2 out of 3 Falls Match: WWE Intercontinental Championship
Dolph Ziggler(c) def. Cesaro(12:15)
Thoughts: This feud had started on a Smackdown where Dolph and Cesaro had an IC Title match, which Dolph won, but Cesaro had his foot on the rope. They traded victories on Raw leading up to the PPV. Obviously with their skill, if they get time this could be very, very
good. Ziggler got the first fall, and then worked over the left arm of
Cesaro. Cesaro is such a freak of strength, he did this spot where
Ziggler was basically in a hanging guillotine, and then Cesaro walked
him up the ropes in the corner and hit a deadlift superplex off the
second rope. They have worked together so many times; they already had
great chemistry, but have now developed a great repertoire of counters
that truly made things enjoyable. Ziggler won with the clean sweep, the
arm work also worked into the finish, which I appreciated because it
didn’t come off as a time killing device. I liked the clean sweep, first
of all it’s not completely predictable like a lot of 2 of 3 fall
matches, and on top of that Ziggler’s image needed rehabbed after the
way he had been booked on TV over the last few weeks. He got the
definitive victory in a very good match, and hopefully they actually
build off of that. I wish they had more time, because it felt they had a
lot more to offer, but overall this was a damn fine way to begin the
PPV.
Rating: ***3/4
Loser becomes Winners Personal Assistant
Nikki Bella def. Brie Bella(6:25)
Thoughts: This was better than I thought it would be. The crowd was not into it
early, chanting for JBL and such, but they worked a simple and clean
match and eventually got the crowd into things. The wrestling was pretty
good, there was no bullshit or shenanigans, and we got a clean finish.
That’s about all I can ask for.
Rating: **
WWE Tag Team Championship
The Dust Bros.(c) def. The Usos(10:07)
Thoughts: These guys have good chemistry and usually have really good outings, so I
am looking forward to this. In a nod to what started the feud, they
attacked Jimmy’s knee and posted it to get the heat, which I
appreciated. Unfortunately that never became the focus of the match,
which I felt was a flaw because they never followed up on it, and then
it became part of the finish when Stardust kicked the knee of Jimmy,
allowing Goldust to hit his finish for the win. I would have liked a bit
more commitment to the work on the knee. With that being said, they had
another good match, but not as good as their other encounters. It felt a
little slow at times during the middle, but they work together so well
and something horrific would have to happen for them to have a bad
match. As much as I love both teams, we need some fresh blood though,
because I’ve about had my fill of these two teams as opponents. One
final note, Goldust is awesome and may seriously be better than ever.
His return to WWE has been such a great story.
Rating: ***
Number 1 Contenders Hell in a Cell Match
John Cena def. Randy Orton(25:56)
Thoughts: First off, if John Cena is going to continue to call spots so loudly
in matches, can he announce a spoiler warning first? Seriously, that
shit is annoying. Secondly, they still haven’t had that feud-defining
match, but overall this was really good. They had a long match, they
kicked out of everything, which at times can be bad but in this instance
I can buy it because they were fighting for the title shot. It felt a
little long, and if they would have trimmed a few minutes it would have
been tighter and come off even better. But I did feel that overall this
was a very good match, just not great. They tried to work it like it was
a classic affair, but the crowd never got into it at that level. They
were into the match, but not like throwing babies or hanging from the
rafters. Also, this is where the shitty commentary fails the product.
They half-heartedly tried to sell this thing, and even when they came
across as serious, they lack the credibility to be taken that way. Still, damn good HIAC match here.
Rating: ****
WWE United States Championship
Sheamus(c) def. The Miz(8:27)
Thoughts: This felt like an average TV match, which is OK considering we're still reeling from Cena/Orton. The finish saw Miz jump off the top rope
and eat a Brogue kick (which wasn’t exactly hit clean) for the win. WWE
had loved that kind of finish ever since HBK vs. Shelton. Sandow
continues to be the most entertaining part of Miz’s act. Post match,
Sheamus did comedy making a KO’d Miz make YMCA motions while Sandow
mimicked him. Just classic stuff there. Sheamus retains, which is a good thing.
Rating: **1/2
Ruzev def. Big Show(7:56)
Thoughts: Rusev worked the knee of Show early, and then not only did hi abandon
it, Show for got to sell it when it came time for him to run wild.
That’s unfortunate. Mark Henry came out as most expected, tried to
motivate Show, but that distracted him. Rusev then threw a Young Bucks
amount of superkicks to both and then scored the win with the accolade. I
am sure that this will lead to Show arguing that Henry came out when he
asked him not to and a feud that no one wants. The crowd was into
things, but the match again felt like an average TV match. Also,
everything felt off as far as the heel/face dynamic. Rusev overcomes the
odds (he’s smaller and overcame outside interference) to win, which lead to him beating Sheamus for the US Title shortly after this show.
Rating: **1/4
WWE Divas Championship
AJ Lee(c) def. Paige(6:41)
Thoughts: This was another completely average match in a line of them on the show.
It wasn’t bad and they worked hard, but I really feel that they fail to
deliver overall, they just don’t mesh as well as most hoped that they
would. It didn’t help that they were in the death spot and that the
crowd didn’t care. Seriously, they cared so little we didn’t even get CM
PUNK chants during this. AJ retains, and much like the tag title scene,
we need to move onto something fresh, because I’ve had my fill of this
feud. In the end, Fox tried to help Paige by tossing her into the ring,
which led to AJ getting the black widow for the win. Paige slapped Fox
post match and yelled that she hated her.
Rating: **1/4
Main Event: Hell in a Cell Match
Seth Rollins def. Dean Ambrose(13:50 + an additional 10 minutes or so of pre match action)
Thoughts: Talk about a way to end the show. Hell, just the things there were doing to each other before the bell rang was amazing. I honestly can't do this match justice, you just have to see it for yourself. I will, however, talk about the ending. Ambrose brings two cinder blocks into the ring and goes for the
curb stomp on the cinder blocks… BUT THEN THE LIGHTS GO OUT! We hear
strange and incoherent mumbling and chanting, and suddenly the Wyatt
Family lantern appears in the middle of the ring. A ghost appears to
rise from the lantern, but then Bray Wyatt appears and levels Ambrose.
Wyatt crab walks to Ambrose and hits a side slam. The crowd is none too
happy about the interference. Rollins crawls over to Ambrose, makes
the cover, and gets the three count. After the match, Bray Wyatt hits
Ambrose with Sister Abigail, setting up their feud. Again, can't do this match justice, go see it.
Rating: ****1/2
Final Rating:
3.03 out of 5
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