6 Most Successful WWE Hell In A Cell Wrestlers Ever

Next month, WWE will host its seventh annual Hell in a Cell Pay-Per-View live from Los Angeles, California, where The Undertaker is set to go toe-to-toe with the Beast Incarnate, Brock Lesnar for what will presumably be the last time, inside the cell. 

It seems almost poetic, seeing as thirteen years prior, in the same month, the two squared off inside Hell in a Cell for the WWE Championship at No Mercy. That was a great match and moment, one of many to have taken place in the cell.

Whether it’s Mick Foley being thrown off the top, only to scale it once more and be chokeslammed through it, or the debut of Kane during the inaugural cell match, some career-defining moments have taken place inside that cage.

Foley himself has stated that you walk into the cell as one man and emerge another, and there are a number of guys who have not only competed in the cell several times, but have amassed impressive records when it comes to time spent between those walls. That can be determined by the number of appearances in the cell, or simply by their win-loss ratio.

I'll be counting down the six most successful performers in the history of Hell in a Cell. And no, while his name may be synonymous with the structure at this point, Mick Foley is not on this list. The only thing he ever won inside the cell was our respect. 

Out of four appearances inside Hell in a Cell, CM Punk has won two, against Ryback at Hell in a Cell in 2012, and against Ryback and Paul Heyman in a two-on-one handicap match at Hell in a Cell in 2013. This gives CM Punk a winning percentage of 50%.

CM Punk was very close to being edged out of this list by John Cena, who has the same amount of victories inside the cell, but since one of those came during the dark match after a live broadcast of Monday Night Raw in 2011, I felt it shouldn’t count considering there was no way the championship would have been changing hands.

Punk’s two victories inside the cell both came against Ryback,  albeit under very different circumstances. In 2012, Punk was the top heel champion, and Ryback was the up-and-comer getting his very first big-time opportunity after four months of squash matches. 

He went into the match without a hope in hell of emerging with the WWE Title around his waist but a turncoat referee (Brad Maddox) would take matters into his own hands when he delivered a low blow to Ryback before helping Punk get a snappy three-count.

The following year, things were quite different. Punk was looking for revenge against Paul Heyman for stabbing him in the back at Money in the Bank, and he was going to get his chance inside the cell. After coming up short against Brock Lesnar, and overcoming Curtis Axel, Punk had to go through Ryback one more time, and go through him he did. 

The night ended with Punk laying waste to Paul Heyman with a kendo stick atop the cell, delivering Heyman’s just desserts months after he turned his back on the ‘Best in the World’.