CHAMPIONSHIP RUNDOWN: Coming into tonight's show, the WWE Universal Champion is Seth Rollins, the WWE Champion is Brock Lesnar, the United States Champion is AJ Styles, and the Intercontinental Champion is Shinsuke Nakamura. The RAW Tag Team Champions were Ziggler and Roode, the SmackDown Tag Team Champions were The Revival, and the Women's Tag Team Titles were held by Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross. The RAW Women's Champion was Becky Lynch and the SmackDown Women's Championship was held by Bayley. Finally, the 24/7 Champion was R-Truth.
The show kicked off with Becky Lynch defending her RAW Women's Championship against Sasha Banks in a Hell in a Cell amtch. This had a fantastic open, with Sasha jumping Becky before the bell and bringing the fight to the outside. Sasha eventually let Becky back in, which ended up being a mistake as Becky rallied and took control. As the ref was putting the chain on the door, Becky grabbed it and used it as a weapon. After some strikes with the chain, Becky hit a stiff dropkick on Banks that sent her through the ropes. To the outside they went, where the cell walls and steel steps came into play. Becky started pulling out more weapons (a table, a chair, etc.), giving Banks the opportunity to recover. Banks struck with a chair first, but Becky ended up landing an even stiffer shot moments later when Sasha tried to set up a ladder. Back to the ring they went for a series of nearfalls before Sasha hit a big dropkick into a chair into Becky's face. Maybe the coolest spot of the match happened on the outside soon after as Banks hit a devastating running double-knees off the apron into Becky into the ladder. This finally allowed Sasha to get an extended stretch of control, going after Becky's arm repeatedly and hitting double-knees off the top onto Becky (who was sitting, motionless, on a chair). Banks then set up a chair on the cell wall, giving Becky the chance to recover again. Banks came in swinging with a chair, but Becky dodged and the chair ended up going into Bank's midsection from a Lynch kick. Banks got sent into the cell wall from the apron and Lynch sold the exhaustion of her rally. Lynch then ran Banks head-first into the post before hitting a Becksploder into the cage wall. Back into the ring they went, this time trading blows and kicks. Sasha came off the ropes and got tripped face-first into the bar separating the legs of the chair in a spot that looked terrifically violent. Lynch hit a bulldog into the same spot to a big response from the crowd. Becky ended up on the top rope with a chair and tossed it to Banks, hitting her with a missile dropkick off the top that was a bit mistimed and overtly choreographed for 2. Becky followed Banks to the outside, but Sasha was waiting for her with a pair of kendo sticks. Banks set up the sticks in the corner of the cell and attempted to run Becky's head into them. Becky fought back and it was Banks that ended up on the receiving end. Becky then grabbed a chair and set it up on the kendo sticks (adding a third to fully secure it). Becky sat Banks atop the chair and then delivered an insane dropkick into the corner of the cell! Wow, I have not seen that one before. The crowd delivered the expected "Holy Shit!" chant followed by a "This is Awesome" one. Back in the ring, Becky hit a top rope legdrop and got a 2 count as the match continued. A "Tables" chant then started, with Becky obliging and setting one up. Sasha came back with a backstabber, following it up with some strikes in the corner. Banks hoisted Becky atop the ropes and attempted a superplex, but Becky slipped out and nearly hit her with a powerbomb. Banks then hit double-knees through the table (with Becky "assisting" by leaping in the air directly before Banks came flying). It got a huge reaction from the live crowd, as did the 2 count that came after. Another "This is Awesome" chant started up at this point as Banks went to the outside for another kendo stick. Banks then locked Lynch up in the Banks Statement with the kendo stick across her throat. Lynch crawled her way out of the ring to escape the move and then wrestled the kendo stick away from Banks. She then struck Banks in the back multiple times before trying to send her through the chair still stuck on the cell wall. Banks reversed the momentum, though, and Lynch went running directly into it. Banks tossed another 10 chairs into the ring (including one that landed on Lynch's head). Banks came in and tried to make sure Lynch was down, but Lynch ended up catching her with a Becksploder off the top rope into the bed of chairs! Lynch then locked in the Disarmher and Banks tapped! This match had lots of great spots and a definitive finish, which is everything you can ask for out of a Hell in a Cell match. I'm curious where they go from here as Banks being unable to take the title away from Lynch is going to make it tough for her to ever really live up to the "Boss" gimmick. (4/5)
Next up was a Tornado Tag Match between Daniel Bryan and Roman Reigns and Rowan & Harper. Reigns started things off but was sent to the outside earlier, which meant Bryan could ocme in and take over. As one would've expected with this stipulation, this match was mostly a wild brawl to start things off until the heels took Bryan out and had the opportunity to beat down Reigns. Bryan came back in, but got beaten down as well. On the outside, Rowan hit his running crossbody on Reigns on the floor before bashing him with the steel steps. The crowd seemed to be in a bit of a lull during the match, potentially because, with these rules, there wasn't a face-in-peril-leading-to-a-
Randy Orton took on Ali in the next match. One of the big stories coming into this show was that, aside from the major 3-4 matches announced over the past few weeks, nothing else had been announced or promoted at all. Hence this match getting set up during the Pre-Show. I'm not as big an Ali fan as others, but that's likely because I don't watch the weekly programming so I missed his rise to semi-stardom and, from what I've heard, strong matches against Daniel Bryan and others. Orton came into this match after a run at Kofi's Universal Championship (now held by Brock Lesnar) so he needed a big victory - which made the finish somewhat predictable. To his credit, though, Ali's counter to the RKO did momentarily make me wonder if he might steal the victory. Like most of the matches on this card, this one went a little long and would've been a bigger "hit" if there was actually some build for it. Unfortunately, absolutely zero time was given to Ali (or really Orton for that matter) on the debut of SmackDown on FOX, a show that had a tremendous amount of eyeballs on it. For what this was, it was good - even better than average - but felt unimportant and meaningless. Also, while some fans wanted to see Ali snag the victory, Orton needed the win so the right man won in my eyes. (3/5)
Nikki Cross and Alexa Bliss defended the Women's Tag Team Championships in the next bout. Their opponents were Kairi Sane and Asuka, the Kabuki Warriors. I believe this match was thrown onto the show less than 24 hours before belltime, so I was very surprised by the finish (which saw Asuka use her green mist to stun Cross and then follow it up with a spin kick to the head for 3). I'm a Bliss fan and a Cross fan and I like them together - but because the tag team division has been completely void of storylines and importance since its very inception, them losing the titles didn't feel like special. Unfortunately, because Sane and Asuka have barely been on TV (especially Sane, who seemed poised to break out as a really strong babyface in NXT), I don't expect the company will push the titles very far with them either. This match wasn't bad, but it didn't play to any individual's strength. Asuka seems muted in tags. Kairi Sane, to me, is completely unestablished as a heel and is too natural a babyface. Cross and Bliss can be a great act - but they need the right opponents and the right story to show off their personalities and the clash of personality that makes them an Odd Couple. Here they were basically just a tag team and not a very clever one. (2/5)
The OC - AJ Styles, Karl Anderson, and Luke Gallows took on The Viking Raiders and their mystery partner, Braun Strowman, in the next contest. I'm an AJ fan, I like Braun Strowman, and, because Raymond Rowe (now known as "Erik" because its more "Vikingy," I guess) is from Cleveland, I'm also a Raiders fan...but I just don't see what Anderson and Gallows bring to the table. This was an instantly forgettable match and even the commentators seemed to have a hard time selling it as more than just filler, spending much of the time talking about Strowman's feud with heavyweight boxing champ Tyson Fury. The match went under 10 minutes felt twice as long due to just the tediousness of the whole thing. (1.5/5)
King Baron Corbin took on Chad Gable next. This was a rematch of the King of the Ring finals, which I didn't see but heard good things about. Before the match, Corbin bestowed Gable with the new name "Shorty," which became the running gag of the rest of the match. Interestingly, Cole and Saxton were on commentary for this match despite Gable and Corbin being Raw superstars. It didn't really matter who was on commentary - this match was long and not nearly as heated as it could've been/should've been. Gable eventually stole the win, but because the announcer awarded it to "Shorty Gable," its almost like he lost anyway as it seems this is now his official ring name. Plus, a little while later, Gable got beat up backstage by Corbin anyway to make sure the audience knows that Corbin is the true asskicker. I've read that this was the least inspired match these two have had and I hope that's true because if this storyline is going to continue, more of this is not something I want to see. For a show that started out fairly hot, it is definitely beginning to drag. (1.5/5)
The SmackDown Women's Championship was up next as Bayley defended the strap against Charlotte. I liked how Bayley infused some of her usual signature moves with touches of heelishness, though I wish she'd change up "the look" a little bit to reflect her sinister turn. Charlotte, on the other hand, wrestles with the same intensity and arrogance as she did when she was the division's top villain - but it works for me the same way it did when her old man was in the same role. Cut a few less corners, talk a little less trash, but do you. The crowd did not seem 100% into the match at the start, though, to be fair, they'd seen several brawls and lots of weapon shots by this point so a classic technical wrestling match may have been a tough sell at this position on the card - especially after the somewhat exhausting Gable/Corbin match. However, things got a bit better as the match continued and Charlotte started to dominate, going after Bayley's knees. The crowd being split between Flair and Bayley was probably not what the company was hoping for considering Bayley turned her back on the audience a few months back, but positioning her against Charlotte - one of the company's most natural and talented heels - was a mistake if the plan was to get Bayley over as unlikable. Bayley's post-match temper tantrum seemed like a rib too, an awkward nod to the rumored "crying on the floor" incident from this past year's WrestleMania. Imperfect in terms of booking, but a solid match from bell-to-bell. (3/5)
Main event time - Seth Rollins defending the WWE Universal Championship (which actually feels lesser now that Lesnar has the WWE Championship) against "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt in a Hell in a Cell match. For some reason, after Wyatt's entrance, the lights remained red - which was, like the time Orton and Wyatt fought in a ring covered in a worm and snake graphic - a cool production effect but maybe not one that was completely thought through (as I'm guessing, for much of the audience, the effect made the whole ring and cage a massive red blur). Rollins attempted to take Wyatt out with a number of kendo sticks, but he no sold them and took over on offense, tossing Rollins into the cell wall repeatedly. As Wyatt searchd for a weapon, Rollins came back with the steel steps and then slid a table into the ring. Rollins hit Wyatt with a number of dives and then sent Bray into the steps, buying himself the time needed to set up the table in the ring. Rollins went for another dive, but Wyatt caught him and hit him with a Sister Abigail into the cage wall to a pop from the crowd. Back in the ring, Wyatt looked to hit Rollins with a chokeslam through the table, but Rollins fought out and connected on a frog splash through the table! Wyatt wouldn't stay down, though, beating Rollins to his feet. Rollins then hit a Stomp, but Wyatt sprung back up. Wyatt hit a Sister Abigail soon after and the crowd exploded, booing when Rollins kicked out as two. Huh - I guess the fans want to see a monster actually be a monster? What a novel concept that we've never seen before...except with the Road Warriors, the Ultimate Warrior, the Undertaker, Goldberg, Brock Lesnar...ANYWAY, Wyatt sent Rollins out of the ring to another round of cheers and then went searching for more weapons, eventually finding the cartoonishly large sledgehammer from the Firefly Funhouse skits. Wyatt used the mallet to run Rollins into the cell wall, but when he tried to smash him with it, Rollins fought back with a series of superkicks. Rollins then hit a Curb Stomp onto the mallet on the outside before hitting a pair of jumping knees back in the ring. Rollins hit a bunch more superkicks and a number of Stomps, the crowd turning on him and booing each successive stomp. Wyatt getting back on his feet drew a huge cheer, only for Rollins' Pedigree and Curb Stomp to get booed. Wyatt kicked out the crowd went even crazier, clearly in the corner of the Fiend. Rollins then hit a series of Stomps, the crowd fully turning on him and booing Wyatt's selling. Again, who would've though that putting Rollins, who has always gotten somewhat lukewarm responses, against a very popular, fresh character would ever backfire? Rollins went to the outside and grabbed a chair, bashing it on Wyatt's head! I actually marked out a bit for that. Rollins then laid a chair on Wyatt's head and drove it into his skull with a ladder! Wow, I must say, I was not expecting this match to feature direct shots to the head. Wyatt kept kicking out though, forcing Rollins to go back out of the ring to grab more weapons - this time a box of tools. Rollins then put the ladder over Wyatt's head and smashed the tool box on the ladder, trying his best to crush Wyatt's skull. The crowd turned on this tremendously, booing Rollins' viciousness. Instead of going for the cover, though, Rollins went back out of the ring and grabbed a sledgehammer. The referee tried to stop him from using it, but Rollins struck the ladder with it anyway! The referee called for the bell and the crowd ERUPTED in boos and a loud chant of "Bullshit!" After the cell was lifted and Wyatt was helped onto a stretcher, an audible "AEW" chant broke out. But just as Wyatt was about to be taken out on the stretcher, he sprung up and put the Mandible Claw on Rollins. A huge "Restart the Match" chant then broke out, but the refs wouldn't listen...which led to another "AEW" chant as Rollins ate a Sister Abigail on the floor. Wyatt then put the Mandible Claw on Rollins again, who vomited out (fake) blood from his mouth as the crowd booed even more and the lights went out. Well, that was different and not great, but maybe not nearly as terrible as most fans made it out to be online. Compared to other main events from this year, at least it was "must see" and somewhat entertaining - if for no other reason than because of how much of a mess it was by the end. (3/5)
On Cagematch, one of my favorite websites to visit when I review a show, this show was absolutely TORCHED for its disappointing main event, but personally, I don't think the main event was actually too bad until the last 8 minutes and the rest of the show, while definitely flawed (Corbin/Gable, the six-man tag, and the Women's Tag Team title match all failed to deliver), had some very strong moments. Sadly, the WWE has gotten in the bad habit of handicapping themselves a little by putting acts like Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair in the curtain-jerk position when they've been more consistently great than practically anyone else on the roster (save Daniel Bryan). With a Kwang Score of 2.68-out-of-5, I was far less critical of Hell in a Cell than most - I expect to see this show ranking on many people's Worst of the Year list - but I still wouldn't revisit anything on the show except the opener and possibly the main event just for a laugh.
FINAL RATING - Watch It...With Remote in Hand
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