Tag: hell in a cell 2018

Preview by Joseph Currier

Two Hell in a Cell matches will be taking place as the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas hosts tonight’s pay-per-view.

We’re looking for your thoughts on tonight’s show so you can leave a thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle along with a best and worst match to [email protected]

After defeating Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam, Roman Reigns will defend the Universal Championship against Braun Strowman in a Hell in a Cell match tonight. Mick Foley will also be stepping back inside the cell as the special guest referee for the match.

The other Hell in a Cell match will feature two wrestlers from SmackDown, with Jeff Hardy wrestling in the structure for the first time as part of his feud with Randy Orton.

Other matches on the main card are: AJ Styles vs. Samoa Joe for the WWE Championship, Ronda Rousey vs. Alexa Bliss for the Raw Women’s Championship, Charlotte Flair vs. Becky Lynch for the SmackDown Women’s title, Daniel Bryan & Brie Bella vs. The Miz & Maryse, and Dolph Ziggler & Drew McIntyre vs. Seth Rollins & Dean Ambrose for the Raw Tag Team titles.

On the pre-show, Rusev & Aiden English will challenge for The New Day’s SmackDown Tag Team titles. The pre-show begins at 6 p.m. Eastern time before the main card starts at 7 p.m.

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By Dave Meltzer

KOFI KINGSTON & BIG E VS. RUSEV & AIDEN ENGLISH FOR SMACKDOWN TAG TITLES

Kingston pinned English with Trouble in Paradise to retain the title.

JEFF HARDY VS. RANDY ORTON HELL IN A CELL  MATCH

Orton won when Hardy climbed to the top of a ladder in the cell, grabbed the top of the cell like a pull-up bar and fell down through a table when Orton moved.  Orton moved too early as Hardy letting go looked silly since Orton was long gone from the table.  They are doing this like an injury angle.  The ref screamed for EMTs while Orton demanded he count the pin, which he did.  This was a violent match with Orton using a screwdriver to Hardy’s ear and put it in the earlobe where it’s pierced and twisted it around.  Orton also kicked out of a twist of fate and swanton on a chair.  Orton was bleeding from the back from being whipped by Hardy’s studded belt, and also from chair shots Orton was bleeding from both the thigh and the calf.  This was a slow paced methodical match, all story telling.  It was good in that way, went really long and by the end the crowd was into it.  The crowd was chanting Hardy as he was taken out on a stretcher.  Orton had used chair shots and whipped Hardy with Hardy’s own belt earlier.  Very much an old school style match that worked.

A.J. Styles is doing an interview with Kayla Braxton.  The crowd gave him a big reaction.  Styles said he can’t wait for the match to start because he’s laser focused.  

CHARLOTTE FLAIR VS. BECKY LYNCH FOR SMACKDOWN WOMEN’S TITLE

Lynch won the title clean when Charlotte hit the spear and she rolled through for the pin.  The match was deliberate with Lynch working the left arm and Charlotte working the left leg.  Lynch was the clear babyface to the crowd.   Charlotte wasn’t booed heavy but she was booed.  When Lynch won, it was positioned as a babyface win so it looks like they are going with the fans.  Crowd chanted “Becky” when it was over.  Charlotte wanted to shake her hand and Lynch refused and said that Charlotte would not take her moment from her.  Charlotte wasn’t positioned as a heel.  Really good match, a lot of heat in the last several minutes.

DOLPH ZIGGLER & DREW MCINTYRE VS. DEAN AMBROSE & SETH ROLLINS FOR RAW TAG TITLES

This was a hell of a match.  Tons of near falls and they tried to position McIntyre as a future top sigles guy.  Rollins gave Ziggler a falcon arrow but McIntyre hit Rollins with a Claymore kick and Ziggler pinned him.  They kept getting heat on the different Shield guys over and over.  Ambrose gave Ziggler a superplex before they went to the finsh.  Rollins & Ambrose did consecutive dives and Rollins also later missed a dive.     

Braun Strowman was watching and Mick Foley told him the cell would change him.  He told him your life would change.  He told Strowman to respect his authority.  Strowman told him I promise you don’t want a monster problem.

A.J. STYLES VS. SAMOA JOE FOR WWE TITLE 

Good match.  Styles’ mouth was all busted up from a clothesline perhaps.  Styles hit  a Pele kick and went for the phenomeanl forearm but Joe sidestepped him and turned it into a choke.  Joe was holding he choke and Styles rolled on top of him for the pin.  They are trying to say that maybe Styles tapped before the three count and Joe was furious.  Joe was screaming for Paige.  They showed a slow motion angle and Styles definitely tapped before the three count so that’s leading to a rematch.  Post match saw Styles hit him with an enzuigiri.

DANIEL BRYAN & BRIE BELLA VS. THE MIZ & MARYSE

Miz & Maryse won when Maryse pinned Brie using the ropes when reversing a rolling reverse cradle by Brie.  This was a really good match although it’s three somewhat similar reverse cradle finishes in six matches with the Styles win and the Lynch win.  Crowd was hot for Bryan who did more than he’s done to date even missing a diving head-butt.  Brie made a hot tag that the people were with since they kept Brie and Maryse out most of the way.  Maryse wasn’t very good but Brie looked good and got the crowd behind her.  She threw a ton of punches on Miz when Miz tried to protect Maryse.  Miz was bleeding from the side of the head from an errant punch. 

They claimed Jeff Hardy is throwing up blood “in a medical facility” so they are doing an injury angle with him.

RONDA ROUSEY VS. ALEXA BLISS FOR RAW WOMEN’S TITLE

Good match, really better than expected.  Rousey spent much of the match selling her ribs.  It went 12:00 in a singles match and really at no point did she look green.  Her facial selling was really good and her offense was storng, her drama was strong as well.  Mickie James and Alicia Fox interfered and at one point Natalya suplexed Fox on the floor.  Rousey finally made her comeback with a spinning Samoan drop and armbar.

It’s expected Brock Lesnar will get involved in the main event. 

Samoa Joe was furious because Styles tapped out.  She said she’d give him a rematch in Australia in three weeks.  He said that’s not soon enough.  Joe demanded a no DQ no count out match and she agreed and evidently that’s the.Australia match  They announced Cena & Lashey vs. Owens & Elias, Underaker vs. HHH for Australia.

ROMAN REIGNS VS. BRAUN STROWMAN HELL IN A CELL MATCH FOR UNIVERSAL TITLE WITH MICK FOLEY AS REFEREE

The main event was insane.  Reigns and Strowman went at it at a fast pace, with Reigns kicking out of a powerslam and Strowman kicking out of Superman punches and a spear through a table.  Dolph Ziggler & Drew McIntyre came out which brought out Dean Ambrose & Seth Rollins.  They all wound up on top of the cell with some wild brawling, incuding Ambrose using kendo stick shots.  Ziggler and Rollins then both went to climb down.  They were brawling and both fell from halfway down through two different announces table.  This led to Lesnar and Paul Heyman coming out.  Heyman wanted the key to the cage but the ref wouldn’t let him have it.  Lesnar kicked down the door and destroyed both Reigns and Strowman with broken parts of the able used ont he spear throught he table.  They had both been selling on their back for about six minutes or more.  Eventually Lesnar gave both men F-5s and left.  The match was ruled a no contest when it was ruled niether man could continue, so obviously that builds a rematch in some form.  The show then rushed off the air as the audience was upset about the non-finish.  We’ll have a lot more about this later tonight.