WWE Hell in a Cell: Aftermath & Discussion

[Jack-Hammer]

WWE Hell in a Cell - October 2, 2011

1. Sheamus vs. Christian - Very good opening match for the HIAC despite the fact that the New Orleans crowd really only got into it about the last 5 minutes or so. Overall, just a really good competitive match that ultimately made both wrestlers look good. There were some good near falls, the spear Christian hit on Sheamus about the 10 minute mark or so looked really solid. The ending comes a little past the 13.5 minute mark with Christian going for a spear, missing & hitting the turnbuckle and Sheamus hitting the Brogue Kick for the clean win. ***

2. Original Sin Cara vs. Dark Sin Cara - This match was alright for what it was, though it was far from great in my view. There was some good action with the spots being hit & miss at times. I think the problem is that I just don’t have a connection with the original Sin Cara to really give a crap that there’s a guy impersonating him and trying to take his name. The ending comes around the 10 minute mark with the original Sin Cara rolling up the other one for the win. It was a good effort I thought on part of the wrestlers but nobody cares and a lot of that simply has to do with creative dropping the ball with this angle. *1/2

3. Air Boom vs. Dolph Ziggler & Jack Swagger for the WWE Tag Team Championship - Good, solid tag team match that featured good action throughout the 11.5 minute length. I dug the solid heel tactics that Ziggler & Swagger used and I also dug the fact that Kofi was the one that ultimately needed help in the match and for Bourne to be the one to make the save. The ending comes with Evan Bourne countering a power bomb attempt from Swagger into a hurricanrana. Kofi yanks Ziggler out of the ring and allows Bourne to get the win. Not a fantastic match or anything, but just a solid & enjoyable tag match. Again, it’s nice to see the tag titles actually mean a little something once more and Air Boom continues to rack up solid wins. **1/2

4. Mark Henry vs. Randy Orton for the World Heavyweight Championship - I enjoyed this match a lot and really liked the story that it told. I’m sure some probably thought it was boring at some points due to Henry’s extensive offense on Orton and the fact that his offense isn’t that flashy. However, Henry was completely believable during the match and it ultimately set things up for Orton to have a nice come from behind rally. Besides that, Mark Henry is a monster. He’s a 400 pound slab of muscle. He’s not gonna be doing hurricanranas and suicide dives. They made alright use of the HIAC environment but they didn’t go over the top. The overall story the match told was the centerpiece. Henry got hit with an RKO at the 14.5 minute mark and kicked out for a great near fall. There was definitely some frustration in the crowd over that, which is actually kinda nice to hear in this day and age. The ending comes with Orton setting up for the punt kick but Henry recovers and catches Orton in the World’s Strongest Slam. Henry scores the clean pin at the 16 minute mark to retain the World Heavyweight Championship. The post match stuff was well done with Henry delivering another WSS to Orton and attempted to do the trick with the chair wrapped around Orton’s leg. Orton moves and uses the chair to send Henry packing. So Orton was able to garner a little steam back in spite of having lost the match. Fun match and WWE made the right call by keeping the strap on Henry. ***

Cody Rhodes Promo - I really enjoyed this promo from Rhodes and thought he did a fantastic job of putting over the importance of the Intercontinental Championship. I admit that I marked out when he pulled the classic version of the IC title out of a velvet bag. He put over some of the greats in the industry that’ve held the title and I just flat out enjoyed it. Johnny Ace interrupts Rhodes, however, and says that Triple H is forcing him to defend the title in an impromptu match. Still, nice promo in my view. Thumbs Up

5. Cody Rhodes vs. John Morrison for the WWE Intercontinental Championship - Again, just a solid overall match in my view. It wasn’t spectacular, but it featured solid action and I thought it made Cody Rhodes look strong. It told a good story of Rhodes being completely unprepared for this match, he was in street clothes after all, and having to face JoMo in an unexpected match all of a sudden fits in with the role he plays in the storyline with Triple H. The ending comes at the 7.5 minute mark with Rhodes capitalizing on JoMo missing the chuck kick and pinning him with a roll up. **1/2

Triple H & JL Backstage - Decent backstage segment that continues to put some emphasis on the friction between the two onscreen. JL telling Trips that Miz & Truth had attacked & laid out Air Boom plays nicely into the scenario of Triple H not being able to control things. Thumbs Up

6. Kelly Kelly vs. Beth Phoenix for the WWE Divas Championship - Good effort from the women in my view, though the live crowd wasn’t all that impressed. But, in all honesty, this is one of the best Diva matches I’ve seen in quite a while and it featured some good storytelling. Beth controlled a lot of the action with Kelly making occasional runs for a few moments before Beth got the upper hand once more. Natalya mocking Kelly on the house mic when Beth had her locked in a submission was a nice touch. Kelly did esecape but Natalya hit her with the mic, allowing Beth to hit the Glam Slam to win the match and the title at the 8.5 minute mark. Classic heel tactics to give the beloved Kelly an out for losing. **

7. John Cena vs. CM Punk vs. Alberto Del Rio for the WWE Championship - Overall, a great main event to close the show out with. The first 15 minutes of the match had some intense action, Punk did a great job of selling the effects of the match and all three guys just flat out looked good throughout the entire length of the match. The use of Ricardo Rodriguez was good and using him as bait to get Cena outside the HIAC structure and unable to get back inside was a sweet touch. It also gives Cena an out for losing the match. Punk & Del Rio had some good back and forth stuff inside the cell and the ending comes at the 24.5 minute mark with Del Rio hitting Punk several times with the lead pipe and getting the win. Del Rio is the WWE Champion. The aftermath with Miz & Truth beaking into the cage and beating all three competitors down worked for me as was having Miz & Truth hauled off by the cops after getting into the cage via bolt cutters. ***1/2

Overall Show - From an overall perspective, HIAC was a very solid ppv in my view. It wasn't an outstanding showcase or anything but almost all of the matches were very solid performances from the wrestlers involved. Sheamus & Christian kicked things off nicely with a compeitive, back & forth match. Air Boom vs. Ziggler & Swagger was a solid tag team match with good action and the champs retaining. Kelly Kelly vs. Beth Phoenix was a surprisingly enjoyable match in my opinion with Beth finally getting the win. Cody Rhodes vs. JoMo was a fun, ok match. I marked out for Cody Rhodes pulling out the classic IC title and I think he's done a great job of putting over the history & importance of the title itself. Mark Henry vs. Randy Orton had solid action and some good storytelling. It's also nice & refreshing to see Randy Orton lose to Henry clean in a ppv setting. Henry needed to retain here and I'm glad it happened. The Cena/Punk/Del Rio three way match was a lot of fun. Some great intensity and fun action during the match, though I don't know why they put the title back on Cena just to have him lose it 2 weeks later. It sounds like Vince ultimately not being able to make up his mind. I wish he would as there's no need to just throw the title around so cheaply. The aftermatch stuff with Miz & Truth worked nicely and they didn't try to go over the top with it. I also liked the fact that they didn't have this match break down into a huge, overly booked cluster with half the locker room interfering. Nothing particularly amazing happened here in my view. If you wanted tons of shock & awe, then you didn't get it here. If you were, at least, hoping for a very solid 3 hour wrestling ppv, then HIAC delivered in my opinion.

Grade: B

 

[WWEIsLife2]

Pretty good PPV tonight with all hell breaking loose after ADR wins back the WWE Title in a pretty good HIAC. The aftermath with Miz/R-Truth was some wild stuff and if all this is leading to November the Survivor Series will be something. Very happy that the Old IC Title is back,most of us grew up with that Belt. Sheamus/Christian was a good opener to get things under way. I really liked the Divas Title Match,Natalya helping Beth behind her back I wonder if that will turn into something. The Sin Cara Match was decent and will the Black Masked Sin Cara stick around to continue the Feud or have another Gimmick? The other HIAC with Mark Henry/Randy Orton was pretty good. Not as much use of the Cell in that one like the second one but no biggy I guess. Also liked the Tag Title Match with Air Boom & All-American Perfection,wouldn't mind seeing those two Teams go at it again.

So a pretty interesting HIAC PPV and can't wait to see what happens next with RAW tomorrow night.

 

[Robbo89]

An overall decent PPV for the lack of build up involved going into it. Not the best this year but not the worst.

The stand out match for me was the Triple Threat HIAC match, it just was none stop from start to finish. I wasn't a fan of how the match ended but the overall match was stand out for me on the night.

Cody Rhodes cut yet another solid promo, this is further solidifying him as a future main eventer in the near future, great to see the old style IC title back. Personally i would have liked to have seen JoMo win the title and give Cody a programme leading to a no 1 contender match for the WHC but his time will come.

The ending of the whole PPV was brilliant for me. It was played out brilliant and is something that is building nicely to the Survivor Series match that we keep hearing about.

Overall - 7 1/2 out of 10

 

[Yesiamaduck]

Sheamus Vs Christian -> Quite a slow match and lacked the intensity I expected, is that to say it was a bad matcH? HELL NO, it just wasn't anything spectacular, Sheamus win which was the right move in my book as he's on a shit hot babyface run at the moment. **1/2

Sin Cara Vs Sin Cara -> A good match between the 2 but the crowd weren't into it at all! I feel if they were I could of added a 1/2* star to the match, the were periods where the match bogged down but I really loved the pinning combo that the original sin cara hit to win the match, I really liked it but it lacked atmosphere, I blame the booking for this mind and if they were to have a rematch I would expect a better reaction. ***

Air Boom vs Dolph Ziggler & Jack Swagger W/Vicke Guerrero -> A very fun and entertaining tag team match, as JR said this was one of the best we've seen on a WWE PPV in a long time! I'm so happy that WWE appear to have saved this division at the very last second, and this match, whilst not spectacular was very solid and showed 2 very coherent teams working well together. ***

(Hell In A Cell Match)
Mark Henry Vs Randy Orton -> I personally though this match was incredibly dull minus a few moments, the pace was all wrong and it just didn't have the big match feel to it! What really killed this for me though was Ortons no selling which made what was promoted as one of the most dangerous matches in WWE history with one of the most dangerous seem like nothing more then an elaborate joke, this was cemented by Ortons come back at the end of the beating, at least fucking sell a rib or SOMETHING! TIT *

Cody Rhodes Vs John Morrison -> An okay match, on the back of an excellent promo, this match had a decent pace and a decent amount of time. Good to see Jomo put up some fight on what I called as a squash match before it ended... the right guy one and the match wasn't bad. **

Kelly Kelly Vs Beth Phoenix -> This match was pretty dull with a few okay moments. Kelly Kelly wins the belt 2 week too late and the impact wasn't nearly as meaningful as it would of been if Beth won at NOC. It wasn't offensively bad or anything just pretty dull, the ending was alright but it's annoying to not see Beth have a single clean win over Kelly & with the rematch clause we will see this match at least once more.... YAYYYYYYY -_- *

(HIAC Match)
CM Punk Vs Alberto Del Rio Vs John Cena -> Match of the night bar none, satisfhying pace, in ring inteligance from del rio and plenty of nice high spots that whilst they don't meet the dizzying heights of earl Hell In A Cell matches stood up high and proud amongst the piss poor efforts we've had as of late. The ending was a big deal and not in the mind fuck way the ending in NOC was, but still the entire backstage does not equal one Kane as it would appear as a good 30 men failed to tear open the door! ****

Overall: Slightly above average ppv, didn't step out of the average territory until the final match 6/10

 

[FearMyBeard]

Overall, Hell in a Cell was a solid show. The performers who needed to win, won.

Henry's dominant run continues as he beats Orton. Orton got more offense in this time around and it made Henry look, not only an unstoppable juggernaut, but a resilient one as well. The post-match segment between the two was well done too.

I'm expecting at least one more match between the two of them either at Vengeance or maybe in an episode of Smackdown! before Orton goes on to feud with Rhodes and Henry collides with Sheamus.

Christian vs Sheamus was another solid match. Christian's second spear seemed to be the clincher but ultimately, Sheamus won. This sets up a Henry-Sheamus World title match later down the road. At Vengeance? Survivor Series?

The main event was executed well. All three performed well although I don't particularly like the hot potatoing of the WWE title. Hopefully ADR doesn't lose it at Vengeance and he receives a better build-up as champion this time around. I read at another site that there's a potential Del Rio-Punk feud in the future and based on how the triple threat ended, I wouldn't be surprised if that was the seed of their rumored upcoming feud.

 

[Peoples_Champ]

Two weeks ago we just had a PPV. Considering how little time the writers / talent had, this was really well done and I'm sure it wont get the credit it deserves. The only match that didn't have appropriate build was the Sin Cara v. Sin Cara, but the whole Sin Cara character is sinking (I was personally very interested at first).

I dont want to grade it because I missed the last match, but everything was great. Cody Rhodes is really starting to get over, I can't wait to see him continue.

 

[Ellye]

My favorite part of the show was, surprisingly for me, Mark Henry vs Randy Orton.
I now notice I was really underrating Henry. He's a talented wrestler, and he should hold on to that WHC for a long time.
I was severely disappointed by the post-match scene, though. Orton bashing him with a chair was okay, but playing Randy's music instead of Henry's? That was nonsense.

Oh, and I really, really like that Rhodes is hyping up the Intercontinental Championship. Those midcards title need more hype, and that was a fantastic step.

The worst part of the show for me was the crowd.

 

[WcWMondayNitro]

I thought the main event to the PPV was great. All three, Cena, Punk, and Del Rio, have good chemistry and work well with one another. It is amazing how no one knew who Del Rio was a year ago, and now, a year later, Del Rio is on par with the aforementioned superstars. I feel that not a lot of people are giving credit to Del Rio. He's been fighting all around the world, and already paid his dues. He wrestles like a seasoned veteran, and deserves every success he has had since debuting.

I was also impressed with Cody Rhodes tonight. Cody continues to be solid in the ring, and comfortable with his gimmick. The future is bright for Cody, and I wish one day he fulfils his potential in the WWE.

 

[[cL]]

Not going to say that I absolutely loved it, but can't say I hated it either. It was a solid show. I missed the Cara/Cara and Air Boom matches, but got everything else. I don't think Beth Phoenix needed a dirty win. She should have been able to win clean, but I think that this is a set up for Natalya/Beth Phoenix fued for later on. Reason why I say that is based on Beth Phoenix's reaction to the win. She looked genuinely happy and as if she thought she was had won without help. Just speculating but if they do fued down the line Natalya could pull the "you'd be nothing without me" card. Anyway...Henry/Orton was solid top to bottom. I gotta say, i'm am 100% impressed by the fact that Orton is selling EVERYTHING Henry does to him. Orton is really putting Henry over and that is helping his momentum and really pushing Henry into a place where he's looking more and more like the top heel they want him to be. I'm REALLY loving whats happening with his character and is actually making me want to watch smackdown just to see the evolution of that character. Now...here is where things get so/so for me.
I am Punk fan...dislike del rio...and absolutely positively loathe Cena. But i've had to as of late recant some of my argument about him....BUT tonight, he proved more of my past points in that he hasn't evolved at all. I've seen nothing new, nothing in the match that he did that was even worth talking about. Just boring...HOWEVER, the saving grace of the match was Del Rio and Punk. I mean, they put on a great back and forth everytime they were in the ring together. They have great fluidity in the ring together and they made each other look really good. And as much as I'd like to see Cena get pinned clean, and as much as I wanted to see Punk walk away with the belt, I thought it was cool how he got locked out of the match.
(BUT....anyone else reeling at the amount of title changes in the past 5 months?...just me?...ok.)
The match aftermath was kinda cool too. Miz and Truth are actually growing on me. (i threw up a little in my mouth as I said that)
Hope to see this evolve into something great.
and for the love of all thats great in the world, make a decision on whats happening with Punk.....he had the most fire in the world for about a month and a half...not saying that he's not still doing great by main eventing in the last three PPV's....clearly he's a main eventer...but you know what I mean. He was the FOCUS of what was happening in the WWE and now he seems to be quickly becoming one of those guys, rather than being pushed as a MAIN guy....All i'm sayin is don't let the fire fade. Punk is Money.

 

[HamSwissman]

Was that WWE or TNA? yaaaaaaawn. I'm glad all i payed was a pizza and a six pack of beer at my friends house. What a waste of a night!

I agree with the yawning, and all I am reading are positive reviews for this garbage! Is this site simply full of WWE shills? This PPV, along with the last PPV (which was two fucking weeks ago), have re-assured me that WWE isn't going to change after all. The build-up to MITB, SummerSlam and nearly everything in between almost had me convinced they were turning the corner. Now we are back to the same old shit. And what do you know, two straight PPVs with The Game, The King of Kings, the COO, The whatever the fuck he wants to be, leaving everyone laying in a heap and putting himself over. Surprise sur-fucking-prise.

 

[wrestlingfancritic]

For me, was the greatest ppv in a while. Cena babyface boy was locked outside the cell. I was just like Cena go home.

People that deserved to win, finnaly won. When Randy Orton rko'd Mark Henry, I was like damn his title reign didn't last long. I was wrong. Henry won.

Was so happy that Cody Rhodes has beaten the fan favorite Morrisson.(Was unthinkable) I wasn't a Cody Rhodes fan since lately (never liked him before),then I noticed how he improved and how he is good in what he does, started to pay attention more closely to his wrestling matches and his techniques in ring. damn he's good. One of my favorite now.

Alberto Del Rio locked the cell, I was thinking Cena will find a way to get into the cell. Wrong again.

Loved the ending when truth and miz got locked themselves in the cell. Loved how people/wwe want us to believe that triple H lost all of control.

Can't wait to see what happens tonight on RAW. Will Cena apply for a rematch? (1 MORE TIME). Will Cena cry to the audience, how it was unfair and how he was cheated and how he deserves another title shot.

Grade: A-

 

[Razordude1717]

Was so happy that Cody Rhodes has beaten the fan favorite Morrisson.(Was unthinkable)

Really? After all the jobbing Morrison has been doing lately? This match was just a filler, and JoMo was just in it because he still has something left with the crowd. Otherwise this would have been a deadpan (no offense to Cody's ability though, and wrestling wise, this match was good).

Well I'm daring to go against general opinion, but I think that PPV was below average. Infact, in the long run, it wouldn't be rmembered for anything. They could have used this time, to actually have a good build towards SS. But otherwise too, it had a lot of potential, and failed to live up to it.

The only good part, in my view, was the Miz-Truth run in at the end, but again, our beloved COO came out strong. Also, I didn't see the point of CM Punk actually being in the main event apart from Del Rio NOT having to pin Cena (WTF). His story I'm afraid is losing momentum, and if not treated carefully, he'll be shot back into upper mid-card feuds.

Otherwise it was okayish. Pointless though.

 

[LoudClearVoice]

I thought the ending of the main event was sweet. I like where they are going with the NWO/conspiracy storyline. I do think it's kinda bogus that Del Rio had to pin Punk but I understand why.

Loved Cody bringing back the old IC title. I'm really buying into Cody Rhodes now. The kid is bringing presige back to the IC title.

I was disappointed that the lights didn't go out and there was no gong after the Smackdown HIAC match. Would have been perfect, at the very least, to signify Undertaker's return relatively soon.

 

[Dagger Dias]

I was expecting a bottom tier show with a low overall quality, but I ended up being surprised. WWE pulled off an ok show last night with only 2 weeks to promote it. Just think how much better it could have been if they had more than 2 weeks to generate interest? This is why I never expect anything out of their October PPV's, they end up being low tier due to having to rush angles or resort to rematches.

That aside.... Sheamus and Christian opened. I thought the Sin Cara match would have been first, or a surprise midcard defense. We ended up getting two. An unadvertised WWE Tag Team Championship match and an Intercontinental Championship match. Sheamus winning makes sense. He should be Henry's next challenger, and the one to defeat him.

I liked the Sin Cara match, although I expected something far more exciting. They did rush the match, though. Maybe we will be able to get more out of these guys. Sin Cara and Sin Cara 2 (really!?) deserve a lengthy feud and they could steal the show.

The surprise unadvertised tag team title match was a plus. Why only advertise 5 matches? I like it when they give surprise matches, but this match might have generated a little more interest if they announced it. Anyways. It was a decent match and one of the better ones. I would have predicted for Air-Boom to retain and gotten it correct had they announced it ahead of time.

I went into the Henry match expecting a bad match. It was better than I thought it would be, but nothing spectacular. Orton and Rhodes should feud next while Sheamus challenges Henry to hopefully dethrone him. Sheamus as a face World Champion would be great. I honestly thought Orton had this one, but it looks like Henry is getting a legit reign. I'll give it another chance and see where they go with this.

Then we have another surprise match in an Intercontinental Championship defense by Rhodes against Morrison. I could nitpick about why Morrison is going after this belt when he is from Raw, but instead I could talk about how I enjoyed the match. This was a good surprise. Rhodes introducing the classic belt design was the high point of the night for me. Both guys did a good job in the match.

The divas match was probably the worst of the night, they usually are though. I'm glad that Beth won. You have no idea how glad I am about that. It's great news for the division that someone who can actually work a match is now champion. Now Beth can dominate as she should at the top, before those feuds with Natalya or Kharma start, then we will truly see what the division is capable of. The match was decent for a divas match, but still the worst of the night to me.

The WWE title match closed the show, as it should have, and it was pretty good. I got the prediction correct and now Del Rio has another chance to have a better title reign. Miz and Truth got involved, just as I thought they would. This will further the conspiracy angle, which is getting better and better each week.

Overall? This show was much better than I expected. They should have advertised it more though and not given themselves two weeks to promote it. They did a good job with the tiny timeframe they had, but they were capable of so much more. The matches themselves ranged from just under average to good. I give the show a final grade of C because they surprised me with a show worth buying when I was expecting the worst of the year, but it could still have been a lot better.

DAGGER'S PPV REVIEW
C

 

[Minister Christian]

I`am shocked that everyone so far says this was a decent PPV. I personally thought it was awful.

The opening match Christian/ Shemaus was 50/50. Christian doing all the work, Shemaus still very green in my view will take a few years for him to learn how to work.

Sin Cara match was just the same as there previous matches all the high flying moves. Did anyone notice some of the crowd was chanting BORING BORING?

Mark Henry/ Orton was poor i just hate to see one of the best workers in the business, putting poor opposition over.

But i know Triple H is very close to Mark and Shemaus. That explains why their getting pushed.

On a brighter note i always love watching the divas wrestle, i really enjoyed the Tag team event. And i thought Cody was great on the mic and had a good match with john morrison.

Back to the classic white belt! Wooohoooo!

A horrible ending...Triple H always has to be the main event. See if your the booker, a tip most people will tell you is to NEVER put yourself on top. Triple H always wants to be on top, i hope Vince comes back and i really hope Triple H and stephanie stay away from this wrestling business because in my opinon Triple H has the potentail to kill the WWE, then what can i watch? TNA no thanks.

 

[SD619]

PROS:

-Even with a very limited build, this PPV was above average.
-Both the HIaC matches were good.
-Beth FINALLY won.
-Christian/Shaemus was quite a good match.
-The IC and tag-team titles are now more prestigious they were few months ago.

CONS:

-None of the feuds had a definite end.
-We will probably see a very similar card for Vengeance.

 

[TheViper723]

I thought it was an above average pay-per-view. Not the best, but then again, WWE hasn't delivered its best to us in YEARS! Here is my take on it:

Sheamus vs. Christian - Awesome match but really weak storyline. I guess there is nothing for the both of them currently other than to feud with eachother. WEAK. Good match.

Air Boom vs. Cougar Control - These 4 guys are fun to watch. Air Boom because they are just awesome and Cougar Control (Swagger and Ziggler) because of their love/hate relationship.

Sin Cara vs. Sin Cara - Sorry...had to use the bathroom...missed it...but heard it was OK...right?

Beth vs. Kelly Kelly - Good riddance to Kelly Kelly and thank God for Beth! I love Beth. She is an awesome wrestler and probably one of the best female wrestlers the WWE has ever seen. And I mean WRESTLER. Not brawler, not Diva, not performer. But Beth is all in one.

Cody Rhodes segment + vs. John Morrison- Rhodes is the future of the sport. He is becoming more and more...of what I used to watch in Ric Flair. Rhodes was almost an after thought after Legacy broke up as Ted Dibiase Jr. was heavily pushed. How quickly the tides have turned. And his match with JoMo...wait, JoMo still is in the WWE? Was it JoMo or Tyler Reeks that Cody faced? JoMo needs to be shown the door. Tough Enough contestants do NOT make Superstars.

Mark Henry vs. Randy Orton - I will say this much, Orton is the reason why Mark Henry is "champion". And I say that because Orton carries the match. Mark, well...he can't even move! It is believable that he is dominant. But talent wise, Orton should have won. I guess we might see a fatal 4-way or something at Vengence.

Alberto Del Rio vs. John Cena vs. CM Punk - Nothing but sweet. And as for the post-match, exciting!!! I can not wait for what is to transpire later tonight!! I havent been this psyched about watching a RAW in years!!!! As for Triple H as COO, I love the idea!! Its amazing!

 

[Daniel]

A Quick Summary
A very solid PPV. Which isn't surprising because, when you think about it, when was the last time WWE put out a PPV which wasn't solid or better? I can't remember. Anyway, if I was to grade this, I'd probably plump for a B.

Sheamus vs. Christian was enjoyable. Definitely above average. The tag team match between Air Boom and Ziggler/Swagger was similarly good, if not a bit more pointless. I mean, this was a filler match in every sense of the phrase. There was good action, but not much psychology. Cody Rhodes vs. John Morrison was another filler match, which I again understand as this PPV only had two weeks of build. Sin Cara vs. Sin Cara was an interesting one. I guess I was expecting a lot more. I've always enjoyed the lucha style from what I've seen, but this didn't quite click. I'm now starting to wonder what Mistico's problem actually is. Still, I'd give it a C. It was great to see Beth Phoenix vs. Kelly Kelly end with my favourites being on the winning end. The fact that it happened in a good match was a bonus.

Now we get to the two main events. I love Hell In A Cell matches, and these two were really rather good. WWE (or the wrestlers involved) understood that brutality is key to the match type. Henry vs. Orton was another enjoyable encounter between the two of them, as Henry continues his good match streak. But it was the main event triple threat that really got. It was definitely my match of the night. Once again, it was brutal, but it was also fun. Three guys locked in a cage, beating each other with all manner of weapons - how could it not be fun? It also had a very cool finish which I'd never even thought about, let alone seen.


The Good

• Cody Rhodes' new/old Intercontinental Championship. I hate coloured straps, but I'm a sucker for new championship belts and it suits the very old school Rhodes. So I'm down with it.
• The commentary team really worked (for the most part, see below). Booker was on top, hilarious form while JR tamed Cole's stupidity (again, for the most part). I'd be very happy to see them team up again.
• The ending was as good an ending to a PPV as I've seen all year (apart from MITB, although it does give it a run for it's money). I loved the inventive way del Rio won, and then the lowering of the cage with Miz and Truth was great. I'm unsure about the police's involvement. On the one hand, I'm not a fan of wrestling getting to "real". But the image of Miz being dragged out after being pummelled by Triple H was a great one. Like I said, unsure.

The Bad

• The demise of Michael Cole's commentary. He started off so well with Booker and JR. He was calling the action and putting over the stars - y'know, he was doing his job. Then he gradually got into the old "heel Cole" routine. He doesn't understand when enough is enough. Be a heel, sure. But be smart about. He might as well just stand on the desk, strip naked and rub his balls in JR's face while shouting "boo me". It would only be slightly less subtle than what he was doing during the Rhodes/Morrison match.
• That's about it. There were no real low points.

 

[mancpenguin]

I have a huge confession to make - I didn't bother ordering it ! It seemed like a pretty solid card and I didn't see Del Rio winning the title back so quickly. So there was some surprise to the ending.

Though I didn't want Del Rio to win the title just a couple of weeks after losing it. For me, it would have made more sense to have never lost the title to start with. Maybe losing to Cena via DQ.

 

[WWEIsLife2]

I`am shocked that everyone so far says this was a decent PPV. I personally thought it was awful.

The opening match Christian/ Shemaus was 50/50. Christian doing all the work, Shemaus still very green in my view will take a few years for him to learn how to work.

Sin Cara match was just the same as there previous matches all the high flying moves. Did anyone notice some of the crowd was chanting BORING BORING?

Mark Henry/ Orton was poor i just hate to see one of the best workers in the business, putting poor opposition over.

But i know Triple H is very close to Mark and Shemaus. That explains why their getting pushed.

On a brighter note i always love watching the divas wrestle, i really enjoyed the Tag team event. And i thought Cody was great on the mic and had a good match with john morrison.

Back to the classic white belt! Wooohoooo!

A horrible ending...Triple H always has to be the main event. See if your the booker, a tip most people will tell you is to NEVER put yourself on top. Triple H always wants to be on top, i hope Vince comes back and i really hope Triple H and stephanie stay away from this wrestling business because in my opinon Triple H has the potentail to kill the WWE, then what can i watch? TNA no thanks.

A horrible ending? What? How exactly was HHH in the Main Event? All he did was come out to have Miz & R-Truth arrested. Last time I checked HHH was NOT the Head Booker. Stop being so damn ignorant and get off the HHH is holding everyone down crap,its old already.

 

[The Newfie Bullet]

A pretty good pay per view for the most part, here is a quick review..

Sheamus vs. Christian and the tag title match were both good matches. I would give them both a 7/10.

I really liked Sin Cara vs. Sin Cara 2 actually. Though it wasn't as exciting as i thought it was going to be it still made for a good match. 7/10

Randy Orton vs Mark Henry was a good match, though it was slow paced at times the match told the David vs Goliath storyline perfectly. I am truly enjoying Mark Henry lately and he is really coming off as a dominating champion. 6.5/ 10

Cody Rhodes vs. John Morrison : The promo Rhodes cut before the match was great, I am loving the "new" IC title as well. The match itself was pretty good as well. 5/10

Kelly Kelly vs Beth Phoenix: A half decent divas match, I didn't really care much for Beth winning the title at this point though as I think it should have happened at NOC but I liked the ending to this match and I thought the match was solid overall. 5.5/10

Alberto Del Rio vs. CM Punk vs. John Cena: Excellent HIAC match , lots of great spots, good wrestling, and good use of the cell. I really enjoyed the part where Cena was locked outside the cage. Although I don't really want Del Rio as champion it makes sense so that Cena and Punk can move into the conspiracy angle well ADR feuds with some other people for the title.
The ending was also pretty interesting with Miz and R-Truth, although I can't help but say I'm still really confused with this storyline. 8/10

Overall PPV rating : 7/10

 

[keehlnate]

Sheamus vs. Christian - I don't actually buy this feud because it's like they are just thrown to each other so that they are not in the world title picture. But turns out this is the match of the night for me. Match Quality: 10/10

Sin Cara (azul) vs. Sin Cara (negro) - Seriously, it was much more fun listening to the commentary team rather than watching this match. It was all just hype. The match was a whole big botch fest. It's really irritating to watch. But I love how JR distinguished the two by saying the one is Sin Cara Blue and Sin Cara Black rather than Sin Cara #1 and #2. Then Booker T coined the Sin Cara 'Negro' for the black. Here comes Michael Cole and looked at his spanish dictionary saying that the spanish term for blue is 'azul' so the other one is Sin Cara Azul. The commentary team was really hilarious that I laughed all throughout the match. Match Quality: 3/10

Kelly Kelly vs. Beth Phoenix - alright, Beth Phoenix won, but she didn't won clean. I was expecting her to dominate Kelly without the help of Natalya. Their third match was not as god as the 1st and 2nd but it is still good. Kelly's crying makes it much more good. Match Quality: 5/10

Cody Rhodes vs. John Morrison - Cody bringing back the old IC title was great. Cody winning clean against John Morrison without his wrestling gear is much more great. Morrison being a jobber again is not so great. Match Quality: 6/10

Air Boom vs. Swagger and Ziggler - The team of Swagger and Ziggler is a good idea. These are two former (forgotten) world champions. The match was very competitive all throughout although Ziggler and Swagger came out short. I somehow like the finish. Match Quality: 7/10

Mark Henry vs. Randy Orton - Mark Henry showing that he can really beat Orton cleanly not once, but twice is great. Mark Henry doing that running power slam was awesome. Match Quality: 7/10

John Cena vs. CM Punk vs. Alberto del Rio - I guess triple threat HIAC match was not a good idea. With Del Rio winning at the cost of pinning CM Punk makes me dislike it. The appearance of Miz and Truth could be better if they haven't shown at the start of the show. Match Quality: 6/10

 

[ironsheik84]

I know this is out there, but did anyone think that Cena was going to ram Del Rio's car into the cage (seeing as how it was a convertible too) to get into the cage seeing as how he "stole" Del Rio's Ferrari previously?

 

[Mitch Henessey]

Hell In A Cell 2011​

Christian VS Sheamus

I thought this was a very entertaining opening match. There was some nice back and forth action throughout the entire match, this one was pretty physical,, and this match did have a steady and grueling pace. I was happy to see Sheaums pick up the win here. Sheamus has been able to gain a nice amount of momentum during his face turn, the live crowds are reacting to him, and Sheamus could become another contender in the World Heavyweight Championship picture in the near future. This was an excellent opening match, and Chrstian VS Sheamus was a nice way to kick off the show. Match Rating- 7/10

Sin Cara VS Sin Cara

Yeah, I couldn’t get into this. This match did have its moments. There were some exciting high spots here (Blue Sin Cara’s high cross body from the top rope, and his arm drag from the top rope), but overall, I thought this was pretty underwhelming. This match did feel kind of redundant and sloppy most of the time, and there was a lack of energy here. I was expecting a more fast-paced match, but it did feel like this one was dragging most of the time, and the live crowd loudly voiced their displeasure (boos and the “boring” chants). Also, the “who’s the real Sin Cara?” storyline hasn’t done anything for me. The entire storyline has this overwhelming lackluster feeling, and I just don‘t care about it. Match Rating- 4/10

Kofi Kingston & Evan Bourne VS Dolph Ziggler & Jack Swagger- WWE Tag Team Championships

I really enjoyed this match. This match featured a good amount of action, both teams showcased some nice teamwork, and there was some solid back and forth action throughout this match. Air Boom’s title reign has been very fun to watch so far. Evan and Kofi can always bring tons of excitement in the ring, I’m really enjoying this duo as champions, and this is one of the better tag team matches I’ve seen on pay per view this year. Match Rating- 8/10

Mark Henry VS Randy Orton- World Heavyweight Championship- Hell In A Cell

This match was pretty brutal, and there was a nice amount of violence here. Henry and Orton beat the hell out of each other, and both men did use the Cell to hurt each other here. And I loved the ending. Orton was on a roll. He threw everything he had at Mark Henry, Orton hit the RKO, but Henry kicked out. Orton was desperate, so he decided to resort to his most dangerous weapon: the punt. But Henry popped up, and he hit the World’s Strongest Slam out of nowhere. The ending to this match felt so shocking. It was a nice surprise, and I still can’t believe Henry kicked out of the RKO. Also, I enjoyed the post match fiasco. Henry wanted to deliver the final crushing blow, but Orton slithered away from the big man. He escaped, and Orton clobbered Henry with a steel chair afterwards. Orton is so close to defeating the unstoppable monster, but he isn’t all the way there just yet, because Orton needs to deliver that one devastating blow. I’m loving every second of this feud, and Mark Henry is having an outstanding run with gold so far. Match Rating- 8/10

Cody Rhodes

I enjoyed this brief promo from Cody. His mic skills were solid here, as he ran down the New Orleans crowd, and I loved the introduction of the new Intercontinental Championship. The vintage version of the IC title belt still looks great, and I did go nuts when Cody mentioned the names of former IC Champions. This was an entertaining promo, and I will always remember this moment, because the vintage IC title belt returned. This wasn’t a bad move, because the current version of the belt did look kind of bland.

Cody Rhodes VS John Morrison- Intercontinental Championship

This match was a nice little surprise, and I actually enjoyed this. Cody was caught off guard, when Laurinaitis announced the match, and Morrison was the surprise challenger. The match was pretty entertaining, because Cody wasn’t ready. He had to wrestle in street clothes, and he did try to escape with a count out victory, but Morrison was relentless. Cody wasn’t fully prepared for a wrestling match here, so he had to escape, and at times, there was a nice game of cat and mouse between these two. Match Rating- 6/10

Beth Phoenix/With Natalya VS Kelly Kelly/With Eve- Divas Championship

Beth needed help to beat Kelly??? Beth is supposed to be the dominant and powerful woman in this feud, but the microphone shot helped her win the title? The microphone shot just felt so weird and random, because Beth was in control of the match, and she dished out her fair share of punishment, so Natalya’s distraction and interference did feel kind of pointless. As far as the match goes, I thought this was a solid Divas title match. This match did feature some decent back and forth action, but I couldn’t stand the ending. It was surprising, because we’ve seen the “Kelly survives with a quick roll-up out of nowhere” victory before, and this was starting to feel kind of stale, but I just can’t get over Natalya’s interference, because when you stop and think about it, Beth really didn’t need her help. Match Rating- 5/10

Alberto Del Rio VS John Cena VS CM Punk- WWE Championship- Hell In A Cell

Wow. I was actually surprised at how good this was, because I wasn’t too crazy about the idea of a triple threat Hell In A Cell match, but this was a very good match. This match did feature a good amount of violence and brutality, and the Cell was a factor here, because the steel structure did cause some damage. The wounds on Punk’s back did look very painful, and all three men used the Cell to dish out some punishment here. Also, the ending to this match was completely unexpected, and I loved it. Ricardo slipped Del Rio the key to the lock on the Cell door, and Del Rio locked the WWE Champion outside. Cena struggled to get back, but he couldn’t return to the ring. I thought the ending was very creative, and it did make Del Rio look like a sneaky and slimy heel, who would do anything to win the title back. Match Rating- 8/10

Miz & R-Truth Return

Cena attacking Del Rio was expected. It wasn’t a surprise, because Cena lost his championship to a man, who he despised, so he wanted some physical retribution, but the return of Miz and Truth was shocking. I thought they were done for, when security escorted them out of the building for a second time. The ending of this show felt so chaotic, because everyone was in a state of panic. The police and the arrests were a nice touch, because everything felt so real. Also, seeing the entire locker room rush to ringside added to the anarchy. A lot of wrestlers don’t agree with HHH’s philosophy, but they wanted to stop the ex employees and their surprise attack. HHH lost his cool, as he attacked Miz and shoved Laurinaitis to the ground, and The Game’s struggles as the new COO continue. Everything is out of control, and the madness keeps me glued to Raw every week.

Overall Show Rating 8/10- Hell In A Cell 2011 was a pretty entertaining show. I wasn’t a fan of the Sin Cara VS Sin Cara match, and the ending to Beth/Natalya match felt so awkward, but the rest of the card was very solid. Both Hell In A Cell matches delivered, and the WWE Championship HIAC match shocked me. I guess I’m one of those people who will always cherish the older Cell matches (Taker VS Shawn, Cactus Jack VS HHH, HHH VS Jericho, Lesnar VS Taker). These matches were so brutal and violent, but you want see this type of extreme carnage in the PG era, so I guess can be too close-minded sometimes. HHH’s struggles as COO continue, and there are a lot of questions that need to be answered, and there are plenty of reasons to tune into Raw each week.

 

[ROCKHARDjm]

Not really sure if I've seen a good Hell in a Cell since the first two. Mankind v. Undertaker still #1 by far... but really not much of a match