Liam Hoofe with his thoughts on WWE Hell in a Cell…
Last night, the WWE gave us their annual Hell in a Cell event. The card was something of a mixed bag, and the controversial ending, which saw Brock Lesnar make his return to the WWE has once again divided opinion.
There’s no denying that the card was entertaining though, so let’s take a look back and rate all seven of the night’s main-card matches.
Randy Orton defeated Jeff Hardy
The feud between Randy Orton and Jeff Hardy has been something of a mixed bag, but the two former WWE champions managed to pull of an enjoyable encounter to kick things off at Hell in a Cell.
Most fans had a lot of questions about this match taking place inside the cell, especially given the fact that there were other feuds that would have been better suited for the gimmick and to be honest, this could have just been a hardcore match instead.
Orton dominating the majority of proceedings, viciously beating down Hardy using a selection of weapons inside the cell. The narrative of Hardy not being able to keep Orton down after several swantons was a nice touch, and it was clearly heading towards a crazy Hardy spot to close the match. The spot itself, which saw Hardy hang from the top of the cell and drop onto a prone Randy Orton, which of course, he missed, was nicely executed and it played nicely into the narrative of the bout. On the whole, this was a great opening match, and a good way to set the tone for the rest of the night.
Rating: *** 3/4
Becky Lynch defeated Charlotte Flair
Charlotte and Becky have a long history together in the ring, and the two women clearly know each other inside and out. The in-ring action here was great, with Becky, in particular, looking really strong. The decision to have Becky take the gold was a pleasant surprise, but don’t be surprised to see Charlotte reclaim the title at Evolution, the WWE is clearly positioning her as the top female in the company, and they will see her winning at Evolution, to break Trish Stratus’ record for the most title reigns, as a moment fitting of the event.
Rating: *** 3/4
Drew McIntyre and Dolph Ziggler defeated Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins
What a match this was. All four men have been on fire as of late, and they delivered an outstanding encounter at Hell in a Cell. Everyone played their parts well here, and Ziggler and McIntyre were excellent at playing the heelish tag-teams who were one step ahead of their opponents.
Several sequences in this match were a joy to behold, and the closing sequence, in particular, was perfectly put together. This was easily the best main-roster tag match of 2018 so far, and definitely gives The Undisputed Era Vs Moustache Mountain a run for its money.
Rating: **** 1/2
AJ Styles defeated Samoa Joe
AJ Styles and Samoa Joe have an excellent chemistry in the ring together, and that was on full display once again last night. While it lacked the intensity it should have had, the two men still put on a beautifully executed wrestling match. It’s a shame that the WWE title is being placed so low on the card at the moment, with the WWE choosing to focus on other matches as their big attractions.
The finish of the match was interesting and was basically a replica of Kairi Sane’s victory over Shayna Baszler from NXT Takeover: Brooklyn IV. While Joe was protected in defeat, he still lost, and he is likely to join Shinsuke Nakamura on the #1 contenders scrap-pile once Super Show-Down is done and dusted.
Rating: *** 1/4
The Miz and Maryse defeated Daniel Bryan and Brie Bella
Expectations weren’t exactly sky high for this match-up and in the end, it did exactly what was expected of it. The in-ring work between The Miz and Bryan was as crisp as always but the stuff between Bella and Maryse was fairly tiresome.
The Miz and Maryse picked up the victory, which continues the narrative of Bryan not being able to get one over on his nemesis. This was fine, but you can definitely skip it.
Rating: ** 1/4
Ronda Rousey defeated Alexa Bliss
Ronda Rousey defeating Alexa Bliss was easily the most predictable result of the night, and while Bliss was allowed to get in a little bit more offence this time around, this was still very much one-way traffic.
Rousey is being booked to look incredibly dominant heading into WWE Evolution, and Bliss has basically just existed to put her over. In fairness, Rousey has come one hell of a long way in the last six months and she is beginning to look like a polished performer.
Rating: **
Roman Reigns and Braun Strowman fought to a no-decision
Well, this was a controversial one, wasn’t it? The match started off fine, with both men beating the other one down with power moves and a series of weapon shots before it all descended into chaos when The Show and The Shield came running down to ringside.
What was happening in the ring then quickly became a sideshow as all of the action began to take place between the two teams on the outside. The teams quickly climbed up the cell, and after a few minutes of brawling, Rollins and Ziggler went tumbling from the side through a table in what was easily the spot of the night.
All of this was just a warm-up though, as Brock Lesnar made his surprise return to the company and laid waste to the two men in the ring after ripping the door of the cell. This led to Mick Foley calling a no-decision, as both men were left lying in the middle of the ring to close the show.
While this was entertaining, it was super overbooked, and the ending made little to no sense. I thought the idea of a hell in a cell match was that there would be a winner no matter what? Oh well, Brock’s back and it looks as though we are heading towards a major main-event at Survivor Series in a few months.
Rating: ***
Liam Hoofe– @liamhoofe
Photo credits: WWE.Com
