WWE HELL IN A CELL PPV REPORT 9/16: Keller’s report on Reigns vs. Strowman, Rousey vs. Bliss, Styles vs. Joe, Charlotte vs. Lynch, Orton vs. Hardy

KELLER’S WWE HELL IN A CELL PPV REPORT
SEPTEMBER 16, 2018
SAN ANTONIO, TEX.
AIRED LIVE ON WWE NETWORK

---

KICKOFF SHOW

Smackdown Announcers: Tom Phillips, Corey Graves, Byron Saxton

(A) THE NEW DAY (Kofi Kingston & Big E w/Xavier Woods) vs. RUSEV DAY (Rusev & Aiden English w/Lana)

When New Day came out, Saxton said, “That noise is the soundtrack to my happiness.” They poured pancakes on a little boy in the crowd. On the ramp, New Day talked about summer being over, kids being back in school, leaves falling, and it being pumpkin spice latte season. They entered the ring. (Big E rolled into the ring in slow-mo, which was funny. Nothing else they did was, but that was.) They were about to sing about their opponents the Aiden English walked out onto the stage. Fans chanted “Rusev Day!” Big E was irked. They battled over who could hum “Rusev Day” the best in a throat-clearing vocal-cord-warm-up type of way. English sang about letting his voice sooth their ears as those boys with their flapjacks bore them to tears. New Day were upset. English said soon they will cry those tag team titles come back with “the brute and I.”He said when it’s all done, people say the new champs are named “Rusev Day!” Cue the music. Rusev walked out to cheers.

Lots of empty seats. Phillips said they were expecting a packed house and people were still making their way iron the arena. Fans adjusting to the new one hour earlier start time. Rusev caught a flying Kofi seconds into the match and then kneed him in the ribs as he held him three times. Then he gave him a fallaway slam and scored a one count. They broke to a split-screen advertising the HIAC PPV for those watching outside of WWE Network who hadn’t ordered it yet. Rusev and English tagged in and out, isolating Kofi. Kofi DDT’d Rusev. Both Big E and Aiden tagged in. Big E got the better of Big E, meaning English & Rusev were working as heels in this match. Big splashed English and then got the crowd clapping. Rusev tagged himself in and went after Big E with aggressive strikes and then a corner splash and a leaping spin wheel kick. When Kofi entered, Rusev backdropped him and then he turned and round kicked Big E in the head for a two count.

Fans chanted “Rusev Day!” He stomped the mat and signaled for his Machka Kick. Big E ducked. Rusev went for an Accolade, but Big E ducked. English tagged himself in as Rusev passed by. Big E speared Rusev off the ring apron. English did a flip dive onto Big E and then threw him into the ring. He face-planted him for a two count. English went for a top rope flip splash, but Big E moved. Kofi tagged in. Big E put English on his shoulders and then Kofi leaped off the top rope with a double stomp for a believable near fall.

Kofi led the crowd in clapping. He went for Trouble in Paradise, but RUsev tagged himself in. Rusev entered and ran toward the ropes. Kofi tumbled over the top rope with Rusev, but held on and re-entered the ring and celebrated. Then Big E launched Kofi over the top rope, but he ate a Machka kick. English then slammed Big E face-first on the ring apron. Rusev threw Kofi back into the ring. Fans chanted “Rusev Day!” English tagged himself in. Rusev didn’t seem to on board, but went for a diving headbutt. Kofi moved, so then English landed a top rope splash for a two count. Graves said when dealing with a team as elite as New Day, a miscommunication can be deadly. Seconds later, English went to tag Rusev, Rusev was down on the floor and out of reach. English then put Kofi in the Accolade mid-ring. Big E went to break it up, but Rusev cut him off. Kofi, though, fought out of the move. Rusev called for the tag for some reason. Kingston fended off Rusev as he charged into the ring illegally, then landed a Trouble in Paradise on English for the win.

WINNERS: The New Day in 9:00 to retain the WWE Smackdown Tag Team Titles. (**1/2)

(Keller’s Analysis: They had to squeeze a full tag match into nine minutes, and it felt rushed, but it was really good.)

-In a backstage interview, Mick Foley talked about being special referee for the Hell in a Cell. Baron Corbin interrupted and asked if he was up for the task. He said he’s dressed in his ref shirt early and liked how ready he appeared to be. Foley offered Corbin help as G.M. Corbin said no thanks, he’ll let his performance speak for itself.

(Keller’s Analysis: Corbin’s acting is getting to the point of unacceptability, like missing your third field goal of the game in overtime.)

---

MAIN SHOW

Smackdown Announcers: Tom Phillips, Corey Graves, Byron Saxton

(1) RANDY ORTON vs. JEFF HARDY – Hell in a Cell match

Graves talked about Hardy not being able to focus on his match tonight in recent days as he and his family have been dealing with the affects of the hurricane. Hardy charged at Orton at the start, but Orton took over right away with forearms and kicks. Early in the match, Hardy slid a table into the ring. Then a ladder and a chair. Orton dropped Hardy on the bridged ladder at ringside, reversing Hardy’s set-up. Orton then bashed Hardy with some chair shots to the back. He ripped off his mesh shirt before bashing his back several more times. Orton then too Hardy’s studded belt and whipped him with it. Hardy tried to yank off the rest of his shirt to get his arm mobility back. Orton continued the attack. Fans chanted “Let’s Go Hardy.” Orton looked at them with disdain and caught his breath about 12 minutes into the match. Orton put Hardy inside a ladder in the ring as Graves said Orton was dismantling Hardy. He said Orton is at his most vicious. He put Hardy’s head through a rung and bent his head up, then stomped down on the ladder several times methodically. Orton pulled him to the canvas and scored a two count. Graves said the ref should perhaps consider stopping the match. There was no pushback by Saxton or Phillips other than Saxton saying this is the match Hardy wanted.

Orton went into his obligatory mid-match chin lock. Hardy fought out of it and showed some fire. He took Orton down with an inverted atomic drop and then a leg drop to the crotch followed by a basement dropkick for a two count. Both were slow to get up. Orton rolled to the floor and pulled out a toolbox. The crowd gasped. Orton looked through screwdrivers as Graves wondered, “What in the hell is Randy Orton going to do with a screwdriver?” He called it “weapon.” Orton then put the screwdriver in his mouth and yanked on Hardy’s ear. Then he put the screwdriver into the hole in Hardy’s wear and pulled more on it and then began twisting it as Hardy sold it. He did two full turns as Orton looked sadistic. Hardy stood up and mule-kicked his way out of the hold.

Hardy picked up his belt and whipped Orton with it, then hit him with a chair across his back several times. He scored a two count at 18:00. When Hardy went to the top rope, Orton knocked him off balance and Hardy dropped crotch-first over the top turnbuckle. Orton’s back was marked up and bleeding from the belt shots with at least 11 streams of blood longer than an inch and a bunch of other spots bleeding a little less than an inch. Quite the visual. Orton hit a DDT, but was slow to get up. He stood and signaled for the RKO. Hardy escaped the RKO attempt and landed a sudden Twist of Fate. Graves wondered if Hardy could “finish the job.” Hardy put a chair on Orton’s chest and then landed a Swanton for a near fall. Fans began a “This is Awesome” chant. The camera zoomed in on Orton’s leg having a puncture wound and bleeding with what appeared to have a “dangling chad” coming out of the wound.

Hardy put Orton on a table and then climbed to the top of a tall ladder. He hung from the roof and maneuvered over above Orton. Orton moved and Hardy crashed hard through the table. The ref signaled for help once he determined Hardy wasn’t moving. “Holy sh–!” chanted the crowd. The ref tried to get Orton to back away, but Orton made the cover anyway and them the ref counted to three. Hardy was strapped to a backboard and put on a gurney and wheeled away.

WINNER: Orton in 25:00. (***3/4)

(Keller’s Analysis: There was enough violence and drama to get this near four stars on a HIAC scale, although the Hell in a Cell structure itself ended up being just a prop surrounding them until the end. That’s probably no big deal with two HIAC matches on one show. I’m not crazy about a finish that sells the idea that someone is paralyzed, although once Orton made the cover it was pretty obvious Hardy was actually “fine.” Storyline-wise, I really like the idea of the match not stopping just because someone seems injured since – storyline-wise – the whole point of HIAC is to injure your opponents until you can pin them, so why would the ref stop the match just because the wrestler appeared to be “too hurt”? The match played believably into Orton’s and Hardy’s characters and how they’d act and wrestle in a match like this.)

-Kalya Braxton interviewed A.J. Styles backstage. He was just short of being in a state of rage as he determinedly spoke about how ready he was to fight for his family. He said the talking now stops.

(2) CHARLOTTE vs. BECKY LYNCH – WWE Smackdown Women’s Title match

Audible cheers for Lynch when her music played and she came out onto the stage. No sense of any boos in the crowd. Graves said it’s a friendship in rubble and Lynch will find out tonight if it was all worth it. She looked serious and focused but not smug or heelish. Graves noted Charlotte is 18-2 in career singles championship matches on PPV. Graves said this is different for Charlotte because she’s not used to fighting someone who knows her as well as she does. Charlotte still did her unbecoming gymnastics as she entered the ring which seems more fitting of a heel wrestler showing off arrogantly, someone cheering on fighters in a cheerleading squad, or a teenage girl trying to score points in a gymnastics competition. During formal ring intros, more boos than cheers for Charlotte, but nothing too intense either way.

Graves said Charlotte might be the greatest athlete in all of WWE. I’m all for building up wrestlers, especially reigning champions, but that’s preposterous to say. They were all off on their timing on leapfrog into a Figure-Eight attempt into an armor by Becky series seconds later, sort of undercutting Graves’s statement about Charlotte. It just looked robotic and clumsy at once. When Becky rallied a few minutes in, the crowd booed the kickoff at two by Charlotte. The crowd otherwise was sort of muted early on. They chanted “Becky” at one point. Charlotte came back with chops and the crowd “wooo’d” along with her. Charlotte went for the moonsault, but Becky moved and then applied an armbar. Charlotte lifted and slammed Becky to escape and then score a leverage two count. Graves called it a ridiculous show of strength by Charlotte. Graves called it “super-human power” for Charlotte. They stood and exchanged blows. Becky delivered an inverted DDT/hammerlock combo for a two count.

Becky climbed to the top rope, but Charlotte avoided a missile dropkick and then immediate applied a Boston crab. Becky crawled to the bottom rope to force a submission. Charlotte rolled up Becky seconds later. Becky escaped and immediately applied a Disarmher. Charlotte rolled out of the ring and Becky held it until the fourth count by the ref. Charlotte back-elbowed Becky as she charged, but then Becky rolled through a Charlotte spear and hooked the leg and scored a pin. A pretty big pop from the crowd for the win.

WINNER: Lynch in 14:00. (***1/4)

-Charlotte leaned against the bottom rope and soaked up the loss. She was teared up as she looked at Becky celebrating. Charlotte finally stood up as Becky’s music faded. A “Becky!” chant started and fans cheered when she held up her belt. Charlotte offered to raise Becky’s arm. Becky told Charlotte that she won’t let her steal another moment from her. She turned and left the ring. Scattered boos as she headed to the back. Her music played again.

(Keller’s Analysis: Good match that felt like something was at stake and two top women were battling for it. It wasn’t electric as fans just felt like they were fighting against the story they were being fed for the match. Charlotte is a victim along with Becky in this ill-conceived direction their feud has taken. Good finish with a decisive win by Becky. If you’re telling the story of her being a heel, her refusal to share the moment with Charlotte makes sense. That said, I have a feeling most fans agreed and nodded along with Becky letting Charlotte know that this wasn’t her moment to show how gracious she could be; it was her time to roll out of the ring and let Becky celebrate the moment. It’s not as if they were great friends going into this anyway.)

-They replayed the finish of the New Day match in the Kickoff show. Then they went backstage where The New Day celebrated their win. Big E kissed the belt over and over and over. He said everyone knows what time it is. He rang a small bell. Then Kofi played his interview character, Kramer, and interviewed Big E and Xavier. They talked about defending against The Bar at the Super Show-down. They poured pancakes over the head of Bootyworth.

(Keller’s Analysis: This is New Day’s worst stuff to date.)

Raw Announcers: Michael Cole, Corey Graves, Renee Young

(3) DEAN AMBROSE & SETH ROLLINS vs. DREW MCINTYRE & DOLPH ZIGGLER – WWE Raw Tag Team Title match

Seth came out first to his music, then Ambrose came out to his music, and then they walked to the ring together. Ziggler opened against Seth. Cole said Ziggler and McIntyre believe they are trying to rid the men’s locker room of The Shield and are on a wholesome mission. After kicking Seth’s leg to escape a test of strength he was losing, he raked his boot across Seth’s face. Seth tagged in Dean seconds later and Dean took Ziggler down with a clothesline. Seth took a parting shot and then Dean scored a two count. Renee said Dean and Seth have a ring awareness of each other that Drew and Dolph don’t have yet.

Ziggler tagged in Drew who overpowered Seth with a body check. Seth looked up, intimidated. Drew laughed down at him. Dean was eager to tag in. Dean stepped up to Drew and they went forehead-to-forehead. Drew slapped Dean then asked, “What’ve you got?” Dean showed him and took him down and scored a two count with a magistral cradle. Dean gave Drew forearms to the face from behind. Ziggler tried to interfere, which opened up Drew to nail a distracted Dean from being. Graves said there’s an example of Drew and Dolph being on the same page.

Ziggler dragged Dean’s eyes across the top rope. Great to see heels doing heel moves like this. Dean came back by dropping Ziggler neck-first over the top rope. Dean then hot-tagged Seth. Seth set up a running dive over the top rope onto Ziggler, but Drew grabbed his boot. Ziggler ran back into the ring and caught Seth with a sudden DDT for a near fall.

The heels settled into beating on Seth and isolating him in their corner and frequently tagging in and out. Drew stomped on Seth’s hand before doing some joint manipulation. Cole said Ziggler is “a new man since teaming with Drew McIntyre.” Graves said Ziggler for years prided himself on having the most exciting match of the night, but that didn’t always add up to results, but now he’s seeing results lead to opportunity. Ziggler jogged around Seth and yelled at him to do something. Seth did. He punched away at him. Ziggler came back with a sleeper and rode Seth’s back. Seth faded, but then stood again and tried to walk toward Dean. He got close, but Ziggler raked Seth’s eyes. Seth side slammed Ziggler to break free. Both men were down. Ziggler leaped to tag Drew. Seth threw Drew out of the ring when he charged, but when Seth went to tag Dean, Drew yanked Dean off the ring apron. Drew then flapjacked Seth onto the mat. Dean broke up the pin attempt. Drew yelled, “Disqualify his ass!” to the referee. Nice sequence after the tag to Drew.

Drew caught Seth leaping for a tag, but Seth leaped and tagged Dean anyway. The ref was distracted by Ziggler rolling under the bottom rope, so he didn’t acknowledge the tag. Dean threw a fit and the crowd booed and went into a frenzy. That sequence worked. Cole said you don’t have to like it, but you have to applaud Ziggler for what he did. (No, Cole should be upset with the heels cheating like that and calling out Drew as a hypocrite for wanting Dean DQ’d for interfering a minute earlier. The heel heat comes in part from announcing calling them out for their double-standard, not applauding their resourcefulness at stretching the rules or getting away with cheating.)

Seth eventually hit a blockbuster, but came up with a sore knee. Drew again prevented the tag until Seth somersaulted under his arm and hot-tagged Dean. Nice pop for Dean as he went to work on Drew. Dean stomped away at Drew in the corner, then fended off an interfering Ziggler. Dean went for a jackknife pin for a two count. He followed up with a takedown and another two count. Dean climbed to the top rope and kicked Ziggler away. He set up a Dirty Deeds on the ring apron on Ziggler, but Drew kicked him to the floor. Graves said he can’t believe he’s saying it, but to this point Drew and Dolph had outclassed Dean and Seth as a tag team. Renee agreed.

Dean got the better of the heels at ringside and climbed to the top rope. He launched at Drew, but Drew caught him and gave him an overhead released suplex into the corner. Both Seth and Ziggler tagged in at 16:00. Seth backdropped Ziggler over the top rope. He dove through the ropes at Ziggler and Drew, but they caught him mid-air. Dean then dove onto them and knocked all three down. All four were down and slow to get up.

Back in the ring Ziggler went for a DDT, but Seth countered into a Falcon Arrow for a near fall. Cole said Seth is “sneaky strong.” (T-shirt idea? No.) Seth stomped the mat. Fans chanted “Burn it down!” He kicked Ziggler and went for a Stomp, but Ziggler moved. He went for a Fameasser, but Seth ducked and turned it into a buckle bomb for a near fall. Drew interfered. Dean entered. Drew threw Dean out of the ring. Seth kneed Drew. Ziggler rolled up Seth from behind, but Seth rolled through for a two count. Ziggler hit a Zig Zag for a believable near fall that popped the crowd. “What a sequence!” Cole exclaimed. “Absolutely incredible.”

Ziggler and Seth were slow to get up as the announcers commented on the replay. When Drew went for a Claymore Kick after tagging in, Seth ducked and superkicked Drew and rolled him for a believable near fall that popped the crowd. Seth quickly tagged Drew and then leaped of the top rope with frog splash for another believable near fall that popped the crowd. They cut to crowd shots as Cole exclaimed, “Are you kidding me?!” They showed the frog splash by Seth in slo-mo. Graves said they’re performing at an otherworldly level right now. Dean and Seth set up a double-team suplex on Drew. Ziggler ran in and yanked Seth down. Seth threw him out of the ring and slingshot himself toward Ziggler. Ziggler moved. Drew then came off the top rope and clotheslined Dean. Drew kipped up. The announcers were impressed. Drew put Dean on his shoulders, but Dean fought out of it. He kicked Drew in the gut and went for Dirty Deeds. Drew avoided it and then speared Dean to the floor. Seth gave Ziggler a superplex and rolled through, but as he set up the pin, Drew gave him a Claymore Kick for the win. The announcers marveled at the match. Graves said it could redefine tag team wrestling in WWE.

WINNERS: Ziggler & McIntyre in 23:00 to retain the WWE Raw Tag Team Titles. (****1/2)

(Keller’s Analysis: Damn, that was good. Start to finish good. I loved the heel tactics used early by Ziggler and Drew to establish this wasn’t a “this is awesome” type of match but get the crowd rooting for Dean and Seth early. The milking and teases of Seth eventually hot-tagging Dean after an extended beating he took from Drew and Dolph was so well done, too. You could tell these four just loved the art form of putting this together and the time to tell this story the way they wanted and then executing it so well with good timing throughout. And a kip up from Drew was a bonus near the end.)

-Backstage Foley told Braun that he might not think the Cell with change him, but it will. He said when the cage is locked, things change. He told Braun that he needs him to respect his authority. Braun said all he needs to do is count to three. “You do your job and I’ll do mine because, I promise you, you don’t want a monster problem.” Foley said, “Good talk.” Then Foley walked away as Braun breaths deeply over and over.

-They replayed Samoa Joe’s “storytime” mind games from Smackdown last week.

(Keller’s Analysis: The match order on this show is defining Smackdown as the B-Show with the B-Titles. The Tag Titles, Women’s Title, and Men’s World Title matches all came before the Raw equivalents. The Smackdown HIAC match opened the show and presumably the Raw HIAC match will close the show. Symbolically, every step of the way, it says Raw > Smackdown.)

(4) A.J. STYLES vs. SAMOA JOE

Joe came out first. The announcers talked about Joe’s mind games and called them despicable. During ring intros, Styles and Joe jawed at each other the whole time. Graves said Joe is definitely in Style’s head. The bell rang and Styles charged at Joe and took it to him with forearms and punches at the start. No collar and elbow hookup this time. Joe ended up fighting back with some of his signature jabs. Styles dropkicked Joe to stop his comeback. Joe regrouped at ringside. Styles threw Joe head-first into the announce table. He slidekicked him next. Graves said Styles is fighting for his family, but questioned whether he could sustain his intensity and emotional state. Styles went for an early Phenomenal Forearm, but Joe rolled to the floor. The ref told Styles to keep it in the ring. That brief delay gave Joe time to recover, as he kicked Styles when Styles went for a slingshot dive onto Joe. Styles clutched his knee. Joe kicked Styles and threw him into the ringside steps. Styles flip-bumped to the floor.

Back in the ring Joe took over, knocking Styles down with a hard chop to the chest. Joe face washed Styles and then delivered a running boot to the Styles as he was lying in a corner of the ring. Graves said Styles appears to have run out of gas, a callback to his concern earlier that Styles was going to run out of steam at the early pace he set. With Styles at ringside, Joe flew at Styles with a serious-business elbow to the side of his head. Styles bumped hard into the announce table and then didn’t move. Joe picked him up and threw him back into the ring and made a cover for a two count. Joe settled into a head twist mid-ring.

Styles eventually fought back and hit a charging Joe with an elbow and then landed an inverted DDT for a near fall. Styles went for a springboard moonsault off the second rope, but Joe lifted his knees. Phillips mindlessly said “nobody home on the moonsault,” even though that’s when the opponent moves, not when they lift their knees. Joe put Styles in a Crossface mid-ring. Styles crawled over to the bottom rope to force a break. Styles avoided a charging Joe, then turned and hit a hard chop and round kick. Then he lifted Joe onto his shoulders and put him in a torture rack and then spun out into a powerbomb for a near fall. Graves marveled at his power.

Styles landed a springboard 450 for a near fall. Graves said the fact that Styles had that in his reserve athletically at this point in the match was mind-blowing. Styles set up a Styles Clash. Joe dropped out of it and immediately catapulted Styles into the corner. Then he hit a vicious clothesline for a two count. Both were slow to get up. Graves said Joe reached from the depths of his soul and hit that lariat, but still couldn’t get the three on Styles. Styles took a great bump there. Styles came up bleeding from his mouth. Phillips said Styles was a mess. Joe set up a Muscle Buster off the top, but Styles slipped out into a sunset flip and then went for a Styles Clash immediately, but Joe kicked his way free from an upside down position. Styles hinted at Calk Crusher, but Joe landed a round kick to the head. Joe took a few breaths, rolled Styles onto his back, and then scored a two count.

Styles set up a Phenomenal Forearm with a quick forearm, but Joe avoided the springboard forearm and applied the Coquina Clutch. Joe ripped Styles away from the ropes and dropped back. Styles bridged Joe’s shoulders down and the ref counted to three. Joe was irate afterward, standing over Styles and protesting the call. He tried to tell the ref Styles actually tapped out. Joe went to ringside and Graves hesitantly said he thinks he saw a tapout.

Joe returned to the ring as Styles’s music played. As Styles reached for his belt, Joe snatched it and held it up. Styles then gave Joe a leaping round kick to the back of his head. Joe rolled to the floor. A bloodied Styles held up the belt, then dropped to his knees and fall back onto the mat, selling the war he just fought in the ring.

They replayed the finish from a fresh angle and Styles did indeed indisputably tapout before the ref counted to three. Graves declared Joe the WWE Champion, then said Joe at least has a legitimate gripe.

WINNER: Styles in 19:00 to retain the WWE Title. (****1/4)

(Keller’s Analysis: Really really good start to finish. I liked the finish as Joe hardly looked like a loser at the end and has as good of a case as anyone can make for deserving a rematch. These are two top-level pros who knew how to tell a story in the ring that totally fit the build.)

-They showed Ronda Rousey warming up backstage with Natalya cheering her on.

-Charlie Caruso interviewed Miz and Maryse backstage. Miz said Daniel Bryan and Brie Bella should be thanking them for bringing them fame. Maryse said Brie puts her hands on Miz because she knows he would never, ever hit back, but she can. Miz said they are the hardest-hitting duo in WWE. Maryse said Bryan and Brie are “irrelevant losers.” Miz laughed.

-A long recap video aired on the Bryan-Miz feud.

(5) MIZ & MARYSE vs. DANIEL BRYAN & BRIE BELLA

Maryse and Brie opened against each other. Maryse backed away right away and tagged in Miz. Brie then tagged in Bryan as the announcers talked about the psychological games Miz and Maryse were playing. This was the right match at this point in the show following the intensity of Joe-Styles. Maryse taunted Brie again, tagging in but then tagging out before any contact. Miz gloated and applauded as Bryan tagged back in. The only downside here is that Miz should be hesitant to want to let Bryan get his hands on him, too. Graves said it must be awful to wake up next to Bryan every morning because of “unkempt and ungroomed” he is. Saxton’s defense wasn’t inspiring. He basically said who cares if Bryan is a complete smelly mess of an ungroomed man because he’s “a heck of a competitor.”

Bryan rallied against Miz and started loud “Yes!” chant. Bryan went for a running knee, but Miz side-stepped him, then rolled him jp for a one count. Bryan countered into a Yes Lock. Maryse entered and hit Bryan across his back in the weakest pin break-up in history. Brie caused Maryse around the ring and through the ring. The ref cut off Brie and ordered er back to her corner. Miz tried to surprise Bryan from behind with a Skull Crushing Final, but Miz kicked out. Bryan threw kicks at Miz’s chest in the corner and then landed a running dropkick to Miz’s face. On a second attempt, Miz moved and Bryan crashed into the corner.

Miz kicked Bryan in the corner with a series of Yes Kicks. The crowd chanted “No!” each time. Graves called it great psychology by Miz. Miz set up a superplex. Bryan blocked it and headbutted Miz to the mat. Bryan went for a diving headbutt, but Miz moved. Or, in this case, “no one was home.” (Clichés are so blah. Or, as a wiseman once said, a good writer/commentator ought to avoid clichés like the plague.) Miz pounded away at Bryan, but Bryan backdropped Miz to the floor when he charged. Bryan crawled over and hot-tagged Brie in. Maryse looked like she was asked to get in a freezing swimming pool. She dropped off the ring apron. When Miz got in her face, Brie attacked Miz and then slidekicked under Miz’s legs and knocked Maryse into the table. She rammed Maryse’s head into the table seven times and then shoved her aside. Bryan clotheslined Miz over the top rope to the floor.

Bryan then hit a flying knee off the ring apron to the side of Miz’s face at ringside. Miz reversed Bryan at ringside into the barricade as Brie led the crowd in “Yes!” chants. Brie threw Maryse into the ring, then tackled her. Maryse shoved Brie off of her. Brie dropkicked Maryse off the second rope and made the cover. Miz was very late pulling Brie off of Maryse and the ref just stopped at two and stood up as Miz reached for Brie’s leg. Bryan didn’t like that and attacked Miz. Bryan yelled, “Nobody touches my wife!” Miz and Maryse sat up in the ring so Bryan and Brie hit stereo Yes Kicks until Miz and Maryse rolled to the floor. The world hoped Brie would not attempt at this point a dive through the ropes, because when she does it, it earns the name “suicide dive.” Instead they chased them down. Brie threw Maryse back into the ring, then did her yell, and hit a running knee to Maryse. Miz tried to interfere, but Brie threw Maryse into Miz. Brie rolled up Maryse, but Maryse countered and pulled on Brie’s pants to score the pin. Graves afterward brazenly (and self-awarely) said Maryse is underrated as an in-ring technician.

WINNERS: Miz & Maryse in 13:00. (*3/4)

(Keller’s Analysis: This was a sloppier version of what you’d expect out of this. Maryse is bad – like really, really bad. Brie’s hardly a world class worker, either. So they wisely kept what was asked of them to a minimum, but that minimum was awful. Brie and Bryan couldn’t even fullysynchronize their Yes Kick routine. That said, it’s not the type of match where all of that matters as much as usual and they did an effective job building anticipation for Brie to get her hands on the elusive Maryse. The content with Miz and Bryan was pretty good and filled the majority of the match.)

-The announcers commented on a replay of the Orson-Hardy finish earlier. They said he was brought to a local medical facility. Cole said hospital officials have sent word that Hardy is throwing up blood and passing blood from his mouth and is in severe abdominal pain. Before Cole added “from his mouth,” we were on the verge of a major TMI moment on WWE TV.

(6) RONDA ROUSEY (w/Natalya) VS. ALEXA BLISS (w/Mickie James, Alicia Fox) – WWE Raw Women’s Title match

Renee said Rousey’s best strategy is to win quickly given her rib injury. (The lesson of the day is not to leave it up to the field goal kicker. Oh wait, wrong sport, just a frustrating Viking fan venting a bit.) Rousey took Bliss down early and scored an early two count. Then she wrapped up Bliss with a nice bridged pin attempt. Graves said he’s not sure he’s ever seen that before. Renee said maybe Rousey learned that from Natalya. Cole said Rousey is always training down at the Performance Center. Bliss upkicked Rousey in the ribs to take over.  Rousey took Bliss down and began to set up an armbar, but Mickie and Fox distracted her. Rousey took the bait. Rousey caught Bliss’s weak attempt at a kick and then tossed her across the ring. She then asked who wanted a souvenir tonight as she set up an armbar. Fox and Mickie pulled her to ringside. Rousey,s selling her ribs, rolled to the floor and surprised Bliss who dropped backwards and scurried away. She bumped into Natalya. Rousey threw Bliss back into the ring. Bliss charged at Rousey, but Rousey side-stepped her and Bliss ended up in the arms of Mickie and Fox. Rousey messed up a bit when she said: “Who needs friends – who needs enemies when you have friends like that?” (They caught her! They were there for her!)

Rousey grabbed Bliss and dragged her back into the ring by her hair. Bliss dropped down and snapped Rousey over the top rope. “Alexa Bliss, clever as the devil and twice as pretty,” said Graves. Bliss roundkicked Rousey hard into ribcage in the corner. Fans began chanting “Ronda!” Cole acknowledged them. (The announcers did not acknowledge the “Becky” chants earlier, by the way, and they were just as loud and sustained.)  Rousey lifted Bliss onto her shoulders, but her ribs gave in and Bliss yanked her hard to the mat. Bliss then landed double knees and then moonsaulted her knees onto Rousey for two count. Bliss kicked away at Rousey in the corner. She hung Rousey upside down and then dropkicked her ribs. She scored a two count. Bliss then applied an armbar. Renee said Rousey won the title in dominant fashion “and now look at her.”

Bliss grabbed Rousey’s right arm and right leg and yanked against the ring post from ringside. Mickie and Fox then grabbed the limbs and yanked. Natalya duplexed Fox at ringside. Mickie, meanwhile, tried to interfere. Rousey blocked her and threw Mickie into the ring post. Rousey turned back to Bliss and they mess mid-air with crossbody blocks.  They were both slow to get up. Rousey surprised Bliss with a small package for a two count. Rousey scored a two count with a backslide. Bliss came right back with a kick. Bliss taunted Rousey. Rousey got intense and yelled and broke Bliss’s grip and then gave her a twisting Powerbomb. Rousey’s ribs were too hurt for her to follow up right away. She stood with the aid of the ropes and pounded on her ribs (nobody with a real rib injury would ever, ever do that, adrenaline or not.) Rousey punched away at Bliss rapid-fire in the corner, but Bliss caught her charging with a boot to the ribs.

Rousey then lifted Bliss and gave her a somersault Samoan drop that the announcers completely undersold. Rousey then applied her signature armbar. Bliss tapped out.

WINNER: Rousey in 12:00 to retain the WWE Raw Women’s Championship. (**3/4)

(Keller’s Analysis: Good performance by Rousey at this stage of her career, showing two or three more spots that were well-executed. Bliss was really strong in carrying her where that was called for. The interference at ringside from two helpers along with the injured ribs coming into the match protected Rousey from looking weak by not beating Bliss sooner. All of that said, there is an “ordinariness” to Rousey setting in. The good news, she’s good with facial expressions and selling and intensity where she’s ultimately going to be good enough to be viable as a top star beyond the novelty stage once the glow of being a UFC Superstar in WWE has worn off.)

-Cole sent best wishes to those affected by the hurricane in the Carolinas.

-After a replay of the Styles-Joe finish. they showed Joe yelling backstage at the referee for his missed call. Paige entered and said he’ll get his rematch at WWE Super Show-down in three weeks. Joe said he wanted it to be no count0ut, no DQ, no excuses. Paige said there must be a winner. Technically, nothing Joe asked for would change anything about what happened tonight. Those stips don’t affect that finish. And tonight there was a winner.

(7) ROMAN REIGNS vs., BRAUN STROWMAN – WWE Universal Title match

Braun came out to a mixed response. Once he entered the Hell in a Cell (the entire structure is coated in red now, by the way), he raised the belt and that was the loudest boos of his entrance. When Reigns’s music stopped, Braun and Reigns had a stare down mid-ring. When Reigns raised his belt in the air, Strowman snatched it away. The crowd cheered. Reigns jump-started the match with a punch to the jaw. Cole said Reigns wouldn’t allow the championship to be disrespected by Braun like that. (And so begins the needlessly heavy-handed commentary telling everyone why they should absolutely cheer Reigns.) Braun kneed Reigns to stop him and then threw him shoulder-first into the ring post. Braun then knocked him hard off the ring apron into the side of the Cell.

As Reigns returned to the ring, a “Let’s Go Roman / Roman sucks!” dueling chant began. Reigns knocked Strowman to the floor. Louder boos. Strowman charged at Reigns at ringside seconds later, knocking him hard into the Cell wall. He then stomped on his throat like he was putting out a cigarette. When Braun picked up the steel steps, Roman kicked them out of his hands. He then hit a Drive By. Braun caught Reigns’s half-hearted leap toward him and chokeslammed him on the ring apron. A “Get These Hands!” started with a small group of fans. Strowman picked up a kendo stick, but dropped it. He liked the chair better. He smiled. Reigns popped up and hit Strowman with the kendo stick. Renee said she’s never seen one of those break so quickly before. Reigns kicked Braun as he was re-entering the ring.

Reigns bashed Braun across his back with a chair a few times. Strowman grabbed the chair mid-swing and yanked it away, but when he charged shoulder-first, Reigns moved. Strowman crashed into the ringpost. Reigns DDT’d Strowman onto a chair for a soft two count with a powerful kickoff. Reigns staggered Strowman with two Superman Punches. He went for a third and Strowman chokeslammed him for a very near fall. Strowman complained to referee Mick Foley, who went from invisible to a factor in this match instantly. Braun yelled more at Foley, who defended himself. Braun lifted Reigns for a power slam, but Reigns slipped out and caught him with a boot. Reigns avoided a charging Braun and then hit a Superman Punch for a near fall. Cole went into ultra-dramatic mode for the count.

Reigns charged at Strowman at ringside, but when he turned the corner, Strowman met him with raised steel steps. Reigns went down hard. Strowman threw Reigns back into the ring as Graves said Reigns will have diamond prints on his forehead for the next few weeks. Strowman bashed Reigns again with the top of the steps, good for a two count. Strowman protested, then yelled, “Why won’t you stay down, you moron!” Cole said: “He won’t stay down, Braun, because that’s what Roman Reigns is all about. That’s why he is Universal Champion today!” Strowman smashed the ringside steps down onto Reigns’s chest. He threw the steps out of the ring, making a huge noise as they bounced off the cage and the ring and landed with a thud on the mat. Graves said Reigns could have internal injuries after that. Strowman landed a running powerslam and scored a two count. Graves said Braun isn’t happy with the officiating, “and for good reason.” Braun set up a table in the corner. Reigns slipped free. Reigns landed a Superman Punch and then speared Braun through the table. It broke in two. Reigns made the cover and Bryan kicked out.

With both men down, Ziggler and McIntyre ran out. the ringside ref yelled at them. Dean and Seth ran out and threw Drew into the barricade. Ziggler ran away. They caught him and threw him into the cage and took turns punching him. They cleared an announce table. Drew ran back and attacked Seth and Dean. When Seth and Dean fought back, Ziggler began to climb the Cell. Graves said he was just trying to escape Rollins. Seth followed him. They stood on top of the Cell and exchanged punches. Drew began to scale the Cell, too. Cole said this must be bringing back nightmares for Foley. Seth set up a Powerbomb, but had to abandon it as Drew approached. Drew mounted Seth and punched away at him. Dean climbed the Cell with a kendo stick. Dean attacked Ziggler and Drew with the kendo stick like a madman. “This is crazy!” said Cole. Dean and Drew double-clotheslined each other and crashed onto the roof. “Thank God it held!” said Cole. “There are bodies strewn everywhere!”

Ziggler was able to began a descent, although Seth crawled over and tried too grab at him. Ziggler punched Seth off of him and tried to get his footing in the cage. He began to climb down. Seth began to descend next to him. They fought on the middle beam of the cage wall. Reigns and Braun were still down in the ring all these minutes later, which was ridiculous. The camera aimed up dramatically at them as they tried to bash each other into the cage. They both bumped onto tables in stereo fashion. (Is it really going to help Reigns get over now that Seth isn’t just insulating him from cheers, but he’s taking the big bumps for him in his matches?)

Suddenly Brock Lesnar’s music played and he walked out with Paul Heyman. Now there was a surprise. The ref outside the cage tried to tell them to leave. It’d have been hilarious if they listened. Lesnar kicked the door off of the Cell and it came right off the hinges. Fans chanted “Holy sh–!” Heyman sprayed Foley in the eyes. Foley went down, writhing in pain. Lesnar bashed Braun across the back with parts of a broken table. Then he hit Reigns. Then Braun, and the table piece broke in two and went flying. He picked up another piece and broke it across both men’s backs. Lesnar then gave Braun an F5. Braun didn’t take it particularly well. Lesnar looked fierce with a beard as he circled the two men. Lesnar then gave Reigns an F5 and dropped him onto Strowman. Fans chanted “UFC.” Cole said, “Nobody in a million years expected Brock Lesnar to show up here tonight!” Graves: “And no one is safe.” No boos. Just a “One more time!” chant. He left. Cole said Lesnar has left bodies in his wake. The ringside ref entered the ring and called off the match. Boos. Cole said he has no choice. Reigns and Braun writhed on the mat. Reigns grabbed his left arm. “I have never seen anything like tonight,” Cole said. Graves said neither man can continue thanks to Brock Lesnar.

WINNER: No contest in 20:00. (***1/4)

(Keller’s Analysis: Well, that was a crazy, unexpected finish. It feels like a big copout to Braun vs. Roman in a way, but Lesnar’s big surprise appearance certainly mitigates what would have been a big backlash. Having other guys take bumps for them off the Cell felt contrived and like a big distraction. The match itself was delivering until they lay there for ten minutes as the other two pairs fought around and on the cage.)