Roman Reigns (c) vs. Rusev – Hell In A Cell match for the United States Championship

Background: Roman Reigns defeated Rusev for the United States Championship at Clash Of Champions last month and after the two men fought to a draw in the rematch it was announced that Rusev would get a rematch for the title against Reigns in a Hell In A Cell match. Since then the two have had a war of words, with Rusev even introducing us to his family but Reigns not really respecting that.

Previous PPV matches: This is a second PPV match between these two men, Roman Reigns won the first at Clash Of Champions last month.

Hell In A Cell PPV Record: Roman Reigns is 1-1, Rusev is 1-0.

Match: Roman Reigns starts the match quickly and it’s pretty back and forth in the early going. The first big spot comes when Reigns knocks Rusev off the apron and into the tough bit of the cell. Reigns soon looks under the ring and pulls out a table but Rusev stops him from doing anything with it. The crowd give Roman Reigns a really hard time in this match, there is no interest in seeing Reigns win this match. Rusev counters a drive-by with a clothesline. Rusev then rams the ring steps into the champions face. Rusev then puts the ring steps on the top rope in the corner which I don’t ever recall seeing before. He tries to ram Roman into them but Reigns blocks. Reigns bring a kendo stick into play, laying into Rusev with repeated blows. Rusev soon takes the kendo for himself and lays into Rusev with it. Rusev smashes Roman off the steps her set off earlier and gets a near fall. Rusev then locks on the accolade but Reigns gets out of it. Rusev grabs a chain and wraps it around whips the back of Reigns with it.

Rusev pushes more steps into the ring and throws Reigns into them. Rusev then locks on the accolade on top of the ring steps using the chain for extra leverage. Reigns gets out of it and hits a Samoan drop on to the steps. Reigns hits a spear off the steps and hooks the leg for the three!

Result: Roman Reigns win by pinfall.

Review: This match was decent but didn’t really keep my attention. It was slow in parts and you feel that because there are three Hell In A Cell matches that each will suffer because of having to share out the spots. This was a good match to start off the show but not one of the best HIAC matches. Reigns holds on to the United States Championship which makes sense. Both men can move on to new rivalries now.

Rating: 6.5/10

Bayley vs. Dana Brooke

Background: Dana Brooke has been a thorn in the side of Bayley since Dana was the sidekick of Charlotte. Dana beat Bayley on Raw a couple of weeks ago in what was considered an update. Bayley looks for revenge tonight.

Previous PPV matches: This is a first time PPV match between these two girls.

Hell In A Cell PPV Record: This match marks a Hell In A Cell PPV debut for both girls.

Match: Dana Brooke starts the match in a vicious way, getting the better of Bayley. Bayley beats Dana off all three turnbuckles and then covers her for a two count. Dana talks a lot of smack in the ring. Dana works the injured right shoulder of Bayley. It’s a fairly back and forth match. Dana seems to take the advantage for longer stints and Bayley sells the injury to her right shoulder a lot. Bayley starts to fire up with her trademark splash in the corner and then suplex and low clothesline. Bayley hits a corkscrew elbow and then looks for the Bayley to belly but Dana blocks. Bayley hits it on the second attempt for the three!

Result: Bayley wins by pinfall.

Review: This match wasn’t the most memorable. It was ok but it served as giving a win to Bayley. She sold most of the match and did a better of job of selling than Dana did of attacking. Dana is ok but she’s not quite the finished article yet. I like her as a character and the smack she talks though.

Rating: 3.75/10

Enzo & Big Cass vs. Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson

Background: This rivalry has been a war of words for the past few weeks. Gallows and Anderson attacked Enzo and Big Cass before Enzo and Cass were scheduled to face Bo Dallas and Curtis Axel.

Previous PPV matches: This is a first time PPV match between these two teams.

Hell In A Cell PPV Record: All four men make their Hell In A Cell PPV debut tonight.

Match: Enzo and Cass cut one of their classic pre-match promos. It’s Enzo and big Cass that kick off the match. Enzo starts well and tags in Cass who hits Anderson with some big right hands. There’s some good teamwork from Enzo and Cass with Cass launching Enzo over the top and into both opponents. Luke Gallows tags in and takes the advantage for his team. There’s simultaneous hot tags with Gallows and Big Cass tagging in at the same time. Enzo brings a lot of energy to the match. But he also tends to be the fall guy. Gallows and Anderson hit him with the magic killer for the three.

Result: Gallows and Anderson win by pinfall.

Review: This match was entertaining enough. Both teams have a lot of charisma but Gallows and Anderson are the more polished team. They needed this win more and got it. Probably the end of this feud, I don’t see a lot of point continuing it and they’ll probably end up teaming up at Survivor Series.

Rating: 5.75/10

Kevin Owens (c) vs. Seth Rollins – Hell In A Cell match for the WWE Universal Championship

Background: Kevin Owens beat Seth Rollins at Clash Of Champions to retain the Universal Championship with help from Chris Jericho. Rollins was then granted a rematch for Hell In A Cell, a match that Mick Foley made into a Hell In A Cell match. Chris Jericho was given the opportunity to get into the match, making it a triple threat but he lost in his match to qualify against Seth Rollins.

Previous PPV matches: This is a second PPV match between these two men, KO won the first at Clash Of Champions.

Hell In A Cell PPV Record: Kevin Owens is 1-0 at Hell In A Cell, Seth Rollins is 2-1.

Match: Kevin Owens slides out of the ring as the bell rings and looks to bring weapons into play but Rollins stops him. Rollins keeps the advantage then and pulls a table out from under the ring and sets it up. Kevin Owens then takes the advantage, launching Rollins into the cell and taking a bow. Rollins hits a cannonball with Rollins propped up against the cell. There’s a really nice sequence with both men superkicks and countering each other moves which results in both men hitting the deck. KO pulls out another table and props it up against the cell above the previously setup table. This could lead to a brutal spot. Before they can come into play Rollins suplexes Owens on the apron. Owens pulls out a fire extinguisher and sprays it in the referee’s face! Not sure whether that was accidental. A “Y2J” chant breaks out and out he runs! With the referee being carried out through the door Jericho sneaks in and locks the door!

Jericho gets up on the apron but Rollins knocks him off before running into a package powerbomb from KO. Rollins sets up for a pedigree but gets distracted by Jericho. Rollins hits Jericho with a pedigree which allows KO to kick Seth in the face and set up for a powerbomb but Seth counters. Rollins then powerbombs Owens through the tables set up on the outside! Rollins hits a frog splash in the ring and covers but Jericho pulls the referee out of the ring! Seth beats down Jericho, powerbombing him into the cell. That gives Owens time to recover and he hits a pop-up powerbomb for a near fall. Jericho and Owens double team Rollins now, KO repeatedly hitting Seth with a chair. Owens powerbombs Rollins through two set up chairs which is enough for the win.

Result: Kevin Owens wins by pinfall.

Review: This was a really good match, an improvement on the Hell In A Cell match earlier tonight. Rollins and Owens are so good and they have a lot of chemistry. I loved Jericho getting involved, he’s been phenomenal as of late and the crowd were happy to see him too. Owens wins dirty though and it makes you think that this rivalry will continue on.

Rating: 8.25/10

TJ Perkins (c) vs. Brian Kendrick – Cruiserweight Championship match

Background: TJ Perkins beat Brian Kendrick at Clash Of Champions last month. Since then Kendrick beat Perkins in a non-title match to earn himself another shot at the title. Kendrick has always been a mentor to TJ but now he seems desperate to win the title and hold on to his career.

Previous PPV matches: These two men met at Clash Of Champions last month, a match TJ Perkins won.

Hell In A Cell PPV Record: Both men make their Hell In A Cell debut tonight.

Match: The match starts with a quick pace and some nice wrestling between the two. Kendrick ties TJP to the rope but his own wrist tape at one point. Kendrick slows down the pace Perkins picks it back up when he takes the advantage. Perkins hits a corkscrew to the outside, he’s impressive with his high risk moves. Perkins hits a Pele kick for a near fall. Kendrick hits a nice belly to back suplex into a cradle for a near fall. Kendrick locks on the captain’s hook but Perkins reverses into a kneebar but Kendrick gets to the bottom rope. Kendrick tweaks his knee on a sliced bread attempt but I wouldn’t trust sneaky Kendrick. The match seems to stop for a minute with Perkins looking on. The crowd boo, they know it’s bullshit. Perkins helps Kendrick up but as expected Kendrick was playing possum and he headbutts the Cruiserweight champion and then locks on the captain’s hook! Perkins taps out! We’ve got a new Cruiserweight Champion!

Result: Brian Kendrick wins by submission.

Review: This match was ok. Not a great advert for the Cruiserweight division. Kendricks desperation really came through. Crafty tactics which isn’t what the cruiserweight division is supposed to be about but it made the match slightly more interesting.

Rating: 3.75/10

The New Day (Big E & Xavier Woods) vs. Sheamus & Cesaro – Raw Tag Team Championship match

Background: Sheamus and Cesaro ended their best of 7 series in a draw. As a result Mick Foley put them together as a tag team and gave them a Raw Tag Team Championship match. Since then The New Day have made fun of Sheamus as much as they can and gone easy on Cesaro. Sheamus and Cesaro do not like another but they beat The New Day in a non-title match on Raw last week. They’ve now held the Raw Tag Team championships for 433 days.

Previous PPV matches: This is a first time tag team match between these two teams on PPV.

Hell In A Cell PPV Record: Big E is 2-0, Sheamus is 2-2, Cesaro is 1-2 and Xavier Woods makes his HIAC PPV debut.

Match: Xavier Woods and Cesaro kick off the match with Woods getting in the early advantage. Sheamus tags in and takes the advantage as Cesaro and Sheamus show a bit of chemistry. The challengers make quick tags, keeping Xavier Woods away form Big E. Xavier uses a lot of kicks in his offence. You always wonder how New Day will get on when Xavier is in the match, he seems to have a worse record than the other combination. Big E tags in and takes the advantage for The New Day. Chaos breaks out with all four men getting into it. Big E counters a brogue kick with a powerbomb for a near fall. Cesaro knocks Big E off the apron and then hits Woods with multiple uppercuts and a swing! Cesaro locks on a sharpshooter but Big E breaks it up, hitting a belly to belly on Cesaro in the corner and then tagging in legally.

New Day set up for midnight hour but Sheamus stops it from happening and then accidentally hits Cesaro with a brogue kick! Big E disposes of Sheamus and Woods covers Cesaro but Sheamus breaks it up. Cesaro manages to lock a Sharpshooter on Woods! Sheamus stops Big E from breaking it up and hits Big E with the trombone! Kofi then gets involved and hits Sheamus with trouble in paradise! The referee sees it and calls for the bell, this is a disqualification win for the challengers but New Day hang on to the gold!

Result: Sheamus and Cesaro win by disqualification.

Review: This was a good tag team match. There’s a lot of stories going on with The New Day looking to break the all time record and Sheamus and Cesaro being an odd couple. But it produced a good match and I think we may see another match between these two teams.

Rating: 6.75/10

Sasha Banks (c) vs. Charlotte – Hell In A Cell match for the Raw Women’s Championship

Background: The rivalry between Charlotte and Sasha Banks has been going for a few months now. The title has been going back and forth between the two girls. Charlotte beat Sasha at the last PPV Night Of Champions but Sasha has since won the title back to become a two time Raw Women’s Champion. The two girls now meet in Hell In A Cell, the first ever women to do so.

Previous PPV matches: This is the second PPV match between these two girls, Charlotte previously beat Sasha at Summerslam.

Hell In A Cell PPV Record: Charlotte is 1-0 at Hell In A Cell, Sasha Banks makes her debut at this particular event.

Match: There’s an emotional moment as both girls just stand there and the cell is lowered around them. Charlotte then attacks Sasha and knocks her out of the ring before the cell has even come down. The two girls battle on the outside of the cell and take the fight into the crowd. Charlotte climbs up the cell and Sasha follows. Sasha knocks Charlotte off the side but Charlotte gets up and powerbombs Banks through the Spanish announce desk. Sasha Banks is out of it now and referee’s keep Charlotte away from her. Doctors then comes out with a stretcher and place Banks on it. Jojo then starts to make an announcement that Charlotte wins by forfeit but Banks gets off the stretcher, beats down a doctor and gets back into the cell!

Sasha Banks fires up as the bell rings and goes right to work on Charlotte. Charlotte does make a brief comeback but Banks locks on the Banks Statement which Charlotte gets out of by standing up and chucking Sasha out of the ring. Charlotte grabs a chair and sets it up in the ring but can’t take advantage of it. Sasha drop toe holds Charlotte on to the chair but Charlotte hits a sidewalk slam onto the chair. Sasha hits the three amigos which gets a big pop and then a from splash for a near fall. Sasha gets plenty of her trademark offence in, hitting the double knees off the cell, the Banks Statement a couple of times and then double knees in the corner onto a chair but none of it is enough to finish off Charlotte. Charlotte pulls a table out from under the ring and sets it up on the outside. Sasha kicks charlotte on to the table and it gives way. You get the impression that wasn’t the intended spot.

Sasha sets up a table in the ring which you know will come into play at some point. Charlotte locks on a figure four and then bridges into the figure eight but Sasha breaks it by grabbing a chair and smacking Charlotte with it a couple of times. Charlotte lays Sasha Banks on the table and then heads to the top for a moonsault but Banks crotches her. Sasha moves the table and then looks to powerbomb Charlotte through it but Sasha’s back gives way. Charlotte then throws Sasha into the table and clearly she was supposed to go through it but instead Banks bounces off it. Charlotte tries a second time but against Sasha bounces off it. Charlotte hits natural selection and pins Banks for the 3!

Result: Charlotte wins by pinfall.

Review: This was another good Hell In A Cell match. I liked the beginning of the match and most of the match itself. Shame about the ending with the table. Charlotte and Sasha continue to trade the Raw Women’s Championship but I think they need a conclusive match to end this series. It doesn’t feel like it’s over yet. A great match by the girls though.

Rating: 8.5/10