Bianca Belair defended her RAW Women's Championship in the opening contest against Becky Lynch and Asuka. This was the match I was most excited for and while it wasn't the Match of the Year candidate I was hoping for, it was quite good. The crowd was electric from beginning to end but some of the spots (Asuka applying a double ankle lock, Bianca crowding both women into the corner for 10 forearms) were a bit too "cutesy" for me. Asuka and Belair didn't seem to click, but Becky Lynch helped keep things moving. The last third of this match had some excellent false finishes and I found myself questioning whether Belair would actually leave with the title at times. A good match, bordering on great but never quite getting there. (3.5/5)
Bobby Lashley vs. MVP and Omos in a handicap match followed. Over the past year, I've come to see Bobby Lashley as maybe one of the 2-3 best big men in wrestling. Though I heard he was good during his Impact run, I really had no idea how good he had become. This wouldn't rank as one of his better outings, but he's so easy to root for and his strength is so impressive that he still helps - with MVP's expert timing also playing a factor - carry this match into passable range. Cedric Alexander showing up mid-match seemed unnecessary, though I'm guessing it was done to set-up a Lashley/Cedric encounter on Raw sometimes soon. I'm not sure where you go with MVP and Omos after this defeat, but it doesn't really matter - Lashley is the guy that should be racking up big victories if there is any chance on rebuilding him towards another World Championship run. This match at least gets him "hot" enough for a Money in the Bank spot next month. (2.5/5)
From here, we got Kevin Owens vs. Ezekial (aka Elias). I don't watch the weekly TV show so I've got no real opinion on the Ezekial/Elias storyline, but it does definitely feel like a significant step back down into irrelevancy for Owens after a show-stealing match with Austin at WrestleMania a couple months back. Ezekial is clean-shaven, dresses a bit like the Ultimate Warrior sans face paint, and wrestles a bit like Randy Savage. I'm not sure if the "80s throwback" look is meant to make him standout, but its a weird mix that doesn't quite make sense to me. This was an alright match with Ezekial showing why he had some initial buzz upon his debut beyond just being an interesting character. Still, this felt every bit like a Raw match rather than a "premium live event" match. (2/5)
Finn Balor, AJ Styles, and Liv Morgan teamed up to face Judgement Day - the stable comprised of Edge, Damien Priest, and Rhea Ripley - in the next contest. This one was another good-not-great match that could've used a touch more AJ Styles and seemed a bit like a showcase for Finn Balor more than anyone else. I really liked Liv Morgan's energy too and Rhea Ripley got some moments to shine, though the two of them weren't able to get as many minutes in the spotlight as the men (not surprising). I liked the variety that this match added onto the card and the crowd was very much into it - as they were for every match by this point. The last third of this match had some solid near falls, though it was fairly clear that Judgment Day were the team that was going to (rightfully) go over. (3/5)
Madcap Moss faced his former buddy Baron Corbin in a No DQ match next. Madcap Moss ditched his lame gear and lamer persona to become a more "serious" competitor. I was hoping for such a change for him, but I really dislike the lazy way they went about it as Madcap came out on SmackDown and just outright said that he was no longer "the old Madcap" and was now a new, serious version (I guess). There's an old screenwriting adage that one should "show not tell" and I would've preferred Madcap showing the change rather than beating the audience over the head with it by explaining why he was no longer sporting suspenders and goofy shorts. And so, while this is a "new" Madcap, the audience wasn't there to see his transformation, just told that it happened...as if this whole enterprise is some sort of scripted TV show where characters can just change on a writers' whim or something. Anyway...These two let their chemistry show from the very start, both guys working hard to not only make sure their own offense looked good but to bump and sell big for each other too. It only took a minute or two before the weapons came into play, Corbin sending Moss over an announcer's desk only to get a chair tossed into his head. Moss sent Corbin into two different set of steps as the crowd began chanting for tables. Corbin went into the crowd and caught Moss as he followed him, the villain showing how his experience gave him the edge. Corbin taunted the crowd by teasing a table only to shove it back down under the apron. I like that part of Corbin's game as its simple-but-effective heeling. Corbin grabbed a chair and went to work on Moss's back, eventually driving it into the back of Madcap's neck. Another "We Want Tables" chant broke out as Corbin went to the ropes and got himself drop toe-holded into the chair. Corbin came back with a Deep 6 but only got 2. Corbin grabbed another chair and set it up in the corner as the crowd chanted "Asshole," the Chicago crowd way more into this match than I was at home. After a nice series of reversals and dodges, Corbin ended up running head-first into the chair in the corner in a great spot, but the crowd continued to chant for tables. Moss repeatedly drove a chair into Corbin's back and then beat him down in the corner, eventually landing a DDT onto the chair for 2. Corbin tried to retreat to the outside, but Moss caught him with a running shoulder tackle into the corner and then a bump to send him over the top rope and onto the floor. Moss went for a clothesline but Corbin caught him with a chop block to regain control. Corbin hit a series of big right hands and then grabbed another chair, positioning it around Moss's neck and then sending him into a table. That sort of spot used to be enough to write a wrestler off TV for weeks, but is seemingly now just a transition move? Yuck. Corbin brought the steps into the ring and set them up in the corner. Corbin tried for a powerbomb into the steps but Moss countered and ended up setting him into the steps with a fallaway slam before hitting his finisher, the Punchline. Moss then set up the chair around Corbin's neck and drove the steps onto the legs to "cripple" Corbin and get the W. I really hate how they've made a "Pillmanizing" into a non-lethal move, but that's where we're at in 2022. Moss is steadily improving, but I'm not yet sold on him being some sort of next great babyface as he still comes off to me like a guy "playing" wrestler. This wasn't terrible, but wasn't something I'd go out of my way to see. (2.5/5)
Theory defended his United States Championship against Ali next. Ali was the hometown challenger and the crowd was behind him, but nobody would ever confuse the pop he got for the one received by CM Punk. In the early moments, the commentators made sure to say Ali's full name - something that makes me wonder if this wasn't a sticking point for him when he came back. Theory tried to avoid contact in the early minutes, but Ali caught him with a huge crossbody to the floor. Theory gained control by sending Ali into the post, drawing a "Theory Sucks" chant moments later. After a couple big bumps from Ali, Theory slowed things down with a headlock. Ali rallied with a series of sharp offensive maneuvers but only got a 2 count by the end of it. Theory hit an insane split-legged Spanish Fly that could've and maybe should've been the finish, but Ali stayed in it and hit a tornado DDT of his own moments later. Theory tried to his finish, but Ali countered with an STF. Theory made it to the ropes, though, and the match went on with Ali hitting a tilt-a-whirl DDT. Ali went for his 720 (?), but Theory rolled out of the way and hit a chop block and then hit his own finishing move to end the match clean. Ali is so good and Theory, while not a character I find particularly interesting or unique, is obviously a crisp, talented in-ring worker so its not surprising that this was a strong match. (3/5)
Main event time - Cody Rhodes vs. Seth Rollins. The big story coming into this match was that Cody Rhodes had a legit torn pectoral muscle but that he was somehow going to fight through the pain to compete. Rollins came into the match wearing polka dots in a nice bit of heeling. Cody Rhodes, meanwhile, was sporting a tremendous bruise along his pec. If you can't do blood in a Hell in a Cell anymore, building the match around a non-kayfabe injury as gnarly as Rhodes' definitely worked at making this match "hellacious" - though one does have to think this was sending a not-so-great message to the locker room about working hurt. Ethics aside, this was the best of the Rhodes/Rollins series and part of that reason is because of the limitations necessitated by the injury. There was to be no overwrought counter sequences - which would've made far more sense here than they did at their WrestleMania match - and because of his injury, Rhodes had to pare down his offense and jettison some of his signature moves (no moonsault, no front suplexes, his lone attempt at a Cody Cutter causing more damage to him than his opponent). And while there was less of a reason for Rollins to refrain from going into his own deep repertoire of moves, Seth showed quite a bit of restraint himself, his offense built around punishing Rhodes with weapons designed to not only hurt Cody physically, but to pour a little salt in the wounds too (Seth brought out a polka-dot belt at one point and then, later, in one of two nods to Triple H and Rhodes' infamous throne destruction moment, a sledgehammer). Other highlights included Rhodes getting powerbombed through a table and the brilliant and long-overdue return of the bullrope, Cody Rhodes bringing out a weapon that didn't just trigger memories of Dusty Rhodes, but memories of all the "'rasslin'" that Vince McMahon sought to (and arguably did) eradicate in order to make the WWE's version of wrestling the only one left. A match with this many layers is rare, but it wouldn't necessarily qualify as "must see" if the work itself wasn't so expertly delivered, if the booking veered into ridiculous character-killing territory (like the last time Seth Rollins found himself in a Hell in a Cell), if Seth Rollins wasn't good enough to make it believable that he could lose to a one-armed man without filling the match with "banana peel" transitions. Its hard to say whether they could've had a better match if Rhodes was healthy because they certainly didn't have better matches before this one and I'm not sure if their original version could've surpassed the story we got here, a focus on efficiency and emotion forced upon them for the better. An easy contender for the best WWE Match of the Year. (4/5)
With a relatively strong Kwang Score of 2.93-out-of-5, Hell in a Cell 2022 was a solid show for the WWE, strengthened considerably by a main event that will likely go down as one of the top 5 or 10 Hell in a Cell matches ever. With most matches being at least average and the opener being close-but-not-quite great, the overall quality of in-ring action was high and I liked that the show offered a good amount of variety too with the fun six-person tag, triple threat opener, aforementioned mentioned Cell match, and handicap match all being good-to-great. Though I'm not sure it will go down as the best WWE pay-per-view of the year - especially considering the highs of the 2-night WrestleMania - it was a show worth checking out if you're a fan of the current product, especially the main event.
FINAL RATING - Watch It...With Remote in Hand
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