WWE Hell In A Cell 2018: Analysing and grading each match

The 2018 WWE Hell In A Cell pay-per-view took place in San Antonio, Texas on Sunday.

Eight matches were on the card, including Roman Reigns vs. Braun Strowman (Hell In A Cell Universal Championship match w/Mick Foley as special referee) and AJ Styles vs. Samoa Joe (WWE Championship).

Both women’s titles were also on the line, with Raw Women’s champion Ronda Rousey facing Alexa Bliss and SmackDown Women’s champion Charlotte Flair facing Becky Lynch, while Jeff Hardy went one-on-one with Randy Orton inside Hell In A Cell.

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Elsewhere on the show, three tag matches took place: Drew McIntyre & Dolph Ziggler vs. Dean Ambrose & Seth Rollins (Raw Tag Team Championship), The New Day vs. Rusev Day (SmackDown Tag Team Championship) and Daniel Bryan & Brie Bella vs. The Miz & Maryse.

In this article, let’s analyze what was good and bad about the event.

#1 Kickoff show: The New Day def. Rusev Day (SmackDown Tag Team Championship)

This was an entertaining start to the show

Match: Aiden English went close to getting a 3-count after slamming Big E face-first into the mat, and he even looked set to make Kofi Kingston tap to the Accolade at one point. However, things then went sour for English, who was made to pay for a clumsy miscommunication with Rusev when Kofi connected with Trouble In Paradise before pinning him for the 1-2-3.

Verdict: Kickoff show matches are usually underwhelming with hardly any storyline behind them, but this was the total opposite. All four competitors produced great performances to show why they deserve to be on the main card. English was especially impressive, so let’s hope he doesn’t get lost in the shuffle when he inevitably splits from Rusev.

Grade: B+

#2 Randy Orton def. Jeff Hardy (Hell In A Cell)

Randy Orton showed no mercy inside the cell

Match: Jeff Hardy’s early dominance came to an end when Randy Orton slammed him front-first through a ladder before whipping him with a belt. Orton then took the brutality to a whole new level when he twisted a screwdriver through Jeff’s earlobe. An irate Jeff fought back with a belt before landing a Swanton Bomb through a chair onto his opponent, but Orton was able to kick out.

Match finish: After placing Orton on a table, Jeff climbed a ladder, clung to the roof of the cell and threw himself towards his opponent. However, Orton moved out of the way and Jeff went crashing through the table. Orton then crawled over Jeff to get the 1-2-3.

Verdict: It’s so difficult for modern-day Superstars to create unique moments in Hell In A Cell matches that fans will never forget, but Jeff and Orton managed it here. The screwdriver spot was genuinely uncomfortable to watch, while the outcome was tough to call from start to finish. Jeff promised to give fans something they’ll remember and he didn’t disappoint. This was sensational.

Grade: A

#3 Becky Lynch def. Charlotte Flair (SmackDown Women’s Championship)

Match: The match started to go in Becky Lynch’s favour when she locked in the Dis-arm-her on Charlotte Flair following a failed moonsault attempt. Despite a spirited comeback from the champion, Becky continued to work on her arm before getting the victory with a DDT. Following the match, Charlotte attempted to congratulate her former best friend but Becky refused, walking to the back instead.

Verdict: The positive? This story is the best in WWE right now and it’s great to see Becky win the title after 18 months of playing sidekick. The negative? This is probably an unpopular opinion, but the end of the match felt a bit sudden and like it came far too early. Apart from that one complaint, this was really high-quality. Roll on the Super Show-Down rematch.

Grade: B+

#4 Drew McIntyre & Dolph Ziggler def. Seth Rollins & Dean Ambrose (Raw Tag Team Championship)

Match: Just like the SummerSlam match between Dolph Ziggler and Seth Rollins, this was a back-and-forth contest for the first 18 minutes. Then, in a hectic finale, all four men were involved in incredible sequences, with Ziggler and Rollins both coming agonisingly close to getting 3-counts before Drew McIntyre prevented Rollins from hitting a Falcon Arrow by connecting with a Claymore out of nowhere, allowing Ziggler to pick up the pinfall win.

Verdict: With respect to The B-Team, whose tag title run was fun while it lasted, matches like this are why WWE has rocketed McIntyre, Ziggler, Rollins and Dean Ambrose into the title picture over the last two weeks. The matches involving Ziggler and Rollins this year have been exceptional and this was no different.

Grade: A

#5 AJ Styles def. Samoa Joe (WWE Championship)

Samoa Joe was convinced that he should have won

Match: Samoa Joe’s powerful offence helped him get the upper hand in the first half of the match. AJ Styles then had several impressive moments, including a springboard 450 splash, but he struggled to put his opponent away. In the end, the WWE champ rolled through a Coquina Clutch and pinned Joe for the 1-2-3. However, Joe was convinced that Styles tapped out before the 3-count – something the referee didn’t see – and replays showed that he was correct.

Verdict: While this was still a good match, it had shades of Styles vs. Shinsuke Nakamura at WrestleMania 34 about it and it wasn’t as captivating as the previous encounter between the two men at SummerSlam. That being said, the creative finish was executed well and it perfectly sets up the rematch at Super Show-Down.

Grade: B

#6 The Miz & Maryse def. Daniel Bryan & Brie Bella

The — Maryse pinned Brie Bella for the win

Match: Daniel Bryan and Brie Bella had the support of the fans from start to finish, especially when they struck The Miz and Maryse with synchronised “Yes!” kicks. However, with Bryan occupied on the outside of the ring with The Miz, Maryse picked up the victory for her team after holding onto Brie’s tights during a pinfall.

Verdict: This match was entertaining enough but it was definitely the least meaningful on the card. Credit to Brie, though – this performance was her best since returning last month. With the WWE Championship #1 contender match coming up at Super Show-Down, this outcome makes it more likely that we’ll see Bryan back in the title picture soon (surely he won’t go 0-3 on PPV against The Miz?!).

Grade: C+

#7 Ronda Rousey def. Alexa Bliss (Raw Women’s Championship)

Match: Ronda Rousey (w/Natalya) showed off more unique offence in this match than ever before, while Alexa Bliss (w/Mickie James & Alicia Fox) put up a much stronger fight than she did at SummerSlam. It never seriously looked like Bliss would get the victory, though, and Ronda retained with her trusty armbar finisher.

Verdict: If the SummerSlam match between these two was shorter than it should have been, then this was longer than it should have been. Nobody can complain about the in-ring action here – the athleticism of both women was incredible – but the length of this match felt unnecessary when you consider how convincingly Ronda won last month.

Grade: C+

#8 Draw: Roman Reigns vs. Braun Strowman (Universal Championship w/Mick Foley as special referee)

Match: Braun Strowman complained numerous times about the cadence of Mick Foley’s pinfall counts, particularly after Roman Reigns kicked out of a running powerslam. Moments later, Drew McIntyre and Dolph Ziggler attempted to interfere, only to be stopped by Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose, and all four men soon found themselves on top of the cell.

Match finish: After Ziggler and Rollins fell through the announce table from halfway up the cell, Brock Lesnar’s music hit and “The Beast” returned with Paul Heyman by his side. Heyman sprayed something in Foley’s eyes, taking him out of the match as referee, and Lesnar broke the cell door before assaulting both Strowman and Reigns. A second ref then raced down to the ring and called the match off.

Verdict: This wasn’t quite meeting expectations until McIntyre, Ziggler, Rollins and Ambrose appeared, and then it became must-see. The return of Lesnar made for a cool moment, but fans have every right to feel a little pessimistic about what will come next. The Reigns vs. Lesnar story, even with Strowman added to it, doesn’t need another chapter.

Grade: B+