The Complete History of the WWE Championship - Part 17

Alberto Del Rio (October 2, 2011 - November 20, 2011)

Alberto Del Rio: Won a triple threat Hell in a Cell bout to regain the gold

Alberto Del Rio's first WWE Championship reign lasted a paltry 35 days before he dropped the title in his first pay-per-view title defense versus John Cena at Night of Champions.

However, the Mexican Aristocrat would not have to wait for long before a rematch opportunity made itself available to him.

That came in the first-ever Triple Threat Hell in a Cell encounter at Hell in a Cell on October 2, 2011.

It was a blistering encounter. All three participants were super over with the live crowd. The finish came when Del Rio successfully locked Cena out of the cell, thereby denying him the opportunity to retain his title. The Mexican used a steel pipe to waffle Punk repeatedly which earned him the pinfall victory.

Del Rio defended the title against former champion Cena successfully at Vengeance later that month before putting the strap on the line once more against Punk.

This time, Del Rio dropped the belt for the second time via submission as Punk kicked off his record-breaking reign in style.