It’s been many years since a Hell in a Cell match last had the same magic it once did, largely because of WWE’s insistence on keeping it an annual event.
Needless to say, the first few years of Hell in a Cell produced several instant classics.
To WWE’s credit, there has been a handful of top-notch Hell in a Cell matches since it was given its own event in October 2009.
These two have been no strangers to each other over the course of their careers, but their long-running rivalry reached new heights—literally and figuratively—with their Hell in a Cell clash in 2018.
Rollins, the finish was flat with Bray Wyatt going after Ambrose in the final few minutes, but everything that preceded it was terrific.
The Eater of Worlds originally targeted Reigns at the start of the summer of 2015.
The idea of a Roman Reigns vs.
Of course, a lot has changed over the last year with both men.
Before the two became allies, they were waging war over the Universal Championship in the fall of 2020.
The outcome was never in doubt, but it hardly mattered.
Bray Wyatt kicked off the evening in electric fashion, The Undertaker and Brock Lesnar had the unenviable task of trying to top them.
They also had to live up to the expectations they set with their first HIAC match 13 years earlier.
Despite that, The Deadman worked with a newfound sense of urgency and brought the fight to The Beast Incarnate throughout.
More than anything else, though, they had the crowd invested in the action, which isn’t often the case for matches consisting of only legends nowadays.
The Boss returned to Raw with a bang one night removed from SummerSlam that year, not only turning heel for the first time in three years but also making an enemy out of Lynch.
That paved the way for them to meet at Hell in a Cell in the titular match with the Raw Women’s Championship up for grabs.
Banks was more intense than usual while Lynch held nothing back in her vicious assault on her opponent.
Following the departure of Ronda Rousey from WWE, Lynch lacked a real rival during her historic title reign, and Banks wound up being the perfect foil.
Every match they had over the SmackDown Tag Team Championship that year was better than the last.
It all boiled to one more match at Hell in a Cell, marking the first time a set of tag titles had been defended inside the cage.
All the verbal jabs and jokes were left behind as they played their roles remarkably well and got creative with what they did, similar to Sasha Banks and Becky Lynch two years later.
It was always more a matter of when, not if, the friendship between Bayley and Sasha Banks would go south and one would turn on the other.
Banks was kept off WWE TV for all of a month before being brought back in the buildup to Hell in a Cell.
Banks wasn’t a clear-cut babyface, but she was easily the more redeemable and likable of the two.
With all of that working against her, Banks battled the longest-reigning SmackDown women’s champion of all time with everything she had.
This marked the third one-on-one clash these two had on The Grandest Stage of Them All.
This contest had a big fight feel to it before the bell even rang.
If Undertaker won, he’d be 20-0 at WrestleMania, but it wasn’t going to be an easy feat.
Graham Mirmina, aka Graham “GSM” Matthews, has specialized in sports and entertainment writing since 2010.