The 10 Craziest Hell in a Cell Moments Ever
The Hell in a Cell Match is known for both its brutal violence, and the insane moments that will live out for the rest of the time. These are the moments that play in the hype packages and remain with the fans’ memories. The moments like Mick Foley flying off the cell, Shane jumping through a table, or Kane making his debut are just some of the moments that immediately come to mind when a wrestling fan hears the words 'Hell in a Cell.' Every time there's a Hell in a Cell match, it is almost guaranteed that there will be pain and really brutal-looking spots. With Hell in a Cell taking place on October 6, I thought it’d be fun to count down the 10 wildest and craziest moments in the brutal history of WWE's signature stipulation, Hell in a Cell.
10. Rikishi Goes for a Ride (Armageddon 2000)
The craziest moment from the madness that was the Armageddon 6 Man Hell in a Cell. Even though Rikishi didn’t get choke-slammed as much as it was a push, but the sight of a 400+ pound Samoan falling 15 or more feet is a scary sight to behold. Thankfully, Rikishi landed in the bed of a truck that was cushioned with kennel bedding, but still. It's a grown man, getting thrown off of a 15+ foot cage into a truck bed. Even with all that padding, it'll still hurt like a dickens. And if a 400-pound man falling onto a truck is at the bottom of this list, then we're in for one wild ride.
9. Triple H Kills Vince (Unforgiven 2006)
Keep in mind that Vince McMahon was 61 when this match took place. A 60-year-old billionaire, getting the stuffing beaten out of him by his son-in-law. To top off the brutality of this underrated Hell in a Cell match, Triple H grabbed a sledgehammer and snapped the head off of it on Vince’s shoulder. Everything about this moment is just brutal. The sledgehammer snapping in two, Vince dropping dead, I legitimately thought Vince might have at least gotten KO’d. Thankfully, this was the finish of the match. I'm not sure how much more violent it could've gotten, although let's just say Vince at least got to see the full moon that night.
8. Lesnar Kicked the Door in (Hell in a Cell 2018)
This moment really got the fans back into the match between Roman Reigns and Braun Strowman because it was so unexpected. Many thought Lesnar would go off to UFC, or at the very least not show up until the Rumble or Survivor Series. Not a month after losing the Universal Championship. But Lesnar’s music did indeed hit, and the crowd went nuts. Paul Heyman pepper-sprayed a ref, then Lesnar literally kicked the door in, and obliterated both Roman Reigns and Braun Strowman. What made this moment crazier, is that after Lesnar showed up, the match just ended. This match remains the only Hell in a Cell match to have been ruled in a no contest.
7. Shane Falls To His Doom (WrestleMania 32)
I don’t know what it is about Shane McMahon and really tall stuff, but he feels like he has to jump off of them. He did this not once, but twice. For this list, I picked the first time he did it, against The Undertaker at WrestleMania 32. This marked the first time that someone willingly (that’s the keyword here) leaped off of the structure. I was able to see this live, and I jumped out of my seat, gave a divine excrement chant, and although the crash pad was obvious to see, it’s still pretty painful for a 46-year-old man to jump off of a 15-foot cell. Not to mention that Shane McMahon isn’t a fully trained wrestler, this was his first match back in the WWE since April 2009. I understand that Shane loves jumping off of high things, but just be careful.
6. The Most Shocking Kick Out of All Time (WrestleMania XXVIII)
Back when The Undertaker’s Streak was still a thing, there was one specific moment in the match where we all thought The Streak was done, but The Undertaker kicked out. There was none bigger than when Michaels kicked The Undertaker in the face, only to turn around into a pedigree. Everyone in the stadium thought it was the end, but when Taker got his shoulder up, everyone at home or in Miami jumped out of their seats. Until Brock Lesnar ended The Streak two years later, this was the paramount ‘streak stopping’ moment. In what was a solid WrestleMania, this got the biggest reaction of the night.
5. Cactus Goes Through the Ring (No Way Out 2000)
Honestly, it’s hard to pick which time Mick went through the cell because they’re both bone-chilling. For the purposes of this list, I’m picking when Cactus Jack got backdropped through the roof of the Cell and caved the ring. Foley did not move, and many watching live thought the man might have died or broken his back. A true testament to this moment was the look of shock and horror on the faces of everyone in the arena. Triple H looked shocked, Jim Ross was beside himself, everyone watching was taken aback. It was the perfect way to end a match and feud as violent as Triple H & Mick Foley’s.
4. Edge Goes to Hell (SummerSlam 2008)
This is the only moment to have not been part of the actual match. After The Undertaker defeated Edge, he saw that Edge was slightly moving. Outraged, The Undertaker stormed back to the ring, propped a prone Edge up on two ladders, then sent him through the ring. To add a hot cherry on top of the proverbial cake, the hole in the ring burst into flames, essentially saying that Edge was sent to the real land down under. It was about time they actually introduced hellfire inside the Hell in a Cell.
3. Mankind went through the cage (King of the Ring 1998)
Although something else on this list is remembered more, let’s not forget that Mick Foley almost died, and at this point specifically. The roof of the Cell was not gimmicked to give way, so that fall was as authentic as authentic can get. Foley even said himself that if he were to land on his shoulders, like he would normally when taking a chokeslam, he would’ve landed on his neck from that height and broken his neck. It was also at this moment in the match where Mick had one of his teeth go through the roof of his mouth, and up his nose. This moment is a terrifying glimpse as to how dangerous professional wrestling really is.
2. Kane Debuts (Badd Blood 1997)
In my mind, this was the greatest debut in the history of wrestling. Kane literally ripped the door off of its hinges and dropped his kayfabe brother with a Tombstone Piledriver. They were hinting at Kane’s debut for months, and nobody expected when the current mayor of Knox County, Tennessee, Glenn Jacobs would emerge. When he did, the WWF changed forever. Kane has been one of the most recognizable and iconic stars of wrestling for the better part of a decade and a half, and this moment provided lots of depth to not just The Undertaker’s character, but Kane’s as well.
1. Mick Foley Takes Flight (King of the Ring 1998)
This moment is arguably the most impactful in the history of the Attitude Era. A grown man getting chucked to his doom, and the iconic call from Jim Ross, ‘Good God Almighty! That killed him! As God as my witness, he is broken in half!’ Those watching the match thought Foley might have legitimately died. This moment has become synonymous with Hell in a Cell for more than twenty years. Nothing before, and nothing since this moment has ever been as insane, or as legacy-defining as The Undertaker chucking Mankind off of a 20-foot cage through an announce table. And to be honest, I’m not sure if anything else is going to ever top this moment.
