WWE is in a weird place right now. With one of the biggest stars (I would say the biggest) in the face of the company, John Cena, reportedly about to go on a break, the roster and card are in flux. On top of that, they plopped one of the biggest rubber matches in years on this seemingly random event in Hell in a Cell. The show, sadly, couldn’t keep my attention, and I’ll try here to go into it as much as I can.

Match 1: John Cena (Champion) vs. SPOILERS!!!!! Alberto Del Rio in the US Title Open Challenge

Even after what I said, I loved this so much. Speculation was running rampant on who was going to accept the challenge and more than likely take Cena’s US Title. The guesses ranged from fan favorites like Daniel Bryan and Sami Zayn, to NXT stars in Samoa Joe and Baron Corbin (dodged a bullet with that one). When it turned out to be Del Rio, returning after leaving the company over a year ago over a nasty backstage scandal involving racism and assault, I cheered. It wasn’t until I heard his music that I realized just how much I missed him. The mismatch of him and manager Zeb Colter, the right wing American, looks to be interesting, and when we saw Del Rio in the ring with Cena, we saw what a technical Veteran looked like. With Cesaro (a vet in his own right) showing a technical style, this just looked more polished. The moves came easy to Del Rio, and he made it look that way. Even though this wasn’t Cena’s strongest performance, (looks like something’s up with him, and the time off is needed) merely a means to reintroduce Del Rio’s moveset to the audience, I enjoyed every second. Del Rio picked up the W, and I hope he keeps the open challenge in effect; I would kill to see him with some younger talent.

Winner and New US Champion: Alberto Del Rio

 

Match 2: Bray Wyatt vs. Roman Reigns in a Hell in a Cell match

Ah, back to the never ending storyline (which I believe KIND OF came to an end tonight). A Hell in a Cell match is kind of the farthest a feud can go, and the two guys treated this match as the grand finale. I really enjoyed the work they put in here, they utilized the cage and weapons, especially Kendo Sticks, in unique ways, and the offense was there for both guys. While they took some pretty crazy bumps, i.e. beaten with Kendo Stick, spear through a table, and didn’t sell them all that well, I still was drawn in. If anything, I would urge these guys to slow down, as Wyatt works well in a methodical pace, and this almost seemed at an ROH-y speed. While Roman won, and is the clear hero, the fans are yet to fully embrace him, and I’m sure if they decided to turn him, it would be an issue in the other direction.

Winner: Roman Reigns

 

Match 3: The New Day (Champions) vs. The Dudley Boyz for the WWE Tag Team Championship

This is where the show lost me. Even though the New Day coming out before the match and cutting a great promo in response to their injured third member, the match was too similar to the one they had last month. I had trouble paying attention through the whole match, and the bits I saw from the Dudleyz showed their age. They had a really awkward moment in a double team on Kofi, where they didn’t seem to know what to do and the move ended up looking rough. Legends like the Dudleyz certainly have the pass to have a moment now and then, and from a general standpoint, they’re really solid still, but it’s time for both teams to move on. The New Day looked like a great heel team again, pulling off the backhanded win, and onto the next opponent.

Winner and Still WWE Tag Team Champions: The New Day

 

Match 4: Charlotte (Champion) vs. Nikki Bella For the WWE Divas Title

As everyone who has read one of my recaps knows, I am absolutely crazy over the current Women’s division. Sadly, this match was one of the weaker ones I’ve seen from these two. They just didn’t seem to be on the same page. Charlotte was botching every now and then, and Nikki didn’t really seem to be into the match at all. While WWE continues to tease Sasha Banks to us, as the crowd is literally falling over themselves to get her, Charlotte looks like she’s miles ahead of everyone. Charlotte picked up the win, and when her teammates came out, Paige was doing this awkward nudging out of Becky. Not sure if those two will feud, since Becky didn’t seem to be giving it any thought, but I’d love to see it.

Winner and Still WWE Divas Champion: Charlotte

 

Match 5: Seth Rollins (Champion) vs. Kane for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship

Going into this event, I was irrationally excited for this match. Kane was my favorite when I was little (don’t judge), so I couldn’t wait to see him in the title picture again. The match was what you could expect. Kane is slow and getting to the tail end of his in ring career, but Rollins is so good he can carry the story at any pace and make anyone look good. Kane is at his best looking like a monster, and Rollins sold that really well in a couple places. When it took multiple flying knees and superkicks to knock him down, you saw the panic in Rollins. That’s just excellent storytelling from the champ. One scary point in the match came when Kane got sent onto an announcer’s table and bounced off the edge, appeared to really hurt his back. Thankfully, he was able to finish the match, Rollins gets over, but Kane comes out looking good

Winner and Still WWE World Heavyweight Champion: Seth Rollins

 

Match 6 Kevin Owens vs. Ryback for the WWE Intercontinental Title

Man, the crowd was absolutely dead for this match, and it was apparent as soon as Ryback came out. Due to Owens being a crowd favorite, but still playing heel, Ryback had no steam as a babyface, and the crowd spent the match disinterested. While I think these guys put in some solid work in the match, there was never a feeling that Owens was in danger of losing. I feel bad for Ryback; if he is positioned well, he could be a great asset, but here Owens needs to move into a higher spot in the card. Also, the ending of the match was a little confusing. It appeared that Owens may have raked the eyes again before hitting the pop up powerbomb for the win, but there was no confirmation from commentary. I love seeing him go over in a heelish way, so I was definitely looking for that.

Winner and Still WWE Intercontinental Champion: Kevin Owens

 

Match 7: Brock Lesnar vs. The Undertaker in a Hell in a Cell Match

Well, calling this a match is a bit of an understatement. There were moments here where I thought Lesnar’s head might pop, or he could have been really knocked out. These guys beat the living hell out of each other, as expected, but this was to another level. I don’t want to go spot by spot, but to the ring stairs falling on Lesnar’s head, to exposing the planking of the ring, this was a crazy roller coaster of near falls and “Holy ****” moments. It’s pretty indescribable, and worth checking out. Lesnar ends up going over, and while The Undertaker struggles to leave the ring, with the crowd cheering, the Wyatt family came out, beat him up, and carried him out to end the show. With the 25th anniversary of The Undertaker’s debut coming next month at Survivor Series, it’s obvious where this is going. The question is, who will be teaming with Taker?

Winner: Brock Lesnar