Hell In A Cell Review

By Jim Kennedy


I have been looking forward to this event for a while. The last Smackdown event before Team Blue gets on the road to Survivor Series, it comes to our hometown in Detroit, at the new Little Caesars Arena. Altogether, seven competitors entered Hell In A Cell for two separate matches (The New Day vs The Usos for the Tag Team titles, and then Kevin Owens vs Shane McMahon). You had other matches happen as well, including the U.S. Championship match turn into a triple threat between AJ Styles, Baron Corbin, and Tye Dillinger; Charlotte and Natalya d for the Women's Championship; and the "Glorious" Bobby Roode taking on an entrance-less Dolph Ziggler. This review will tell you everything:

Best Match of the Night: Kevin Owens def. Shane McMahon in a Falls Count Anywhere Hell In A Cell Match

The way the match ended was shocking, but the match itself might be one of the best Hell in a Cell matches in history. This match was spectacular. Kevin Owens and Shane McMahon fought with hatred for one another, with the fight starting outside the cage. Being a Falls Count Anywhere Hell In A Cell contest, everyone at Little Caesar's Arena knew that the match would go to the top of the cage. Midway through the match, it did. Owens went up first, looking down at McMahon, who was laying on the Spanish announce table, debating whether he was gonna take the leap of faith. He didn't jump, so the Smackdown commish climbed up and took the fight to the top of the cage for a few minutes. Eventually, Owens started to climb down, but McMahon caught him, hit his face on the cage, and caused the Prizefighter to fall 10 feet through the table. McMahon then put Owens on the English announce table and climbed back up, and would've destroyed Kevin Owen....if Sami Zayn didn't get Owens out of the way (more on that later on). Owens would walk out of Detroit (with some help) victorious, while Shane McMahon would be stretchered out of the arena. All in all, a wonderful match with a twist for a finish.

Worst Match of the Night: Charlotte Flair def. Natalya for the Smackdown Women's Championship via DQ

The match was sloppy from start to finish. There was nothing really entertaining about this match. Going in, the whole Hart vs Flair rivalry is the only thing that this match had going for it. I usually never call a match boring, but that's what it was: boring. For most of the match, Charlotte was clutching her injured leg, and Natalya was trying to put her opponent in the Sharpshooter, finally being successful near the end. The match ended with a chair shot from the champ to the challenger. What could've been an addition to the Hart/Flair rivalry book instead earned the worst match title of this pay-per-view.

Moment of the Night: Sami Zayn Turning Heel

I was as shocked as the rest of the WWE Universe in attendance at what we saw. Sami Zayn, the thought-to-be former friend of Kevin Owens, helping Owens avoid Shane McMahon falling on the announce table from the top of the cell. After the initial shock of McMahon's fall went by, Zayn pulled Owens over the Smackdown commish to get the official pinfall victory. On the following episode of Smackdown, Zayn explained his actions: he was sick of mediocrity, and wanted to make his mark. Either way, a guy who's been a face since his time at NXT, to turn heel and help his best friend turned rival, is shocking to say the least. I'm interested to see how this new Sami Zayn will work on the blue brand.

Overall Grade: B

The two Hell in a Cell matches saved this pay-per-view. Kicking off with the New Day/Usos and ending with Owens/McMahon was obvious, and both of those matches were amazing. The rest of the matches could've been better. The triple threat U.S. title match was good, although fans weren't happy with the results. Bobby Roode and Dolph Ziggler was disappointing. Rusev lost to Randy Orton (this time the match was longer than 9 seconds). Shinsuke Nakamura and Jinder Mahal was an ok match, but now fans are left to wonder who Mahal will face for the title at Survivor Series. Hell in a Cell, the first event at the new Little Caesars Arena, was overall a success, although Smackdown Live has to give its thanks to the two Hell in a Cell matches that essentially made it successful.