Reader Feedback: WWE Hell in a Cell
Thumbs Up
Thought it was on-course for a thumbs in the middle show until the main event, with the crowd being a big factor, however after the main event no way you could give it anything other than a thumbs up. Speaking of the crowd, having not seen the pre-show match until after main card, I thought it was a case of an unenthused crowd based on the recent product, but after watching the six-man I was left scratching my head. I guess it was a case of some slow action, some average matches, some tiredness towards the end, and only having a strong desire to see certain people and the main event being responsible for the lacklustre response.
Wasn’t thrilled with the return of Del Rio, and no idea what happened to things being bad under Triple H as Head of TR, and being able to make more money outside of the company. Always felt Del Rio consistently had decent-good matches in WWE, but never really “fit” in the company high up the card, and he was never close to being as over as he should’ve been given his push. As far as the match, I was pretty shocked. It seemed nothing more than a one-sided midcard house show. I understood that they couldn’t do too much with the first cell match following, but expected more. As far as the finish, I didn’t think it was a good idea at all. With the push Del Rio was getting in the company just over twelve months ago, I think there’s little chance of people taking him seriously as a high level guy anytime soon. And again, despite his huge push last time he never got that over. For him to beat Cena clean in the middle in an 80-20 match, especially at the present time, just seemed so wrong.
As far as the rest of the show I thought Reigns & Wyatt had a good match with a great layout, but felt there was a real lack of intensity and aggression, and would’ve liked a change of pace a few times in the match. Thought Bubba did well to get some rare life out of the crowd in the back-end of the tag title match. Charlotte & Nikki had a good women’s match, there was some good aggression, a little too much aggression on one occasion in Nikki’s case, some nice athletic and creative spots, felt it was one of Nikki’s most solid performances in recent months, also Charlotte did some real babyface selling which is a novelty in WWE these days. My only real problem was going to the finish so soon after Charlotte took the Alabama Slam on the apron, didn’t seem right at all. Also not sure what the deal was with that top rope German spot, real odd looking spot.
Thought Kane worked hard. They say better late than never, but it may be a little too late with the booking of Rollins. Ryback-Owens was a total rush job. Main event was great, thought the flow wasn’t quite there at times, but it was a real war, had a big match feel, lots of nice spots, plenty of aggression, great job by both guys without being overly reckless. As far as the blood, I thought it was a case of intended hard-way by both guys without permission from the company, but after the push on the doctor I’m not sure what to think. Closing angle was good, great to see someone get heat for a villainous beat-down in 2015. Interested to see where they go from here, whether it be a Taker-Wyatt match at Survivor Series with Taker possibly returning the favour, or perhaps a Wyatts vs. Taker/Reigns/Ambrose/? match at Survivor Series, as the backstage segment with Reigns & Ambrose could be seen as a hint and an explanation for their absence during the beat-down.
Tom Griffiths
Thumbs Up
Best Match: Undertaker vs. Lesnar
Worst Match: Ryback vs. Owens
US Title: Cena vs. Alberto Del Rio
– Great surprise with Del Rio returning, didn’t see that coming at all – and great to have another top heel in the mix who feels fresh after being gone for a while. Not sure about the pairing with Zeb, it seemed a bit awkward, but Zeb’s great, so we’ll see how it pans out. Both guys seemed a bit out of time with each other and I think the match would have meant a lot more later on in the card, but it was still a good match, just not up to the insanely high bar Cena has set this year. The finish of course came out of nowhere (as to how we’ve been conditioned as fans), but I didn’t mind it as it caught us all off guard (which is a good thing) and I think Del Rio is a great US champ while Cena’s gone. **3/4
HIAC:Roman Reigns vs. Bray Wyatt
– Let me preface this by saying I hate having 2 of the same gimmick matches on the same card. You wouldn’t do 2 steel cage matches on the same night, you wouldn’t do 2 Last Man Standing matches on the same night… and Hell In A Cell is supposed to be the WWE’s ultimate grudge ending match. So to me it should be saved for the main event, something that you anticipate all night. That being said, this was a great match. Both guys took some brutal table bumps and had an extremely physical match. Much better than what I was expecting. ***1/2
**Survivor Series: 25 years of Undertaker commercial… wow poor Taker, after what you know is going to be a brutal Cell Match later tonightthis 50 year old man has to wrestle again next month. This must be the most dates he’s worked in years now.
Tag Titles: Dudleyz vs. New Day
– This match definitely missed Xavier’s crazy antics outside the ring. I loved the set up for the false DQ finish by throwing the Trombone to the Dudleyz. If the Dudleyz were going to win the titles tonight would have been the night with New Day having a built in excuse by not having Xavier there, but they just haven’t had the momentum since coming back, so it was the right decision to keep them on New Day for the time being. **
Divas Title: Nikki Bella vs. Charlotte
– By Divas standards, really good singles match for the title. Best women’s match they’ve had on the main roster in quite a while. Thought both girls worked well and told a good story and pulled off a few big spots. ***
WWE Title: Kane vs. Seth Rollins
– Why in the hell in the champion coming out first? Stupid question, I know. What can I say about this match? They’ve made the WWE title mean about as much as the old European Title over the past few months of constantly pinning Seth. This was the 4th biggest match of the night, behind the two HIAC and Cena Open Challenge. That’s a sad, sad state of affairs for the title which meant SO MUCH just back in March. **1/2
IC Title: Ryback vs. Kevin Owens
– The IC title has officially replaced the Divas matches in the death spot before the main event. Total waste of time with KO facing Ryback. At least they kept it short. 1/2*
HIAC: Undertaker vs. Brock Lesnar
– As usual, when Brock is on the card, he steals the show. Loved how they started out in MMA stances. Was shocked obviously to see colour (Canadian spelling) so early on.. let alone double colour from both guys. Taker looked like he took a nasty chair shot right in the jaw. Both guys looked like they were beating the absolute crap out of each other (again, Undertaker is a 50 year old man!). He really is a phenom to be having these kind of matches 25 years after his debut with the scariest genetic freak to ever step inside the ring. They found an interesting finish to the match with Brock pulling up the ring, I can’t remember seeing that before in WWE. I did find it somewhat amusing that a “balls shot” is still seen as a cheap shot in a match where you can use tables, kendo sticks, stairs, chairs, etc. Great, physical match overall. The blood really does add to a match like this when used properly.
****1/2
Aftermath: As soon as the Wyatt’s music hit I immediately thought, “Oh God no, Dave’s speculation of Taker vs. Braun Strowman as a possible Mania match might actually happen!” Luckily, I quickly remembered that Taker was scheduled for Survivor Series and there were 4 Wyatt’s now with Harper returning to set up a 4-on-4 traditional Survivor Series match. Obviously, Kane will get in there with Taker. If they want to keep with the “spooky gimmick character” theme it would be a good time to do a surprise debut for Finn Balor (although he would look like an absolute midget in there against all the Wyatt’s). And had Sting not got injured, it would have been a great spot to put him in as well, but maybe instead they’ll debut someone like Baron Corbin, or simply use a returning Randy Orton.
Strong show overall for a PPV that had an extremely weak build.
– Tim Dudley in Toronto
Best Match: Brock Lesnar vs Undertaker
Worst Match: Charlotte vs Nikki Bella
This was a pretty fun show. I was really glad to see Del Rio and although the match could have been a little better it was a solid presentation overall and I liked the finish. I liked the Reigns vs Wyatt cell match, it is tough to know where to go with these two guys in a company where the booking is kind of lost but as a match it was quite good
The New Day match was a lot of fun, even without Xavier Woods they are still really entertaining. Charlotte vs Nikki was a little weak to me but I still liked it. Rollins vs Kane was fine but I am begging to never have Kane in another world title match. Owens vs Ryback was too quick but I was glad to see Owens get a nice, simple win.
Lesnar vs Undertaker was really great. I do wish that some of the things these guys were able to do were available to undercard guys but I also understand that they might not have been allowed to do them anyway. But ya, this was a great match that might not go down as an all-time classic but was well worth watching
Dave Musgrave
Oshawa, Ontario
Thumbs Up!
Best Match: Taker vs. Lesnar
Worst Match: Owens vs. Ryback
I felt like this was a quality show from the pre-show all the way through. Really not a bad match on the show at all. I thought the build up videos for each match were really well done and it felt like the blow off to several feuds. Lesnar vs. Taker felt like a big time match and the crowd reaction was totally different than the rest of the show. Alberto Del Rio was a real surprise in the opening match. I think WWE definitely needs to bring in a few more people of his caliber to mix things up a little. I will say that the product did not seem stale at all on this PPV because of the strong matches and build up videos. Raw is another story because the biggest stars do not even do Raw anymore. Looking forward to the Undertaker celebration at Survivor Series…I wonder if they are planning to bring in big stars from his past for this?
Cory Walker
Thumbs in the middle
Best match: Lesnar vs. Undertaker
Two cell matches on one show is pointless and the Reigns/Wyatt match would have been just as good without the cage. Lesnar vs. Undertaker felt like the climax to a heated feud, as it should have. Undertaker against the Wyatts has little appeal to me, I’d much rather have seen Undertaker ride off into the sunset.
Del Rio returning doesn’t feel like a big deal since he’s just going to be stuck as an upper mid carder without many new people to work with.
Mike Hiscoe
WWE Hell in a Cell: Thumbs Up
Best Match: Undertaker vs. Brock Lesnar
Worst Match: Ryback vs. Kevin Owens
Show started off well with a fun six man tag during the pre-show. Cesaro is truly deserving of something more. I know it gets said time and again, but it is so true.
John Cena vs. a surprising Alberto Del Rio for the U.S. Title kicks off the show. It is weird having him with Zeb Coulter. Maybe it sets up a turn for the down line when Del Rio can’t take Zeb anymore. The finish was a little shocking.
Reigns vs. Wyatt in the Cell was very good. Not surprised that Reigns went over at least not until the close of the show in which it seems maybe Wyatt should have gone over.
Tag Title match was okay. Not sure how the Dudley’s get another title shot after they keep not getting the job done, but since it is WWE they will probably get a hundred more title shots.
Charlotte vs. Nikki Bella was the best Diva’s match probably since they brought the NXT Women up to the main roster. Charlotte retains and I am sure Paige will be next in line.
Rollins vs. Kane was solid. I guess Kane will get fired tomorrow, but will probably continue as a wrestler.
Main Event was excellent with Lesnar vs. Taker and the finish with Wyatt Family looks to be leading to a traditional Survivor Series match for next month. I would suspect Kane, Ambrose, and Reigns perhaps as the partners for Taker.
Robb Block
WWE Hell in a Cell 2015
Thumbs Up
Best Match: Brock Lesner vs. Undertaker
Worst Match: Kevin Owens vs. Ryback
It’s noteworthy that my feed was almost perfect for this show, the
first time that has ever happened for me for a live WWE Network
show/PPV on my PS3. They have almost always been problematic in the
past with freezing, skipping, poor video quality, etc. particularly
via the PS3 app.
Lou Pickney
Hey Dave,
Overall: Thumbs up! One of my main criticisms of the WWE is the way that they never end feuds, rivalries, and angles with a climax and exclamation point. In stark contrast to Summerslam, I felt finality in the four major angles that served as the tent poles of the Hell in a Cell event. Rollins soundly beat Kane. Cena cleanly ended his successful reign as the US Champion. Reigns decisively won his season long rivalry with Wyatt. Most notably, the Taker and Lesnar saga was ended in a climatic and fitting manner. Furthermore, despite ending four major story arches, they established a new story branch at the conclusion of the event.
Best Match: Taker and Lesnar was not pretty, but it felt like the most important match in WWE this year. It has the epic feel that is hard to create.
Worst Match: Nothing was bad. Ryback and Owens was disappointing.
A. Neville, Cesaro, and Ziggler vs. Barrett, Sheamus, and Rusev. As Michael Cole stated, “Cesaro was incredible during that match!” On this occasion, this was not an exaggeration. When Cesaro made the hot tag he was a runaway train and the Cali crowd supplied the nitrous. This match would have been a worthy PPV opener. Instead, it served as a better than usual pre match show. ***
1. US Title Match: John Cena vs. Alberto Del Rio. Del Rio was certainly a surprise, but I have never been a big fan of his. He is one of the few wrestlers in WWE who has been pushed beyond his ability. The match was above average. I appreciated the fact that the finish came out of nowhere and was not preceded by multiple near falls and finishers. The challenger was a surprise, and finish came as a surprise. **3/4
2. Hell in a Cell: Roman Reigns vs. Bray Wyatt. Strong, physical, and lenghty match. The pacing was deliberate and the high spots were designed as the main transitions building towards a finish. The crowd was lukewarm at the onset, but were stirred into reacting by the physicality and the high spots. The announcers oversold the match a bit, but this is obviously a preordained step in elevating Reigns towards bigger and better things. With that said, the WWE brass must be at least somewhat concerned with the mixed reaction that Reigns receives in all of the WWE’s major markets. ***1/2
3. Tag Team Title Match: New Day vs. Dudley Boys. Just an average tag match. Crowd was settling down after the Hell in a Cell carnage, and hence were quiet to start. Crowd came alive towards the end and really ate up the DQ tease spot. The timing of the finish was a bit off. **
4. Divas Title Match: Charlotte vs. Nikki Bella. The layout of the match was good, the execution left some to be desired. The presentation of Nikki as the seasoned veteran rubs me the wrong way. The closing sequence was a highlight and it appears as though Nikki has been knocked off the pedestal she has occupied for the last year. Hopefully, this is onwards and upwards for women’s wrestling. **1/2
5. WWE Title Match: Seth Rollins vs. Kane. Strong win for Rollins. Despite how he is often booked, Rollins continues to be the WWE’s MVP. This match was about the best one could ask from a aging big man like Kane. Acceptable match with a clean and decisive finish. **1/2
6. IC Title Match: Kevin Owens vs. Ryback. As a match, it was disappointing. From a character portrayal perspective, it worked. Ryback dominated the match with power and aggression. Owens snakes away the victory using under handed tactics. The camera man and announcers did not give adequate description and vantage point to the eye rake prior to the pop up powerbomb **
7. Hell in a Cell: Undertaker vs. Brock Lesnar. It was not pretty, but it sure was exciting. Most importantly, the match brought finality to the feud and rivalry. It was the exclamation point that should be placed as the capstone to an epic main event feud. I enjoyed the tit for tat low blow that Lesanr delivered to defeat the Taker. It was a fitting blow that fit the tenor of the rivalry. I appreciated the fact that Taker got to take in the moment before the Wyatt attack. ****
Derrick Hubbard
Thumbs Up
Best Match: Lesnar-Taker
Worst Match: New Day – Dudleys
Want to start by saying that Reigns vs Wyatt reminded me a lot of Rock-HHH from Summerslam 98. Two guys who management liked and were getting close to title/upper level and in a long feud with each other and took that next step. Did they use some gimmicks and shortcuts in it? Yes but so didnt that ladder match. Crowd really appreciated Reigns afterwards and Wyatt did a great job carrying most of the narrative.
Had to highlight that first since we know what everyone will be talking about – that main event. Holy cow. Started off a little slow but as soon as the bladejob and blood went to a frenzy. Saw all the talk on Twitter about Vince losing it about blood and though I dont doubt it for some reason I could see him not liking ripping the ring more, was an odd visual – added to the match though. These two had a challenge ahead of them matching their prior encounter and hell in a cell history but pulled it off. Would have preferred to have the Wyatt angle on Raw personally to not take away from the match and the gravity of it, as well as having a really good angle to fill out Raw but if they are set for Wyatt-Taker II guess they just wanted to bridge right to it.
Raw mat continue to disapoint but the PPVs have been so solid for a while. Gave the tag title match worst again but felt it was better than last months and nothing “terrible” about it.
Del Rio was a nice surprise, know his name had come up but you never know til you see it. He looked in great shape and had a little more fire and spirit. Was puzzled he didnt come in as a face considering they are short there and there is always the talk about a Latino star. Not the pandering forced face act around WM29 but just a straight up tough face role.
Was dreading Kane-Rollins but Seth was able to once again do a lot with it. Huge Owens fan and thought he got another solid match with Ryback. The six man was pretty exciting and Cesaro continues to just be a burst in every match. Its a broken record but its too bad they refuse to go with him as someone who can have legit title opportunities and around the top tier even if they never go “all” the way. The divas match had some rough parts but enough spots made it better to me then the tag match.
Im looking forward to the behind the scenes radio show talk about the Main Event and Del Rio!
P.S. – Breaking Ground looks awesome from the sneak tonight. We know they are going for Hard Knocks but theres a reason why; its because that setup almost always delivers on its viewing experience and this looks to be the same
Thanks,
Michael O’Brien
Thumbs up.
Best match: Lesnar-Undertaker
Worst match: Divas
Best highlight: Del Rio return/winning title quickly in one-sided match
Better than expected. With Undertaker-Lesnar, they made it work and engaged the crowd.
Wyatt-Reigns did a great job in their match as well. Del Rio’s surprise return with a pretty easy and
decisive win over Cena was also well done. Rollins-Kane decent for what it was…kind of lost between
the other key matches.
Owens fine. Could have lived without Divas, New Day matches, but it was a solid show. The Bray Wyatt-led attack on Undertaker at the end of the show interesting…
gives Undertaker a potential “next step”.
–Mike Omansky
THUMBS just in the middle. The lack of build probably hurt the show. I wasn’t that invested in it.
Best Match: Reigns v. Wyatt
Worst Match: Kane v. Rollins
Cena v. ADR: I paid less attention to the match than to the return of ADR. A legit surprise, but not a terribly exciting one. It is not clear to me whether he is going to be a babyface or a heel. The Colter promo suggests possible babyface, but I think he works better as a heel.
Reigns v. Wyatt: Perhaps the most promising sign for Reign’s potential longevity was the dueling chant that broke out at one point. Some people do love to hate this guy, but you have to agree, he can go in the ring, and is having much better matches than he did 1 year ago. I think a solo heel run would really help him in the long run. Wyatt put on a good match, too (he did seem to hit his head hard on that spear through the table, which I didn’t love seeing). I think he would be the perfect babyface for the anti-establishment moment in our culture.
On the booking, I hated seeing Reigns kick out of a GREAT looking Sister Abigail. I hope Wyatt was just selling his eye, because that spot with the kendo sticks as spikes was very ominous looking.
New Day v. Dudleys: The New Day held its own despite Woods notable absence. Interesting to see the New Day getting more pops than even the Dudleys, and the Dudleys are clearly liked. An interesting dynamic with the New Day.
Charlotte v. Nikki Bella: This match was okay, not great, but I want to commit a sacrilege by saying that Nikki outperformed Charlotte here. I wish Charlotte would retire the wooing; it is just distracting.
Kane v Rollins: I just did not want to see this match, and the match itself didn’t change my mind. I think the main problem was the outcome was never in any doubt. Title defense in this spot on the card also says a lot.
Ryback v. Owens: A decent match. The pop-up power bomb looked a lot better on Mark Henry than it did here, so much so I was afraid that Ryback was going to kick out. I still like Owens, so I hope he’s on to something better.
Taker v. Lesnar: I feel like a lot of this we have already seen before. I liked the ripping of the ring canvas and exposed boards as something we have actually never seen before. I feel like this whole aftermath of The Breaking of The Streak didn’t really have much of a point. Nonetheless, I am ready to see what is next for Lesnar, and how the Undertaker wraps up his legendary career.
Undertaken Abduction: I’m intrigued. I just don’t want to see a replay of the Daniel Bryan-Wyatt angle, with UT taking over the Daniel Bryan role.
Richard Orloski