‘WWE Hell In A Cell 2020’ PPV Review
Welcome to this review of WWE’s Hell In A Cell 2020 Pay Per View, right here on Nerdly. I’m Nathan Favel and we have three Cell matches in one night. Hell, why didn’t they just go all the way and have six Cell matches? It’d save some time on lifting and lowering the cage if they just kept it down for the three hours. Besides, Vince mostly just does the Cell matches just once a year anyway. I just don’t wanna see more spots done from the top of it, especially since it doubled in size. Well, as long as nobody sings or dances on this show, then I think we’ll be good to go. Okay, you little hippity-hopper, let’s whippity, fippity, nippity, skippity over on yonder to these here matches, bubba!
Match #1: R-Truth def. Drew Gulak – 24/7 Championship Match
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
R-Truth is still the 24/7 Champion after a win over Drew Gulak on the WWE Hell in a Cell Kickoff, defeating the mat wizard with a clever move of his own. Little Jimmy even made an appearance, though he felt Gulak’s wrath, as The Philadelphia Stretcher apparently attacked Jimmy, lighting a fire under Truth and prompting unusual aggressiveness. Gulak wrestled control away from the 42-time 24/7 Champion before Truth executed several of his childhood hero John Cena’s signature maneuvers. He put the challenger away with a crafty counter into a jackknife cover before being chased out of the WWE ThunderDome by Akira Tozawa, Gran Metalik, Lince Dorado and Gulak himself, all in pursuit of Truth’s coveted title.
My Opinion: 2.5 out of 5 – You have two of the best in the ring and they get around five minutes, on PPV to do…this? These guys did try, but it was just never booked to be more than a warm-up bout for the rest of the card.
Match #2: Roman Reigns def. Jey Uso – Hell in a Cell “I Quit” Match For The WWE Universal Championship
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Roman Reigns backed up everything he said he’d do at WWE Hell in a Cell, showing no mercy for his family as he defeated Jey Uso to retain the Universal Championship in one of the most emotionally torrid clashes in WWE history. The 42nd Hell in a Cell Match proved to be one of the most unique, as it was the first to be contested under “I Quit” rules. Both Superstars resorted to heavy artillery early, as Reigns delivered two Spears before Jey countered a third and answered with two Uso Splashes. But neither man even appeared to consider quitting, and the brutality quickly escalated. Uso introduced a strap from under the ring before Reigns uncorked a third Spear on his cousin and turned the strap around on him, punishing him with unforgiving lashings. Jey fought back, though, and nearly squeezed the life out of Reigns until The Big Dog hit a Superman Punch and put him out with a Guillotine. Even Reigns’ special counsel, Paul Heyman, began to look uncomfortable with what he was witnessing, as Reigns delivered a drive-by kick before hitting a second, which saw Reigns drive the steel steps into the side of Jey’s head. Reigns refused to let the referee stop the bout, tossing him to the outside before officials tried to prevent Reigns from inflicting more damage on Jey. The Universal Champion finally seemed to reconsider his heinous actions when cousin and Jey’s brother Jimmy Uso ran to the ring, throwing himself on top of Jey and begging Reigns to stop. His pleas appeared to work temporarily, even evoking tears from Reigns. But it was all a ruse. Reigns instead locked Jimmy in the Guillotine, refusing to let go until Jey finally said “I quit.” The Big Dog walked away with a self-satisfied smirk, and father Sika and uncle Afa — WWE Hall of Famers The Wild Samoans — formally anointed Reigns as “The Head of the Table.” And already, it was painfully clear that the family would never be the same.
My Opinion: 4.2 out of 5 – Usage of the cage was minimal at best, but this was a fabulous I Quit match nonetheless. Roman played the part of merciless bastard to perfection, while Jey was like a rabid dog that wouldn’t let the dog-man put him down. These guys brawled all over the ring to sell this as a grudge. Did you know that these guys barely touched the damn cage? Why is it even a Hell In A Cell match if they don’t touch the cage? I get that you don’t have to, but you might as well make use of your tools if they are available and, dare I say, necessary? Now, I can tell you that this was very suspenseful and hit harder than it had to in the name of selling the violence, but I wish that it hadn’t missed out on the chance to have the cage play a bigger role in the mayhem. In any case, this match was mean, mean, mean. Roman stomped on Jey like an elephant in a giraffe orgy, but Jey wouldn’t take no for an answer, until he had to say I Quit to save Jimmy, which was a clever way to show that Jey could’ve won, but had to sacrifice his title glory for his brother’s life. All in all, this was a fabulous way to start the major portion of the card.
Match #3: Elias def. Jeff Hardy (Disqualification)
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Elias has certainly carved out his niche as WWE’s songbird, but Jeff Hardy played him a painful tune at WWE Hell in a Cell. Though the record books will show a disqualification defeat for The Charismatic Enigma, it was likely more than worth the price of retaliation. Hardy appeared poised for victory, hitting a Whisper in the Wind and Twist of Fate to create an opening for a Swanton Bomb. Elias had the wherewithal to slither out of the ring, causing Jeff to pursue him. Instead of continuing with a conventional attack, Hardy wielded Elias’s own guitar and smashed it over his back, forcing the referee to call for the bell. But Jeff didn’t look too distraught, as he ended his night by stomping the guitar and leaving Elias in a heap.
My Opinion: 2.7 out of 5 – Hardy sold this thing like butter to a chubby-bubby baby. I mean, if you wanna know why this thing could be palatable, you’re here to see Hardy bump this thing into the stratosphere.
Match #4: The Miz def. Otis – Mr. Money in the Bank Match
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Not only did Otis lose his Money in the Bank Contract to The Miz at WWE Hell in a Cell, he may have lost something even worse: his best friend. Tucker betrayed Otis, costing him the match and his most prized possession. The Miz nearly put Otis out early with a sleeper hold, but Otis began to power himself up and fight off The A-Lister before dropping him with a huge flapjack. John Morrison interfered on behalf of his partner, dragging Miz out of the way out of the Caterpillar. Morrison was ejected moments later for again trying to intervene, but it turned out that Tucker was the biggest threat to Otis at ringside. Without warning, Tucker blasted his Heavy Machinery comrade with the briefcase while the referee’s back was turned. Not even Miz could believe what he saw, though he was more than happy to capitalize by easily pinning Otis to become Mr. Money in the Bank for the second time, leaving Tucker to glare a hole through his former friend. During a backstage interview moments later, Tucker denounced his friendship with Otis, claiming that he had been carrying his partner on his back. Suddenly, Otis attacked Tucker, and the two briefly brawled before Tucker bolted from the scene while Otis gave chase.
My Opinion: 2.9 out of 5 – This was like the Elias/Jeff Hardy match, it that it was Miz selling for Otis much of the time in an attempt to sell the idea that Otis can actually fight. Plus, this was meant to be a grudge match anyway, so it was appropriate to see Miz get tossed around like a woman on Journey’s tour bus! I didn’t like them going to the well to get another bucket of betrayal, but the split of Otis and Tucker might as well happen at this point violently so I suppose.
Match #5: Sasha Banks def. Bayley – Hell in a Cell Match For The SmackDown Women’s Championship
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
The third time inside Hell in a Cell was the charm for Sasha Banks, who overcame ex-best friend Bayley at WWE Hell in a Cell to win the SmackDown Women’s Championship for the first time. Bayley arrived with her trusty steel chair, but the most experienced Women’s Hell in a Cell competitor in WWE history pulled it from her grasp and tossed it out of the lowering cell, leaving The Role Model without her equalizer. The champion resorted to a different weapon, opting for a Kendo stick, though Banks avoided it, and it marked the first of many attacks with foreign objects. The Boss wedged Bayleyagainst the cell with a table, scaling it before delivering a spectacular Meteora. Banks was far from finished, as she deployed unique offense and later sent Bayley face-first into the chain link with a headscissors. But Bayley showed she could administer pain in creative ways as well, sending Banks through a Kendo stick and into the steel steps with a devastating drop toe-hold before slingshotting Banks into two more Kendo sticks. Sasha rallied to hit a sunset flip powerbomb into the cell, but Bayley later tore a page out of her opponent’s playbook, hitting her own sunset flip to propel Banks back-first into a chair. Bayley wasn’t satisfied with merely brutalizing Banks, preferring to humiliate her as well. She covered her in spray paint but the time it took to execute proved costly, as Bayley missed a huge diving attack with a chair, leaving her vulnerable for Banks to hit a Bayley-to-Belly — Bayley’s own signature maneuver — on a ladder. Though The Role Model recovered the same chair she originally brought to the ring, it proved to be her downfall. Banks wrapped it around Bayley for a chair-assisted Bank Statement, ruthlessly stomping on her hand just as she did at TakeOver Brooklyn until Bayley tapped out. And with the final bell, Banks ended the longest SmackDown Women’s Title reign in history at 380 days and realized an unparalleled moment of catharsis all in the same moment, snapping her previous 0-for-2 mark inside Hell in a Cell in the most satisfying of fashions.
My Opinion: 5 out of 5 – This was great. It worked as an emotional thrill ride and as an action spectacle. So much of this was pure action done on a grand scale and it saved this from being just spots and stunts. These guys went for broke and almost did just that to each other. This has to go up there with the best Cell matches and as one of the better matches that the WWE has ever promoted.
Match #6: Bobby Lashley def. SLAPJACK – WWE United States Championship Match
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
RETRIBUTION’s open offer to The Hurt Business turned into an impressive showcase for The All Mighty, as Bobby Lashley defeated Slapjack to retain the United States Championship at WWE Hell in a Cell. Mustafa Ali allowed MVP to choose which member of his unit would face a RETRIBUTION member of his choosing, and MVP countered by even agreeing to put Lashley’s title on the line. As unpredictable as he is unorthodox, SLAPJACK posed an unfamiliar challenge for Lashley, who appeared on his heels early. But the champion’s unbridled strength simply proved to be too much for SLAPJACK to negotiate, and he tapped out to the Full Nelson.
My Opinion: 2.6 out of 5 – Well, as squashes go, this was…a squash.
Match #7: (Main Event) Randy Orton def. Drew McIntyre – Hell in a Cell Match For The WWE Championship Match
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Randy Orton defeated Drew McIntyre to make history as a 14-time World Champion, and fittingly, one of the most sinister Superstars of all time accomplished the feat inside WWE’s most sinister structure in an all-out war at WWE Hell in a Cell. The Viper entered the bout with an unblemished record in Hell in a Cell Matches with the WWE Title on the line, and he left with a perfect mark as well. But it appeared far from imminent for much of the bout, as McIntyre seemed to have an answer for all of his rival’s moves. Orton ambushed The King of Claymore Country, dressing as a member of the stage crew and attacking him from behind before the match started. But McIntyre, all too familiar with Orton’s ploys by now, seemed prepared and quickly collected himself before using the cage to his advantage early in his first-ever Hell in a Cell Match. Cracking Orton across the back with a steel chair and blasting him with steel steps, McIntyre showed he was more than willing to match The Legend Killer’s renowned sadism. But an early Claymore attempt backfired, and Orton unleashed an assault of his own with a chair, wedging it into McIntyre’s previously fractured jaw. Orton controlled the battlefield with his signature deliberate pace, carefully calculating every move. McIntyre found a way to rally with a series of belly-to-belly throws, including a third that sent Orton crashing into a table. But The Viper’s plotting didn’t relent, and he used bolt cutters to escape the cell and began scaling it moments later, challenging McIntyre to pursue him. That appeared to be Orton’s plan all along, as he retrieved a lead pipe atop the cage, though McIntyre ducked his wild swing to thwart this particular scheme. While climbing down, both men struck each other repeatedly while clinging to the cell. Unable to hold on, McIntyre careened down through the announce table. Likely suffering from internal injuries, McIntyre gasped for air while a sick grin appeared across Orton’s lips. After returning to the ring, the champion dug deep and nearly caught lightning in a bottle once again, countering an RKO attempt into a backslide pin reminiscent of their first WWE Title clash at SummerSlam, but it only netted a two-count. McIntyre found the will to deliver a Claymore, though Orton demonstrated his veteran ring presence, rolling out to prevent a possible pin. After dragging Orton back into the ring, McIntyre attempted a second, but Orton dodged it and planted him with a vicious RKO for the victory. The win adds to Orton’s already enduring legacy, tying him with Triple H for the third-most World Title reigns all time behind only John Cena and Ric Flair, who each have 16. Meanwhile, McIntyre was left with his dreams crushed, a pain likely worse than any of the physical devastation Orton unleashed.
My Opinion: 4.3 out of 5 – This was a pretty damn good main event that delivered on the promise of what the Cell can offer. Drew took the big bump from the Cell and my balls shot up my ass. As far as the wrestling action itself, it was more of the same from Drew and Randy, but they have a visceral brawling style together that is easy to watch, so rock on Dockon. Randy winning is not what I would have gone with, but I assume that Edge is winning the strap at Wrestlemania, so I guess they wanted to make sure that Randy was having a long title reign by that time. Still, Drew was doing well in the role of champion, so it’s a shame to see that end before we can get him back in front of a crowd. Well, Randy and Drew tore each other to pieces to make this match a hit and it worked, so you can rest assured that they’ll both be sore in the mornin’.
News Of The Night:
- Tucker screwed Otis out of the Money In The Bang contract by attacking him.
Final Verdict: 4.1/5
This is an interesting final score, in that most of this card was not Pay Per View-worthy, but the three Hell In A Cell matches delivered a great deal over-all, which works out great since the show is called Hell In A Cell. I say watch the Cell matches, which took about ninety minutes of the three hour run-time over-all, and enjoy them.
