Hell in a Cell 2021: How to watch and what to watch for WWE’s June PPV

The WWE Thunderdome era is coming to an end and with just weeks before the company starts touring again in front of live crowds again, their final pay-per-view at the Yuengling Center in Tampa will feature the colossal structure known as Hell in a Cell.

Debuting as a gimmick in 1997, Hell in a Cell matches were sparingly used as a final culmination point for intense, long-running main event feuds, giving us iconic moments burned into memories of wrestling fans worldwide. In 2009, HIAC became an annual PPV event usually held every October, making this year’s show the first one to be held in the summer. Given their imminent return in front of live crowds and SummerSlam in August being held at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, one would imagine this show serving as the jumping off point for the WWE’s big plans throughout the summer.

How to watch

Date: Sunday, June 20
Time: 7 p.m. ET
Live stream: Streaming live on Peacock

What to watch

WWE Champion Bobby Lashley and Drew McIntyre’s feud have spanned months on Raw and Hell in a Cell will be the final stopping point for this longstanding rivalry. McIntyre, a two-time champion, earned the right to fight Lashley for the belt inside the steel structure with the caveat that if he loses, he can no longer challenge for the WWE title as long as Lashley is the champ.

Also on Raw, Charlotte Flair will go one-on-one with Raw Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley in a rematch from their bout at Wrestlemania 36 last April. The two previously clashed in a triple-threat match for the title Wrestlemania Backlash, where Ripley pinned Asuka to retain the belt. Similar to this feud on the blue brand, Smackdown Women’s Champion Bianca Belair will once again clash with Bayley for the belt. After dispatching of the Bayley at Wrestlemania Backlash, Belair has had to deal with a barrage of mind games from the former champ, sparking the challenge for another title bout at the PPV. On Friday, it was officially announced that this match will take place inside of the cell.

An interesting twist to the PPV that happened this week came on Thursday when it was announced that the scheduled WWE Universal Championship Hell in a Cell match between champion Roman Reigns and Rey Mysterio would actually take place on Friday Night Smackdown, marking the first time since 1998 that a HIAC match be featured on live tv. The Tribal Chief ended up submitting the veteran Mysterio to retain.

A late addition to the card is Seth Rollins and Cesaro, who will blowoff their long running rivalry. The two have been feuding since the beginning of the year and this PPV would be a perfect stopping point before spinning them off into different directions.

Full list of matches

• Bobby Lashley (c) vs. Drew McIntyre: Hell in a Cell match for the WWE Championship
• Rhea Ripley (c) vs. Charlotte Flair: Singles match for the Raw Women’s Championship
• Bianca Belair (c) vs. Bayley: Hell in a Cell match for the Smackdown Women’s Championship
• Seth Rollins vs. Cesaro
• Alexa Bliss vs. Shayna Baszler
• Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn