Hell in A Cell - History

History

The original concept for the Hell in a Cell structure was created by Jim Cornette. As detailed in the Kayfabe Commentaries release "Timeline of WWE: 1997", Cornette described this concept as a combination of a cage which surrounded the majority of the ringside area (this was a cage design which was popular in Memphis wrestling promotions), and the cage used in both the NWA and WCW for their WarGames matches (which had a top on the cage).

The Hell in a Cell match was first introduced at WWF Badd Blood on October 5, 1997 at the Kiel Center in St. Louis, Missouri. The background to the inaugural match was built on Undertaker's loss to Bret Hart two months prior at the 1997 SummerSlam in a WWF Championship match which Shawn Michaels was assigned to referee. Michaels had deliberately interjected himself in the match and cost The Undertaker a win which resulted in a match between the two at In Your House: Ground Zero. That match was ruled a no-contest due to the two bypassing and attacking the officials. As a climactic end to the feud, their following bout was originally scheduled to be held as a steel cage match. However, instead of a normal cage enclosing only the ring, a larger roofed structure was constructed, enclosing not only the ring but also the surrounding ringside area. The wider space between the ring apron and the cell walls allowed for entering and exiting the ring. At Badd Blood, Michaels defeated The Undertaker and won the number-one contendership to the WWF Championship. The cage's size also makes the use of weapons possible as well. Wrestlers usually use weapons in Hell in a Cell by taking them from under the ring.

Hell in a Cell matches are rare in WWE as it is designed to be the climax to most feuds. There have only been 26 such matches in WWE, 23 of which have been broadcast on pay-per-view events due to the logistical difficulty in setting them up and its perception as a special attraction due to the nature of the match. In 2009, WWE presented its first pay-per-view event to specifically feature the Hell in a Cell for its marquee matches. Despite the match's profile, prior to the first self-titled Hell in a Cell pay-per-view event, championships were defended six times out of sixteen of the Hell in a Cell matches. The first time a title was defended in the match was at the 2000 No Way Out with Triple H retaining the WWF Championship in the sixth Hell in a Cell match. The first time a title changed hands in a Hell in a Cell match was in 2009, when The Undertaker won the World Heavyweight Championship from CM Punk. The Undertaker has been involved in the most Hell in a Cell matches having competed in twelve and shares the record for most wins at six with Triple H. Only two matches have been broadcast on television, both in 1998 on Raw is War. Both of those matches went to a no contest.

On September 26, 2011, the first-ever untelevised Hell in a Cell match occurred after the ending of Raw. Theodore Long announced that John Cena had to defend his WWE Championship in a five-man match against Alberto Del Rio, CM Punk, Jack Swagger, and Dolph Ziggler. Cena retained the championship.

Two variations of the match have happened, though neither of them are considered Hell in a Cell matches by the WWE. The first was Kane winning the WWE Championship from Stone Cold Steve Austin in a First Blood match at King of the Ring inside the structure. The second featured Big Boss Man challenging Al Snow for the WWE Hardcore Championship in a Kennel from Hell match at Unforgiven. The match consisted of a steel cage surrounded by a cell and dogs were around the ring within the cell. Snow, the first competitor to escape the steel cage and the cell, was declared the winner.