Natalya (c) vs. Charlotte Flair (WWE SmackDown Women’s Championship)
Reactions: I wasn’t looking forward to this match. Even though I knew it had the potential to be great because I watched both women have a great NXT bout, their main roster performances have been lacking lately. This title match moved at a snail’s pace due to some boring legwork from Natalya. It seemed as if the action slowed to a crawl after the somewhat interesting introduction. Charlotte fought valiantly and did a few things to keep her in the match, but Natalya cut her off repeatedly. Charlotte’s comeback wasn’t all that interesting, but her Moonsault to the champ on the outside was. It’s just too bad that a DQ ending put a halt to this match redeeming itself during its closing moments…
Rating: 1 & a Half out of 5 Stars
The New Day (Big E, Kofi Kingston, and/or Xavier Woods) (c) vs. The Usos (Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso)
(Tag Team Hell in a Cell Match for the WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship)
Reactions: Now this might sound crazy to some of you, but this actually wasn’t better then their SummerSlam Kickoff match. That doesn’t mean this HIAC bout was bad by any means. It provided the perfect opener for a specialty match PPV supported by a bot crowd. But I just preferred their last PPV meeting just because it was so great without needing a special stipulation placed upon it. Anyways, both these teams have amazing chemistry with each other and that was on full display here. The Usos were complete savages from beginning to end as they handed out some nasty Kendo Stick shots, handcuffed their opponents, landed sick Superkicks and landed nasty top rope splashes. Woods and Big E were just as badass as they used musical instruments as weapons, pulled off jaw dropping tandem maneuvers and got in some comeback offense at several intervals. The Usos were just that much better during this final meeting since their Kendo Stick work and double top rope splashes proved to be too much. I got a kick out of the craziness this bout provided (that Suicide Dive spot and Big E’s spear into the cell was complete madness). This was a satisfying ending to The Usos and The New Day’s epic 2017 feud.
Rating: 3 & a Half out of 5 Stars
Shane McMahon vs. Kevin Owens (Hell in a Cell Falls Count Anywhere Match)
Reactions: Shane might need WWE’s MVP Award for 2017. He put on one of the best matches at WrestleMania 33 against AJ Styles. Then he participated in a bout that blended in masterful storytelling with wild hardcore antics. From the opening brawl on the outside all the way up until the insane finish, Shane and Owens tore it up. Owens increases his levels of savagery by beating Shane up in front of his kids and Powerbombing him onto some steel steps. Shane responded to Owens’ brutality with plenty of strikes, broken table smashes to the back and a successful Coast to Coast attempt. The live audience (and your’s truly) held out hearts and breathed nervously as both men took their fight to the top of the HIAC. Both men looked as if they were going to break the top portion of the cell with their bodies at several points. But luckily, that scary moment didn’t come to pass. This grudge match met its end after some truly shocking moments. Owens fell off the cell and crashed through a table beneath him. Shane then climbed to the top and tried to land his patented elbow drop through Owens, who was laid atop another table. But Sami Zayn of all people save Owens’ life and left Shane to come crashing don onto the table! This HIAC match shocked the wrestling world. Owens, Shane and Sami deserve a ton of credit for closing out this year HIAC show on a high note.
Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars
Jinder Mahal (c) (with The Singh Brothers) vs. Shinsuke Nakamura (WWE Championship)
Reactions: Jinder Mahal’s WWE Championship reign continues. Sigh…looks like the rumors of him holding the title into the new year seems truer as every month passes. This was as basic as it comes. Jinder’s tired heel shtick did nothing for the match, but Nakamura was at least able to liven the crowd up a bit. He did his usual work as “The Artist” and used his familiar strike work to ground the champion. But it just wasn’t enough to make this bout any different from their SummerSlam bout. The Singh Brothers did what they usually do, Jinder did what he usually does and Nakamura performed his usual antics (which were fun, at least). But all in all, this was dead on arrival and both men failed to bring it to a higher level. This match is completely skippable.
Rating: 1 & a Half out of 5 Stars