WWE Hell in a Cell 2017 Review 10/09/2017

Hello Misfits! It’s the Wrestling Classic here with my Hell in a Cell review. I was 4-3-1 with my predictions. I didn’t catch the kick-off and have not got the chance to check it out yet, so I won’t be reviewing the tag team match but I did hear it was really good. I didn’t go into this event with high expectations even though the card was stacked. Due to that mentality this event exceeded my expectations immensely. I’ll get more into that in my final thoughts of the PPV. Hell in a Cell this year was hosted by the Smackdown Live brand as Raw takes TLC this year. This event featured two Hell in a Cell matches. One for the tag team titles and the other was a grudge match against two bitter rivals. The Women’s, United States and WWE Championship were all on the line tonight as well. Bobby Roode also makes his PPV debut. As I mentioned before this card was stacked so lets get into it.

Image via WWE.com

No Mercy 2017 comes to us from the Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, MI.

– The Smackdown announce team of Corey Graves, Tom Phillips and Byron Saxton are calling the show.

Hell in a Cell
WWE Tag Team Championship
The Usos def. The New Day (C)
in 22:00 via pinfall
This match set the bar for the night and I don’t think anybody got close to it until the main event. These two teams put on a show which involved creativity and violence. This wasnt a great match in the cell but a match that was worthy of the cell gimmick. These two teams got creative and involved the cell in that creativity. It the kendo sticks to corner one of the Uso’s will be one of those spots I’ll remember for quite some time now. The same goes for the Usos doing a suicide dive spot where Big E was on one of their shoulders. The cell also made sure this match stayed two on two where sometimes the third New Day member could throw off the dynamic of fair play. This match was violent and it felt fuelled with hatred. The use of handcuffs to lock up the New Day members to just brutally smoke them with kendo sticks gave us that brutality we missed in cell matches without the colour. It actually felt like The Usos had them trapped and main goal was to torture them. There weren’t any high spots or big spots like in the main event but it was more of a violent street fight that fit the enviroment with great psychology. There were kendo sticks, chairs, handcuffs, a gong and even a cowbell. There were near falls but it wasn’t over done. All four guys left the match looking like stars. These guys have worked together a lot these past 3-4 years and they have great chemistry. All of their matches have been great but this definitely had to be the best one yet. WATCH THIS MATCH. Definitely one of the top matches on 2017 for the WWE.
Rating – ****

Randy Orton def. Rusev
in 11:40 by pinfall
It’s a tough job to follow a match like the Hell in a Cell match we just saw. Orton and Rusev were the ones who had to try. Finally Orton and Rusev will get to have a proper length match after the quick 1-4 minute squash matches they have been having. Orton and Rusev both have had a rough 2017 yet Rusev’s a lot more forgettable than Ortons. This match was solid. Technically, there was nothing wrong with it. It was a solid singles match where neither guy really missed a step but it just didn’t have the crowd into it. A few of things that stood out to me the most was Rusev screaming “Rusev Day!” whenever it felt acceptable and the cool reversal from Orton’s RKO taunt into an accolade which led to nothing. Personally, I think Rusev should have been able to lock in the accolade to have Orton pass out but it wasn’t the case. Orton still came back with a vicious looking RKO for the win. I feel like Rusev should have been the one to go over here. However, the series between them now 2-1 and WWE’s app made that very clear in their notification. Therefore, I think this rivalry continues and Rusev will eventually get his moment to shine. Orton doesn’t gain anything from winning here but Rusev doesn’t either and quite frankly, who needs it more. The pace of this match and the actual in ring work was solid but this could be forgettable.
Rating – **3/4

Triple Threat
United States Championship
Baron Corbin def. AJ Styles (C) & Tye Dillinger
in 19:20 via pinfall
Tye Dillinger was added to match on the kick-off thus making it a triple threat. It added a lot of suspense to if Styles could lose the title without taking the fall. Triple Threat matches can get really tricky and can fall under this same formula where one of the guys is unconscious outside the ring while two guys go at it in the ring. That happened quite a bit here. It started off with the babyfaces working on Corbin but it felt like they went a very long stretch with Corbin being in control. It just felt like forever. Corbin isolated Dillinger rather than Styles who he kept knocking to the floor outside. Corbin plays the bully well and with both guys looking visually smaller than Corbin it worked. There was also a ton of near falls and cool moments where it looked someone had it in the bag. For example when Styles hit the pele kick on Tye but he falls onto Corbin for a near fall. It almost felt as if Dillinger could have won right then. There were some near falls after finishing and signature moves as well. The finish came when Styles hit the phenomenal forearm on Dillinger but Corbin tossed Styles out of the ring to steal the win. This was a solid match that was more unpredictable than I expected. I guess it was because Dillinger being involved.
Rating – ***3/4

Smackdown Women’s Champioship
Charlotte def. Natalya (C)
in 12:15 via DQ
Natalya and Charlotte have now wrestled for four different women’s championships in the last five years. This was the first time where Natalya is the one defending the championship. This was a perfectly fine wrestling match. These two women have worked with each other ton and know each other really well. I actually got to see them wrestle each other live the last time they came to Vancouver. I like the story they told with Natalya working on Charlotte’s leg but the only thing I didn’t really understand was Charlotte’s stubbornness of wanting to hit the moonsault even with a hurt leg. It was impressive when she finally did get the moonsualt on Natalya to the outside but the way she landed made it seem like it hurt her more than Nattie. Nattie tried running away but Charlotte got up which just led to Nattie causing a DQ by attacking Charlotte’s leg with a chair. This match just never got to second gear however I dont think it was ever intended to and the story-telling was perfectly fine. I think its just getting used to Natalya as the heel and Charlotte as the babyface. It is the first time they have feuded with these roles reversed and it’s just feels easier to feel sympathetic for a babyface Natalya than it does a babyface Charlotte.
Rating – **1/2

– The Fashion Files are back. They say they closed the case, and get a delivery from the Ascension is disguise. The case appears to still be open. It’s a poster of the Ascension, who want “2 B” their friends. They make fun of the Ascension, who unmask and walk away sadly. Now, they get delivered a briefcase. They open it and it glows gold. They say they have a new case. To be continued Tuesday.

WWE Championship
Jinder Mahal (C) w/ The Singh Brothers def. Shinsuke Nakamura
in 12:10 by pinfall
This was another perfectly solid wrestling match. It wasn’t anything special or a MOTY candidate but there was absolutely nothing wrong with it. If you asked me what the different in this match compared to their last match it would be very hard for me to point anything specifically. The loudest pop of the match was achieved when Lil Naitch sent the Singh Brothers backstage and ejected from ringside. It gave everyone hope that Shinsuke actually had this match won if the Singh Brothers were gone but he still couldn’t get the job done. Nakamura hit a kinshasa only for Mahal being able to reach the ropes. Mahal dodged a second kinshasa attempt only to hit his finisher for the win. I do appreciate the fact that they had the finish be different. Instead of just having Singh Brothers interfere or cause of distraction they were kicked out and Mahal overcame Nakamura himself. I’ve read that people have been saying Nakamura has been booked poorly since making his main roster which I have to disagree with since he’s already in the main title picture and already defeated both Cena and Orton. If you ask me thats a pretty impressive resume. I’m just curious about whats next for him. I dont want to see him in the mid-card. I could see him feuding with Styles or Orton. I guess we’ll have to wait and see. As for The Modern Day Maharaja, his controversial reign continues. They both need something more interesting to do because this angle just didn’t work.
Rating – ***

 – Owens cuts a promo about tonight HIAC match, putting over the HIAC match, and claiming how dangerous he is. He will be at home in the cell tonight, and says Shane tried to ruin his career, and will ruin Shane tonight. He’s ready to do whatever it takes to send Shane a message, and will send Shane to hell, where he belongs. Really good promo from Owens there.

Bobby Roode def. Dolph Ziggler
in 11:35 by pinfall
I enjoyed Dolph Ziggler’s entrance. It was pretty funny. This match was another one that from a technical in ring standpoint was perfectly fine. It was a solid wrestling match but nothing too special. Ziggler was on the offence more than Roode which I found odd for Roode’s debut PPV match. Roode had a style that worked for him on NXT but doesn’t work here since he’s wrestling as a babyface. I understand that Roode’s entrance is over but I honestly thing he should have been brought to the main roster as a top heel. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Roode as the next contender for the US or WWE Championship. This match was used as the filler match between the WWE Championship match and the main event hell in a cell. Thus it made it feel longer than it actually was because we were anticipating the main event. The match came to a finish when Roode went for the Glorious DDT but Ziggler countered it, which led to a series of countered roll-ups until Roode picked up the win after pulling the tights. Ziggler attacked Roode after the match. It seems as if this rivalry will continue and hopefully they have the pulling of the tights play a part because it was visually noticeable that Roode did so. This was lacklustre for Roode’s PPV debut.
Rating – **1/2

Falls Count Anywhere Hell in a Cell
Kevin Owens def. Shane McMahon
in 39:00 by pinfall
This was everything we expected plus more. Shane-O got all his high spots in from the coast to coast and his leap of faith elbow but we got so much more as well. This feud was personal. The weeks leading up to it and the video packages all showcased that. Owens is always tremendous with telling a story in the ring with his loud mouth, facial expressions and mannerisms as a wrestler. This match had me laugh, made me stress out and had be shocked at the end. KO taunting Shane-O’s kids while smashing his face in the cell was hysterical. He even did Shane’s little dance in front of them. Its this little things that KO does that makes him stand out more than anyone else. They did a wonderful job of building the tension. Shane and Owens both looking towards the top of the cell made the crowd go nuts. The match started slow but once the spots started coming through they didn’t stop. It kicked off with Owens missing a cannonball and going right through a table. I was confused on the thought process of why Shane wanted to fight Owens outside the cell but I understand they needed to find a way to get out there. I love how Owens teased leaping onto Shane-O but just couldn’t get himself to do it. This gave Shane enough time to regain energy to meet KO on top of the cell. Everything they did onto of the cell had be stressed out. I was filled with anxiety that the cell wouldn’t give and one of these guys was going to go crashing through to seriously injure themselves. As much as that would have made great television, it was definitely not something I wanted to see in the moment. I got worried anytime Owens took a big bump because he’s a big dude but even more worried when he his the senton and pop up power bomb on Shane-O ontop of the cage. This was followed by Shane sending Owens crashing through the table from the side of the cage and then Shane climbing to the top for the leap of faith elbow onto Owens. Owens was pulled off the table and Shane went crashing through the table. Following that we find out Sami Zayn was the one who pulled Owens off the table. I was so stressed out about these guys actually not getting hurt that I didn’t even expect anything else could happen. Sami then pulled Owens onto Shane so he could get the victory. This was really a stunt show with a great story being told. The match wasn’t as good as the opening match but it was special in its own way. This was defiantly a match that was worthy for the cell as the cell played a major role in the match. It definitely won’t be forgotten anytime soon. Remember though folks, Sami didn’t screw Shane…Shane screwed Shane.
Rating – ****1/4

Final Thoughts
This PPV far exceeded my expectations. Both cell matches were perfectly executed and they made the cell gimmick feel important in both matches. It didn’t just feel like regular matches taking place in the cell. Every match on the card was solid wrestling and from a technical standpoint, there wasn’t a bad match. Of course the two cell matches standout more than the other matches and elevated this event from being just solid to really being memorable. It also felt like the blow off to many of the older feuds and progression to ones that are finally kicking off. All the champions are heels right now which is an interesting statistic. This was definitely the best solo Smackdown Live PPV thus far. The Sami Zayn heel turn really was a great way to get everyone to want to tune into Smackdown this Tuesday. Overall, WATCH THIS SHOW because you won’t regret it. Make sure to watch the two cell matches.
Final Rating – 7/10

What were your final thoughts on Hell in a Cell? What final grade would you give the event? Where would you rate it on a scale of ten? Do you agree with my review? Leave your comments, opinions and thoughts below in the comments section.