WWE Skipped Fan-Favorite Tradition in 2025 After 24-Year Run

As 2025 draws to a close, WWE fans are talking about the biggest moments of the year—but there’s one shocking stat that’s been quietly overlooked: not a single Hell in a Cell match took place this year.

For the first time since 2001, WWE went an entire calendar year without locking two or more Superstars inside the infamous 20-foot steel structure. And in a year full of heated rivalries and tons of drama, fans have questioned why a Hell in a Cell match didn’t take place at all.

Hell in a Cell has long been one of WWE’s most brutal match types, often saved for the culmination of blood feuds. Whether it was New Day vs. The Usos in 2017 or Cody Rhodes vs. Seth Rollins in 2022, the structure has historically delivered incredible matches. But in 2025? Nothing.

The last time WWE skipped the Cell was during the post-Attitude Era transition in 2001. It made its return in 2002 when Triple H defeated Chris Jericho at Judgment Day, followed by Brock Lesnar taking down The Undertaker at No Mercy.

Since then, Hell in a Cell became a fixture—sometimes appearing multiple times a year, especially when it was turned into its own Pay-Per-View in 2009. Even after WWE retired the Hell in a Cell as its own event after 2022, the stipulation itself remained, with CM Punk vs. Drew McIntyre in 2024 being the last Hell in a Cell match.

With WWE choosing not to feature the match in 2025, fans are left wondering whether this was a one-year reset—or a sign that Hell in a Cell will only return in the most extreme situations going forward. But one thing’s for sure: the absence of the Cell was definitely felt in a year when several feuds warranted the match in the first place.

A Timeline of Hell in a Cell Matches Since 2002

• 2002: Triple H beat Chris Jericho (Judgment Day); Brock Lesnar beat The Undertaker (No Mercy)
• 2003: Triple H beat Kevin Nash (Bad Blood)
• 2004: Triple H beat Shawn Michaels (Bad Blood)
• 2005: Batista beat Triple H (Vengeance); Undertaker beat Randy Orton (Armageddon)
• 2006: DX beat Vince, Shane & Big Show (Unforgiven)
• 2007: Batista beat Undertaker (Survivor Series)
• 2008: Undertaker beat Edge (SummerSlam)
• 2009: Undertaker beat CM Punk; Randy Orton beat John Cena; DX beat Legacy
• 2010: Orton beat Sheamus; Kane beat Undertaker
• 2011: Mark Henry beat Randy Orton; Alberto Del Rio beat John Cena & CM Punk
• 2012: Undertaker beat Triple H (WrestleMania 28); Punk beat Ryback
• 2013: CM Punk beat Ryback & Paul Heyman; Randy Orton beat Daniel Bryan
• 2014: Seth Rollins beat Dean Ambrose; John Cena beat Randy Orton
• 2015: Roman Reigns beat Bray Wyatt; Brock Lesnar beat The Undertaker
• 2016: Undertaker beat Shane McMahon (WrestleMania 32); Kevin Owens, Roman Reigns & Charlotte Flair won Cell matches
• 2017: The Usos beat The New Day; Kevin Owens beat Shane McMahon
• 2018: Randy Orton beat Jeff Hardy; Reigns vs. Strowman ended in no contest
• 2019: Becky Lynch beat Sasha Banks; Seth Rollins vs. The Fiend ended in referee stoppage
• 2020: Roman Reigns beat Jey Uso (“I Quit”); Sasha Banks beat Bayley; Randy Orton beat Drew McIntyre
• 2021: Edge beat Seth Rollins (Crown Jewel); Bianca Belair and Bobby Lashley won Cell matches
• 2022: Cody Rhodes beat Seth Rollins with a torn pectoral muscle
• 2023: Edge beat “The Demon” Finn Bálor (WrestleMania 39)
• 2024: CM Punk beat Drew McIntyre (Bad Blood)

Do you think WWE made the right call by skipping Hell in a Cell in 2025—or was this a major missed opportunity? Drop your thoughts below and let us know what feuds should have ended inside the Cell this year.