Chad Gable and Shelton Benjamin vs. The Hype Bros
Kickoff Match
.@WWEGable JUST DID THAT! #HIAC pic.twitter.com/SB2vukbC0k
— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) October 8, 2017
Typical kickoff match. Some sloppy/awkward spots, but not bad. Gable and Benjamin had new matching outfits, which were sick.
No hard cam shots, only close-ups due to the arena being half empty. I have no idea why they put these matches on so early.
Winner: Chad Gable and Shelton Benjamin
The New Day (c) vs. The Usos
SmackDown Live Tag Team Championships Hell in a Cell Match
This #HellInACell Match is looking like a straight up COLLISION COURSE! @WWEUsos @WWEBigE #HIAC pic.twitter.com/KuKOqHgl3Z
— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) October 9, 2017
This bout was amazing. These two teams have had one hell of a rivalry, with each match topping the previous one. This was the perfect way to end their feud, assuming that this was indeed the finale.
Kofi Kingston sat this one out, which allowed Xavier Woods to take a beating inside the cell and take a beating he did. He was absolutely destroyed by the Usos with kendo sticks for the majority of the match. It was borderline hard to watch at some points. There’s no doubt he’s going to be in pain for the next few days.
The spots in this match were so creative. These guys are really innovative in the ring in a normal match, so having all of these toys (including the cell itself) to play with really allowed for some cool stuff to happen.
Fantastic feud. Fantastic match. Fantastic way to start the show.
Winner: The Usos
Randy Orton vs. Rusev
The #BulgarianBrute @RusevBUL is determined to wear down #TheViper @RandyOrton! #HIAC pic.twitter.com/lH2RYhQVuR
— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) October 9, 2017
Not a bad match, but the wrong guy won. Such is life.
There was a cool false finish where Rusev grabbed Orton’s arms during his “smack the ground really hard because I’m a snake” deal, and almost locked in The Accolade, but Orton reversed it and hit the RKO for the victory.
Winner: Randy Orton
AJ Styles (c) vs. Baron Corbin vs. Tye Dillinger
United States Championship Match
HE’S DONE IT! @BaronCorbinWWE is your NEWWW #USChampion! #HIAC pic.twitter.com/3OAyVPtemb
— WWE (@WWE) October 9, 2017
Tye Dillinger was added to this match during the pre-show, making it a triple threat.
I really wish these guys would have brawled more, especially since there are no disqualifications in a triple threat match.
AJ Styles really shined, which is par for the course, especially with his bumps. He takes an ass-kicking better than anyone else in the WWE.
Styles hits Dillinger with a Phenomenal Forearm and Corbin dumps Styles to the outside to get the pinfall victory over Dillinger, taking the title.
Winner: Baron Corbin
Natalya (c) vs. Charlotte Flair
SmackDown Live Women’s Championship Match
Caution thrown to the wind by #TheQueen @MsCharlotteWWE! #HIAC #WomensTitle pic.twitter.com/t1PPtsGyJD
— WWE (@WWE) October 9, 2017
Prior to the match, WWE showed a very Flair-heavy video package, detailing Ric’s health scare and the effect it had on Charlotte.
The bout centered around Natalya working Charlotte’s knee, which I enjoyed.
The match ended with a random, somewhat sudden, DQ finish. Natalya attacked Charlotte’s knee with a steel chair at ringside after Charlotte hit her moonsault to the floor and could not capitalize due to her injured knee. Very lackluster and frustrating ending to a promising match.
Winner: Charlotte (via DQ)
Jinder Mahal (c) vs. Shinsuke Nakamura
WWE Championship Match
The #ModernDayMaharaja @JinderMahal will see another day as YOUR #WWEChampion! #AndStill #HIAC pic.twitter.com/mnPbT3Jod2
— WWE (@WWE) October 9, 2017
I have no words.
Jinder Mahal beat Shinsuke Nakamura CLEAN to retain the WWE Championship.
This was a mood killer, to say the least.
Winner: Jinder Mahal
Bobby Roode vs. Dolph Ziggler
.@REALBobbyRoode may have gotten the W, but it was @HEELZiggler who got the last laugh! #HIAC pic.twitter.com/EmHTPKa2CF
— WWE (@WWE) October 9, 2017
The Nakamura loss drained all of the energy out of the building (and my living room), so the fans weren’t really into this one.
The bout itself was solid. The finish was a cool spot where each man repeatedly reversed roll-ups, grabbing the tights of their opponent each time. Roode got the victory after digging deep into Ziggler’s tights on the last roll-up.
Immediately after the match, Ziggler attacked Roode, which means this one isn’t over. Expect to see more matches between these two for the next month or so.
Winner: Bobby Roode
Shane McMahon vs. Kevin Owens
Hell in a Cell Match
WHAT IS HAPPENING??!??! @SamiZayn just HELPED @FightOwensFight take down a helpless @shanemcmahon! #HIAC pic.twitter.com/FiIAC00fGM
— WWE (@WWE) October 9, 2017
I loved this match.
Obviously, the build was phenomenal, and despite the weird “Falls Count Anywhere” stipulation that was added ON TOP of the Hell in a Cell stipulation, I had the highest of hopes for this bout.
There was a TON of brawling, including a good bit of action that took place on top of the cell. KO took a nasty fall from about midway up through an announce table. The fans, myself included, thought that was going to be the big bump of the night. We were wrong.
Shane O’Mac did the ol’ elbow drop from the top of the cell spot, but KO was pulled away by Sami Zayn, who appears to be aligning himself with KO going forward. Shane O’Mac hit the table HARD. He has a legitimate ambulance ride to the hospital in his future tonight because he needs to be checked out after a fall of that magnitude.
Kevin Owens got the win, via assistance from Sami Zayn after Shane McMahon tried to kill himself yet again.
Winner: Kevin Owens
Did you enjoy the 2017 Hell in a Cell pay-per-view event? Tell us on Twitter, @TheRumbleRamble.
