The 2016 Hell in a Cell event is over and done with, which means it’s time for another post-show podcast review and another 3-Count perspective of some sort.
Since this was billed as a “triple main event”, it makes sense to focus on those three matches, so this go-around will be my three biggest takeaways between those Hell in a Cell bouts.
1) WWE United States Championship Match: Up to Par with the Feud Itself
Roman Reigns and Rusev have had such an underwhelming feud that has dragged on far too long, so it shouldn’t have been a surprise to me that I felt like their match itself ended up doing the same thing. Hell in a Cell matches have gone down the drain in general and are no longer as good as they used to be—generally speaking—but while the other two matches had interesting things about them, this one did not.
Nothing here was special at all. The steel steps had more mystique built around them than the cage itself, which is odd. The chain wasn’t something that had been built up to have any kind of payoff. The finish of the match was a regular spear that just incorporated an object being jumped over (instead of a spear through something to make it more damaging). Hell, part of the match involved Rusev hitting Roman with a kendo stick in the one spot that his protective vest has the most protection!
This feud has basically been what feels like 5 months of them hating each other because Reigns was a dick and ruined some cake and a dress. That’s it. If this would have at least been a glorious Hell in a Cell match to cap it off, some of what came before it could have been forgiven, but this just means this entire feud was basically a bust. The end result is that the few people like myself who actually like Roman Reigns don’t get any real satisfaction out of it while the majority of the audience simply continues to boo him anyway. It’s a lose/lose, especially for those Rusev fans out there.
Nobody is going to be remembering this match even existed by the time next year’s Hell in a Cell comes around.
2) WWE Universal Championship Match: Seriously, How Good is JeriKO?
I thought Seth Rollins and Kevin Owens would play it safe due to Rollins recently being injured, but they ended up having the best match of the night. One of those elements that made the match even better, though, was the incorporation of Chris Jericho.
Throwing him into the mix seemed like it was inevitable, but how they would do it was still up for debate. The use of the fire extinguisher on the referee was hilarious and it allowed Y2J’s entrance to be done in a way that hasn’t happened before. Rather than Owens escaping the cage like a coward or for someone to rip the door down, this was a means to outsmart the situation, and I loved it.
I’m conflicted about where I want their friendship to go in the future, as I would hate to see them part, but I would also love to see them feud. In any scenario, I imagine it being pure gold.
3) WWE Raw Women’s Championship Match: Almost Perfect if it Weren’t for Those Damn Flaws
This was so, so close to being the type of thing that would shut up naysayers. Obviously, it was historic before it even started, as they not only accomplished main-eventing a pay-per-view, but in a Hell in a Cell cage nonetheless. Nobody will ever be able to argue against the idea that this was an important match, as that’s not even up for debate.
But damn it, WWE, why was Charlotte the winner? Why was she booked to win in the way she was victorious, too? That pin felt awkward as hell (in a cell) and you could tell the audience wasn’t shocked just out of surprise that the hometown girl lost—which I argue would have made things SO much better as a finish despite how predictable that could have been—but the crowd was also shocked that that was the finale out of nowhere. It didn’t feel like it would be the end of the match. Something was off.
The decision to have Charlotte win is going to be tough to justify. I can only think the reason why they chose to go with her is because they prefer to have her be the one that goes down in the record books as being victorious, which is a lame decision if that’s the case. This belt has changed hands too many times between Sasha and Charlotte over the past few months and now not only do I no longer want to see Charlotte as the champion (which I haven’t wanted in a long while, as I find her promos excruciating to listen to and her character’s growth stunted), I also no longer care about seeing Sasha win it back. She’s beaten Charlotte twice before. A third time isn’t going to mean anything whether it happens at Survivor Series, Roadblock, Royal Rumble, etc.
A few botches aside and a questionable start aside, I enjoyed this match a lot and to see the ending happen the way it did just put a sour taste in my mouth. Even worse, it’s the type of negative thing that will constantly be overlooked because of how historic the match itself was. People will care more that it happened rather than how it happened, and that’s a shame. Sasha Banks and Charlotte were doing great and it just seems to me like overbooking got in the way of giving them an even better segment overall.
For more opinions on the show as a whole, check out the latest edition of the Smark Out Moment wrestling podcast SMACK TALK as the panel reviews Hell in a Cell with our immediate reactions following the event before the dust has fully settled.
Hosted by Anthony Mango
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