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At WWE Hell in a Cell, it was time to keep the status quo. It really seems like WWE is waiting for the return of live crowds in July for anything major to happen in their programming.
WWE Hell in a Cell was another solid night of professional wrestling in Tampa, Florida. We had a great Hell in a Cell match to open the show, another strong match from Rollins and Cesaro, some bizarre Alexa Bliss moments and an excellent main event with a questionable finish.
It was a good night for heels on Sunday night. The WWE seems more than ready for Money in the Bank and Summerslam with some loud WWE fans again. We are all ready for crowds after so many months.
As we try to figure out how Sami Zayn won a singles match, we should try to distract ourselves and present the list of the top five most surprising moments of WWE Hell in a Cell 2021:
#5 Heels rule the night at WWE Hell in a Cell 2021
WWE Hell in a Cell had an interesting spot on the WWE calendar. It had to provide a good night of professional wrestling, but would it provide any real surprises? That seemed less likely. Why would you give away big title changes and huge returns in the final pay-per-view without fans?
WWE Hell in a Cell did provide a great night for the heels. Bianca Belair was really the only face to win on Sunday night. Seth Rollins defeated Cesaro with an inside cradle. Alexa Bliss and Sami Zayn picked up clean victories. Rhea Ripley, certainly acting like a heel, cheated to retain against Charlotte. And Bobby Lashley rolled up Drew McIntyre for the victory.
It seemed WWE Hell in a Cell was about setting up the near future. Why waste a crowd pleasing victory for a face when no one is around to see it? The future might be great for the good guys but Sunday was one for Team Evil.
#4 Alexa Bliss wins clean at WWE Hell in a Cell 2021
At WWE Hell in a Cell, we had another surprising event. Alexa Bliss wrestled a normal match. Normal being a relative term since Bliss used mind control in her match at WWE Hell in a Cell.
The six minute match was fine. Shayna Baszler should have been able to easily control the offense but Alexa Bliss’ mysterious character is being pushed at this time. Shayna Baszler went for a move near the end of the match but let go of her hold as she looked into Bliss’ eyes. She was kicked out of the ring at this point. Then some really strange things happened.
Nia Jax made the mistake of making eye contact with Alexa Bliss at WWE Hell in a Cell. Bliss and Jax both raised their hands at the same time. Bliss made Nia slap Reginald. They even screamed at the same time. It was an interesting moment to say the least.
The match ended at WWE Hell in a Cell with Alexa Bliss hitting her Twisted Bliss finisher to pick up a clean victory over Shayna Baszler. It is still surprising to see Baszler, who was so dominant in NXT, reduced to losing a six minute match. But if Alexa can literally control minds, then what chance does the RAW Women’s Division really have?
#3 Sami Zayn wins a singles match at WWE Hell in a Cell 2021
At WWE Hell in a Cell, another truly shocking thing happened in the Thunderdome. Sami Zayn has constantly complained about how unfairly he is treated by the WWE, but he hadn’t recently backed it up in the ring. That is until Sunday night at WWE Hell in a Cell.
Zayn was fighting his long time rival Kevin Owens yet again. They have been putting on great matches for years in the WWE and other promotions. This match was certainly different in terms of its set-up. Kevin Owens was selling the Nigerian Nail throat attack for the entirety of the night.
It seemed to get worse for Owens as Sami hit a dive outside the ring. At this point, Kevin Owens was favoring his left shoulder as well. Did Kevin Owens get really injured at WWE Hell in a Cell? It affected the flow of the match either way.
After twelve physical minutes, Zayn kicked Owens into the top rope throat first. He followed it up with his Helluva Kick finisher for a clean victory. Sami Zayn won his first pinfall singles victory since October 2, 2020. That it had been so long is really surprising. Let's hope it leads to bigger things for Sami going forward into the summer.
#2 Rhea Ripley is disqualified at WWE Hell in a Cell 2021
At WWE Hell in a Cell, we had another match in the growing rivalry between Rhea Ripley and Charlotte Flair. The glaring issue with the feud is Rhea Ripley hasn’t been able to defeat Charlotte Flair in a singles match. If the goal was to make Ripley the newest RAW superstar then she needed to correct this glaring hole in her young resume. At WWE Hell in a Cell, it didn’t happen.
The match at WWE Hell in a Cell was another strong one in their rivalry. Charlotte played the heel well as she worked on Ripley’s knee throughout the match. Ripley refused to give up and fought her way out of defeat time and time again. It was at that moment that the abrupt finish happened.
Ripley and Flair moved outside the ring. Ripley simply used the top of the announce table against Flair. Even though the announce table is used in many WWE matches, this seemed to be enough for a disqualification at WWE Hell in a Cell.
It was a bizarre ending that gave Charlotte the victory but without winning the title. You would have to assume it will lead to another match in front of WWE fans at Money in the Bank. Here's hoping Rhea Ripley finally gets that important pinfall victory at the end.
#1 The Main Event Finish at WWE Hell in a Cell 2021
The main event at WWE Hell in a Cell was possibly the best match of this entire pay-per-view. For over twenty-five minutes, Drew McIntyre and Bobby Lashley brutalized each other inside Hell in a Cell. They had bruises and cuts on their backs to prove it. The choice for the finish of the WWE Hell in a Cell main event was a truly surprising one that might prove controversial to WWE fans.
As Drew McIntyre attempted to take out Bobby Lashley, Lashley pushed Drew into the referee. This knocked out the referee and prevented McIntyre from winning the WWE Championship at WWE Hell in a Cell. This brought a second referee into Hell in a Cell. Drew McIntyre hit a Claymore Kick and tried another pin, but MVP, now inside the cell too, pulled out the second referee to prevent yet another pin.
The long and drawn out finish continued. After multiple chair shots and two broken tables, the match made its way back into the ring. When McIntyre went for another Claymore Kick, MVP was able to hold Drew’s feet. The distraction allowed Lashley to roll-up Drew and win the match.
After twenty-five brutal minutes inside Hell in a Cell, the match ended with a cheap roll-up. It was a surprising and disappointing finish to a wonderful main event.
According to the stipulation, Drew McIntyre cannot compete for the WWE Championship again while Bobby Lashley is champion. Who will challenge Lashley next? It is hard to say.
Let's hope Drew McIntyre is not forgotten on RAW in the months to come. He helped carry RAW for the majority of the Pandemic. Hopefully he gets the well deserved cheers when fans return next month.
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