CM Punk Wants To Return Hell in a Cell To It's Former Glory

The self-proclaimed 'Best in the World' is looking to deliver something truly special this weekend in Atlanta, when he steps inside Hell in a Cell for the sixth time in his career.
CM Punk was a guest this week on the No-Contest Wrestling Podcast with O’Shea Jackson Jr. and T.J. Jefferson and admitted he's feeling some pressure heading into Bad Blood. He desperately wants to come through with an instant classic, alongside his arch nemesis Drew McIntyre, to help bring Hell in a Cell back to it's former glory.
“I have to stay true to myself, my beliefs of what good wrestling is and that cell, that I feel like as a company, we’ve gotten away from for so long. Where it just became a toy. Like, ‘We’re just going to have a pay-per-view, call it Hell in a Cell, and everyone’s going to go inside and have matches.’ When in reality that should be presented as the most dangerous, diabolical thing that any wrestler would ever want to do.”
The first Hell in a Cell PPV took place back in 2009 and featured three different cell matches. Among them, CM Punk vs. the Undertaker for the World Heavyweight Championship.
Over the years the novelty of the PPV, and the match itself, began to wear off. By 2021, WWE had booked four Hell in a Cell matches across one weekend. Two on the show named after it, plus one each on Raw and SmackDown. A move that appeared to be done to appease network executives.
During the Paul Levesque creative regime in WWE, Triple H has not been as cavalier with his booking when it comes to Hell in a Cell. Only one other time have two Superstars been locked inside the demonic structure in his tenure and that was Edge and Finn Balor at WrestleMania 39.
“I want to bring it back to what it’s supposed to be," Punk said No-Contest Wrestling. "I don’t want to have a cell that needs a match, I want to have a match that needs the cell. And I feel like me and Drew have done that. Like, there’s no other way... there’s no other way to settle this.”
Drew McIntyre echoed similar sentiments in a conversation with us here on the Takedown. You can read what the Scottish Psychopath had to say tomorrow morning, so be sure to check back!
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Rick Ucchino is the Assistant Editor & Content Coordinator for The Takedown on SI. He also works full-time for 700WLW Radio in Cincinnati, Ohio as a local news and sports anchor, in addition to his time covering the Cincinnati Bengals for Sirius XM. Rick has been on the professional wrestling beat since 2019, having provided coverage for a number of outlets, including Fightful, SB Nation’s Cageside Seats and the Bleav Podcast Network. With an educational background in theater, creative writing and journalism, Rick focuses primarily on the storytelling aspect of pro wrestling, but he’s no stranger to the squared circle himself. He had the privilege of training with former WWE & WCW cruiserweight Jimmy Wang Yang for nearly two years and retired early due to back issues with a perfect 1-0 record in singles competition. Rick is a married father of two incredibly adorable children, who are budding pro wrestling fans themselves. Much to the chagrin of their mother. You can reach Rick at rwucchino@gmail.com