4 Feuds From The Past That Should Culminated Inside Hell In A Cell

The Hell in A Cell PPV this Sunday has been the subject of much discussion recently for one solid reason. Fans don't feel the current matches booked on the card should be contested inside Hell in a Cell.

Both Braun-Roman and Orton-Hardy are just getting started as feuds, despite the amount of history behind them. It feels like a ploy by WWE to stick Roman as the night's main event while pretending that the cell will keep out any interference. At the same time, Orton and Hardy inside the cell is clearly a set up to allow Jeff Hardy to pull off some crazy stunt. Hopefully, it doesn't get him killed.

Yet this isn't the first time WWE has made an error of judgment with their October PPV. As a PPV the concept dilutes the stipulation as writers are forced to send rivalries to their conclusion unnaturally, even though it doesn't warrant one.

Yet within the same event, there's a strong reason for another match to get that vicious Hell in A Cell treatment such as Samoa Joe vs AJ Styles. Much like that, here are four matches that should have been inside Satan's Structure on the PPV through the years.

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#4 CM Punk vs. Kevin Nash/HHH, Hell in A Cell 2011

The Summer of Punk getting Punk'd!

There's multiple "What If's" raised about how WWE treated the Summer of Punk after Money in the Bank and how they might have done it better. One of the most potent arguments that arise is Punk arriving too early on the scene back to WWE. Another one is Triple H getting the opportunity to put him down at Night of Champions.

So let's get to a smaller infraction the WWE made, in effectively destroying Punk's aura. It was well aware that the Chicago Native wasn't going to walk out of his 2011 Triple Threat Hell in a Cell match against John Cena and Alberto Del Rio as champion. WWE would have been smart to altogether avoid giving Punk the opportunity to even try, let alone being the one to take the pinfall (again!).

Instead, WWE could have given Punk the opportunity to pull over the wool on the whole charade perpetrated most likely by Vince McMahon, by taking out Kevin Nash or even an unwitting Triple H. This was Punk could get his win back while also translating into the tag team rivalry with the ruthless Awesome Truth.

#3 CM Punk vs. Jeff Hardy, Summerslam 2009

A feud that cut to the bone could have easily cut on steel literally

In 2009, WWE made the foolhardy decision to reinvigorate their PPV schedule by naming each of their events after a match stipulation and not something cool like No Way Out or Armageddon. You have to understand this was the nadir of the PG Era in WWE.

As such, despite a showstopping feud conclusion between Jeff Hardy and CM Punk at Summerslam, the contest was somewhat aptly contested in a TLC match rather than Hell in a Cell. Sure, Jeff Hardy is the innovator of the stipulation but it wasn't anything new to see from the two individuals. Instead, Hell in a Cell would have fulfilled Jeff's dreams to contest in it a full decade earlier while also blown it off in epic proportions.

Secondly, it would make characteristic sense for the Undertaker to attack a victorious Punk from within Satan's structure much like he did at Summerslam. Instead, because the PPV was about to debut in two months and they needed to live up to the moniker with three unnecessary bouts inside the once vaunted cage.

#2 Wade Barett vs. John Cena, Hell in a Cell 2010

So much potential wasted

By the time Hell in a Cell rolled around; John Cena had already put the proverbial nail in the coffin on Nexus. So there was absolutely no reason to really continue the feud between the faction and Cena unless there is some kind of escalation. It came in the form of a stipulation; if Cena lost at Hell in a Cell, he would join the Nexus.

Interesting idea no doubt (though poor execution), it seemed a tad bit silly that Cena didn't consider that Nexus members could infiltrate the cell in any manner or that Barett might have some tricks up his sleeve. Such as new members (unpledged) who could take advantage of the situation.

In the Cell, the match would have a ruthlessness and even given Cena some form of vindication whether he won or lost. It could have been the perfect punctuation for the storyline of the year. What fans got, however (from the RAW side at least) was another lethargic Hell in a Cell match between Randy Orton and Sheamus. Boring doesn't even begin to define it.

#1 CM Punk vs. John Cena, Hell in a Cell 2012

A great rivalry inside the rivalry finisher, just imagine

While it could have amazed to see CM Punk and John Cena blow-off their feud inside a Hell in a Cell in 2011, considering storylines it wouldn't have been possible. In 2012, though, the two men were at it again. Unfortunately, it seemed by the time Hell in A Cell rolled around, John Cena was too injured to take part.

WWE most likely wished for this match to not only end their feud but also another point for Cena to go spiraling on his way to Wrestlemania 29. Instead, the injury forced the company's hand. Yet what made them think Ryback should have been in John Cena's place?

Simple, Ryback for all his greenness was over and chomping at the bit. Yet the match we got, Ryback vs. CM Punk, also revealed a fundamental truth about WWE's booking decisions. Their inability to either pay off a hot angle or more importantly to properly create a babyface worth celebrating.

Shoved into the deep end Ryback failed, never to recover. CM Punk lost his luster slowly with these undue contests. John Cena meanwhile came back soon enough with nothing to lose. Cena versus Punk could have been a game changer inside the cell this year or the one before it.

If only WWE, if only.