to stomp on his hands, sending him crashing through the announce table below.
It was the first truly iconic Hell in a Cell moment, and it wouldn’t be the last.
On his Grilling JR podcast, Jim Ross identified the first Cell match as his favorite of them all.
“I hadn’t seen anything like it before and that’s a lasting impression on me with great memories, and it was the first of its kind. Shawn was just extraordinary that night. I told him after the show that maybe he’s known as a finesse guy, moonsaults, super kicks, all these things he was kind of known for. I think people are gonna look at you now and say he’s a lot tougher than I thought he was.”
2. Shawn Michaels: The Man Who Built the Blueprint (Then Paid the Price) Inside the Cell
Shawn Michaels would go on to compete in several more Hell in a Cell matches, proving his resilience and creativity inside WWE’s most dangerous structure.
He faced his longtime friend-turned-rival Triple H in a classic encounter at Bad Blood 2004. This is remembered as one of the most grueling and emotionally charged battles in WWE history. Culminating a two-year-long feud between former best friends, this encounter pushed both men to their physical and psychological limits.
Lasting nearly 50 minutes, the match was an all-out war, filled with steel chairs, ladders, tables, and savage brutality inside the Cell. The match is often cited for its storytelling depth and sheer violence, reinforcing Hell in a Cell’s legacy as the most punishing structure in WWE.
Later, he joined forces with Triple H as D-Generation X at Unforgiven 2006 to battle Vince and Shane McMahon and Big Show, as well as the team of Legacy (Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase Jr.) inside the Hell in a Cell.
It remains one of the most over-the-top and entertaining Hell in a Cell matches in WWE lore.
Lastly, Shawn Michaels also served as the special guest referee for the Undertaker vs. Triple H bout at WrestleMania 28, often referred to as "The End of an Era." This memorable showdown was a masterpiece in storytelling, drama, and legacy.
His presence at WrestleMania 28 brought full-circle closure to the original Hell in a Cell saga he helped create.
To put it simply, one cannot tell the history of Hell in a Cell without including the name Shawn Michaels.
3. Mick Foley and the Story Behind the Plunge That Made Hell in a Cell Immortal
If Shawn Michaels helped create the aura of the Cell, Mick Foley was the man who took it to death-defying extremes. Competing as Mankind, Foley entered Hell in a Cell at the 1998 King of the Ring in what would become the most unforgettable and horrifying match in WWE history.
Foley knew the bar was set impossibly high after Michaels and The Undertaker’s classic. He was stumped on how to top it.
Speaking to WWE.com, Mick Foley explained how he confided in longtime friend Terry Funk, expressing doubts about his ability to top the first Cell performance.
After Terry Funk and I watched the first Hell in a Cell match with Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker, I looked at Terry and said, ‘What am I going to do?’ I was never really a great cage match wrestler. I didn’t have the athleticism to do a lot of the climbing. I certainly didn’t have any of Shawn Michaels’ athleticism. And I did not think I could live up to the standards that they had set.”
Foley continued, “Terry thought about it for a while. ‘It’s going to be tough, but maybe you ought to start the match on top of the cell.'”
The rest is history.
What followed was arguably the most iconic moment in WWE’s history: The Undertaker threw Mankind off the top of the 16-foot Cell, sending him crashing through the announcers’ table in front of a stunned crowd.
In an episode of WWE Untold, The Undertaker described his state of mind as he saw Mick Foley fall to the announce table below.
“When I tossed him off from there, as I was watching him fall, it seemed like it took forever for him to hit the table. The only thing I can liken it to is whatever an out of body experience [feels like] – it was very, it was so crazy. It was so loud and there were the people.”
He continued, “At that point, nothing like that had ever been done. Obviously, I know they raised the cage, but I was kind of oblivious to it, really. I was so zoned in to what we were doing at that point. You know I’m kinda up there without any kind of communication with anything or anybody. I’m just like, ‘Well, I guess I’m not going anywhere until they bring me down’.”
Foley miraculously continued the match only to later be chokeslammed through the roof and onto the mat below, knocking a tooth through his nose and rendering the audience speechless.
On an episode of Talk Is Jericho, Mick Foley recounted the original plan for this legendary Hell in a Cell moment.
You know people have speculated that I knew the cage was gonna break the second time and the truth is that’s way too dangerous going through the cage on a chokeslam like that. It was supposed to tear.”
Foley continued, “The big bump, the only thing is I had this image of being stuffed down a rabbit hole, it would give a little bit, and then Taker was gonna push me down that hole and the big visual to me was I was gonna be hanging upside down. You know my arms are flailing and this and then the bump itself, it’s just I gotta be able to rotate, land on my hands and knees. Maybe a little riskier you know your wrist, your knee but nothing real major and I got approval for that.”
That night, Mick Foley turned himself into a legend and elevated Hell in a Cell from match gimmick to wrestling mythology.
4. Foley’s Final Fall: The Match That Broke Him and Made Triple H
Mick Foley would return to the Hell in a Cell one more time in a classic retirement match against Triple H at No Way Out 2000. Despite battling chronic pain and injuries, Foley delivered a heroic performance.
With Foley’s career on the line, the stakes were sky-high, and both men delivered a brutal, passionate performance. From steel chair beatdowns to barbed wire-wrapped baseball bats and a flaming 2×4, the match embodied everything Hell in a Cell had come to represent – violence, sacrifice, and unforgettable moments.
In one of the most iconic visuals of the bout, Foley crashed through the Cell roof and into the ring below, echoing the brutality of his King of the Ring 1998 fall.
Ultimately, Triple H won the match, ending Foley’s full-time in-ring career at the time. The match is widely praised for its storytelling.
Speaking to talkSPORT, Mick Foley detailed the state of his physical injuries at this time.
"Triple H and I really helped each other. He’s one of the best there’s ever been at working around somebody’s weaknesses, and by 2000, I had a lot of weaknesses. I had a lot of trouble just getting around. My knees were so bad, and my back and hip were shot, but he brought out the best in me, and I thought I brought out the best in him. We both had that goal. It meant a lot for him to send me out on a high note, and it meant a lot to give Triple H the match that would increase his value with the company."
It was a brutal, emotional farewell, helping to solidify Triple H as a main event force and adding another chapter to the Cell’s growing legacy.
5. The Night Sasha Banks and Charlotte Flair Took Hell in a Cell to a New Level
Years later, Mick Foley played a critical role in helping Sasha Banks and Charlotte Flair prepare for their historic match at Hell in a Cell 2016, the first-ever women’s match in the structure, and the first time a women’s match main-evented a WWE pay-per-view.
Speaking to FOX Sports, Sasha Banks (now known as Mercedes Moné) credited Mick Foley for his mentorship and perspective.
“He’s just told me how big of a deal this is, especially being the first ever woman being inside Hell in a Cell. It’s never been done, and it hasn’t been done for a reason. He has given me advice for it, but he also tried to scare me with it, too, which I didn’t need. But he acted like a dad. He just wanted to make sure we’re all good. Anything we needed, he was always there for us."
The action started before the Cell even fully lowered, as Charlotte ambushed Sasha and powerbombed her through the announce table, nearly ending the match before it began.
Medical staff tried to remove Sasha from the contest, but she defied the odds and forced her way back into the ring, insisting on continuing.
Inside the Cell, both women delivered a punishing display of grit and innovation. Sasha launched Charlotte into the steel with double knees, while Charlotte slammed Sasha’s back repeatedly onto a steel chair, targeting her already-injured spine.
A vicious Natural Selection onto a chair sealed Sasha’s fate, and Charlotte regained the Raw Women’s Championship.
Thanks to Mick Foley’s guidance and their fearless performances, Sasha Banks and Charlotte Flair honored the legacy of the Hell in a Cell while carving out a new path for future generations of women in WWE.
6. Legends Made It. Others Survived It. The Legacy of Hell in a Cell
Since those early, violent classics, many top WWE superstars have stepped into Hell in a Cell and added their own chapters to its history, including Randy Orton, John Cena, Seth Rollins, Kevin Owens, and Dave Bautista, among many others.
But no one will ever surpass the impact of Shawn Michaels, the Undertaker, and Mick Foley.
Speaking to Fightful, Mick Foley reminisced about what Vince McMahon told him immediately after his first Hell in a Cell match.
“I remember those words specifically. ‘You have no idea how much I appreciate what you’ve done for this company, but I never wanna see anything like that again.'”
Their contributions transformed Hell in a Cell into more than just a gimmick match. It became a proving ground and a crucible of pain, storytelling, and legacy.
The image of Shawn Michaels falling from the side of the Hell in a Cell. The moment Mick Foley soared off the top and into wrestling immortality. These are not just pro wrestling highlights. They are moments etched in time.
WWE’s Hell in a Cell has become a symbol of ultimate sacrifice, and for that, fans owe an eternal debt to two of its founding fathers.
These stories may also interest you:
- Undertaker and Mick Foley Hell in a Cell Match: The Untold Story
- Ric Flair and Mick Foley – Their Real-Life Backstage Encounter
- Bret Hart vs. Shawn Michaels: 10 Explosive Backstage Stories
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"Evan Ginzburg’s stories are a love letter to wrestling, filled with heart, humor, and history. A must-read for any true fan." — Keith Elliot Greenberg
Wrestling Rings, Blackboards, and Movie Sets is the latest book from Pro Wrestling Stories Senior Editor Evan Ginzburg. 100 unforgettable stories—from sharing a flight on 9/11 with a WWE Hall of Famer to untold moments in wrestling history. A page-turner for fans of the ring and beyond. Grab your copy today! For signed editions, click here.
"Evan Ginzburg’s stories are a love letter to wrestling, filled with heart, humor, and history. A must-read for any true fan." — Keith Elliot Greenberg
Wrestling Rings, Blackboards, and Movie Sets is the latest book from Pro Wrestling Stories Senior Editor Evan Ginzburg. 100 unforgettable stories—from sharing a flight on 9/11 with a WWE Hall of Famer to untold moments in wrestling history. A page-turner for fans of the ring and beyond. Grab your copy today! For signed editions, click here.
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