Battling each other for the final time, The Undertaker and Brock Lesnar once again found themselves trapped ‘in hell’. Was ‘The Deadman’ successful in fully avenging the loss of his precious WrestleMania undefeated streak, or did ‘The Beast Incarnate’ continue his reign of terror with another victory over his longtime nemesis?
United States Open
John Cena © vs. Alberto Del Rio
What happened? Returning after a year in the wilderness, former WWE champion Alberto Del Rio shocked the WWE Universe by not only making an unannounced return and teaming with former enemy Zeb Coulter, but by dethroning Cena in almost record time. The now-former champion seemed completely thrown by the shocking return of Del Rio, as the ‘Mexican Aristocrat’ dominated before suddenly ending the bout with a backstabber followed by a boot to the jaw for the three count.
Winner and NEW champion: Alberto Del Rio
Thoughts: Is Cena in the doghouse with management or something? We all know Cena can be beaten, but usually only after a thirty-plus minute match and a plethora of finishers. Del Rio pinned him in the middle of the ring...with a kick. We know Cena is taking some time off from now until the end of the year, but even so this was a real surprise. No problem with the opponent or the finish; It’s nice to see Del Rio back, but this match didn’t really offer much beyond the sheer surprise of seeing the face of the company defeated so easily.
★★☆☆☆
Hell in a Cell match
Bray Wyatt vs. Roman Reigns
What happened? After month of feuding, Roman Reigns and Bray Wyatt finally put their rivalry to an end inside the cell. Barbaric from the onset, the two superstars punished each other with clubbing forearms and endless kendo stick shots. Wyatt looked to have taken the advantage following a ruthless slam through a table propped at ringside, but Reigns recovered just in time to avoid further torture before finally putting his adversary away with a spear.
Winner: Roman Reigns
Thoughts: One-on-one with no interference or silly endings, and featuring just enough non-repetitive weapon action to please our inner ‘Attitude Era’, THIS is how to book a Hell in a Cell match in the PG era. Reigns and Wyatt delivered an excellent, savage, yet simple match that made their seemingly endless feud seem worth it. Reigns still has a way to go in winning over the more stubborn members of the audience, but performances like this will go a long way in ensuring he succeeds in finally getting over as the true marque superstar Vince so desperately wants him to be.
★★★★☆
Tag Team Championship
The New Day © vs. The Dudley Boyz
What happened? Crafty tactics and sneaky antics from a Xavier Wood-less New Day saw the champions spoil their rival team’s plans to capture the belts for a record tenth time. Vowing to avenge their comrade following his injury at the hands of Bubba and D-Von, Big E and Kofi survived the initial onslaught from their veteran opponents before securing the win following an unnoticed trombone to the skull and a subsequent ‘Trouble in Paradise’.
Winner and STILL champions: The New Day
Thoughts: Dammit WWE, why do you insist on tarnishing the legacy of your veteran performers? The Dudley Boyz are one of the greatest tag teams of all time, but this ain’t 2001, and seeing the duo compete for the belts once again just isn’t what it used to be. The two have looked a mere shadow of what they used to be since returning full time a couple of months ago, and it was painfully apparent here once again.
★★☆☆☆
Divas Championship
Charlotte © vs. Nikki Bella
What happened? With the rest of the divas banned from ringside, Charlotte and Nikki continued their battle for domination. Desperate to reclaim the title she lost last month, Nikki sought to hurt the champion by any means necessary, and found initial success by targeting her rival’s back. Charlotte showed true champion resolve however and eventually secured her first successful defense after reversing a ‘Rack Attack’ attempt and ensnaring her rival in a match-ending ‘Figure Eight’ submission.
Winner and STILL champion: Charlotte
Thoughts: After months of poor booking this could be a sign that the WWE are finally about to start using their talented female performers correctly. NXT have shown that the best way to showcase the divas are in intense, one-on-one encounters, and that’s precisely what we got here. It wasn’t perfect, and Paige’s post-match celebration didn’t make much sense, but this was definitely a positive step in the right direction for the ‘Divas Revolution’.
★★★☆☆
WWE World Heavyweight Championship
Seth Rollins © vs. Kane
What happened? It wasn’t as easy as he thought it would be, but Seth Rollins is still the WWE’s World Heavyweight champion. Channelling the same force and intensity that terrified foes back in the day, Kane took the fight to Rollins, successfully connecting with a chokeslam, but ultimately couldn’t put the champion away. The Authority’s hand-picked face of the company eventually prevailed after hitting the challenger with his mentor’s patented ‘Pedigree’.
Winner and STILL champion: Seth Rollins
Thoughts: It wasn’t a trainwreck, but it certainly wasn’t great either. The two men did the best they could, but at 48-years of age, Kane just can’t go like he used to. Every champion has to endure a piss-poor feud that acts as a way to fill the gap before the next major angle, and this was Rollins’. Moving on.
★★☆☆☆
Intercontinental Championship
Kevin Owens © vs. Ryback
What happened? Continuing their war over the title after a controversial first encounter last month, Ryback and Kevin Owens slugged it out once again, but unfortunately for the former champion it was a case of deja-vu. Initially dominating with his brand of smash-mouth offense, ‘Big Hungry’ was once again felled by a thumb to the eye, before falling to the champion’s devastating ‘Pop-Up Powerbomb’.
Winner and STILL champion: Kevin Owens
Thoughts: Booked in the evening’s ‘loo break’ slot, Ryback and Owens were always going to fail with only five minutes to work with. The match did neither man any favours and only further damaged the reputation of the once-great Intercontinental title. These two deserve one more opportunity to deliver the match we all know they can put on. They probably won’t get it.
★☆☆☆☆
Hell in a Cell match
Brock Lesnar vs. The Undertaker
What happened? Fulfilling their mutual promise to take the other man ‘to hell’, Brock Lesnar and The Undertaker concluded their feud in the most shocking of fashion. Merciless in their respective approaches, the two caged superstars battered each other with any and every weapon they could lay their hands on. With his face a crimson mask following an early assault from ‘The Deadman’, Lesnar somehow came back from the brink of defeat following a tombstone piledriver, with an ironic low blow and an F5 onto the exposed wooden ring slats instrumental to his eventual, decisive victory.
Winner: Brock Lesnar
Post-match: Things would continue to get worse for The Undertaker. Following the match, Bray Wyatt and his followers made their way to the ring, seemingly intent on adding insult to injury. Badly beaten, 'The Deadman' attempted to ward off his four new attackers, but it was to no avail: Wyatt and his Family incapacitated 'Taker before leaving with their legendary enemy drapped over the shoulders of Erick Rowan, Luke Harper and Braun Strowman.
Thoughts: Wow. That was intense. Like really intense. The action was violent as you’d expect from a ‘Taker/Lesnar affair, but it was the blood that made this match. Now I’m no gorehound, but I’ve always believed that a bit of juice here and there can instantly raise the intensity of a match, and that’s just what happened here. Reports that Vince was furious backstage, while hilarious, are completely understandable considering the company’s stance on ensuring their product is as widely accessible as possible. I bet this excellent throwback of a Hell in a Cell match will help temporarily fix their alarmingly poor television ratings though...
★★★★☆
Overall Thoughts: Two excellent Hell in a Cell matches, a Divas match to give doubters hope, and a WWE title match that despite its weak build, didn’t completely tank; this year’s Hell in a Cell exceeded expectations. Don’t get too carried away though: those expectations were essentially non-existent going into Sunday night’s show. Fresh programmes are needed, new stars desperately need to go over. Cards need to be constructed and promoted better ahead of time. Lots of things need to change if the WWE is to regain its place as the world’s premier purveyor of ‘Sports Entertainment’.
Moment of the Event: Brock and ‘Taker tear the house down. Literally.
Event MVP: Bray Wyatt
Show Rating: ★★★☆☆
What did you think of WWE Hell in a Cell? Leave your comments below!
All images courtesy of WWE.com
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