10 Worst Endings In WWE Hell In A Cell History
Where does Rollins vs. Wyatt rank among these other atrocities inside the Devil's Playground?
The Hell in a Cell concept was created in 1997 so Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker could settle their score once and for all and definitively determine who was the superior Superstar between the two. Little did WWE know at the time that the match would take off the way it did and become an iconic institution for the next 22 years.
Hell in a Cell was originally designed to blow off feuds in epic fashion because no other stipulation was capable of doing so. It was used for that purpose for the first 10 years of existence and featured some of the most barbaric matches in modern WWE history, only to be watered down once it was adapted into an annual pay-per-view in 2009.
Shockingly, the show has stuck, even though a majority of the Hell in a Cell matches that have happened at the event have paled in comparison to what we used to see inside The Devil's Playground years ago. Worse yet, the finishes to these matchups seem to be getting less and less creative with each installment.
Although there was interference in the very first Hell in a Cell match, it has become more commonplace in recent years. As if that wasn't bad enough, in an environment where there isn't supposed to be disqualifications, you'd be surprised to find out how many Hell in a Cell conclusions have been marred by mind-boggling booking decisions that involve the referee throwing the bout out.
10. The Undertaker Vs. CM Punk (2009)
CM Punk's rivalry with Jeff Hardy over the World Heavyweight Championship is widely regarded by fans to be some of his best work as a heel. However, any momentum he gained from exiling Hardy from WWE was quickly squandered in his subsequent feud with The Undertaker.
Long before Punk challenged Undertaker's storied streak at WrestleMania XXIX, he and The Deadman first faced off in the fall of 2009. Their original encounter at the one-and-only Breaking Point pay-per-view was less-than-stellar and the rematch at the inaugural Hell in a Cell event three weeks later wasn't much better.
Rumor had it at the time that Punk was in the doghouse for not adhering to WWE's then-strict dress code despite being the World Heavyweight champion. Whether that actually happened was never made clear, but it couldn't have been a coincidence that Punk lost the title to 'Taker that night in just 10 minutes.
It was a disappointing ending to Punk's reign as world champion. There wasn't anything overly offensive about the match itself (except for that it was fairly one-sided in favor of Undertaker), but The Phenom disposing of Punk as easily as he did was a lame way for their feud to conclude.