Ranking All 30 WWE Hell in a Cell Matches

WWE.com

28) CM Punk (c) vs. Ryback – WWE Championship Match, WWE Hell in a Cell 2012

Punk was in the middle of what turned out to be a 400-plus day title reign while Ryback was gaining steam as a babyface. WWE was building him up well and he seemed primed for success, having not been defeated yet.

Punk was given a choice of facing John Cena or Ryback at Hell in a Cell. When he took too long to choose, Vince McMahon made the decision for him, making Ryback his opponent for the WWE Championship.

The match was nothing special between these two. The cell was barely used, therefore it didn’t make the match really feel like a Hell in a Cell bout. Instead, it had the feeling of a No DQ match with Punk using the kendo stick to try to control the fierce Ryback.

The turning point of this match came when referee Brad Maddox hit a low blow on Ryback and did a fast count to give Punk the win. The Big Guy would attack Maddox afterwards. Maddox would eventually have a very forgettable run as the Raw GM and is now known as Joshua Kingsley (and is using a fake British accent) in WWE. Yeah, he really made one grand impact.

Despite this poor match, WWE decided to put Punk and Ryback inside Hell in a Cell one more time the next year! How much better was it than this match?

Next: No. 27