Following the top-notch opening video packages and WWE Champions mobile games advert, the announce team welcome us to the tenth annual Hell in a Cell event. We're also being treated to a HiaC match to kick things off
Match 1: Hell in a Cell Match - Randy Orton vs Jeff Hardy
They've been building to this for the last couple of months and done a good job of keeping everyone's interest in the event so it should be a great contest. Also, the cell's red this year (I've no idea if it was red last year - I missed that show). The commentary team note that this is surprisingly Jeff's first Hell in a Cell Match. These two waste no time in taking things to the outside where - following running Orton into the mesh - Jeff decides to bust out a table which the two proceed to use as a weapon on each other. After knocking Orton down again, Jeff busts out a ladder but Orton's got a chair! We've got a mini-TLC (not to be confused with the WeeLC) match inside the cell! Orton goes for an RKO outside the ring but Jeff reverses and shoves Orton into the cell wall. Jeff takes advantage and hits a "poetry in motion" on Orton against the cell! The action spills back in the ring and Jeff signals for the Swanton but Orton's back up! Orton hits a beautiful superplex from the top rope! Both men are up, Jeff blocks Orton's strikes and hits a "Whisper in the Wind"! Jeff goes under the ring again and pulls out another ladder and sets it up upside down outside the ring. Jeff goes to duplex Orton through the ladder rungs, Orton reverses and hits Jeff with an inverted suplex on the ladder! Orton rolls him back in the ring and covers for a two count. Orton heads outside and grabs another steel chair and cracks Jeff over the back with it a few times before ripping the back of Jeff's shirt and proceeding to hit him with a few more chair shots to his bare back. Orton grabs Jeff's belt and whips him a few times, then puts Jeff inside a ladder and proceeds to stomp on the ladder. Orton locks in a chin lock but Jeff power's through! Forearm Smash! Inverted atomic drop! Double leg drop! Cover by Jeff - 2 count. Jeff goes for the Twist of Fate but Orton counters it and hits a beautiful powerslam! Orton covers for two then heads outside and empties a tool box from under the ring and grabs a screwdriver - he's going to try and rip Jeff's ear lobes off! Orton got the screwdriver through Jeff's ear and twisting it! Jeff hits Orton with a massive low blow to get out of it then whips the hell out of Orton. Hardy then hits a shedload of chair shots and covers for another 2 count. Jeff heads up top but Orton hits the rope and knocks Jeff off. Orton hits the elevated DDT between the ropes and we can see how badly Jeff has lashed Orton's back - his studded belt has busted open Randy's back! Orton pounds the ground, signalling the RKO, Jeff reverses and hits a Twist of Fate. Jeff puts a chair on top of Orton and goes to the top rope. Swanton Bomb on a chair! Cover! Randy kicks out at 2!!! Jeff goes to outside and pulls out another ladder and another table from under the ring. Jeff sets two ladders up inside the ring with a table next to them, hits Orton with another Twist of Fate following a brief delete chant and puts Orton on the table. Jeff goes to leap frog but changes his mind and grabs the top of the cell. Jeff swings himself over Orton and drops but Orton moves out of the way! The ref calls for help. Orton covers Jeff and gets the three count. The cell's lifted and EMTs head down to put Jeff of a stretcher after putting a neck brace on him. There's no music or anything for a long time so Jeff may have been legitimately injured?
Winner via Pinfall: Randy Orton
Rating: 4.5/5 - They've set the bar high for the rest of the show. I doubt anything can really follow this (aside from maybe AJ vs Joe)
We get an advert for Super Show-Down in Australia on October 6th and the "Last time ever" match between Triple H and Undertaker and then an advert for a new season of Total Divas before heading backstage for an interview with WWE Champion AJ Styles who can't wait for his match with Samoa Joe to get some payback for Joe talking smack about his family.
Match 2: WWE SmackDown Women's Championship Match - Charlotte Flair (Champion) vs. Becky Lynch
These two always deliver and with Becky turning on Charlotte (not the other way round) it adds a new dynamic to their rivalry. I genuinely hope Becky gets the win here so let's see what happens. Charlotte's peacock entrance robe is fantastic. These two start off with some fast paced chain wrestling back-and-forth. Charlotte goes for the figure four early and Becky reverses it into an attempted "Dis-Arm-Her". The chain wrestling continues with a few near falls until Becky knocks Charlotte outside then hits a jumping superman punch from the apron. Lynch rolls her back in the ring then covers for a 2 count. Becky dominates for a few minutes with Charlotte getting the occasional counter but gets cut off by Lynch at every opportunity. So far this match has been an excellent showcase if both women. Lynch goes for a leg drop and misses. Charlotte takes control momentarily only for Becky to cut her off again. The two start battling on the apron and Becky takes Charlotte down again. Becky's been doing a good job of focusing in Charlotte's arms throughout the match. Becky hits a few forearms until Flair reverses and hits a few of her father's trademark chops (which the crowd woooos along with, as is tradition). Charlotte heads up top and goes for a moonsault but misses and Becky locks in the armbar. Charlotte power's through and lifts Becky into a devastating powerbomb. The two trade forearms back and forth until Lynch takes control and then hits a hammerlock drop for a 2 count. Becky heads to the top rope and goes for the missile dropkick but Charlotte catches her and slaps on a Boston crab. Charlotte goes for a roll up but Becky counters into the "Dis-Arm-Her" and Charlotte gets under the ropes. Charlotte gets back in, eats a DDT and that's it! 3 count!
Winner and New WWE SmackDown Women's Champion: Becky Lynch
As Becky celebrates, Charlotte stays seated in the ring and nods her head at Becky then the music cuts and the two face off before Charlotte offers to raise Becky's hand. Becky rejects her and leaves with her newly win title.
Rating: 4/5 - I genuinely thought this was going to fall flat following that opener, but I was (happily) wrong.
We then get a trailer for The Marine 6 (SIX?!?!) starring The Miz, Shawn Michaels and Becky Lynch.
We then get a recap of the preview show where the WWE SmackDown Tag Team Champions, The New Day (Kofi Kingston and Big E) retained their titles over Rusev Day. We then head backstage to see The New Day celebrate their victory and Kofi disappears only to reapper as Kramer to interview Xavier Woods and Big E about Super Show-Down.
Match 3: WWE Raw Tag Team Championship - Dolph Ziggler & Drew McIntyre (Champions) vs. The Shield (Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose)
As Michael Cole points out, if Rollins and Ambrose win then The Shield will hold all of Raw's men's titles - Seth already has the Intercontinental Championship and Roman has the Universal - so it'll be interesting to see if they give them the belts for that reason alone. Dolph and Seth start things off, these two always have tremendous chemistry. The four worked a tremendous, back-and-forth tag match that showcased all four men equally. The end stretch was particularly awesome with Rollins reversing Dolph's Fame-Asser into a turnbuckle powerbomb then covering only for Drew to break the pin. Ambrose then exploded into Drew with a flurry of punches that took both men outside while Seth and Dolph traded roll-ups until Ziggler hit the Zig-day! Cover! Rollins kicks out at 2! Both men are down and crawling to their corners. Dolph gets the tag to Drew, they go for the double team but Ambrose drags Dolph out! Seth hits the superkick for a two count! Rollins hits another then goes to the top rope and hits a frog splash on Drew for another 2 count! Tag to Ambrose. Ambrose and Rollins go for a double suoerplax but Dolph intervenes and takes Seth to the outside. Drew and Dolph go for the Doomsday Device but Dean gets out of it. Seth gets the blind tag as Dean and Drew head outside then hits Dolph with a superplex from the top rope but Drews back in! CLAYMORE! Cover by Dolph! 1! 2! 3!
Winners and still WWE Raw Tag Team Champions: Dolph Ziggler and Drew McIntyre
Rating: 4/5 - I've been pleasantly surprised with this show so far. Every match has been top notch
We show Braun backstage watching Dolph and Drew walk away with their titles then Mick Foley joins him to tell him the dangers of the Hell in a Cell Match and to respect his authority!
We then get a video package for the return of The Mixed Match Challenge, available from Tuesday on Facebook watch immediately following SmackDown Live.
Match 4: WWE World Heavyweight Championship - AJ Styles (Champion) vs. Samoa Joe
We get a weird "story time with Samoa Joe" segment first as Joe reads a kids book that he's made to berate AJ with for some reason. As someone who's been watching these two year it up with each other since Ring of Honor and TNA back at the turn of the century, I have been genuinely looking forward to then facing off tonight, especially given how good their encounter was as SummerSlam. Straight off the bar Styles lunges at Joe with some intense brawling. The two then continue to put on an absolute clinic. After some great back and forth action, Styles hits the springboard 450 splash for a 2 count. Joe shoots AJ into the corner then hits a devasting clothesline that turns Styles upside down and gets a 2 count of his own. AJ's bleeding from the mouth. Joe goes for a Muscle Buster but AJ rolls it through into a Styles Clash that Joe escapes from. AJ goes for the Calf Crushed but Joe counters again. Cover! 2 count! Joe goes for clothesline, AJ ducks and hits the Pele kick and works his way outside. AJ goes for the Phenomenal Forearm! Joe counters it into a Konica Clutch! Styles rolls him up (Bret/Austin 96 style) and gets the 3 count while simultaneously tapping out to Joe's hold! The referee awards the decision to AJ
Winner and still WWE Champion: AJ Styles
Joe starts having a bit of a tantrum then AJ drops him and proceeds to celebrate!
Rating: 4.5/5 - That's four consecutive top quality matches in a row. I've been very surprised by Hell in a Cell so far....
We then get a video package for The WWE Champions mobile game again and then an advert for a WWE Network special of Mick Foley reflecting on his Hell in a Cell Match with the Undertaker from 20 years ago.
We then see Ronda Rousey air boxing backstage with Nia Has coaching her on. We then cut to an exclusive interview with The Miz and Maryse about their upcoming match against Daniel Bryan and Brie Bella.
Match 5: Daniel Bryan and Brie Bella vs. The Miz and Maryse
I'm liking the matching gear that both couples are sporting. It's amazing to think that The Miz and Bryan started feuding over 8 years ago and their match-ups haven't got stale yet. This was a good contest between two couples that seems to be a placeholder for the inevitable Miz/Bryan showdown that I'm assuming will take place at WrestleMania - if the WWE can keep them apart that long. I'm predicting a Team Bryan vs. Team Miz match at Survivor Series (unless they go the Raw vs. SmackDown route in which case I'd expect them to be co-captains of Team SmackDown). We got some cool spots like synchronised Yes Kicks and both Miz and Maryse countering at the same time. Brie shoved Maryse into Miz then rolled her up only for Maryse to counter for the 3 count!
Winners: The Mix and Maryse
Rating: 4/5 - another enjoyable match, it serves primarily as a stepping stone for the Miz and Bryan which I'm absolutely fine with.
Michael Cole gives a recap on the opening match and an update on the condition of Jeff Hardy. The hospital officials have told Cole that Jeff is coughing up blood and in severe abdominal pain.
Match 6: WWE Raw Women's Championship Match - Ronda Rousey (Champion) vs. Alexa Bliss
To be honest, I'm not looking forward to this match. After Ronda decimated Bliss at SummerSlam and continued to get the upper hand at every opportunity, I'm expecting this to go down one of two ways. Either Rousey wind decisively or someone screws her over to get Alexa the win (maybe Natalya turns on her or Stephanie McMahon comes for revenge and the two face off at Evolution). Huh. Pleasantly surprised by this match. Bliss was surprisingly dominant throughout (which she should be). Natalia helps even the odds outside the ring and takes out Alicia Fox while Ronda attacks Mickie James, then Ronda and Alexa hit each other with the running criss body leading to the pair having a double down spot. Alexa gets up first and continues to dominate Rousey until Ronda screams at her and then overpowers Bliss. Rousey hits a combination of strikes then Alexa counters with a kick to the ribs before Ronda regains momentum then locks in the armbar for an instant tap out.
Winner via submission and still WWE Raw Women's Champion: Ronda Rousey
Rating 3.5/5 - This wasn't a bad match and Ronda continues to improve, I just can't seem to get into her one-woman army push that she's been having so far.
We get another Marine 6 trailer (it does actually look surprisingly good) followed by another Triple H/Undertaker Super Show-Down package as well as the announcement that The Undertaker would be on Monday Night Raw tomorrow night.
Samoa Joe is kicking off at the referee backstage and Paige cuts his shot off before announcing AJ vs. Joe at Super Show-Down in a no-DQ match for the title.
The announce team then run down the announced matches for Super Show-Down
Match 7: WWE Universal Championship Hell in a Cell Match - Roman Reigns (Champion) vs. Braun Strowman
Special Guest Referee: Mick Foley
This has some high expectations following the tremendous match between Jeff Hardy and Randy Orton that kicked tonight's show off. These two went straight at it with Braun dominating for the most part - which is a pleasant surprise as heel turns usually tend to make people cowardly (take Seth Rollins Shinsuke Nakamura and Kevin Owens as prime examples). Braun pulls out a chair and Roman surprises him with a lend stick that he flat out breaks from hitting Braun so hard. Roman hits the superman punch but Braun still stands. Roman hits another but Braun still stands! Roman goes for a third and Braun chokeslams Roman and gets a near fall. Braun sends Roman to the ropes then lifts him but Roman counters into a mid-air superman punch for a near fall of his own! Roman heads outside and brings out a table. Braun regains momentum then proceeds to batter Roman with the steel ring steps then hits his running powerslam am for another near fall. Braun then sets up a table in the corner and goes for a powerslam buy Roman reverses it then hits two superman punches and spears Braun through the table! Cover! 2 count! Brauns buddies - Dolph and Drew head out and try to get in the cell only for Rollins and Ambrose to appear and brawl with the pair outside the ring. Rollins chases Dolph to the top of the cell and proceed to beat the hell out of each other. Drew joins them and Dolph and Drew start double teaming Rollins until Ambrose gets up there with a kendo stick to even the odds. Ambrose and Drew beat the hell out of each other until hitting a double clothesline and everyone's down (especially Roman and Braun who are just watching from the ring at this point). Dolph and Seth start brawling on the walk of the cell on the way down only for them to both fall through the two announce tables. Shit! Lesnar's music hits! Brock's here (with Heyman). The ref refuses to ooen the door but Brock gives zero ducks and rips a panel off the wall. Hey man then sprays mace or something in Mick Foley's fave while Brock just destroys Braun and Roman with the broken pieces of table. Brock hits Braun with an F5 then turns his attention to Roman! F5 to Reigns on too of Braun! Brock and Heyman leave and an official comes down to declare the match a "No Contest".
Winners: None
Rating: 4/5 - This was a lot better than I expected, what with the added multi-man mayhem and return of Brock. The match between Braun and Roman was alright in of itself but those extra factors boosted it right up.
Overall Rating and Final Thoughts: A solid 9/10 for this show. Every match was great, even the ones I wasn't looking forward to. Brock's return was genuinely surprising and Becky Lynch picking up the title was a fantastic match. What's more Randy Orton and Jeff Hardy set the bar incredibly high to kick the show off.
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