With all the talk of The Shield possibly breaking up soon, why not relive the last time they competed as a cohesive squad at a WrestleMania. They wanted to make a statement across the company against three other veterans and they did so in convincing fashion. The group would soon disband after as they were more than ready to move on to bigger and better things.
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New Age Outlaws & Kane vs. The Shield (Taken from WWE WrestleMania XXX Review)
This match is basically two teams from two completely different eras
going at it. Hungry is the word to describe The Shield and the monster
push they have received over the year continues here as they absolutely
destroy their opponents with ease. It was simply a showcase of The
Shield beating down three other guys for about five minutes with The
Shield finally planting New Age Outlaws with their Triple Powerbomb
finisher after Roman Reigns gave a Spear to everyone. Fun match that
simply got a good spot on the card for The Shield and allowed them to
get a quick win.
Winners: The Shield
Rating: *1/4
Monday, September 24, 2018
Tuesday, September 18, 2018
WWE Money in the Bank 2016 Review
High rollers, high risks and high rewards... Live from Las Vegas,
it is the 2016 installment of Money in the Bank. Not only did the event
feature one of the most star-studded Money in the Bank ladder matches,
but it also saw former Shield reverends collide in the main event for
the richest prize in the business.
Match 1: WWE Tag Team Championship - The New Day (c) vs. Enzo & Cass vs. The Vaudevillians vs. Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson
The New Day look to continue their long title reign after they won the WWE Tag Team Championships at Summerslam of 2015. Awesome way to start the show with the Las Vegas crowd being very vocal for all teams involved. Loved every team in this match but for whatever reason, it just felt like such a cluster having all these guys in the match and seeing them try to get their offense in. With that being said, I was really taken out of the action once Enzo Amore scored the count on Karl Anderson before the referee called it a 2 count. Okay. The New Day are able to capitalize when all other teams are down to score the win and retain the gold. While the right team won, there is no doubt that this could have been much better than what it was.
Winners: The New Day
Rating: **3/4
Match 2: Baron Corbin vs. Dolph Ziggler
Baron Corbin was still pretty new to the main roster at this point and the company just seemed pretty high on him at the time. Unfortunately, that spelled bad news for the veteran in Dolph Ziggler. The first half of the match was basically Corbin looking dominant and leading us to believe that this was a possible squash match as the crowd grew a bit restless from it. However, Ziggler would make things interesting as the match became more competitive. Despite that, Ziggler would still fall to Corbin after Corbin hit his End of Days finisher. With the crowd caring less for what they were processing in the beginning, it was a struggle for them to get out of that first gear. But once they did, the match went on to be better than what I expected. Still, a little too long and dragged out for me.
Winner: Baron Corbin
Rating: **3/4
Match 3: Charlotte Flair & Dana Brooke vs. Becky Lynch & Natalya
As Charlotte Flair continues her dominance, she gets a break from defending her Women's Championship as she teams up with Dana Brooke to take on both Becky Lynch & Natalya. I dig the idea of the title not being defended on every PPV, makes it feel just a bit more important. Decent action here with a fairly short amount time given here and a great finish that saw Natalya nearly score the win for her team until Brooke drove Lynch right into Natalya as she had the Sharpshooter locked in. Flair then hit her Natural Selection move to score the win. Afterwards, Natalya beats down Lynch and cries as she walks away.
Winners: Charlotte Flair & Dana Brooke
Rating: **
Match 4: Sheamus vs. Apollo Crews
After making his debut on the main roster after WrestleMania, Apollo Crews quickly was becoming a fan favorite. Sheamus, of course, did not approve and was not about to let Crews make a name off him here. Solid action here as Crews does a great job of fighting as the underdog but also not making the match seem complete out of reach for him. Credit also goes to Sheamus for looking like an animal, he works much better as a heel. Sheamus is fending off Crews and his late comeback as he hits a White Noise from the top rope. However, Sheamus isn't able to get the pin and argues with the referee before getting rolled up out of nowhere for Crews to steal the win. Good win for Crews as his momentum would soon be stopped quickly. As for Sheamus, this dude won the Money in the Bank match the previous year as his career looked to be going nowhere at this point.
Winner: Apollo Crews
Rating: **3/4
Match 5: AJ Styles vs. John Cena
Let me just start by saying how much I loved everything about the feud these two had from 2016 and heading into the early part of 2017. Their chemistry on the mic and in the ring was on another level, easily one of the more underrated feuds of this generation. Can we stop the hate on John Cena at this point? The dude has become so adaptive and working with the best in the business, AJ Styles included. Styles looked to be control early on and was cocky in his ways as he kept mouthing out if this was the best Cena had. Fantastic exchanges throughout the match with both guys delivering the best from their respective arsenals. Every spot made sense and as the match progressed, both the unpredictability of the winner and the intensity grew. However, a referee bump caused Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson to come out and hit Cena with a Magic Killer. They then rolled Styles atop Cena as the referee made the count. AJ Styles just beat John Cena. Regardless of the finish, Styles pinning Cena gives him some legit credibility in the WWE. Incredible match and a nice way for them to get their feud going into another gear.
Winner: AJ Styles
Rating: ****1/2
Match 6: Money in the Bank Ladder Match - Chris Jericho vs. Cesaro vs. Sami Zayn vs. Alberto Del Rio vs. Kevin Owens vs. Dean Ambrose
Who doesn't love a good ladder match? Especially when it involves some incredible talent in there like these guys. What makes a good Money in the Bank match is having everybody having their own spots and making their spots both matter and be memorable. Here, everybody got in the act and the mayhem made for some sweet spots that had the crowd on their feet. While it seemed a bit predictable that Dean Ambrose was going to walk away with the briefcase in hands, they certainly gave us a bumpy ride that had me thinking someone else was really going to walk away the winner. One of my favorite spots saw Alberto Del Rio lock Cesaro in a Cross Armbreaker on top of the ladder. However, that and Cesaro spinning everybody around were not enough as Ambrose was able to knock Kevin Owens off a ladder onto another ladder before grabbing the briefcase and securing the biggest win of his career. Another solid Money in the Bank match that lacked predictability, but made up for it with great action in the ring. Can't complain.
Winner: Dean Ambrose
Rating: ***3/4
Match 7: WWE United States Championship - Rusev (c) vs. Titus O'Neil
With Titus O'Neil's kids sitting ringside to watch their father try to earn his first singles championship of his career, the Super Athlete in Rusev stood in his way. While it's pretty much a foregone conclusion from the start that Rusev was going to retain, we need to really give credit to O'Neil for his improvement in the ring and becoming a great ambassador of the sport outside the ring. A title reign for him wouldn't be the worst idea. Fairly short match here with Rusev controlling the better part of the match and teasing O'Neil's kids at ringside before submitting him to an Accolade submission. Afterwards, Rusev tells O'Neil's kids to have a happy father's day. Good stuff for Rusev here as his star continues to rise after having it crash a few months back.
Winner: Rusev
Rating: *3/4
Match 8: WWE World Heavyweight Championship - Roman Reigns (c) vs. Seth Rollins
After finally returning to the WWE from his injury about a month prior, Seth Rollins looks to reclaim the WWE World Heavyweight Championship he never lost against Roman Reigns. Loved how they built this match in the first half with Reigns seemingly being too much for Rollins as the guys on commentary noted how Reigns had become increasingly better in the duration that Rollins was out of commission. But once Rollins gained his footing, the action picked up a little as the crowd was a bit tired from the previous matches along with the fact that the show had passed the 3 hour mark. With that taken into account, I felt like the pacing of the match was a bit too slow for something that nearly went on for 30 minutes. There were certainly times throughout the match where I caught myself drifting off. Even still, the closing minutes were certainly exciting with Reigns missing a Spear on the outside through a barricade and later getting another Spear attempt countered into a Pedigree. Rollins hits Reigns with another Pedigree and successfully regains his championship. While the match probably could have shaved off a few minutes, it was still another solid main event for Reigns but nothing like the ones he had with AJ Styles prior to this.
Winner: Seth Rollins
Rating: ****
Match 9: WWE World Heavyweight Championship - Seth Rollins (c) vs. Dean Ambrose
As Seth Rollins celebrated in the ring, JBL noted how Rollins had never lost the championship. Welp, out comes Dean Ambrose who drills Rollins with the Money in the Bank briefcase from behind before cashing it in. Ambrose plants Rollins with a Dirty Deeds DDT to capture the WWE World Heavyweight Championship for the first time in his career. Fantastic finish to the night as the WWE completely swerved us by having all Shield members hold the richest prize in the business on the same night.
Winner: Dean Ambrose
Rating: N/A
Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
While the start of the PPV was a bit bland, it certainly followed things up with a great second half that made for great television to follow. Not only that, but the action in the ring was great with the biggest point being AJ Styles gaining a huge win over John Cena. However, that isn't to say that the end of the show left a nice lasting impression with Dean Ambrose finally reaching the pinnacle of the business and closing it out with the WWE World Heavyweight Championship in hand.
Rating: 8/10
Match 1: WWE Tag Team Championship - The New Day (c) vs. Enzo & Cass vs. The Vaudevillians vs. Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson
The New Day look to continue their long title reign after they won the WWE Tag Team Championships at Summerslam of 2015. Awesome way to start the show with the Las Vegas crowd being very vocal for all teams involved. Loved every team in this match but for whatever reason, it just felt like such a cluster having all these guys in the match and seeing them try to get their offense in. With that being said, I was really taken out of the action once Enzo Amore scored the count on Karl Anderson before the referee called it a 2 count. Okay. The New Day are able to capitalize when all other teams are down to score the win and retain the gold. While the right team won, there is no doubt that this could have been much better than what it was.
Winners: The New Day
Rating: **3/4
Match 2: Baron Corbin vs. Dolph Ziggler
Baron Corbin was still pretty new to the main roster at this point and the company just seemed pretty high on him at the time. Unfortunately, that spelled bad news for the veteran in Dolph Ziggler. The first half of the match was basically Corbin looking dominant and leading us to believe that this was a possible squash match as the crowd grew a bit restless from it. However, Ziggler would make things interesting as the match became more competitive. Despite that, Ziggler would still fall to Corbin after Corbin hit his End of Days finisher. With the crowd caring less for what they were processing in the beginning, it was a struggle for them to get out of that first gear. But once they did, the match went on to be better than what I expected. Still, a little too long and dragged out for me.
Winner: Baron Corbin
Rating: **3/4
Match 3: Charlotte Flair & Dana Brooke vs. Becky Lynch & Natalya
As Charlotte Flair continues her dominance, she gets a break from defending her Women's Championship as she teams up with Dana Brooke to take on both Becky Lynch & Natalya. I dig the idea of the title not being defended on every PPV, makes it feel just a bit more important. Decent action here with a fairly short amount time given here and a great finish that saw Natalya nearly score the win for her team until Brooke drove Lynch right into Natalya as she had the Sharpshooter locked in. Flair then hit her Natural Selection move to score the win. Afterwards, Natalya beats down Lynch and cries as she walks away.
Winners: Charlotte Flair & Dana Brooke
Rating: **
Match 4: Sheamus vs. Apollo Crews
After making his debut on the main roster after WrestleMania, Apollo Crews quickly was becoming a fan favorite. Sheamus, of course, did not approve and was not about to let Crews make a name off him here. Solid action here as Crews does a great job of fighting as the underdog but also not making the match seem complete out of reach for him. Credit also goes to Sheamus for looking like an animal, he works much better as a heel. Sheamus is fending off Crews and his late comeback as he hits a White Noise from the top rope. However, Sheamus isn't able to get the pin and argues with the referee before getting rolled up out of nowhere for Crews to steal the win. Good win for Crews as his momentum would soon be stopped quickly. As for Sheamus, this dude won the Money in the Bank match the previous year as his career looked to be going nowhere at this point.
Winner: Apollo Crews
Rating: **3/4
Match 5: AJ Styles vs. John Cena
Let me just start by saying how much I loved everything about the feud these two had from 2016 and heading into the early part of 2017. Their chemistry on the mic and in the ring was on another level, easily one of the more underrated feuds of this generation. Can we stop the hate on John Cena at this point? The dude has become so adaptive and working with the best in the business, AJ Styles included. Styles looked to be control early on and was cocky in his ways as he kept mouthing out if this was the best Cena had. Fantastic exchanges throughout the match with both guys delivering the best from their respective arsenals. Every spot made sense and as the match progressed, both the unpredictability of the winner and the intensity grew. However, a referee bump caused Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson to come out and hit Cena with a Magic Killer. They then rolled Styles atop Cena as the referee made the count. AJ Styles just beat John Cena. Regardless of the finish, Styles pinning Cena gives him some legit credibility in the WWE. Incredible match and a nice way for them to get their feud going into another gear.
Winner: AJ Styles
Rating: ****1/2
Match 6: Money in the Bank Ladder Match - Chris Jericho vs. Cesaro vs. Sami Zayn vs. Alberto Del Rio vs. Kevin Owens vs. Dean Ambrose
Who doesn't love a good ladder match? Especially when it involves some incredible talent in there like these guys. What makes a good Money in the Bank match is having everybody having their own spots and making their spots both matter and be memorable. Here, everybody got in the act and the mayhem made for some sweet spots that had the crowd on their feet. While it seemed a bit predictable that Dean Ambrose was going to walk away with the briefcase in hands, they certainly gave us a bumpy ride that had me thinking someone else was really going to walk away the winner. One of my favorite spots saw Alberto Del Rio lock Cesaro in a Cross Armbreaker on top of the ladder. However, that and Cesaro spinning everybody around were not enough as Ambrose was able to knock Kevin Owens off a ladder onto another ladder before grabbing the briefcase and securing the biggest win of his career. Another solid Money in the Bank match that lacked predictability, but made up for it with great action in the ring. Can't complain.
Winner: Dean Ambrose
Rating: ***3/4
Match 7: WWE United States Championship - Rusev (c) vs. Titus O'Neil
With Titus O'Neil's kids sitting ringside to watch their father try to earn his first singles championship of his career, the Super Athlete in Rusev stood in his way. While it's pretty much a foregone conclusion from the start that Rusev was going to retain, we need to really give credit to O'Neil for his improvement in the ring and becoming a great ambassador of the sport outside the ring. A title reign for him wouldn't be the worst idea. Fairly short match here with Rusev controlling the better part of the match and teasing O'Neil's kids at ringside before submitting him to an Accolade submission. Afterwards, Rusev tells O'Neil's kids to have a happy father's day. Good stuff for Rusev here as his star continues to rise after having it crash a few months back.
Winner: Rusev
Rating: *3/4
Match 8: WWE World Heavyweight Championship - Roman Reigns (c) vs. Seth Rollins
After finally returning to the WWE from his injury about a month prior, Seth Rollins looks to reclaim the WWE World Heavyweight Championship he never lost against Roman Reigns. Loved how they built this match in the first half with Reigns seemingly being too much for Rollins as the guys on commentary noted how Reigns had become increasingly better in the duration that Rollins was out of commission. But once Rollins gained his footing, the action picked up a little as the crowd was a bit tired from the previous matches along with the fact that the show had passed the 3 hour mark. With that taken into account, I felt like the pacing of the match was a bit too slow for something that nearly went on for 30 minutes. There were certainly times throughout the match where I caught myself drifting off. Even still, the closing minutes were certainly exciting with Reigns missing a Spear on the outside through a barricade and later getting another Spear attempt countered into a Pedigree. Rollins hits Reigns with another Pedigree and successfully regains his championship. While the match probably could have shaved off a few minutes, it was still another solid main event for Reigns but nothing like the ones he had with AJ Styles prior to this.
Winner: Seth Rollins
Rating: ****
Match 9: WWE World Heavyweight Championship - Seth Rollins (c) vs. Dean Ambrose
As Seth Rollins celebrated in the ring, JBL noted how Rollins had never lost the championship. Welp, out comes Dean Ambrose who drills Rollins with the Money in the Bank briefcase from behind before cashing it in. Ambrose plants Rollins with a Dirty Deeds DDT to capture the WWE World Heavyweight Championship for the first time in his career. Fantastic finish to the night as the WWE completely swerved us by having all Shield members hold the richest prize in the business on the same night.
Winner: Dean Ambrose
Rating: N/A
Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
While the start of the PPV was a bit bland, it certainly followed things up with a great second half that made for great television to follow. Not only that, but the action in the ring was great with the biggest point being AJ Styles gaining a huge win over John Cena. However, that isn't to say that the end of the show left a nice lasting impression with Dean Ambrose finally reaching the pinnacle of the business and closing it out with the WWE World Heavyweight Championship in hand.
Rating: 8/10
Monday, September 17, 2018
Match of the Week (September 17, 2018) - AJ Styles vs. Daniels vs. Samoa Joe (TNA Turning Point 2009)
Before Samoa Joe was the new daddy in the Styles household, he clashed against The Phenomenal One in TNA years prior. We always talk about the famous match at Unbreakable 2005 between AJ Styles, Christopher Daniels and Samoa Joe, but we tend to forget their amazing rematch in 2009. So the next time you see Styles and Joe clash in a WWE ring, don't forget where they came from.
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TNA World Heavyweight Championship - AJ Styles (c) vs. Daniels vs. Samoa Joe (Taken from TNA Turning Point 2009 Review)
Here it is, the biggest rematch in company history. For those who don't know, these three guys in AJ Styles, Christopher Daniels, and Samoa Joe had what was arguably the greatest match in company history at Unbreakable 2005 for the X Division Championship. Four years later, the three compete again in the main event for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship. Pretty cool to see how things change but always remain the same. The buildup for this match was no joke either, they were sure to let us know of the history they had and how the friendship between Styles and Daniels was quickly deteriorating. As expected, this match was as fast as you could imagine with some of the sweetest moves and reversals that you wouldn't even be able to think of. Nobody had the advantage and everybody was getting in their offense at a fast rate. Incredible finish that saw Daniels hit a BME on Joe before Styles was able to hit a 450 Splash out of nowhere on the both of them with Daniels getting the brunt of it. Another fantastic match to close out the show on a high note. It's almost as if these guys had a chip on their shoulder after the company signed Hulk Hogan and they wanted to prove a point that they were still the mainstay and the reason to tune in every week. Styles going over was easily the right call, he was white hot at the time and the perfect guy to lead the company's charge into the new direction they were headed. While this did feel like an indy spotfest here and there, it was still a remarkable display of athleticism and professional wrestling at its finest.
Winner: AJ Styles
Rating: ****1/2
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TNA World Heavyweight Championship - AJ Styles (c) vs. Daniels vs. Samoa Joe (Taken from TNA Turning Point 2009 Review)
Here it is, the biggest rematch in company history. For those who don't know, these three guys in AJ Styles, Christopher Daniels, and Samoa Joe had what was arguably the greatest match in company history at Unbreakable 2005 for the X Division Championship. Four years later, the three compete again in the main event for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship. Pretty cool to see how things change but always remain the same. The buildup for this match was no joke either, they were sure to let us know of the history they had and how the friendship between Styles and Daniels was quickly deteriorating. As expected, this match was as fast as you could imagine with some of the sweetest moves and reversals that you wouldn't even be able to think of. Nobody had the advantage and everybody was getting in their offense at a fast rate. Incredible finish that saw Daniels hit a BME on Joe before Styles was able to hit a 450 Splash out of nowhere on the both of them with Daniels getting the brunt of it. Another fantastic match to close out the show on a high note. It's almost as if these guys had a chip on their shoulder after the company signed Hulk Hogan and they wanted to prove a point that they were still the mainstay and the reason to tune in every week. Styles going over was easily the right call, he was white hot at the time and the perfect guy to lead the company's charge into the new direction they were headed. While this did feel like an indy spotfest here and there, it was still a remarkable display of athleticism and professional wrestling at its finest.
Winner: AJ Styles
Rating: ****1/2
Monday, September 10, 2018
Match of the Week (September 10, 2018) - D-Generation X vs. Legacy (WWE Hell in a Cell 2009)
Can you believe that this Sunday's Hell in a Cell event will be the tenth Hell in a Cell event in history? Where does the time go? With that being said, this week's Match of the Week takes us to the very first event in history back in 2009 where Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase wanted to make their presence felt against the the two legends in Triple H and Shawn Michaels of D-Generation X. While it wasn't the best main event in the history of Hell in a Cell, it was certainly a great way to debut what would go on to be one of the company's biggest PPV shows of the year.
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Hell in a Cell - D-Generation X vs. Legacy (Taken from WWE Hell in a Cell 2009 Review)
The heated feud between these two teams finally hits its conclusion inside Hell in a Cell. Cody Rhodes & Ted DiBiase of Legacy looked confident after talking things over with Randy Orton after his title win. However, he made sure to remind them that win or loss, nobody comes out of it the same. Legacy sneak attacks D-Generation X from behind as Triple H & Shawn Michaels were coming down to the ring. The fight starts outside Hell in a Cell before the bell even rings as the mayhem gets taken into the stands. Finally, Legacy gets the advantage and lock themselves inside with Michaels as Triple H was forced to watch as his partner got decimated. Finally, and I mean finally, Triple H comes back and opens up the door and makes the save for his team as they lay out Legacy for the win. Hard to give this match more than *** when it was basically a handicap match. This was Legacy beating down Michaels for a strong part of the match before Triple H made the save that seemingly took forever. After their big win at Breaking Point, you think a win here for Legacy would have been in their cards. 2009 in a nutshell.
Winners: D-Generation X
Rating: **3/4
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Hell in a Cell - D-Generation X vs. Legacy (Taken from WWE Hell in a Cell 2009 Review)
The heated feud between these two teams finally hits its conclusion inside Hell in a Cell. Cody Rhodes & Ted DiBiase of Legacy looked confident after talking things over with Randy Orton after his title win. However, he made sure to remind them that win or loss, nobody comes out of it the same. Legacy sneak attacks D-Generation X from behind as Triple H & Shawn Michaels were coming down to the ring. The fight starts outside Hell in a Cell before the bell even rings as the mayhem gets taken into the stands. Finally, Legacy gets the advantage and lock themselves inside with Michaels as Triple H was forced to watch as his partner got decimated. Finally, and I mean finally, Triple H comes back and opens up the door and makes the save for his team as they lay out Legacy for the win. Hard to give this match more than *** when it was basically a handicap match. This was Legacy beating down Michaels for a strong part of the match before Triple H made the save that seemingly took forever. After their big win at Breaking Point, you think a win here for Legacy would have been in their cards. 2009 in a nutshell.
Winners: D-Generation X
Rating: **3/4
Friday, September 7, 2018
WWE Hell in a Cell 2013 Review
Daniel Bryan has to face the machine again as he takes on Randy Orton
inside Hell in a Cell with Shawn Michaels serving as the special guest
referee. Will Bryan be able to get over the hump and regain the gold or
does The Viper walk away with another big main event win?
Match 1: WWE Tag Team Championship - Cody Rhodes and Goldust (c) vs. The Usos vs. The Shield
While it feels like I have seen these teams face off about a thousand times, I really have no reason to complain considering how good the action usually is. This is a perfect way to start off the show and the crowd was eating up every second of it. It felt like every man in this match had a chip on their shoulder and just something to prove, you could feel the intensity from every step of the way. With both Cody Rhodes and Goldust being involved within the storyline against The Authority, they were certainly riding a big wave of momentum here as Cody was able to hit a Cross Rhodes on Seth Rollins while Roman Reigns and The Usos were out of the equation to pick up the win for himself and Goldust. Completely forgot about this match and very interesting to look back and see The Shield take a clean loss like this considering how high the company was on them. Regardless, great opening match with a hot crowd along for the ride.
Winners: Cody Rhodes and Goldust
Rating: ***3/4
Match 2: Fandango and Summer Rae vs. The Great Khali and Natalya
At this point, the hype behind Fandango had finally died down as he teams up with his lady to take on The Great Khali and Natalya. Also, this is Summer Rae's first match of her WWE career. As expected with a Khali match, very bland action whenever he was the legal person as Fandango struggled against the much larger opponent. Natalya at least made things interesting with her fight against Summer Rae. Summer Rae was able to roll up Natalya and sneak a win for her team. Poor Natalya, she is definitely one of the better female wrestlers on the roster and she gets jobbed out for someone's first match.
Winners: Fandango and Summer Rae
Rating: *
Match 3: WWE United States Championship - Dean Ambrose (c) vs. Big E Langston
With a very deflated crowd, these two had a tough task of getting in an exciting match that would wake them up. Unfortunately for them, the action in the ring was solid but not enough to get the crowd out of their seats. Dean Ambrose plays his role as a heel phenomenally as he has trouble going against the bigger Big E Langston. Eventually, Ambrose tries to escape the match but only gets tossed back in. However, Ambrose is still able to hit his DDT but is not able to score the win with it before Big E would then spear himself and Ambrose out of the ring. The referee counts out Ambrose as he then tries to walk away with his title but Big E pulls him back in the ring and gives him a Big Ending for his troubles. Decent match here with a crowd that just could not get behind the action. Still weird to see another match where The Shield takes a hit.
Winner: Big E Langston
Rating: **
Match 4: Hell in a Cell - CM Punk vs. Ryback and Paul Heyman
Funny enough, these two faced off in a Hell in a Cell match a year prior to this with the main difference being that their roles were completely reversed. CM Punk turned this match into a handicap match as he wanted to also get his hands on his arch nemesis in Paul Heyman. However, Heyman was atop the cell the entire match as Punk had to fight off the big Ryback. Like many Ryback matches, the action wasn't really the best but it was definitely interesting to watch the two go at it in a pretty stiff match. For the better part of the match, it was Ryback looking like he was going to easily gain the win but Punk was able to turn the tides before hitting an elbow drop on Ryback through a table and following it with a GTS for the win. Good story throughout the match with Punk fittingly playing the role of the underdog but finally being able to break through. Afterwards, Punk climbs the structure and beats down Heyman with a kendo stick and delivering him a GTS for the months of stress he had caused against Punk.
Winner: CM Punk
Rating: **3/4
Match 5: Los Matadores vs. The Real Americans
I wonder how Zeb Colter's gimmick of defending our borders would go in 2018. Anyway, his team of Cesaro and Jack Swagger take on Los Matadores with El Torito at their side. Basic tag match with Cesaro really shining here as he hit his patented Cesaro Swing at one point for over 30 swings. The crowd ate it up and has easily become one of my favorite moves in all of wrestling. However, Los Matadores pick up the win as El Torito is able to fight off The Real Americans after the contest.
Winners: Los Matadores
Rating: *3/4
Match 6: WWE World Heavyweight Championship - Alberto Del Rio (c) vs. John Cena
Another John Cena return from injury, another title shot. If it makes money, it makes sense. Cena is coming back early from a tricep injury he sustained a few months back after Summerslam and is testing himself against the dangerous Alberto Del Rio. Solid match here with Cena doing what he does best as he nurses his left arm while Del Rio savagely works on it throughout the match. Don't you just love it when wrestling actually makes sense? Cena does a great job of actually making it look like he's ready to turn the tide before his opponent continues their onslaught. Seriously, remember when he used to just take a beating for the entire match and miraculously make that comeback? Well... I guess that still kind of happens here but definitely to a lesser extent. Cena is able to hit his Attitude Adjustment and win his 14th world championship. Solid match that puts the strap back on Cena to boost some viewership for television.
Winner: John Cena
Rating: ***
Match 7: WWE Divas Championship - AJ Lee (c) vs. Brie Bella
With Tamina standing in AJ Lee's corner, Brie Bella had her sister to back her up in case things would get silly. Is there a more annoying entrance music out there than AJ's? Because damn, it is awful. And as for the match, it really wasn't any better. After Brie accidentally knees her sister on the outside, AJ capitalizes and submits her with her Black Widow. That was brutal to watch.
Winner: AJ Lee
Rating: 1/2*
Match 8: WWE Championship - Hell in a Cell - Randy Orton vs. Daniel Bryan
I always felt like these two had underrated chemistry with each other but then again, there really isn't anyone they can have a bad match with. With Shawn Michaels serving as the special guest referee, the vacant WWE Championship is on the line as Triple H presents the title to Michaels before the contest. With the crowd being a bit deflated from the last match, these two had a lot on their plate. Thankfully, the crowd was definitely a bit more energized as both Randy Orton and Daniel Bryan had themselves a bit of an old school type of fight with tons of chairs being tossed into the ring and used during the match. While the match itself was a bit underwhelming, the main story came when Triple H made his way to the ring and inserted himself in the match to check on Michaels who was inadvertently knocked out by Orton. However, Bryan knees Triple H in front of Michaels before Michaels would give a receipt to Bryan in the form of a Sweet Chin Music. Orton is able to capitalize and score the pin as Michaels reluctantly makes the count. Orton wins as Michaels walks away ashamed at himself for what he had done. Messy finish to a match that was going slowly in the right direction. It's almost as if the WWE said, "Okay, let's just get Bryan out of the main event picture and hopefully nobody will remember him after this." And you guessed it... they were right. Except the fact that Bryan would go on to main event the next WrestleMania because of how wrong the company was.
Winner: Randy Orton
Rating: ***
Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
2013 may have to be one of the company's weakest years in terms of PPV, possibly even worse than 2007. This event is a testament to that statement with a card full of forgetful matches and a main event that just simply left a bad taste in my mouth. I usually enjoy the Hell in a Cell shows but this was one you can pass.
Rating: 5.75/10
Match 1: WWE Tag Team Championship - Cody Rhodes and Goldust (c) vs. The Usos vs. The Shield
While it feels like I have seen these teams face off about a thousand times, I really have no reason to complain considering how good the action usually is. This is a perfect way to start off the show and the crowd was eating up every second of it. It felt like every man in this match had a chip on their shoulder and just something to prove, you could feel the intensity from every step of the way. With both Cody Rhodes and Goldust being involved within the storyline against The Authority, they were certainly riding a big wave of momentum here as Cody was able to hit a Cross Rhodes on Seth Rollins while Roman Reigns and The Usos were out of the equation to pick up the win for himself and Goldust. Completely forgot about this match and very interesting to look back and see The Shield take a clean loss like this considering how high the company was on them. Regardless, great opening match with a hot crowd along for the ride.
Winners: Cody Rhodes and Goldust
Rating: ***3/4
Match 2: Fandango and Summer Rae vs. The Great Khali and Natalya
At this point, the hype behind Fandango had finally died down as he teams up with his lady to take on The Great Khali and Natalya. Also, this is Summer Rae's first match of her WWE career. As expected with a Khali match, very bland action whenever he was the legal person as Fandango struggled against the much larger opponent. Natalya at least made things interesting with her fight against Summer Rae. Summer Rae was able to roll up Natalya and sneak a win for her team. Poor Natalya, she is definitely one of the better female wrestlers on the roster and she gets jobbed out for someone's first match.
Winners: Fandango and Summer Rae
Rating: *
Match 3: WWE United States Championship - Dean Ambrose (c) vs. Big E Langston
With a very deflated crowd, these two had a tough task of getting in an exciting match that would wake them up. Unfortunately for them, the action in the ring was solid but not enough to get the crowd out of their seats. Dean Ambrose plays his role as a heel phenomenally as he has trouble going against the bigger Big E Langston. Eventually, Ambrose tries to escape the match but only gets tossed back in. However, Ambrose is still able to hit his DDT but is not able to score the win with it before Big E would then spear himself and Ambrose out of the ring. The referee counts out Ambrose as he then tries to walk away with his title but Big E pulls him back in the ring and gives him a Big Ending for his troubles. Decent match here with a crowd that just could not get behind the action. Still weird to see another match where The Shield takes a hit.
Winner: Big E Langston
Rating: **
Match 4: Hell in a Cell - CM Punk vs. Ryback and Paul Heyman
Funny enough, these two faced off in a Hell in a Cell match a year prior to this with the main difference being that their roles were completely reversed. CM Punk turned this match into a handicap match as he wanted to also get his hands on his arch nemesis in Paul Heyman. However, Heyman was atop the cell the entire match as Punk had to fight off the big Ryback. Like many Ryback matches, the action wasn't really the best but it was definitely interesting to watch the two go at it in a pretty stiff match. For the better part of the match, it was Ryback looking like he was going to easily gain the win but Punk was able to turn the tides before hitting an elbow drop on Ryback through a table and following it with a GTS for the win. Good story throughout the match with Punk fittingly playing the role of the underdog but finally being able to break through. Afterwards, Punk climbs the structure and beats down Heyman with a kendo stick and delivering him a GTS for the months of stress he had caused against Punk.
Winner: CM Punk
Rating: **3/4
Match 5: Los Matadores vs. The Real Americans
I wonder how Zeb Colter's gimmick of defending our borders would go in 2018. Anyway, his team of Cesaro and Jack Swagger take on Los Matadores with El Torito at their side. Basic tag match with Cesaro really shining here as he hit his patented Cesaro Swing at one point for over 30 swings. The crowd ate it up and has easily become one of my favorite moves in all of wrestling. However, Los Matadores pick up the win as El Torito is able to fight off The Real Americans after the contest.
Winners: Los Matadores
Rating: *3/4
Match 6: WWE World Heavyweight Championship - Alberto Del Rio (c) vs. John Cena
Another John Cena return from injury, another title shot. If it makes money, it makes sense. Cena is coming back early from a tricep injury he sustained a few months back after Summerslam and is testing himself against the dangerous Alberto Del Rio. Solid match here with Cena doing what he does best as he nurses his left arm while Del Rio savagely works on it throughout the match. Don't you just love it when wrestling actually makes sense? Cena does a great job of actually making it look like he's ready to turn the tide before his opponent continues their onslaught. Seriously, remember when he used to just take a beating for the entire match and miraculously make that comeback? Well... I guess that still kind of happens here but definitely to a lesser extent. Cena is able to hit his Attitude Adjustment and win his 14th world championship. Solid match that puts the strap back on Cena to boost some viewership for television.
Winner: John Cena
Rating: ***
Match 7: WWE Divas Championship - AJ Lee (c) vs. Brie Bella
With Tamina standing in AJ Lee's corner, Brie Bella had her sister to back her up in case things would get silly. Is there a more annoying entrance music out there than AJ's? Because damn, it is awful. And as for the match, it really wasn't any better. After Brie accidentally knees her sister on the outside, AJ capitalizes and submits her with her Black Widow. That was brutal to watch.
Winner: AJ Lee
Rating: 1/2*
Match 8: WWE Championship - Hell in a Cell - Randy Orton vs. Daniel Bryan
I always felt like these two had underrated chemistry with each other but then again, there really isn't anyone they can have a bad match with. With Shawn Michaels serving as the special guest referee, the vacant WWE Championship is on the line as Triple H presents the title to Michaels before the contest. With the crowd being a bit deflated from the last match, these two had a lot on their plate. Thankfully, the crowd was definitely a bit more energized as both Randy Orton and Daniel Bryan had themselves a bit of an old school type of fight with tons of chairs being tossed into the ring and used during the match. While the match itself was a bit underwhelming, the main story came when Triple H made his way to the ring and inserted himself in the match to check on Michaels who was inadvertently knocked out by Orton. However, Bryan knees Triple H in front of Michaels before Michaels would give a receipt to Bryan in the form of a Sweet Chin Music. Orton is able to capitalize and score the pin as Michaels reluctantly makes the count. Orton wins as Michaels walks away ashamed at himself for what he had done. Messy finish to a match that was going slowly in the right direction. It's almost as if the WWE said, "Okay, let's just get Bryan out of the main event picture and hopefully nobody will remember him after this." And you guessed it... they were right. Except the fact that Bryan would go on to main event the next WrestleMania because of how wrong the company was.
Winner: Randy Orton
Rating: ***
Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
2013 may have to be one of the company's weakest years in terms of PPV, possibly even worse than 2007. This event is a testament to that statement with a card full of forgetful matches and a main event that just simply left a bad taste in my mouth. I usually enjoy the Hell in a Cell shows but this was one you can pass.
Rating: 5.75/10
Monday, September 3, 2018
Match of the Week (September 3, 2018) - The Undertaker vs. Triple H (WWE WrestleMania XXVIII)
With both Hell in a Cell being in two weeks, I decided to take a look back at one of my favorite Hell in a Cell matches that also happens to be a match that will be happening in a month... The Undertaker vs. Triple H. This match was billed as "The End of an Era" with two legends squaring off inside the most legendary structure the WWE has ever seen on the biggest stage of all. If that wasn't enough, Shawn Michaels served as the guest referee for the match. In my opinion, this match blew their previous match a year ago completely out of the water with an incredible mix of emotion and physicality. This match also goes down as one of The Undertaker's final greatest displays as The Streak would go on to be broken just a couple years later.
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Hell in a Cell - The Undertaker vs. Triple H (Taken from WWE WrestleMania XXVIII Review)
The epilogue after the series of matches between The Undertaker and Shawn Michaels continues here as Triple H gets another opportunity at conquering The Undertaker and The Streak. With Shawn Michaels as the guest referee and the contest being battled inside Hell in a Cell, this is easily one of the most anticipated matches of all time. Just the matches between Michaels and Undertaker, I don’t know where to begin with this one. Just a definite masterpiece in its own right. The ambiance, the production, the lowering of the cage, everything was done masterfully and the match already had its pace set before the bell even rang. Good action from the first few minutes before Hunter seemingly had his grasp on the match. He began to take The Undertaker out with a series of nasty chair shots to the dismay of Shawn who tried to stop the match to Undertaker’s refusal. Hunter calls back to WrestleMania XXVI by telling Undertaker to stay down. Shawn tries to get himself involved until Undertaker takes him out before being saved by Triple H. Good psychology and smart wrestling from the first half until the second half takes off with The Undertaker getting back into the thick of things and gives Triple H chair shots. Plenty of great spacing, kicking out, and spots from the match so far with Michaels dropping Undertaker with Sweet Chin Music in revenge. However, Triple H can’t capitalize and that even after bringing out the sledgehammer, The Undertaker and his streak is safe. After a grueling battle, Triple H tries to hit The Undertaker with one last shot through the sledgehammer to which The Undertaker catches the shot and caps off the match with a Tombstone. Everything worked, this match had so much hype that I didn’t think it would live up to it. However, I was wrong. Amazing action, Shawn was great in his role, and the whole match consisted of smart wrestling psychology. One for the ages. A definite end of an era.
Winner: The Undertaker
Rating: *****
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Hell in a Cell - The Undertaker vs. Triple H (Taken from WWE WrestleMania XXVIII Review)
The epilogue after the series of matches between The Undertaker and Shawn Michaels continues here as Triple H gets another opportunity at conquering The Undertaker and The Streak. With Shawn Michaels as the guest referee and the contest being battled inside Hell in a Cell, this is easily one of the most anticipated matches of all time. Just the matches between Michaels and Undertaker, I don’t know where to begin with this one. Just a definite masterpiece in its own right. The ambiance, the production, the lowering of the cage, everything was done masterfully and the match already had its pace set before the bell even rang. Good action from the first few minutes before Hunter seemingly had his grasp on the match. He began to take The Undertaker out with a series of nasty chair shots to the dismay of Shawn who tried to stop the match to Undertaker’s refusal. Hunter calls back to WrestleMania XXVI by telling Undertaker to stay down. Shawn tries to get himself involved until Undertaker takes him out before being saved by Triple H. Good psychology and smart wrestling from the first half until the second half takes off with The Undertaker getting back into the thick of things and gives Triple H chair shots. Plenty of great spacing, kicking out, and spots from the match so far with Michaels dropping Undertaker with Sweet Chin Music in revenge. However, Triple H can’t capitalize and that even after bringing out the sledgehammer, The Undertaker and his streak is safe. After a grueling battle, Triple H tries to hit The Undertaker with one last shot through the sledgehammer to which The Undertaker catches the shot and caps off the match with a Tombstone. Everything worked, this match had so much hype that I didn’t think it would live up to it. However, I was wrong. Amazing action, Shawn was great in his role, and the whole match consisted of smart wrestling psychology. One for the ages. A definite end of an era.
Winner: The Undertaker
Rating: *****
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