WrestleRant
  • Home
  • Columnist Corner
  • Reviews
  • Interviews
  • Audio
  • Videos
  • Store
  • About
  • Contact
Picture

WWE Hell in a Cell Review - October 8, 2017

10/8/2017

0 Comments

 
Picture
By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Shelton Benjamin and Chad Gable def. The Hype Bros (Kickoff Match)

Everyone assumed Benjamin and Gable were going over as they should have, so while this wasn't the most memorable Kickoff match, I appreciated that they picked up the pace a bit down the stretch. Most of the matchup was fairly formulaic, but the last quarter was a treat. Of course, the breakup angle with The Hype Bros was furthered with Zack Ryder and Mojo Rawley teasing tension and that getting in the way of them picking up the win.

The Usos def. The New Day in a Hell in a Cell Match to Win the SmackDown Tag Team Championship

Every encounter these two teams have had over the last five months have been nothing short of spectacular, and the (apparent) blow-off to the long-running rivalry was probably their best bout yet. This was what Satan's Structure was designed for, and they more than made the most of the stipulation by brutalizing each other in incredible fashion. It could have headlined the event and no one would have questioned it. The match set the bar pretty high for the rest of the night and was an excellent example of a Hell in a Cell contest done right in the modern era. Congrats to The Usos and New Day for putting together such a stellar series of matches this year and taking tag team wrestling to the next level.
Picture

Randy Orton def. Rusev

I honestly wasn't looking forward to this match coming into the event because although their first two matches were extremely brief, I wasn't sure what kind of chemistry they would have as opponents. Ultimately, they delivered a surprisingly pleasant matchup where the crowd was engaged in the action. The finishing sequence was especially fun and made Rusev look like he was on Orton's level, despite the defeat. I don't know what will make Orton interesting again, but at least this was a quality performance from him.

Baron Corbin def. AJ Styles and Tye Dillinger in a Triple Threat Match to Win the United States Championship

I have no doubt that Styles and Corbin could have had a great match on their own, but adding Dillinger to this championship clash was definitely for the best. Not only does it save Styles vs. Corbin for later down the line, Dillinger getting a shot at the strap on this show needed to happen after he pinned Corbin on the latest episode of SmackDown Live. The three of them worked well together and had an enjoyable Triple Threat match with the right man going over. Yes, Styles didn't fulfill his full potential as U.S. Champion and never truly brought back the open challenge gimmick, but here's hoping this leads to him rejoining the main event scene eventually which is where he belongs.

Charlotte Flair def. SmackDown Women's Champion Natalya by Disqualification

Charlotte and Natalya had a pretty promising track record heading into Hell in a Cell of having good to great matches together, so I had high hopes for this in the ring. Unfortunately, it failed to meet those lofty expectations. The crowd, which had been hot all night prior to this point, sat on their hands for a majority of the match, and understandably so because they were waiting for something to happen. Well, before they could reach that next gear, Natalya got herself disqualified out of nowhere. I don't mind that they kept the title on Natalya for a little longer, but this was an awful way of cutting the contest short.

WWE Champion Jinder Mahal def. Shinsuke Nakamura

It continues to be completely illogical that the SmackDown officials don't ban The Singh Brothers from ringside during Mahal's matches from the get-go. They have interfered in every Mahal match since he became a "main event player" earlier this year, and it's so damn predictable and tiresome. This was a bit better than their SummerSlam encounter, but this was still an underwhelming outing with a disappointing outcome. I had a bad feeling Mahal would retain with WWE touring India soon, and that's exactly what happened. I've said everything imaginable about how Mahal as WWE Champion just isn't working, but WWE will move along with the experiment, regardless.

Bobby Roode def. Dolph Ziggler

Whoever formatted this show had to know that the crowd wasn't going to care about this contest following Mahal's successful WWE title defense, so I can't say I was shocked when they were flat for this month. The effort was there and it was well-wrestled, but it suffered from its positioning so late in the night right before the main event. Roode winning was what needed to happen, yet Ziggler attacked him afterward, so basically, no one benefits it seems.

Kevin Owens def. Shane McMahon in a Hell in a Cell Match

This wasn't nearly as exciting early on as The Usos vs. New Day, but the important thing is that it told a terrific story throughout with Owens ruthlessly beating down Shane and Shane refusing to back down. The Falls Count Anywhere stipulation in a Hell in a Cell match remains silly to me, but it was cool that they took their fight to the top of the structure and endured some unreal bumps. It was only inevitable before Shane would jump off the cell, but I had no idea Sami Zayn would help get Owens the hell out of dodge. That's an amazing twist that makes me and many others excited to see the fallout on Tuesday's SmackDown.

Overall Show

Hell in a Cell was off to a strong start with the first three matches and two title changes, but then took a turn for the worse with the mediocre women's match. From there, the WWE Championship match left a sour taste in the mouths of most fans and Roode vs. Ziggler will be forgotten a week from now. Thankfully, the event closed on a high note with the main event and Zayn swerve, so on the whole, it was an entertaining pay-per-view. As I've noted countless times in the past, Mahal as WWE Champion does nothing for me, but fingers crossed that issue is rectified soon enough.
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.


    Categories

    All
    #AskGSM
    Battle Of The Belts
    Cruiserweight Classic
    Halftime Heat
    Hidden Gems
    Interviews
    Lists/Rankings
    Mae Young Classic
    Mixed Match Challenge
    News
    NJPW
    NWA Shockwave
    NXT PLEs
    Opinion
    Previews
    Retro Reviews
    Reviews
    RJ's Two Cents
    Satire
    Slammy Awards
    SNME
    SummerSlam Recall
    The Deadly Draw
    The World Is A Vampire
    Tribute To The Troops
    Women's Eliminator
    Worlds Collide
    WrestleMania Recall
    WWE Draft
    WWE Network Specials
    WWE PLEs
    WWE Starrcade


    Archives

    May 2025
    April 2025
    March 2025
    February 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011
    January 2011
    December 2010
    November 2010

    RSS Feed

©2025 WrestleRant. All Rights Reserved.
  • Home
  • Columnist Corner
  • Reviews
  • Interviews
  • Audio
  • Videos
  • Store
  • About
  • Contact