WWE Hell in a Cell 2014 Review

WWE Hell in a Cell 2014
October 26, 2014
Dallas, Texas

Two big Hell in a Cell matches headline the 2014 Hell in a Cell PPV event! John Cena and Randy Orton clash once again inside the devil's playground to determine who will get the opportunity to face Brock Lesnar for his WWE World Heavyweight Championship. Also, Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose close out the night in a brutal Hell in a Cell match.

Match 1: WWE Intercontinental Championship - 2 Out of 3 Falls - Dolph Ziggler (c) vs. Cesaro
Anytime you have these two going at it, you can sign me up. And if it is going to be a 2 out of 3 falls match, then you can sign me up twice. Always thought Dolph Ziggler worked pretty well as a babyface and he had a great heel in Cesaro to go against here. Ziggler is able to pretty quickly roll Cesaro up for the first fall. Nice way to start the match, Cesaro doesn't take a hit from that pin since Ziggler squeezed it out of nowhere and it now really sets a faster pace for the rest of the match. Great action between the two with Cesaro being able to display his crazy strength. However, a kick from Ziggler and a Zig Zag allows Ziggler to sweep the match and retain his gold in a solid opening contest.
Winner: Dolph Ziggler
Rating: ***1/4

Match 2: Nikki Bella vs. Brie Bella
For those who forgot, Nikki Bella helped Stephanie McMahon defeat Brie Bella at Summerslam and the two sisters come to a crash here at Hell in a Cell. The stipulation here is that the loser must be the winner's personal assistant for 30 days. Alright then. Fairly quick match here with Nikki hitting a Rack Attack to seal the win before mocking her sister right after. Good for what it was worth, just wish the crowd wasn't so damn annoying.
Winner: Nikki Bella
Rating: *1/2

Match 3: WWE Tag Team Championship - Gold & Stardust (c) vs. The Usos
For my younger readers, your AEW hero in Cody Rhodes was once named Stardust and actually paired with his brother. They actually had some banger of matches during their run and their bouts against The Usos were no exception. This is the rematch from a month ago when The Usos lost at Night of Champions. However, the match the two teams had here was rather underwhelming and much of that was because they didn't really have much time as they probably should have to really put on their usual great stuff. Stardust helps Goldust fight off one of The Usos as the referee's back is turned before Goldust hits his finisher to pick up the win for his team. Good match in the fairly short amount of time they had, great chemistry.
Winners: Gold & Stardust
Rating: **3/4

Match 4: Hell in a Cell - Randy Orton vs. John Cena
One of these days, I'm going to count how many times I've seen these two wrestle against each other on PPV. I completely forgot they had ANOTHER Hell in a Cell match here in 2014 with the winner getting a shot at Brock Lesnar and his WWE World Heavyweight Championship. Since I have no recollection of their last Hell in a Cell match, I can't compare the two matches but I'm sure they're both pretty similar. Action in the ring was fine for what it was and exactly what you would expect from these two. A few kickouts from some RKOs and Attitude Adjustments before the two finally brought the fight on the top rope where John Cena was able to finish Randy Orton with an Attitude Adjustment off the top rope. Cena wins and gets another crack at The Beast as he stares down an angry Paul Heyman shortly after the match. Good match but nothing close to being a memorable Hell in a Cell match.
Winner: John Cena
Rating: ***1/4

Match 5: WWE United States Championship - Sheamus (c) vs. The Miz
With Damien Mizdow serving as his stunt double, The Miz challenges Sheamus for his United States Championship. As much as I loved Mizdow mimicking Miz at ringside, he definitely became a distraction for the better part of the match and the novelty was definitely beginning to wear about half way through. Despite Mizdow doing his best efforts to help Miz, Sheamus was able to fight the odds and hit a Brogue Kick to Miz as he was coming down from the top rope. Afterwards, Sheamus messes around with The Miz and Mizdow before delivering another Brogue Kick to Miz. Another fairly basic match on the card, funny to see how over Mizdow was getting around this time.
Winner: Sheamus
Rating: **3/4

Match 6: Rusev vs. The Big Show
Rusev was on an absolute roll around this time as the company was getting him ready to face John Cena at the upcoming WrestleMania. Loved the feud he was having against The Big Show around this time and Show does a great job in making the newer guys look good. Evidence to that point was shown in this match, Show allowed Rusev to look dominant throughout the match but also put up a battle on his own right as well. In other words, Rusev wasn't about to have a cake walk and it makes for a more entertaining and believable match. Despite Mark Henry coming out to cheer on Show, Rusev is still able to lock in an Accolade submission to secure the win. Surprisingly solid match here, fantastic way to continuing building Rusev as a serious threat.
Winner: Rusev
Rating: **1/4

Match 7: WWE Divas Championship - AJ Lee (c) vs. Paige
It's a battle of the two most annoying theme songs in the history of WWE. I've said that on numerous occasions but I might be serious about it this time around. Basic and quick Divas match here, the two tried their bets but the action just wasn't as fluid and entertaining as you would expect from these two. AJ Lee is able to drop Paige off the top of a barricade outside the ring before locking her in a Widow's Peak submission to secure the win. Afterwards, Paige slaps Alicia Fox for rolling Paige back in the ring after she nearly got counted out before getting hit with a Widow's Peak. Forgettable match, on to the next one.
Winner: AJ Lee
Rating: *1/4

Match 8: Hell in a Cell - Dean Ambrose vs. Seth Rollins
After a pretty dull Hell in a Cell match earlier, the former Shield brothers look to close out the night on a high note. They started the match on top of the cell and eventually both fought each other off as they were climbing down and landed through the announcers tables. They brought back the fight into the ring and let their work do the talking. However, the action in the ring wasn't anything really that felt like it was a Hell in a Cell match and it was definitely beginning to drag a bit in the middle. Despite Rollins getting help early on from J&J Security along with Kane throughout the match, Ambrose was still giving Rollins tons of trouble with nasty steel chair shots and an elbow drop through Rollins on a table. However, Ambrose looked to seal Rollins' fate by driving him through a couple cinder blocks before Bray Wyatt appeared of nowhere to attack Ambrose and give Rollins the win. Afterwards, Wyatt hits Ambrose with a Sister Abigail to close out the show. The match itself was longer than it really needed to be, especially after their first spot through the tables. Also, the Wyatt interference felt more awkward than anything as it took him a pretty good minute to actually appear from the dark. Disappointing finish to a disappointing card.
Winner: Seth Rollins
Rating: ***

Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
I have yet to even look at other scores for this event but it was really such a forgettable event. There was so much boring stuff and so much bland stuff that I completely forgot I was even watching a PPV at times. The card was headlined by two Hell in a Cell matches but in all honesty, they were probably two Hell in a Cell matches that you could go without watching.
Rating: 5.75/10