WWE Hell in a Cell 2015: 7 Worst Booking Decisions in PPV's History
Have you ever watched a WWE pay-per-view, seen a certain match or angle unfold and found yourself asking, "huh?!"
You are not alone.
Vince McMahon's major extravaganzas have been home to some mindbogglingly bad booking decisions, and Hell in a Cell is no different. In just six years, the show has left fans wondering what WWE Creative was doing when certain matches, stories and finishes were devised.
From the Brothers of Destruction squaring off in their seemingly never-ending series of sibling spats to Great Khali scoring a pay-per-view payday some seven years after being relevant, there have been choices made by the writing staff that potentially soiled what were otherwise entertaining or even quality shows.
On October 25, WWE will present the 2015 edition of the event. Given its track record of late, the company is sure to book something that leaves fans guessing how Vinnie Mac and his most trusted creative advisers thought it was possibly a good idea.
In preparation for their latest shot at not irreparably damaging a pay-per-view extravaganza with some harebrained concept, take this stroll down memory lane and relive eight times Creative left fans scratching their heads in utter confusion over what had just unfolded on their television screens.
7. Sin Cara vs. Sin Cara (2011)
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"Remember how awesome Undertaker versus Undertaker was?" Said no one.
Ever.
Why anyone took a look at that program, a massive flop in every possible way, from 1994 and think it was a good idea to replicate it some 17 years later is a mystery. Even worse was the use of Sin Cara in the role.
The masked luchador had failed miserably to connect with audiences thanks to a considerable lack of the same charisma that made Rey Mysterio such a phenomenon for Vince McMahon's company. When the original Sin Cara was forced out of action by a Wellness Policy failure, he was replaced by Hunico, who was given the gimmick to run with.
Soon, it was hinted at on commentary that the man behind the mask was not the original, igniting a story that would culminate in a match between Sin Cara Azul (or blue) and Sin Cara Negro (black).
It was a stupid premise for a match made even more ridiculous by the apathy with which fans approached the character. It is difficult to convince them to invest themselves in an angle of any sort when they do not care about those involved.
The match was a dud that, naturally, the babyface one.
The villain would get the last laugh, though, when Hunico took over the character on a full-time basis following the dismissal of his rival.
6. Kofi Kingston vs. the Miz for the Intercontinental Championship (2012)
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Kofi Kingston and the Miz, more than just about any Superstars currently on the WWE roster, have been adversely affected by the company's insistence on start-stop pushes.
They have been heated up and cooled off from a booking perspective so often that somewhere along the line, they lost credibility with the audience.
The fact they had held the intercontinental and United States titles as many times as they had, not to mention been subjected to a complete lack of character development over the year or so that preceded the 2012 Hell in a Cell event, only served to remind fans of just how stale they were.
If it didn't, their IC title match on the pay-per-view broadcast certainly did.
There was nothing inherently wrong with the match—except for the fact it existed at all.
Fans may have responded to the effort put in by the performers, but they could not have cared less about the outcome, largely because Creative had repeatedly reminded them that neither Kingston nor Miz would really advance any further up the card than he was at that moment.
The match was an ugly reminder of WWE's 50-50 style of booking, one that did neither competitor involved any favors.
5. Natalya and Great Khali vs. Fandango and Summer Rae (2013)
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Have you ever watched a match and asked why, in the bluest of blue hells (thanks, Rock) it was happening?
That was certainly the case in 2013 as Fandango teamed with Summer Rae to battle the Great Khali and Natalya in a mixed tag team match that probably did not belong on Raw or SmackDown, let alone a major pay-per-view extravaganza.
Was there a build to the contest? Sure, however slight it may have been.
But a backstory does not necessarily a pay-per-view bout make, especially when it was one born of comedy and featured a horrendous worker in the Great Khali.
Not even hard work from the three other people involved could make up for the fact the match did not belong on the card.
One of the worst matches in event history, it is also Hell in a Cell's biggest head-scratcher.
4. The Undertaker and Kane Main Event a PPV Against Each Other...Again (2010)
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When Undertaker and Kane began their epic rivalry way back in 1997, it was a program hot enough to headline any arena across the globe. The story was strong, the characters vivid and the workers were athletic heavyweights who could sail through the air when called upon.
Fast forward 13 years, though, and there was no longer any desire to see the overexposed feud main event a pay-per-view. The two competitors had been fighting each other for so long, their stories watered down and nonsensically changed, that there was really no need for them to slow down shows with their plodding in-ring action.
That did not stop WWE Creative from adding to the vast history of the Brothers of Destruction, crafting a story in which Kane had been responsible for attacking his sibling and leaving him in a vegetative state. When he finally returned, the Deadman was understandably seeking vengeance.
As were fans when they found out they were expected to watch the same match between the familiar foes that they had witnessed what seemed like 2,000,000 times previously.
Kane won when Paul Bearer betrayed Undertaker—again—and fans were guaranteed one last showdown between the two several weeks later at Bragging Rights.
3. The Undertaker Beats CM Punk for the World Heavyweight Championship (2009)
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Some time after CM Punk defeated Jeff Hardy, driving the popular star from WWE and further cementing himself as one of the most hated men in the entire company, Creative made the decision to book him against Undertaker. It was a great reward for someone who had exceeded expectations as SmackDown's lead villain.
Unfortunately, that so-called "reward" would prove little more than a professional disappointment.
At October 2009's Hell in a Cell, Punk entered the most demonic structure in wrestling as champion and left some 20 minutes later without the gold, his reign atop the SmackDown brand gone as a result of the company's misguided decision to put the title back on its greatest, though aging, Phenom.
Punk would recover in the short term, forming the Straight Edge Society and enjoying the greatest run—from a creative standpoint—of his WWE stint.
In the long term, though, the loss was one of the setbacks that would eventually lead to the frustrations that fuelled speculation Punk was on his way out of the company when his contract was up in 2011.
2. Ryback Main Events Against CM Punk (2012)
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An injury to John Cena in the fall of 2012 left an opening in the WWE Championship picture. Slated to challenge CM Punk for the most prestigious prize in the sport, Cena was sidelined for a month and not medically cleared to compete in the main event of Hell in a Cell.
Left to scurry for a replacement, WWE Creative settled on Ryback, a dominant force of nature who had taken the company by storm over the previous six months. The Big Guy had been tearing through the competition in squash matches and was given the opportunity to stand up to the egotistical Punk, emerging as the man that would step up and challenge for the heavyweight title.
He was hot, as hot as any babyface not named Cena could possibly be.
That is why it was of such concern when the Creative team booked the match. Punk was in the middle of a historic title reign, one that would ultimately end at 434 days. Beating him would end that.
But a defeat for Ryback would cool him off significantly.
The sacrificing of Ryback's undefeated streak was considered the more appealing option, and the Big Guy lost, courtesy of crooked officiating by Brad Maddox, who was revealed to be the recipient of a significant payday from Punk's friend and associate Paul Heyman.
It would take Ryback years to recover the aura that had previously surrounded him as the result of his undefeated streak. In fact, only over the last 10 months has the character returned to the level of popularity and star power he enjoyed prior to that ill-fated night in October 2012.
1. Beating CM Punk (2011)
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In the summer of 2011, CM Punk cut a promo that would eventually make him the hottest attraction in professional wrestling. Fans migrated to the outspoken star, who had voiced his displeasure with the landscape of WWE and was on his way out.
At Money in the Bank in July, he defeated John Cena in front of his hometown fans, confirming he would be staying with the company as its champion. With merchandise flying off the shelves and talk shows requesting to have the Chicago native on their broadcasts, it felt very much like the sports entertainment industry had discovered the antihero it could pair with franchise superhero Cena to create big business.
Then he lost the title at SummerSlam and was beaten by Triple H at Night of Champions.
As he entered Hell in a Cell for a Triple Threat match inside the satanic structure, fans of the Straight Edge Superstar hoped they would see him regain the belt he never should have lost.
Instead, he was beaten for the for the third consecutive month, leaving most to wonder what WWE's endgame was with Punk.
Why was the company so willing to kill off the star power of someone who had created great interest in the product?
It was a question that was never truly answered.
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