#11
Triple H vs. Chris Jericho
Judgement Day ’02
Being close in age, Triple H and Chris Jericho entered the mainstream wrestling business around the same time, found success in the same era, and were built to become great rivals at the turn of the century. This Hell in a Cell came as a rematch to their WrestleMania main event, because how else do you top a performance on the biggest stage in pro wrestling?
This was the eighth incarnation of the Cell match, and had the unfortunate task of following the absolutely insane 6-man Armageddon match (which you’ll read more about tomorrow) at the end of 2000. Since it was impossible for two men to emulate the chaos of six, they let their personal rivalry tell most of the story, using the cage as a foreign object to add some necessary violence. They still managed to innovate the gimmick, however, as it was the first time the referee(s) played a vital role in the match, and the first time it ended on top of the actual structure.
I went back and forth at least a dozen times, trying to squeeze this into the Top 10, but the reality is there are just so many fantastic Hell in a Cell matches that it wasn’t possible. Tomorrow’s list will be the best of the best, and having watched Triple H vs. Chris Jericho multiple times, it just barely doesn’t cut the mustard. That’s not to say it isn’t good; at this stage in the game (pun very much intended), every match is quality.
