Hell in a Cell 2017 looks promising. The two matches in the cell actually deserve to be in it due to the personal nature of the feuds and the undercard looks good as well with Rusev vs Orton and Bobby Roode’s pay per view debut against Dolph Ziggler.
So how did it stack up? We’re going to take a match by match look at Hell in a Cell right now.
Match #1: The New Day vs The Usos (Hell in a Cell Match for the Tag Titles)
We start the show with the WWE Smackdown champs The New Day defending against The Usos. The New Day cut a nice promo about how they were going to unleash an apocalypse of biblical proportions on their opponents.
Kofi is the member who won’t participate. Never a good sign, as when it’s Xavier and Big E they lose. The action starts fast and furious, with both teams trading momentum. At one point Jey Uso gets trapped in a few Kendo Sticks in an innovative spot. I like how the teams use the cage to their advantage.
The action continues with The Usos handcuffing TND. While both New Day members fought through being captured, it wasn’t enough and The Usos hit a double splash on Woods with a chair on him to get the victory and become five time tag champs.
A fantastic match that showed what both teams were about. New Day looked strong and defiant in defeat, and The Usos looked like scrappy fighters that would stop at nothing to win. Hopefully this feud is over cause I don’t know if they can top this.
Some thoughts:
- This is the first time in its 20 year history of Hell in a Cell that the Tag Titles will be defended.
- Like how The New Day start out serious with some chains and no smiles.
- Of course Big E does his through the ropes dive into the Cell.
- Remember when I said they were being serious. Then they bring a whole band into the ring.
- That urnanagi backbreaker combo was sick.
- Rainbow Kendo Sticks. I’d expect no less from The New Day.
Match #2: Rusev vs Randy Orton
I was disappointed when these two’s’ match at Summerslam became a 10 second match. I thought these guys could put on a hell of a match, so we’ll see if they do here. They work a nice methodically paced match with Rusev injuring Orton’s ribs and hitting a few nice moves.
However Orton comes back from defeat and hits Rusev with the RKO to gain the victory in an ok match. Nothing too special, but nothing offensively bad.
Some thoughts:
- Aiden English and Rusev go together so well
- This match was just ok, but the finishing sequence was fantastic.
- Speaking of fantastic, any KFC-WWE commercial is a (Georgia) gold mine.
Match #3: AJ Styles vs Baron Corbin vs Tye Dillinger for the U.S. Title
Dillinger was added to the match during the pre-show, after beating Corbin last week on Smackdown. Typical triple threat rules, and Styles doesn’t have to be involved in the decision to lose the title. We follow the usual formula, with Styles and Dillinger fighting Corbin before Corbin gains an advantage and works on both men for a bit. We do get a nice exchange between Styles and Corbin in the middle of the match.
Dillinger and Styles have a nice exchange that leads into the Calf Crusher, which Corbin breaks up. Following more action, Styles hits the Clash on Dillinger, but predictably Corbin takes him out before he can cover him and gets the victory as well as the US Title.
This was a very good match that while predictable, had a lot of fun exchanges and near falls.
Some random thoughts:
- Corbin’s new music is really growing on me.
- Greg Hamilton really is the best ring announcer around. He is the Tony Chimmel to AJ Styles’ Edge.
- The springboard 450 will never not be impressive.
Match #4: Charlotte vs Natalya (Smackdown Women’s Championship)
Natalya is boring. Her voice never changes and her delivery on everything is so robotic. However, her and Charlotte always put good matches together so this should be worth watching. Charlotte had her knee worked on by Natalya for most of the match, and that was the story.
Charlotte finally rallied and hit a moonsault, but then Natalya grabbed a chair and hit her with it many times, being disqualified.
Some of my random thoughts:
- Natalya kissed the title during her entrance, that’s usually the sign of a loss.
- Charlotte doing one of the better knee-selling jobs I’ve seen recently.
- That moonsault is still so impressive.
- They faked me out with the title kissing bit.
Match #5: Shinsuke Nakamura vs Jinder Mahal (WWE Championship)
Hopefully this is the last we see of Mahal’s title reign. The act is already played out and it is so stupid that the Singh Brothers are still allowed to be anywhere near the ring. But these two had a decent match at Summerslam, so let’s see what they can do here.
Nakamura starts out with the advantage, and he is so dynamic and fun to watch. Not surprisingly, Mahal gains control after Singh Brother interference. Thankfully it doesn’t last long as they are ejected and Nakamura hits the Kinshasa, but can’t capitalize due to a rope break.
Mahal then runs away, dodges another Kinshasa, Nakamura hurts his knee, Colasse, Mahal wins and this feud probably isn’t over. (shudder) This match was ok, but being a Mahal match, you can’t expect much.
Match #6: Bobby Roode vs Dolph Ziggler
This is Roode’s pay per view debut, and it looks like he’s loving it. Ziggler comes out with no entrance at all. They start out with some chain wrestling, as Dolph tries to prove he is the greatest in-ring performer in WWE. After a series of good back and forth exchanges, Dolph gets the upper hand and tunes the band for a superkick.
However, Roode blocks it and hits a spinebuster. What follows is a series of rollups with both men grabbing the tights that ends with Roode being the victor. Ziggler immediately Zig Zags him afterward. While Roode won, Ziggler was the last man standing and this feud is probably not over. Good match.
Some thoughts:
- I don’t know if someone as small as Roode should be using a chokeslam/uranagi
- There’s a reason Roode is referred to as TNA’s Triple H. He looks like him and works a similar style, and that’s not a bad thing to me.
- I like how Dolph’s tactics worked against him in the end.
Match #7: Kevin Owens vs Shane McMahon (Falls Count Anywhere Hell in a Cell Match)
We start out with a really nice video package, showing Owens issues with Shane right from the superstar shakeup. The action starts with the two brawling on the outside. Shane hits the worst punches in the business he’s known for. To his credit however, he hits some really nice kicks.
Once the match gets into the Cell, Owens takes control and has a few minutes of offense. Shane rallies and attempts a shooting star press, but misses. Owens takes advantage and hits a frog splash. Shane gets triangle choke in on Owens, but he fights out of it and powerbombs him onto the steel steps outside the ring. Owens sets up Shane on a table, and tries to cannonball him from the apron, but goes through it himself in a nice spot.
Shane then hits the trademark coast to coast, but Owens gets out with a rope break. (?) Shane then gets some bolt cutters and unlocks the door to send the battle outside. Owens beats Shane up and lays him out on the Spanish announce table, gets on the barricade to do a move on him, then decides to climb the Cell to inflict more damage on Shane. Owens climbs to the top and struggles to find the will to jump off, and Shane climbs up it in the meantime.
The two fight on top of the Cell for a few minutes, and after teasing throwing Shane off the Cell, Owens decides to leave. However Shane beats on Owens on the side of the Cell and he falls through the table, similar to the bump Shawn Michaels took in the first Hell in a Cell match. However, this isn’t enough for Shane, and he climbs to the top of the Cell, puts Owens on another announce table, and the crazy man jumps from the top through the table. SAMI ZAYN MOVED OWENS OUT OF THE WAY AND SAVED HIM! Crazy crazy spot.
Sami then moves Owens over Shane and has the ref count the pinfall. Owens wins, thanks to Sami Zayn. Zayn has a great crazy look at the end, knowing the weight of what he did. I’m real curious to see where they go from here, did Sami do this because he didn’t want his friend/enemy hurt? Or does he have his own issues with Shane McMahon. A very entertaining match with a bonkers twist at the end.
Random Main Event thoughts:
- I like this feud as Owens has a decent point about Shane costing him matches, but the way he went about it makes him a detestable human being.
- I also like how both Shane and Vince call it “Hell in THE Cell.”
- “Take a good look at daddy” Owens says to Shane’s children at ringside while grinding his face in the steel.
- No one can talk trash in the ring like Owens.
- How is the referee gonna count the pin if he’s not on the top of the Cell with the competitors?
Well that does it for Hell in a Cell. It was a pretty good show with the two Cell matches delivering in full. The undercard was good as well, with the Roode and U.S. Title matches living up to expectations. The opening tag match was the match of the night, and it was a solid event, better than No Mercy at least. Thanks for reading, and check back next week for more ramblings.
Henry Wolski
Executive Editor