10 Worst WWE Hell In A Cell Matches EVER - According To Dave Meltzer

4. CM Punk Vs Ryback & Paul Heyman (Hell In A Cell 2013, **1/4)

Sasha Banks Charlotte
WWE.com

A flat payoff to CM Punk's feud with Paul Heyman despite the best efforts of the 'Straight Edge Superstar' (and Heyman's post-match bravery), his Hell In A Cell rematch with Ryback following their controversial effort a year earlier (more on that later) summed up the miserable 2013 return that would indirectly lead to his January 2014 exit.

The cowardice of Brock Lesnar's advocate became the central story of the match, with Heyman taking refuge atop the Cell whilst Ryback and Punk did battle. With little of the passable chemistry they'd had on opposing sides a year earlier, the bulk of the match played out to apathy as the crowd waited patiently for Punk to catch up with his true nemesis.

Smashing Ryback through a table with his godawful elbow drop, Punk eventually scaled the structure and delivered the crowd-pleasing annihilation of his former friend. Hitting Heyman with 16 kendo stick shots and a Go2Sleep, it was the necessary catharsis for all involved, but the reduction of the Cell to little more than a speedbump for the 'Straight Edge Superstar' was an unforgivable sin.

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Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. Within the podcasting space, he also co-hosts Benno & Hamflett, In Your House! and Podcast Horseman: The BoJack Horseman Podcast. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, Fightful, POST Wrestling, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett