The Undertaker Reflects on His Iconic 2002 Hell in a Cell Match with Brock Lesnar

During a recent edition of his “Six Feet Under” podcast, The Undertaker reflected on his 2002 Hell in a Cell match against Brock Lesnar at the WWE No Mercy pay-per-view event, expressing his belief that the significance of the match has often been underestimated.

He recalled the unique experience of working with Brock inside the cell, highlighting Brock's athleticism and explosive energy, especially given that it was his first time in such a high-stakes environment. “Working with Brock inside a cell is interesting too. I mean, because he’s so athletic. Especially, that’s his first time in. And he was young and explosive. Didn’t — you know, he didn’t have, even then, he had good instincts, but he wasn’t nearly as polished as he was when he came back. I mean, his wrestling IQ and acuity was so much better when he came back. But what he didn’t have then, he made up for with athleticism, raw strength and energy, and just viciousness. He had those intangibles that it’s hard to teach people. Aggressiveness, viciousness, to be a closer, to be a killer. He had all that just instinct. I mean, it’s ingrained. It’s a natural thing, it was ingrained in him. And to work against that character, that’s the American Badass version. But still, you had to have that. Especially in Hell in a Cell, which I had already by this time had several Hell in a Cell matches. So he had to bring it. And he did, 100%.”

The Undertaker emphasized the match's importance within the context of Hell in a Cell history, stating, “It was — I think it’s underestimated, as far as when you start talking about Hell in the Cell matches. It really — it epitomizes what Hell in the Cell was created for. Two men enter, one man leaves kind of deal. And that’s exactly what happened. Heyman was out there with him. Heyman even got color in that match. Everybody got color in that match.”

When discussing his preference for wrestling Lesnar as either The Deadman or American Badass, he noted that it didn’t matter much to him. “Either one, really. It didn’t matter. Because I think it mattered to him. He was always aggressive. And that was the key for people to be successful working against me. They had to be aggressive. And a lot of times, people would be intimidated by the character and everything, and my history and everything else, that they would wait for me to tell them to, ‘Okay, come on, let’s go. Let’s go. Bring it. Bring it, bring it.’ I never had to tell Brock that. He was pedal to the metal.”