Here’s my final thoughts on WWE SmackDown Live’s Hell in a Cell 2017!
Chad Gable and Shelton Benjamin vs. The Hype Bros (Mojo Rawley and Zack Ryder)
Reactions: Doesn’t it feel good to see Shelton wrestling on WWE PPV’s again? He looks rejuvenated with Chad by his side. This rematch was pretty much on par with the other matches these teams have been involved in with each other. Gable and Benjamin pulled off all their cool looking amateur wrestling maneuvers, while Mojo’s comeback moment was its usual mix of unmatched hype and power. Gable’s mean streak got exposed here as he handed Mojo a nasty Belly to Belly Suplex and a Moonsault. Ryder and Mojo’s miscommunication issues almost cost them the match, but Mojo still saved his boy at the very last moment. But the next move Ryder was given ended up being the one that finally put him down. This was a solid bout that built up quite nicely and built further to the eventual breakup of The Hype Bros.
Rating: 2 & a Half out of 5 Stars
Randy Orton vs. Rusev
Reactions: Rusev is one of the more underrated brutes on the WWE roster, so I knew this rematch with Orton would be a lot better than their seconds long SummerSlam bout. This was one of the more decent bouts on the HIAC 2017 card. Rusev was in control for most of the match, which fed into the story of Orton using his slippery nature to save himself at several points. Rusev’s power offense put him in a good spot at times, but Orton’s slick movements and quick thinking helped him keep Rusev at bay. The final moments of this bout were highlight reel worthy as Orton’s RKO taunting almost led to him getting locked into The Accolade. Orton slipped out once more and planted Rusev with a snap RKO. This wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t all the way great either. It served its purpose by giving Orton another PPV win after having to deal with his losing streak against Jinder Mahal.
Rating: 2 out of 5 Stars
Bobby Roode vs. Dolph Ziggler
Reactions: Ziggler’s new gimmick (or lack thereof) tends to make anything he’s involved nowadays a chore to sit through. While I appreciate Roode, his Create-a-Wrestler moveset isn’t all that impressive. The elements of 2017 Ziggler mixed in with Roode’s cliche maneuvers almost put me to sleep. The less said about this dead match, the better. Wait! I actually have more to say. I gotta give it props for the cool little sneaky pinning counters both men used on each other. Other than that though, the rest of this match was quite simply…boring. Judging by the ending, this feud shall carry on. Not cool, WWE. Not cool…
Rating: 1 & a Half out of 5 Stars
AJ Styles (c) vs. Baron Corbin vs. Tye Dillinger (Triple Threat Match for the WWE United States Championship)
Reactions: The last minute addition of Tye ended up making this match a lot more interesting. I’m not sure this title bout would have been as good as it ended up being with just Baron in there. AJ can just about have a great match with anyone, but pulling off that feat with Baron could prove difficult. Tye’s placement here helped it thrive a bit more and allow Baron to look a bit more dominating than he usually is. Baron was pretty much a wrecking ball during the middle portion, but AJ and Tye really turned things up a notch near the closing moments. Tye pulled off some slick maneuvers here and there, Baron pulled out his Deep Six and Chokeslam into a Backbreaker and AJ pulled out…well, everything. Baron’s surprising win was the perfect ending to one of the more unpredictable Triple Threat matches contested in recent memory.
Rating: 3 out of 5 Stars
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
Match of the Night
Shane McMahon vs. Kevin Owens!
Final Verdict
I’m just gonna keep my final thoughts on this PPV simple and straight to the point. Hell in a Cell 2017 had the makings of a great PPV on paper, but it failed to truly stand out from the rest of 2017’s good PPV offerings. Both of the Hell in a Cell matches proved to be entertaining, plus the United States Championship Triple Threat Match was surprisingly decent. But everything else proved to be more of the same dull action we’ve seen before or somehow worse. Check out the three matches I mentioned before and don’t bother watching anything else this show produced. WWE Hell in a Cell 2017 is really a 3-match show (two if you only care about the two main gimmick matches).
Final Score: 2 & a Half out of 5 Stars
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