Ranking all the 3 Stages of Hell matches in WWE history

#4 Randy Orton vs. Triple H (WWE The Bash 2009)

6/28/2009Randy Orton defeated Hunter Hearst Helmsley in a 3 Stages Of Hell match to retain the WWE Championship at The Great American Bash from the ARCO Arena in #WWESacramento, California.#RandyOrton #RKO #HunterHearstHelmsley #TripleH #HHH #WWE #WWETitle #WWEHistory pic.twitter.com/at3pPqs4Lx

— Instagram: AWrestlingHistorian (@LetsGoBackToWCW) June 28, 2020

Randy Orton won the WWE Championship at Backlash 2009 in a six-man tag team match that pitted The Legacy vs. Triple H, Shane McMahon and Batista. In that bout, Orton punted Hunter in the head to get the victory and have his former mentor stretchered out.

Triple H was out of action for a few months, but he made his return looking for revenge on the champ.

This set up Randy Orton vs. Triple H in a 3 Stages of Hell Match at WWE The Bash 2009. The history between these two men was the stuff of legend. Orton was a protege of Triple H in Evolution until he won the World Heavyweight Championship and The Game betrayed him.

In 2009, Orton took out the McMahon family before facing Triple H at WrestleMania 25 where he lost in the main event.

.@TripleH and @RandyOrton went through Three Stages of Hell 12 years ago today at WWE The Bash 2009! 👊🔥▶️ https://t.co/H3lBdBnBP2 pic.twitter.com/dlQpO6NCva

— WWE Network (@WWENetwork) June 28, 2021

This was a rivalry deserving of the match type and the stipulations were also fitting. The first fall was a straight-up wrestling match where Orton was victorious due to Triple H using a steel chair on him for the disqualification.

The next fall was a Falls Count Anywhere Match, in which Triple H evened things up by using the steel chair again and gave him a Pedigree on the floor for the win.

The final fall was a Stretcher Match that would see Cody Rhodes and Ted Dibiase interfere, preventing Triple H from winning and allowing Orton to retain the WWE Championship.

It was a good battle, but it just didn't hit the heights of the other 3 Stages of Hell Match. Randy Orton and Triple H just always had something missing due to how many times they have faced each other.