Line #152 Wrestling/HellInACell


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/wwe_hell_in_a_cell_logo_2010_by_decadeofsmackdownv2_d30pd92_pre.png]]
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3	Hell in a Cell was a Wrestling/{{WWE}} pay-per-view, which replaced ''Wrestling/NoMercy'' in 2009 and was a staple of the calendar through 2022.
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5	The name of the event comes from the eponymous {{gimmick match\|es}}: two or more wrestlers or factions fight inside of a roofed, 20-foot-high (before ''Unforgiven 2006'', 16-feet-high) steel cage surrounding the ring and ringside area. Although the original event featured all matches with this stipulation, in more recent times this wasn't the case and both standard matches and other GimmickMatches also took place in the event.
6
7	The eponymous match type itself is a variant of the [[GimmickMatches Steel Cage match]]. It involves a larger cage which Wrestling/JimCornette admits to stealing from (or researching from) a Memphis territory, that includes the majority of the ringside area in its confines, and also has a roof, ala Wrestling/DustyRhodes's war games.[[note]]WCW also did several matches with a cage that was big enough that wrestlers could fight outside the ring but still be in the cage, in fact the famous Chamber of Horrors match that opened ''Halloween Havoc '91'' was basically a HITC cage but with a hole in the roof so an electric chair could be lowered into the ring during the match. 3 weeks after the first HITC match in 1997 WCW tried a big cage again in a match between Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage, this wasn't nearly as well received as the match between Undertaker and Michaels, to put it mildly[[/note]] Escape rules don't apply; the match ends only via pinfall or submission, and usually only in the ring. In earlier matches, big falls from the side or top of the cage were fairly commonplace (most famously, by Wrestling/MickFoley), but these have been toned down due to safety concerns.[[note]]There was also a variant, called "Kennel From Hell", essentially a Steel Cage inside the HIAC cell, with {{angry guard dog}}s in the ringside space, but was only used for one match (Wrestling/BigBossman vs. Wrestling/AlSnow, at ''Unforgiven 1999''), and due to a lot of factors, NeverWorkWithChildrenOrAnimals being the most prominent, it was never used again.[[/note]]
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9	After Wrestling/TripleH took over WWE creative in October 2022, he discontinued ''Hell in a Cell'' as an annual event. The eponymous match continues to be occasionally booked.
10
11	[[folder:HIAC matches outside of the PPV]]
12	* ''Wrestling/BadBlood 1997'' - Wrestling/ShawnMichaels d. Wrestling/TheUndertaker. [[note]]#1 contendership for WWF Championship. First ever HIAC match and the first appearance of Wrestling/{{Kane}}.[[/note]]
13	* ''[[Wrestling/WWERaw Raw Is War]] #264'' - The Undertaker[=/=]Wrestling/StoneColdSteveAustin vs. [[Wrestling/MickFoley Mankind]][=/=]Wrestling/{{Kane}} - No contest.
14	* ''Wrestling/KingOfTheRing 1998'' - The Undertaker d. Mankind
15	* ''Raw is War #274'' - Mankind vs. Kane - No contest.
16	* ''Wrestling/WrestleMania XV'' - The Undertaker d. Wrestling/BigBossMan. [[note]]Also controversial in that Taker summoned the Brood to hang Big Boss Man.[[/note]]
17	* ''[[Wrestling/NoWayOutWWE No Way Out]] 2000'' - Wrestling/TripleH d. [[Wrestling/MickFoley Cactus Jack]].[[note]]WWF Championship, plus [[LoserLeavesTown if CJ lost the match, he would have to retire]]. [[TenMinuteRetirement He still wrestled in the main event of the next PPV]].[[/note]]
18	* ''Wrestling/{{Armageddon\|WWE}} 2000'' - Wrestling/KurtAngle d. The Undertaker, Triple H, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Wrestling/{{Rikishi}} and [[Wrestling/DwayneJohnson The Rock]]. [[note]]Six-pack for the WWF Championship.[[/note]]
19	* ''Wrestling/JudgmentDay 2002'' - Triple H d. Wrestling/ChrisJericho.
20	* ''No Mercy 2002'' - Wrestling/BrockLesnar d. The Undertaker. [[note]]WWE Championship[[/note]]
21	* ''Bad Blood 2003'' - Triple H d. Wrestling/KevinNash. [[note]]World Heavyweight Championship, with Mick Foley as special guest referee.[[/note]]
22	* ''Bad Blood 2004'' - Triple H d. Shawn Michaels.
23	* ''Wrestling/{{Vengeance}} 2005'' - Wrestling/{{Batista}} d. Triple H. [[note]]World Heavyweight Championship[[/note]]
24	* ''Armageddon 2005'' - The Undertaker d. Wrestling/RandyOrton.
25	* ''[[Wrestling/UnforgivenWWE Unforgiven]] 2006'' - Wrestling/DGenerationX d. Wrestling/VinceMcMahon, Wrestling/ShaneMcMahon & Wrestling/TheBigShow. [[note]]2-on-3 handicap match. Notable for being the debut of the "amplified" version of the Cell.[[/note]]
26	* ''Wrestling/SurvivorSeries 2007'' - Batista d. The Undertaker. [[note]]World Heavyweight Championship[[/note]]
27	* ''Wrestling/SummerSlam 2008'' - The Undertaker d. Wrestling/{{Edge\|Wrestler}}.
28	* ''Monday Night Raw #957'' - Wrestling/JohnCena d. Wrestling/AlbertoDelRio, Wrestling/CMPunk, Wrestling/JackSwagger and Wrestling/DolphZiggler. [[note]]Dark match for the WWE Championship.[[/note]]
29	* ''[=WrestleMania=] XXVII'' - The Undertaker d. Triple H. [[note]]Special guest referee: Shawn Michaels.[[/note]]
30	* ''[=WrestleMania=] XXXII'' - The Undertaker d. Shane [=McMahon=]. [[note]]If Shane had won, he would have gained control of Raw and retired The Undertaker.[[/note]]
31	* ''[[Wrestling/WWESmackDown Friday Night Smackdown]] #1139'' - Wrestling/RomanReigns d. Wrestling/{{Rey Mysterio\|Jr}}.[[note]]WWE Universal Championship.[[/note]]
32	* ''Monday Night Raw #1465'' - Wrestling/BobbyLashley d. Wrestling/XavierWoods.
33	* ''Crown Jewel 2021'' - Edge d. Seth Rollins.
34	* ''[=WrestleMania=] 39'', Night 2 – Edge d. [[Wrestling/FergalDevitt Finn Bálor]] (in his "Demon" persona). The first Hell in a Cell match after the discontinuation of the annual event.
35	[[/folder]]
36
37	[[folder:HIAC matches of the PPV]]
38	* ''Hell In A Cell 2009'':
39	** The Undertaker d. CM Punk. [[note]]World Heavyweight Championship.[[/note]]
40	** Randy Orton d. John Cena. [[note]]WWE Championship.[[/note]]
41	** D-Generation X d. Legacy.
42	* ''Hell In A Cell 2010'':
43	** Randy Orton d. Wrestling/{{Sheamus}}. [[note]]WWE Championship.[[/note]]
44	** Kane d. The Undertaker. [[note]]World Heavyweight Championship.[[/note]]
45	* ''Hell In A Cell 2011'':
46	** Wrestling/MarkHenry d. Randy Orton. [[note]]World Heavyweight Championship.[[/note]]
47	** Alberto Del Rio d. John Cena and CM Punk. [[note]]WWE Championship.[[/note]]
48	* ''Hell In A Cell 2012'':
49	** CM Punk d. Wrestling/{{Ryback}}. [[note]]WWE Championship.[[/note]]
50	* ''Hell In A Cell 2013'':
51	** CM Punk d. Ryback and Wrestling/PaulHeyman. [[note]]1-on-2 handicap match.[[/note]]
52	** Randy Orton d. [[Wrestling/BryanDanielson Daniel Bryan]]. [[note]]WWE Championship. Special guest referee: Shawn Michaels.[[/note]]
53	* ''Hell In A Cell 2014'':
54	** John Cena d. Randy Orton. [[note]]#1 contendership for the World Heavyweight Championship.[[/note]]
55	** Wrestling/SethRollins d. Wrestling/DeanAmbrose.
56	* ''Hell In A Cell 2015'':
57	** Roman Reigns d. Wrestling/BrayWyatt.
58	** Brock Lesnar d. The Undertaker.
59	* ''Hell In A Cell 2016'':
60	** Roman Reigns d. Wrestling/{{Rusev\|AndLana}}. [[note]]WWE United States Championship.[[/note]]
61	** Wrestling/KevinOwens d. Seth Rollins. [[note]]WWE Universal Championship.[[/note]]
62	** Wrestling/CharlotteFlair d. Wrestling/SashaBanks. [[note]]WWE Raw Women's Championship.[[/note]]
63	* ''Hell In A Cell 2017'':
64	** Wrestling/TheUsos d. Wrestling/TheNewDay. [[note]]Tornado TagTeam match for the WWE Smackdown Tag Team Championship.[[/note]]
65	** Kevin Owens d. Shane [=McMahon=]. [[note]]Falls Count Anywhere match.[[/note]]
66	* ''Hell In A Cell 2018'':
67	** Randy Orton d. Jeff Hardy.
68	** Roman Reigns vs. Wrestling/BraunStrowman - No Contest. [[note]]WWE Universal Championship. Special guest referee: Mick Foley. Also this match is Strowman's cash-in of his ''Wrestling/MoneyInTheBank'' contract. [[/note]]
69	* ''Hell In A Cell 2019'':
70	** Wrestling/BeckyLynch d. Sasha Banks. [[note]]WWE Raw Women's Championship.[[/note]]
71	** Seth Rollins vs. "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt - No Contest. [[note]]WWE Universal Championship.[[/note]]
72	* ''Hell In A Cell 2020'':
73	** Roman Reigns d. [[Wrestling/TheUsos Jey Uso]]. [[note]]"I Quit" match for the WWE Universal Championship.[[/note]]
74	** Sasha Banks d. Wrestling/{{Bayley}}. [[note]]WWE [=SmackDown=] Women's Championship.[[/note]]
75	** Randy Orton d. Wrestling/DrewMcIntyre. [[note]]WWE Championship.[[/note]]
76	* ''Hell In A Cell 2021'':
77	** Bianca Belair d. Bayley. [[note]]WWE [=SmackDown=] Women's Championship.[[/note]]
78	** Wrestling/BobbyLashley d. Drew [=McIntyre=]. [[note]]WWE Championship.[[/note]]
79	* ''Hell In A Cell 2022'':
80	** Wrestling/CodyRhodes d. [[Wrestling/SethRollins Seth "Freakin'" Rollins]]
81	[[/folder]]
82	----
83	!! Hell in a Tropes:
84	[[foldercontrol]]
85
86	[[folder:In General]]
87
88	* TheDreaded: The titular match itself. With few exceptions, ''no one'' wants to go through a Hell in a Cell match, because they know full well that doing so means willingly subjecting yourself to a level of brutality unmatched by any other gimmick match in the entire WWE. When Wrestling/{{Edge\|Wrestler}} found out his then-wife Wrestling/VickieGuerrero had put him into a Hell in a Cell match with Wrestling/TheUndertaker, the sheer fear was enough to put him into a catatonic state. The following week, he was so desperate to just ''survive'' the match that he begged his old foe Wrestling/MickFoley for help, before going into a severe level of SanitySlippage that doubled as a full-on VillainousBreakdown for the following two weeks.
89	* ItsPersonal: Before it became a gimmick PPV, Hell in a Cell matches were designed to be the ultimate feud-enders. Just about every Hell in a Cell match prior to the establishment of the annual PPV have been for the most personal feuds in WWE history, such as the two-year blood feud between Wrestling/TripleH and Wrestling/ShawnMichaels. Even after the PPV was established, particularly personal feuds sometimes warrant a Cell match outside of the PPV, such as Wrestling/{{Edge\|Wrestler}} vs. Wrestling/SethRollins.
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91	[[/folder]]
92
93	[[folder:The pay-per-views (including non-HIAC matches)]]
94	* TheBadGuyWins:
95	** HIAC 2009, Wrestling/ChrisJericho and Wrestling/BigShow defeated Wrestling/{{Batista}} and Wrestling/ReyMysterioJr. Wrestling/RandyOrton defeated Wrestling/JohnCena. Wrestling/DrewMcIntyre defeated Wrestling/RTruth.
96	** The end of the Wrestling/JohnCena vs. Wrestling/WadeBarrett at the 2010 edition. If Cena won, Wrestling/TheNexus would be forced to disband; if Barrett won, Cena would be forced to join The Nexus. After interference from two new Nexus members, Barrett won, and Cena was forced to join The Nexus. Wrestling/{{Kane}} defeated Wrestling/TheUndertaker.
97	** HIAC 2011, Wrestling/MarkHenry defeated Randy Orton. Wrestling/CodyRhodes defeated Wrestling/JohnMorrison. Wrestling/BethPhoenix defeated Wrestling/KellyKelly. Wrestling/AlbertoDelRio defeated Wrestling/CMPunk and John Cena.
98	** HIAC 2012, Wrestling/AntonioCesaro defeated Wrestling/JustinGabriel. Big Show defeated Wrestling/{{Sheamus}}. Wrestling/EveTorres defeated Wrestling/{{Kaitlyn}} and Wrestling/{{Layla}}. CM Punk defeated Wrestling/{{Ryback}}.
99	** HIAC 2013, Wrestling/DamienSandow defeated Wrestling/KofiKingston. Wrestling/{{Fandango}} and Wrestling/SummerRae defeated Wrestling/TheGreatKhali and [[Wrestling/NatalyaNeidhart Natalya]]. Wrestling/AJLee defeated [[Wrestling/TheBellaTwins Brie Bella]]. Randy Orton defeated Wrestling/DanielBryan.
100	** HIAC 2014, Nikki Bella defeated Brie Bella. Wrestling/SethRollins defeated Wrestling/DeanAmbrose.
101	** HIAC 2015, Alberto Del Rio defeated John Cena. The New Day defeated The Dudley Boyz. Seth Rollins defeated Kane. Kevin Owens defeated Ryback. Brock Lesnar defeated Undertaker.
102	** HIAC 2016, Wrestling/KevinOwens defeated Seth Rollins. The Brian Kendrick defeated TJ Perkins. Wrestling/CharlotteFlair defeated Wrestling/SashaBanks.
103	** HIAC 2017, Wrestling/TheUsos defeated The New Day. Wrestling/BaronCorbin defeated Wrestling/AJStyles and Tye Dillinger. Wrestling/JinderMahal defeated Wrestling/ShinsukeNakamura. Kevin Owens defeated Wrestling/ShaneMcMahon.
104	** HIAC 2018, Randy Orton defeated Wrestling/JeffHardy. Dolph Ziggler and Wrestling/DrewMcIntyre defeated Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose. The Miz and Wrestling/{{Maryse}} defeated Daniel Bryan and Brie Bella.
105	** HIAC 2019, Randy Orton defeated Wrestling/MustafaAli. [[Wrestling/KanakoUrai Asuka]] and Kairi Sane defeated Wrestling/AlexaBliss and Wrestling/NikkiCross.
106	** HIAC 2020, Wrestling/RomanReigns defeated [[Wrestling/TheUsos Jey Uso]]. Wrestling/TheMiz defeated Otis. Randy Orton defeated Wrestling/DrewMcIntyre.
107	** HIAC 2021, Wrestling/BobbyLashley defeated Wrestling/DrewMcIntyre in the main event. Wrestling/SamiZayn defeated Wrestling/KevinOwens, Wrestling/SethRollins defeated Wrestling/{{Cesaro}}, Wrestling/CharlotteFlair defeated Rhea Ripley.[[note]]by disqualification[[/note]] In the pre-show, Wrestling/{{Natalya}} defeated Wrestling/MandyRose.
108	** HIAC 2022, Kevin Owens defeated [[Wrestling/{{Elias}} Ezekiel]], The Judgement Day defeated AJ Styles, Wrestling/FinnBalor and Wrestling/LivMorgan, Theory defeated Mustafa Ali
109	* {{Determinator}}: While this is a given for anyone in this type of match, Cody Rhodes showed how determined he was to fight Seth Rollins despite having a ''torn pec''.
110	* DidntSeeThatComing: Nobody, not Wrestling/ShaneMcMahon, not the audience, and not Kevin, expected Wrestling/SamiZayn to pull Owens to safety during ''Hell in a Cell 2017''. Not even Zayn himself expected the first [[FaceHeelTurn heel turn]] in an over fifteen- year career to start with saving his biggest ArchEnemy from a LeapOfFaith.
111	* EvenEvilHasStandards: Wrestling/JohnBradshawLayfield showed this at the 2015 edition, expressing horror and disgust at Wrestling/TheWyattFamily beating down Wrestling/TheUndertaker, saying ''"There was no honour in this."'' Before that he'd also demonstrated ample respect for Taker's role in the match against Wrestling/BrockLesnar.
112	* FaceHeelTurn:
113	** Wrestling/SamiZayn, at the 2017 PPV. During the main event, after pulling long-time adversary Wrestling/KevinOwens out of the path of Wrestling/ShaneMcMahon as the latter jumped off the top of the cell. After spending several moments seemingly in shock at saving Owens, he then dragged Owens on top of Shane for the three count.
114	** The Kabuki Warriors in 2019 after [[Wrestling/KanakoUrai Asuka]] used green mist on Wrestling/NikkiCross to win the Women's Tag Team Champions.
115	** Tucker in 2020. He attacks Otis with his briefcase, costing him his Money in the Bank contract.
116	* FinalBattle:
117	** Wrestling/RomanReigns and Wrestling/BrayWyatt put an end to Wrestling/TheShield vs. Wyatt Family feud in a HIAC match on the 2015 edition. Also in the same year was the HIAC match between Wrestling/TheUndertaker and Wrestling/BrockLesnar which served as their final encounter of their feud that begun in 2014 in which Lesnar ended The Undertaker's undefeated Wrestling/WrestleMania streak.
118	** At the 2022 event, Wrestling/CodyRhodes and Wrestling/SethRollins had their third and final clash inside HIAC which was the culmination of their feud since Wrestling/WrestleMania 38.
119	* GracefulLoser: When he was proved wrong by John Cena winning the World Heavyweight Championship at the 2013 edition, (JBL had previously dismissed it as impossible due to the speed of Cena's return from a major injury) JBL calmly admitted he was wrong, and led a round of applause for the new champion.
120	* HistoryRepeats:
121	** Wrestling/JohnCena and Wrestling/RandyOrton have competed against each other inside the Cell twice in the cell, with Orton defeating him in 2009 and Cena defeating him in 2014.
122	** The 2012 and 2013 events featured Wrestling/CMPunk vs. Wrestling/{{Ryback}} inside the Cell, and the main event ends with the bad guy winning because the referee attacked the good guy.
123	** In the 2015 event, Wrestling/TheUndertaker and Wrestling/BrockLesnar faced off inside the Cell for the second time. Their first cell encounter was at Wrestling/NoMercy 2002.
124	* JuxtaposedHalvesShot: The 2019 poster has Bray Wyatt as himself and "The Fiend".
125	* NoHoldsBarredBeatdown: The 2011 edition had [[Wrestling/RonKillings R-Truth]] and Wrestling/TheMiz beating the crap out of everyone, including the cameramen.
126	* SeriesMascot: Wrestling/TheUndertaker has appeared on the poster three times (2009, 2010, 2015 [[note]]Wrestling/BrockLesnar was also on the poster[[/note]]). Wrestling/SashaBanks appeared on the post twice (2016 [[note]]Wrestling/CharlotteFlair was also on the poster[[/note]] and 2020 [[note]]Wrestling/{{Bayley}} was also included in the poster[[/note]].)
127	* StunnedSilence: Before Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins squared off in ''Hell in a Cell'' 2022, Cody removed his coat to show how damaged his right pec was. The crowd immediately fell into silence that Cody was going to wrestle in that condition.
128	* TrailersAlwaysSpoil: [[spoiler:Cena's joining Nexus]]; practically everyone expected [[spoiler:Cena to lose his match to Barrett]] due to prior advertising posters for the ''Bragging Rights'' PPV including [[spoiler:the Nexus logo]]. Even worse, WWE aired one of these ads during ''Hell in a Cell'', before [[spoiler:the Barrett vs. Cena match]] took place!
129	* WhamShot: Cody Rhodes vs Seth Rollins begins with Cody removing his coat...revealing the purple bruise that is his torn pec. This shows just ''how much'' Cody is going to put himself on the line to fight Seth.
130	* WolverinePublicity: R-Truth did the main promo for the 2013 edition (even appearing on the poster, in a suit, of all things) despite not being on the card. The only sense to make of it was the "hell" in the title and Truth's tendency to paraphrase Literature/TheBible ''"The Truth, Has Set Me Free"''.
131	[[/folder]]
132
133	[[folder:HIAC matches outside of the PPV]]
134	* AlternateCompanyEquivalent: Wrestling/{{WCW}} had their own version of Hell in a Cell, called "Caged Heat", which was used from 1999-2000.
135	* TheBadGuyWins:
136	** All three consecutive HIAC matches at ''Wrestling/BadBlood'' were won by heels.
137	*** Wrestling/ShawnMichaels defeated Wrestling/TheUndertaker after a debuting Wrestling/{{Kane}} interfered and tombstoned his brother.
138	*** Wrestling/TripleH had won the HIAC match in this event twice in a row. In 2003, he defeated Wrestling/KevinNash (with Wrestling/MickFoley as the guest referee), and a year later defeated Shawn, ending their heated rivalry that lasted for almost two years.
139	** ''Armageddon 2000'' had Wrestling/KurtAngle defeating Wrestling/{{Rikishi}}, The Undertaker, Triple H, Wrestling/StoneColdSteveAustin, and [[Wrestling/DwayneJohnson The Rock]] in a 6-man HIAC match to retain the WWF Title.
140	** ''No Way Out 2000'': Triple H beats [[Wrestling/MickFoley Cactus Jack]] inside the cell, thus [[LoserLeavesTown putting an end to his career]] (albeit temporarily).
141	** ''Wrestling/NoMercy 2002'': Wrestling/BrockLesnar defeated The Undertaker to retain the WWE Championship.
142	* BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor: Shawn Michaels announced he'd be the special guest referee for the Triple H/Undertaker HIAC confrontation at 'Mania, and gloated he held [[TitleDrop the end of an era]] in his hands. What this actually entailed was [[ForcedToWatch watching his best friend and the man he respected more than any other giving each other an utterly brutal beating for half an hour]]. His expressions of utter misery throughout tell the story.
143	* BloodIsTheNewBlack: The first HIAC match between Shawn Michaels and the Undertaker. Watch the spot with the Snake Eyes to the outside of the cage, and see if you can spot Shawn's amazing mid-air blade job. He's practically all-crimson by the time the match ends.
144	* BrokenWinLossStreak: Triple H was undefeated in one-on-one HIAC matches, winning 4 of them in his career until ''Vengeance 2005'', when Batista defeated him.
145	* CeilingSmash: Inverted during the match between [[Wrestling/MickFoley Mankind]] and The Undertaker at ''King of the Ring 1998'', in which they brawled on the Cell's roof twice. The second time, 'Taker chokeslammed Foley through the roof, sending him crashing onto the ring below. And Foley still wanted to fight.
146	* DeathFromAbove: Taken to its absolute with Wrestling/ShaneMcMahon's performance at ''Wrestling/WrestleMania 32'': Jumping from top of the Hell in A Cell cage - 20 feet! He missed his mark though, but goes to show how ballsy he can get. This is five feet higher than the one that almost killed Mick Foley, and Shane was 13 years older when he did it.
147	* DefeatingTheUndefeatable: Wrestling/{{Batista}} became the first wrestler to defeat Triple H one-on-one inside Hell in a Cell at ''Vengeance 2005''.
148	* DraggedOffToHell: Edge's HIAC match with The Undertaker ended with him being Chokeslammed through the ring and flames rising out of it, the implication being that The Undertaker sent him to Hell.
149	* DramaticSitDown: Shawn Michaels does this in the third encounter at [=WrestleMania=] between The Undertaker and Triple H in their HIAC match, where Shawn was the guest referee. During the match, Undertaker told Shawn not to stop the match no matter what. This was after 'Taker had taken a few chair shots to the back and Triple H had just gotten the same in return, both men bleeding and disoriented at this point. Shawn was sitting in the corner of the ring having a nervous breakdown while Undertaker and Triple H were trying to get to their feet after a two count had occurred.
150	* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: The first Cell match was not the feud ender that it ended up becoming. That went to Taker's and HBK's casket match in the 1998 Royal Rumble.
151	* EstablishingCharacterMoment: Kane showed what he was made of when he showed up at ''Bad Blood'' 1997, when he ripped the door off the cell.
152	* FinalBattle: The Hell in a Cell match was made to put an end to long feuds, at least for the foreseeable future. However, they started moving away from this, as Wrestling/JohnCena has refused to abandon his feuds with Wrestling/RandyOrton and Wrestling/AlbertoDelRio even after losing to them in ''Hell In A Cell'', immediately coming back at them on the following installment of Wrestling/MondayNightRaw and laying the feud to rest in a different gimmick match.
153	** The HIAC match at ''Bad Blood 2004'' between Triple H and Shawn Michaels served as their final encounter to end a long drawn out feud that started since July 2002. HHH's 2003 match against Kevin Nash was also this to a lesser extent since their feud lasted for about a couple of months.
154	** At ''Vengeance 2005'', then-World Heavyweight Champion Batista and Triple H fought inside HIAC, which served as the culmination of their heated feud of that year.
155	** Wrestling/TheUndertaker and Wrestling/RandyOrton, who had been feuding during most of 2005, had their final confrontation inside the cell at ''Armageddon 2005''.
156	** At ''Unforgiven 2006'', the HIAC match between Wrestling/DGenerationX and the [=McMahons=] and Wrestling/TheBigShow was the final battle of the [=DX/McMahons=] feud.
157	** At ''Survivor Series 2007'', Wrestling/{{Batista}} and Wrestling/TheUndertaker fought in HIAC which served at their final one-on-one clash in their feud that year.
158	** At ''[=SummerSlam=] 2008'', Wrestling/TheUndertaker and Wrestling/{{Edge\|Wrestler}} fought in HIAC which was the end of their long feud that started at ''Survivor Series 2007''.
159	** The HIAC match between Wrestling/TheUndertaker and Wrestling/TripleH served as their "End of an Era" match at [=WrestleMania=] 28 and their third and final [=WrestleMania=] match against each other.[[note]]It wasn't until Super Showdown 2018 where the two fought again for the "last time ever".[[/note]]
160	** The HIAC match between Wrestling/{{Edge\|Wrestler}} and Wrestling/SethRollins at ''Crown Jewel 2021'' served as the third and final match of their feud that started during the summer.
161	* GoodVersusGood: HIAC matches usually involve a face vs a heel, but there were a few examples of two faces colliding with each other inside the cell -- Wrestling/{{Batista}} vs Wrestling/TheUndertaker at ''Survivor Series 2007'' and The Undertaker vs Triple H at ''Wrestlemania 28'' come to mind.
162	* HeroicBSOD: During Undertaker vs. HHH III, at one point during the match, things had gotten to the point of Shawn being told by the Undertaker not to stop the match no matter what happened. This was after 'Taker had suffered a few chair shots to the back and Triple H had just gotten the same in return. Watching his best friend and one of his idols beating the tar out of each other was apparently too much; Shawn was sitting in the corner of the ring looking like he was having a nervous breakdown.
163	* HistoryRepeats: All the main events of ''Bad Blood'' have been HIAC matches. All three also involved either Shawn Michaels or Triple H.
164	* HoistByHisOwnPetard: The Undertaker subjected Triple H to this at their ''Wrestling/WrestleMania XXVIII'' match. First, there's the match type in itself, considering Triple H himself set the stipulation, and is known for having the most victories in HIAC. Second, there's the ending: after a long beatdown that had shades of their match last year, along with multiple sledgehammer strikes to the Undertaker's face (and a [[FinishingMove Sweet Chin Music]] from Shawn Michaels that Hunter chained into a Pedigree, but that's beside the point), 'Taker finally got a hold of the sledgehammer, clobbered Hunter with it, and did the Tombstone Piledriver for the win.
165	* HowMuchMoreCanHeTake:
166	** Mick Foley in the ''Wrestling/KingOfTheRing 1998'' match. He was thrown off of a sixteen-foot-tall steel chain link cell and through the SpanishAnnouncersTable. The fall was so devastating that he sustained a concussion, spinal damage, a dislocated shoulder and internal bleeding. The [=EMTs=] squeezed in to put him on a stretcher and wheel him away, which seemed to signal the premature end of the match. Instead, Foley got up off the stretcher and climbed back up the cell (faster than before his fall!) to resume the match. After some more fighting, Undertaker performed his signature choke-slam, which sent Foley through the chain link cell to the ring below, a steel chair following close behind to smash his teeth out of his mouth, one of which lodged in his nose. Foley was completely knocked out, nearly died, and has no memory of the next few hours...but he got back up and resumed the match, finally ending it after taking two hard falls onto a large pile of thumbtacks. And then, simply because he refused to be stretchered out twice, he got up and walked back up the ramp to a standing ovation.
167	** The HIAC match between HHH and Shawn was like this as well, with Shawn taking 3 Pedigrees before finally going down.
168	** Then came the HIAC match between Shane [=McMahon=] and The Undertaker at ''Wrestling/WrestleMania 32'', where Shane-O-Mac tried to do his elbow drop through the announcers table onto Taker, willingly doing it from the top of the 20ft cell. But as Shane jumped, Taker managed to roll out of the way, causing Shane to crash onto the table, literally [[StunnedSilence silencing the 100,000+ in attendance]] who were just cheering for him as he made the jump, enough to make them sincerely worry he might have gone too far and killed himself as the refs and medics went to check him out. Even Taker himself was in shock at this, until Shane finally showed signs of life and even gave him two "Bring it on" hand gestures, even knowing he was clearly out of it.
169	* LoserLeavesTown:
170	** ''No Way Out 2000''[='=]s HIAC match between Triple H and Cactus Jack had the stipulation that if Cactus lost, he must retire.
171	** The ''Wrestling/WrestleMania XXVIII'' between The Undertaker and Triple H with Shawn Michaels as guest referee was billed as an "End of an Era" match.
172	* MadeOfIron: Mick Foley was infamously thrown from the top of the cell during the 1998 event and finishes the match in spite of his injuries.
173	* MeleeATrois: ''Armageddon 2000'': The 6-man HIAC match which featured then-world champion Kurt Angle, Rikishi, The Undertaker, Triple H, "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, and The Rock.
174	* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: Undertaker was genuinely afraid for his opponent's life when he accidentally sent Mankind through the roof of the cell during their match. He reported afterwards as feeling nothing but concern for Foley after the occurence. He still managed to avoid breaking character, however. Except for the part where Mick gets up off the stretcher and runs to the Cell to climb it. Again. The match itself doesn't show it but some [=DVDs=] that discuss the match have a shot of Undertaker legitimately shocked.
175	* OhCrap:
176	** The Undertaker had a real life one at the 1998 HIAC match. Not from the first fall, but upon seeing Foley climb off the stretcher, smiling, and running to the cage to climb back up. It's not shown during the match itself for more than a half a second on the ''King of the Ring 1998'' VHS tape and DVD, but some video (such as "Eve of Destruction") shows Taker is legitimately shocked. The moment can be interpreted as either Kayfabe that Mankind wants more, astonishment that he was able to get up or a real life concern of what else can happen.
177	*** He definitely had another real one shortly afterwards, when he chokeslammed Mankind onto the top of the cage, only for the cage to give way and for Mick Foley to plummet to the mat on his back (with a steel chair following him down to land on his face). It's minor, but you can see Undertaker recoil in shock as the wire panel collapses under Mankind's body. Taker would later admit that at that moment he genuinely thought he'd killed Foley.
178	** Edge had this reaction when Vickie informed him she had reinstated The Undertaker and booked Edge as his opponent at ''Wrestling/SummerSlam''. The final icing on the cake was that it was a HIAC match.
179	* SpanishAnnouncersTable: The famously-known example comes from the 1998 event where The Undertaker throws Mankind off of the cell and crashing on it.
180	* ThereCanBeOnlyOne: In ''Bad Blood 1997'', HBK and The Undertaker fought inside Hell in a Cell for the right to face Wrestling/BretHart for his WWE Championship.
181	* WhamLine: Every HIAC match booking prior to the instatement of the PPV, outside of ''Wrestling/WrestleMania''.
182	** A final match with one last catch...
183	--->'''Wrestling/TripleH''': Hell in a Cell? Alright, Hell in a Cell, you got a deal. But one stipulation.\
184	'''[[Wrestling/MickFoley Cactus Jack]]:''' You name it.\
185	'''Wrestling/TripleH:''' I will go through Hell in the Cell with you, [[spoiler:but I want [[AllOrNothing YOUR CAREER ON THE LINE!!!]]]]
186	** To wit, Hell in a Cell hath no fury like a woman scorned.
187	---> '''Wrestling/VickieGuerrero:''' When I was really, really mad at you, I did something that you might not like.\
188	'''Wrestling/{{Edge\|Wrestler}}:''' OK, I understand that. Wha... what did you do?\
189	'''Vickie Guerrero:''' I reinstated [[spoiler:Wrestling/TheUndertaker.]]
190	* WhatTheHellHero: After Undertaker defeated Edge at ''Wrestling/SummerSlam 2008'', he pushed Edge off the top of a ladder through the mat - and the hole soon had flames coming up from it, symbolic of Undertaker sending Edge to be swallowed up by "the fires of Hell". Why had he done this? Because Edge had almost gotten him banned from WWE for life.
191	* WorthyOpponent: After Wrestling/ShaneMcMahon's plunge from the top of the Cell onto The Undertaker (sadly just missing him), he continued to tell the stunned Undertaker to BringIt even when he was obviously completely done. Undertaker lightly patted Shane on the cheek before planting him with the Tombstone to end the match.
192	[[/folder]]
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Context Wrestling / HellInACell