WWE released its monthly business figures via their corporate website today. Included were preliminary PPV buys for the October PPVs – Battleground and Hell in a Cell.

Individual numbers are not available; WWE instead reported an average of 167,000 buys for the two events.  However, WWE’s chart shows Battleground drawing a figure around/below 150,000 buys and Hell in a Cell doing better at around 200,000 buys.

Battleground was headlined by the second Daniel Bryan vs. Randy Orton main event for the vacant WWE Title. The feud then concluded at HIAC with Bryan vs Orton with Shawn Michaels as special referee inside the Cell.

Last year’s HIAC event, which was headlined by Ryback vs CM Punk for the WWE Title, drew 199,000 buys.  The 2013 event also featured a Punk vs Ryback Cell match, this time with Paul Heyman on the side of Ryback.

The increased buyrate for the Hell In A Cell event against Battleground can be attributed to numerous factors:  The Hell In A Cell gimmick match itself, the return of John Cena as he challenged for the World Heavyweight Championship, and the inclusion of Hall Of Famer Shawn Michaels in the main event.