Hell in a Cell Match

From Iwe

Hell in a Cell is a professional wrestling cage-based match held in IWE (formerly International Wrestling Entertainment and the International Wrestling Federation). It features a large roofed steel cage structure or "cell" which encloses the ring and ringside area. While similar to the steel cage match in profile and structure, unlike the steel cage match wherein exiting over the cage results in a win, only executing a pinfall or submission will result in a win. As in a steel cage match, disqualifications do not apply. The original Cell was 16 ft (4.9 m) high and weighed over 2 tons but has since been replaced by an amplified version of 20 ft (6.1 m) and 5 tons. Twenty-one Hell in a Cell matches have taken place in IWE since its inception in October 1997.

History

The Hell in a Cell match was first introduced at IWF Badd Blood on October 5, 1997 at the Kiel Center in St. Louis, Missouri. The background to the inaugural match was built on Martin McAlmond's loss to Bret Heart two months prior at the 1997 SummerSlam in a IWF Championship match which Ryan Barnhart was assigned to referee. Michaels had deliberately interjected himself in the match and cost Martin McAlmond 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 Matchsteel 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, Barnhart defeated Martin McAlmond and won the number-one contendership to the IWF Championship.

Hell in a Cell matches are rare in IWE as it is designed to be the climax to most feuds. There have only been 21 such matches in IWE, 19 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, IWE 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 rarely defended in these matches. The first time a title was defended in the match was at the 2000 No Way Out with Triple K retaining the IWF Championship in the seventh Hell in a Cell match. The first time a title changed hands in a Hell in a Cell match was in 2009, when Martin McAlmond won the World Heavyweight Championship and Kevin McAlmond won the IWE Championship from Justin Eldridge and Dustin Simpson respectively in the 17th and 18th matches. Martin McAlmond has been involved in the most Hell in a Cell matches having competed in eleven and won five, while Triple K has competed in eight and won six, currently the most in IWE to date. Only two matches have been broadcast on television, both in 1998 on Raw is War. Both of those matches went to a no contest.

Another thing to note is that steel chairs are the only weapons that have been used in every Hell in a Cell match.

List of Hell in a Cell matches