Hell in a Cell (2013)

The 2013 Hell in a Cell was the fifth annual

The main feud heading into Hell in a Cell was between Daniel Bryan and Randy Orton over the vacant WWE Championship. After defeating John Cena to win the WWE title at SummerSlam in August, Bryan was betrayed by the special referee of that match, Triple H, which allowed Orton to cash-in his Money in the Bank contract and win the championship. In their rematch at Night of Champions in September, Bryan defeated Orton to win back the title, albeit with the referee Scott Armstrong deciding the pinfall with a very fast count. This controversial ending to the match resulted in Armstrong's (kayfabe) firing and Bryan being stripped of the WWE Championship by Triple H the next night on Raw. Bryan and Orton's next scheduled encounter for the now-vacant title on pay-per-view at Battleground on October 6 ended in a no contest after Big Show interfered and attacked both wrestlers and the referees, including a returning Scott Armstrong. With still no WWE Champion yet, on the October 7 edition of Raw, general manager Brad Maddox announced that Bryan and Orton would again compete against each other for the vacant WWE title inside Hell in a Cell and with a special referee for the audience to choose from amongst WWE Hall of Famers Booker T, Bob Backlund and Shawn Michaels; Michaels won the vote.

At Night of Champions,

After defeating Rob Van Dam in a Hardcore Rules match at Battleground to retain the World Heavyweight Championship, Alberto Del Rio tried to coerce SmackDown general manager Vickie Guerrero on the October 7 edition of Raw to formally announce him as the "face of the WWE", making his case saying he was the only World Champion in the company at the moment (the WWE Championship being vacant) and without any new challenger in sight. Later in the evening, during his match with his formal personal ring announcer, Ricardo Rodriguez, Vickie announced that Del Rio would defend his World Heavyweight Championship against a returning John Cena - who had been out of action since SummerSlam due to an elbow injury - at Hell in a Cell.

Another major feud playing out in the WWE pitted

The English commentators were Michael Cole, Jerry Lawler and John "Bradshaw" Layfield while there were also Spanish and German commentators ringside. Lilian Garcia and Justin Roberts were ring announcers.

Preliminary matches

The actual pay-per-view opened with

After that, Alberto Del Rio faced John Cena, who returned after an arm injury, for the World Heavyweight Championship. Del Rio targeted Cena's arm. Cena attempted an Attitude Adjustment but Del Rio countered into a Backstabber on Cena for a near-fall. Del Rio performed a Step Up Enziguri on Cena, who was on the top rope, for a near-fall. Cena attempted an Attitude Adjustment on Del Rio but Del Rio countered into a Tilt-A-Whirl Backbreaker on Cena for a near-fall. In the end, Del Rio applied the Cross Armbreaker on Cena but Cena performed a Powerbomb on Del Rio to break the hold. Cena pinned Del Rio after an Attitude Adjustment to win the title.

In the seventh match, AJ Lee defended the WWE Divas Championship against Brie Bella. AJ forced Brie to submit to the Black Widow to retain the title.

Main event

In the main event, Daniel Bryan faced Randy Orton for the vacant WWE Championship inside Hell in a Cell, with Shawn Michaels as the special guest referee. Bryan performed two Suicide Dives on Orton and attempted a third but Orton avoided the move and Bryan collided with the cell wall. Bryan performed a Diving Headbutt on Orton for a near-fall. Bryan applied the Yes! Lock on Orton, who escaped the hold. Orton performed a Superplex onto a pile of steel chairs on Bryan for a near-fall. Triple H argued with Michaels, distracting him from the match. Orton attempted an RKO but Bryan countered, knocking Orton into Michaels. Triple H and a trainer entered the cell to check on Michaels, with Triple H pushing Bryan. Bryan executed a Running Knee on Triple H but Michaels performed Sweet Chin Music on Bryan. Orton pinned Bryan to win the title.

Aftermath

The next night on Raw, John Cena would address the fans about being back for good when he was interrupted by

After beating Ryback in the Hell in a Cell match and attacking Paul Heyman with a kendo stick and a GTS on top of the cell, CM Punk would face Ryback again in a street fight, which Punk won. As Punk was celebrating the win he was attacked by The Wyatt Family, with Bray Wyatt hitting his finisher and saying the devil made him do it.

After Randy Orton won the WWE Championship for the eighth time after guest referee Shawn Michaels super kicked Daniel Bryan, Michaels would address the fans on why he cost Bryan the match. Bryan would then be invited by Michaels to come down to the ring and Michaels said he interfered in the match because Bryan attacked his best friend, Triple H. Michaels would then ask Bryan to shake his hand and forgive him, but Bryan refused. After Michaels insulted him, Bryan then applied the Yes! Lock to Michaels. During a backstage interview on how he felt about Michaels betraying him, Bryan was attacked by The Wyatt Family.

With both CM Punk and Daniel Bryan being attacked by the Wyatt Family, Punk and Bryan faced and defeated

Later that night, Orton, Triple H, and Stephanie McMahon held a celebration for Orton winning the WWE Championship. Big Show would then interrupt and told Triple H about the lawsuit he was filing. To prevent the lawsuit, Triple H gave Show his job back, a match against Orton at Survivor Series for the WWE Championship and made Show compete in a 4-on-1 handicap match against Orton and The Shield. At Survivor Series, Orton defeated Big Show and retained the title.

Originally at this pay-per-view,