Supercard Review: WWE Royal Rumble 2017 - Randy Orton, Chris Jericho, Braun Strowman, Baron Corbin, Sami Zayn...

On 29th January, WWE returned to the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas for the first time in over twenty years, presenting the 2017 edition of the Royal Rumble in front of an alleged 52,020 fans (around 8000 less than the reported figure for the 1997 event at the same arena). The eponymous 30 man over-the-top event was, of course, the main event, with an eclectic line-up seeing the likes of The Undertaker, Chris Jericho, Randy Orton, The Miz and Cesaro battling for either a WWE Championship or WWE Universal Championship shot at WrestleMania 33 on 2nd April. Also on the event, AJ Styles put the WWE Championship on the line against long-time rival, John Cena, whilst Roman Reigns challenged for Kevin Owens' WWE Universal Championship in a No Disqualification match, with Chris Jericho suspended above the ring in a "shark cage". The undercard included the likes of RAW Tag Team Champions Cesaro & Sheamus, Mickie James, Sasha Banks and Natalya in action. 

Could WWE kick off the Road to WrestleMania in style? Let's take a look.

Kick Off 

• An updated version of "Rumble by Numbers" was the first notable moment of the Kick-Off event, although WWE would air this a couple more times later on.

• The Kick-Off panel of Renee Young, Booker T, Jerry "The King" Lawler and Shawn Michaels discussed the RAW Women's Championship match coming up later.

Match One

Nikki Bella, Becky Lynch & Naomi 

def. 

Natalya, Mickie James & Alexa Bliss 

(7:21 [TV])

A fairly basic six man tag to open the event, with Naomi getting the pin on Smackdown Women's Champion Alexa Bliss, which will surely lead to a title match on 12th February at Elimination Chamber. Naomi's hot tag sequence was the highlight, partly because the crowd went nuts for it and partly because the former Funkadactyl was a ball of energy as soon as Becky Lynch had made the tag. The rest of the match was standard stuff, nothing wrong with it, but nothing to get excited about. It would've been nice to have had a match that felt like it hadn't just been thrown onto the card when someone realised they hadn't booked a Smackdown Women's match for the show, especially considering there's a shit tonne of talent in that division. 

• The panel had a chat about the Kevin Owens v Roman Reigns match, with plenty of discussion about Chris Jericho being in the shark cage, because we all love fucking shark cages...

Match Two 

The Club 

Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson

def. 

Cesaro & Sheamus 

to win the WWE RAW Tag Team Championship

(9:20 [TV])

This match had a two referee gimmick, which did more to harm the two pairs than anything else. The finish ended up feeling so contrived with various people bumping into other people and Anderson eventually pinned Cesaro with a school boy roll up, after all sorts of things happened, seemingly all at the same time. Outside of the gimmicky silliness, the teams worked a physical match, that felt like it could've broke out into a sleeper hit, even if the crowd didn't seem particularly interested. Unfortunately that wasn't to be, as the booking and structure let the lads down, as Sheamus was bizarrely given the hot(ish) tag and the gimmick then took control. The four worked hard for each other, but they ended up fighting a losing battle. 

• Austin Aries joined the panel to talk about Neville getting his shot at Rich Swann's WWE Cruiserweight Championship, in what was perhaps the strongest analysis the panel did all evening.

• Charly Caruso interviewed Dean Ambrose in the Social Media Lounge, with the Intercontinental Champion talking about hiding underneath giants and dinosaurs, to some benign fan questions.

• Match Three - Nia Jax def. Sasha Banks (3:13 [TV]) - Jax ran through Banks like a local competitor. 

Main Show 

Match Four

Charlotte Flair

def. 

Bayley 

to retain RAW Women's Championship

(13:03)

With a big slot as the opening match, a sound framework to work with, plenty of time and a red hot crowd that couldn't have been anymore invested if they tried...I came away feeling a little disappointed with the RAW Women's Championship match. The story of the likeable underdog Bayley battling the arrogant and dominant Flair fueled the action, and whilst the two couldn't be better suited for their current roles, the action itself was all too often awkward or rushed. Perhaps this stemmed from an early slip with Bayley attempting to throw Flair to the outside, but there were a number of time when the two seemed to have some real trouble communicating inside the ring. Bayley having to jump back down from the top rope to re-position Flair for an elbow drop stands out in particular. The match also suffered from a lack of believable nearfall for it's babyface and with the level of crowd support it seemed a little wasteful to have Flair be so dominant. The Natural Selection on the apron was a sweet finish, though. 

• Big lengthy promo package from the Universal Championship match...shark cage.

Match Five

Kevin Owens [Kevin Steen]

def.

Roman Reigns 

to retain the WWE Universal Championship 

[No Disqualification Match, with Chris Jericho suspended above the ring in a "shark cage"]

(23:22)

If you take away the shark cage gimmick, a silly brass knuckles super punch near fall for Owens and Braun Strowman's involvement in the finish, The Prizefighter v The Big Dog was a bloody good heavyweight scrap, that utilised the No Disqualification gimmick to a tee. Let's focus on the positives, before looking at the finish, with the main plus point being the wild brawling style that suited the two down to the ground. They kicked things off with a heated brawl through the crowd, that raised the energy inside the Alamodome and kept the fire coming throughout. While I wouldn't say it felt like the two hated each other, there was definitely the feeling that this was two men who would anything for the Universal Championship. This was emphasised by a number of well placed spots, including Owens nailing a brutal looking Frog Splash through a table on the outside, before later toppling through an inventive pyramid of chairs. One of the best matches for either man over the last twelve months. 

Braun Strowman's involvement in the finish, ambushing Reigns on the outside, allowing Owens to get the pin was a curious ending to the bout. I didn't particularly dislike it, it's clear that Reigns was never going to lose to Owens clean and with Jericho stuck above the ring, it was obvious that WWE had booked themselves into a corner and plumped for the Strowman route. I always feel that the longer a match goes, the more important it is to have a satisfying and complete finish (something that's already been alluded to during the match) and after over twenty minutes of scrapping and battling, it was difficult not feel disappointing with how things ended in San Antonio. I would've liked to have seen Owens nail a Pop-Up Powerbomb to put the exclamation point on it and give a little heat back to the Prizefigher. I'm not particularly interested in Reigns v Strowman feud either, so that probably had a bit of an impact on my enjoyment of the whole thing. 

• The first part of a Royal Rumble vignette aired, with Cole describing it as the top 30 Rumble moments, but it was more of a rehashed Rumble by the number situation. 

• A promo for Neville and Rich Swann's Cruiserweight title clash, as the division continues to try and rediscover the formula that made the Cruiserweight Classic must-watch.

Match Six

Neville [PAC]

def.

Rich Swann

to win the WWE Cruiserweight Championship

(13:29)

The Cruiserweight Division is yet to find an real identity, but despite the crowd's nonchalance, Rich Swann dropping the belt to Neville was a cracking jaunt. This was arguably the best bout the division has had since it's return, as the two characters slotted together nicely, whilst the pairs history in Dragon Gate (both in the USA and Japan) meant the action was well paced and crisply delivered throughout. Neville's new heel character is taking a while to get over, thanks partly to the fact that he's the best known face to your regular WWE audience, but Swann's comeback, after a lengthy period of the Geordie controlling play, was exactly what The Man That Gravity Forgot and the division as a whole needed. Swann's offence was exciting, came at a ridiculous speed and had blue eye fire in bucket loads. This clash was a solid building block to start constructing the division around and deserves extra credit for having to slot in between the Owens v Reigns and Styles v Cena matches. The King of Cruiserweights now has his crown and potential title defenses against the likes of Akira Tozawa, Gran Metalik and Jack Gallagher should create some great moments inside the purple ropes in 2017. 

• The hype package for the WWE Championship match detailed the rivalry between challenger John Cena and champion AJ Styles, including their previous bouts last year at  Money in the Bank, SummerSlam and with Dean Ambrose at No Mercy. 

Match Seven

John Cena

def.

AJ Styles

to win WWE Championship

(24:01)

Money in the Bank was great, SummerSlam was superb and Royal Rumble was the perfect conclusion to one of the best in-ring feud that WWE has ever produced. For me, the evidence for just how good this match was was that John Cena finally managed to equal Ric Flair's sixteen World Championship reigns and got a positive reaction, which would have been almost unthinkable in the not so distant past. In fact, the crowd were fantastic throughout the entire match, creating, what sounded like, an amazing atmosphere inside the Alamodome and made each near fall even more gripping for me sitting on my sofa. The pair built their 24 minutes epic from the very beginning towards a near-fall laden third act, that began with Styles catching his opponent's diving leg drop bulldog and powerbombing Cena into the canvas. I'd happily put the final stretch up against any World Championship collision, as the momentum shifts, kick-outs and both men pulling out rarely used moves, produced some magnificent television. Styles' inaugural WWE Championship reign has opened eyes and anchored Smackdown Live excellently, hopefully he is rewarded with a money match at WrestleMania on 2nd April.

I've seen this match dismissed in certain circles for being finisher heavy and while there was three Styles Clashes and four Attitude Adjustments, there was a whole lot more to match. This was rich and vibrant encounter, that saw two of the best in the business, take the audience through a variety of tones, with each form flowing into the next, with a near perfect ebb and flow. The story of Cena's desperation to win back the prize, alongside his dislike for Styles, gave us a strike based opening and some wonderful visuals of a Cenation Leader reaching his boiling point when unable to seal the victory. The first portion played on some of the work done in the previous two collisions, with Styles having an answer to a number of signature offence, hitting a number of big moves including the Styles Suplex Special and a Rack Bomb. The two also chucked in a technically solid exchange of submissions, that began with a spectacular series of reversals with both managing to lock in their signature holds, before moments later branching out as Cena went for a timely Figure Four Leg Lock and The Phenomenal One caught his opponent in a crossarmbreaker.  WWE may manage to equal this clash later in the year, but I'd be very surprise if Vince McMahon's promotions manages to better it.

• The second part of the Royal Rumble vignette aired, as a final bit of hype for the eponymous battle royal.

• Before the main event, Big Cass and Enzo Amore got a little mic time, as they chattered about being in Texas, a coupe of the Royal Rumble entrants, as well as running through their catchphrases.

Match Eight

Randy Orton

def.

Chris Jericho, Braun Strowman, Baron Corbin, Sami Zayn [El Generico], Sheamus, The Miz, The Undertaker, Dean Ambrose, Bray Wyatt, Rusev, Cesaro [Claudio Castagnoli], Luke Harper, Brock Lesnar, Roman Reigns, Kofi Kingston, Goldberg, Big Cass [Colin Cassady], Big E, Kalisto, Mojo Rawley, Mark Henry, Apollo Crews [Uhaa Nation], Tye Dillinger [Shawn Spears], Xavier Woods, Dolph Ziggler, Jack Gallagher, The Big Show, James Ellsworth [Jimmy Dream] and Enzo Amore.

to earn a WWE Championship match at WrestleMania 33

(1:02:06) 

[Royal Rumble Match]

So, as was expected, Randy Orton won the Royal Rumble for the second time and earned himself a fifth major championship match at WrestleMania. The brand split means that this victory is perhaps less important to the Show of Shows than it had been over the last three years and therefore having an established main eventer, who already has twelve World title wins to his name was a little less annoying than had it just propelled him into the only big championship match on the show. Similar to Orton winning the Money in the Bank Ladder match in 2013, this victory follows a period where we've seen The Viper slip into the background, teaming with Bray Wyatt, having lost his last three one on one PPV matches, without a singles title match since April 2015 and with no singles gold since dropping the WWE World Heavyweight Championship to Daniel Bryan at WrestleMania XXX. Therefore, there's an argument to be made that this Rumble win does indeed elevate it's winner and whilst Orton could probably still walk into main events (see: SummerSlam last year). winning the most popular match of the year certainly won't hurt him. 

The closing stages of the contest appeared to play of the disdain that a big chunk of WWE's audience has for Roman Reigns as the Big Dog wreaked havoc after entering at #30. Some of the videos showing various reactions to Reigns are hilarious, showing just how over the Pensacolan is and how invested those fans who claim to be "smart" are with his exploits. Having Roman entering last got the audience on his back immediately, taking any potential heat away from an Orton victory   Reigns use during his five minute run was some of the most intriguing booking WWE has used in a while as the 2015 winner eliminated The Undertaker, screaming at The Deadman that "This is my yard now", before also taking out a man who had spent over an hour in the match, Chris Jericho. Those two eliminations obviously gave Reigns momentum, with the match pointing towards a triumphant win after he took Orton's tag partner Bray Wyatt out also and if there was one thing the audience didn't want to see it was another Roman rumble victory. This allowed Orton's win to feel clean, with an audience who was onside with the promotion, instead of fighting against the story direction as we've seen in the last few years.

It wasn't just Randy Orton, but the entire The Wyatt Family who took up a big chunk of the matches last twenty fives minutes, with Orton, Bray Wyatt and Luke Harper entering between #21-#25. Whilst the threesome didn't pick up many eliminations (just two with Orton throwing out Reigns and Harper taking out Apollo Crews), there was some major storyline developments, where they became the main focus of proceedings. The biggest moment was, of course, Harper turning on his teammates, after it had initially been teased that Orton would finally leave the uneasy alliance. It was a cool swerve, that all three played nicely and the pop that Harper got when he went for a Sister Abigail on Wyatt showed that it was the right time and place for the swap. Perhaps an elimination for either side here would have added a little bit extra, as it seemed weird to leave Harper in the match to just be fodder for Goldberg later on. There's potential however in a babyface push for The Backwood Brawler, he's got a whole lot of talent that perhaps he hasn't quite been able to show and a feud with Wyatt could produce a unique narrative of the oppressed Harper battling against the Cult Leader. 

With no-shows from Samoa Joe and Finn Balor, almost all of the bookies favourites entered the match towards the end of the contest, with Braun Strowman and Chris Jericho the only exceptions. Orton, Brock Lesnar, Goldberg and The Undertaker all headed to the ring in the last twenty minutes or so, leading to an eventful final third. The continuation of the Lesnar and Goldberg feud, with The Beast getting chucked over the top within minutes of his foe entering the ring. I can take or leave Lesnar v Goldberg again and I'm not too sure that their interactions have made their rematch a bigger contest than their November clash. Goldberg would eventually get sent packing by Undertaker. Personally, whilst the interplay between the various legends was entertaining, I felt it was a shame to have guys like The Miz, Dolph Ziggler, Dean Ambrose, Sami Zayn and other regulars look like complete chumps in comparison to the guys who only wrestle a handful of matches a year. 

The rest of the Rumble was pretty run of the mill, featuring a handful moments that managed to hold the attention, but had a bit of a treading water feeling. The ring filled up with fodder for Strowman (Big Show, Mark Henry, Kalisto etc.), Cesaro & Sheamus were the cliche tag team at loggerheads, big lads looked at each other, people did a couple of signature moves when they came in, Kofi Kingston had a spot. It was a decent way to pass an hour, but there was very little that grabbed. The two exceptions were Baron Corbin eliminating Strowman, after a Helluva Kick from Sami Zayn and Tye Dillinger entering a Number 10. The booking of The Monster Among Men was a masterstroke, as not only did it finally give Zayn a bit of redemption against his tormenter, but it gave a big rub to The Lone Wolf. The elimination was a clever use of the brand split, as it elevates Corbin on the Smackdown brand, without the need for a full programme between the two (yet!). Whilst Dillinger's appearance was as predictable as rain in England, it did get a great pop and provided a hard working talent with a well deserved moment. Jack Gallagher was also a breath of fresh air during his three minute stint.

Coming out of the Rumble, I think my main feeling was that it was mostly an enjoyable watch, but not a substantial one. It was junk food, as opposed to a Royal feast. It never felt boring, but neither did it feel like I was glued to the screen either. Maybe this was partly my fault for checking the odds before the show and being almost certain that Orton was going to win, but I also feel a big part was down to how the match was put together. The feeling that everyone was passing time until the big names made their entrance held the match back, as well as a lack of any genuine surprises. It certainly wasn't a bad match, but I doubt it will stand long in anyone's memory.

Finally...

ATPW Scale Rating - 6.77/10

The first PPV of 2017 was a pretty good outing, with every match on the main card offering something worth watching. The clear Match of the Night was John Cena and AJ Styles' thrilling WWE Championship match, whilst it was well supported by the more physical Roman Reigns v Kevin Owens WWE Universal title clash. I didn't feel like Charlotte Flair v Bayley live up to it's potential, but the crowd's investment, at least, meant it's worth having a look at and it's perhaps it's a match that I'll reevaluate in the future. The audience were a big help to the overall presentation, being energetic and involved for almost the entire evening, with their sheer numbers giving the event an extra special feel.

Review: James Marston

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Supercard Review: WWE NXT Takeover: San Antonio - Bobby Roode v Shinsuke Nakamura

On 28th January, NXT Takeover returned to Texas for the second time in ten months, as San Antonio hosted the event from the Freeman Coliseum, with Bobby Roode challenging Shinsuke Nakamura for the NXT Championship headlining the event, as well as action featuring the likes of Roderick Strong, Eric Young, NXT Women's Champion Asuka and NXT Tag Team Champions #DIY (Johnny Gargano & Tommaso Ciampa). Could NXT pull out a repeat of Takeover: Dallas? 

Match One

Eric Young 

(with Alexander Wolfe [Axeman] & Killain Dain [Damian O'Connor]) 

def. 

"The Perfect Ten" Tye Dillinger [Shawn Spears] 

(10:53)

Dillinger's role of jobber to the stars continues in another spirited showing that will do nothing to harm the former OVW Television Champion's runaway popularity among fan all over the world (just attend any British wrestling show to find out just how over Dillinger (or at least, the number ten) is right now). The bout set out it's stall early on, with Eric Young and his SAni†Y co-horts doing all they could to hold Dillinger down, with plenty of dubious activity inside and outside of the ring. The Perfect Ten's face shine went on a little too long for my liking, but considering the crowd's reaction for him, it's understandable why NXT had Dillinger running wild for an extended period before settling things down. The numbers game became the cliche from then on in, but a number of well placed near falls and cute spots kept this entertaining, helped, perhaps, by the rocking Freeman Coliseum. The finish featured a nice nod towards the Royal Rumble happening on the 29th, with Dillinger "skinning the cat" straight into Young's signature Youngblood, in perhaps another piece of the story being told about Dillinger getting carried away during the brand's more high profile matches. 

Match Two

Roderick Strong 

def. 

Andrade "Cien" Almas [La Sombra] 

(11:50) 

This match did very little for me, if I'm honest. There was some lovely sequences at times and the two showed they could change gear, but it just felt strikingly disjointed and Strong and Almas never seemed to completely "click". There was early stuff with Strong hurting his arm, which was initial sold well, but got completely lost latter on, almost as soon as "The Messiah of the Backbreaker" had escaped Almas' Ring of Saturn-esque hold. Following this the match upped the pace and went back and forth, with the pair working hard in an attempt to mesh their various signature holds, but with a lack of anything substantial. I don't want you to think that this was a bad match, because it wasn't at all, there was A LOT of good to very good work here and there, and some very pacy wrestling in the closing stages, but none of it seemed to slot together to create a match that could hold my interest for the length required. 

Match Three

The Authors of Pain

Akam [Sunny Dhisa] & Rezar 

(with Paul Ellering) 

def. 

#DIY

Johnny Gargano & Tommaso Ciampa

 to win the NXT Tag Team Championship 

(14:25)

I called The AOP taking the titles here (ask Jozef), for the simple reason that #DIY were so good when chasing the titles from The Revival, that it felt like the natural extension of that story to have them go on to chase a bigger, badder, meaner and very different tag team. That's exactly what unfolded here as we got Gargano and Ciampa taking the fight to the challengers and Akam and Rezar, in a hard-hitting clash that ended with AOP swatting the game champions to the side. The match structure kept the rookies protected, lending from #DIY and The Revival's MOTY at Takeover: Toronto last November to bolster the drama when necessary, whilst giving #DIY just enough hope that a potential rematch is still an exciting prospect. The crowd reaction to Ciampa's electric German suplex comeback as well as when #DIY caught The AOP in their respective submissions holds was superb and a tribute to the hard work that all five men involved put in here. By the conclusion both teams had been elevated and a potential rematch, with #DIY looking to win back their belts, is positively mouthwatering. There's more to come in the story of both these teams, here's to the next chapter! 

• Seth Rollins made a surprise return to NXT, calling out Triple H, only to be carried away by security in a segment that was almost perfect tonally.

Match Four

Asuka [Kana]

def. 

Peyton Royce, Billie Kay [Jessie McKay] and Nikki Cross [Nikki Storm] 

(Fatal 4Way)

to retain the NXT Women's Championship

(9:54)

Another storyline driven bout here as NXT looked to make the most of it's female roster which has been heavily depleted since July's brand split and they actually did a cracking job, with Peyton Royce, Billie Kay and Nikki Cross all stepping up to create a fun jaunt, alongside NXT's resident female bad-ass Asuka. The story of Royce and Kay wanting to win the match together was refreshingly handled as it easily could have descended into the cliche of them both trying to nick pins on each other. This lead to some of the most interesting movement in the Women's division for sometime, as Cross was presented almost as an equal to Asuka. The storyline elements were tent poled with a handful of big spots, including Cross nailing a elevated spinning neckbreaker off the apron to the floor, before the SAni†Y member took a double release verticle suplex off the announce table, that sent her crashing through a regular table below. Asuka was eventually able to secure victory with a stunning flurry to remain champion, but it seemed like everyone involved took a step up here and delivered beyond many expectations. With these four ladies, as well as Ember Moon and the likes of Crazy Mary Dobson and Kimber Lee waiting on the sidelines it feels like NXT's Women's division is going to be just fine in 2017. 

• Fuck me on a bicycle made of sticks, the entrances for the main event were all I wanted them to be and more.

Match Five

Bobby Roode

def.

Shinsuke Nakamura

to win the NXT Championship

(27:07)

Genuinely, I hadn't been that excited for Roode v Nakamura, after the oddity of Nakamura's feud with Samoa Joe, the bout came at an odd time in NXT's history. However, by the end of the match I was on the edge of my seat, completely gripped by some marvelous theatricality as Nakamura grabbed hold of his knee after hitting a knee strike from the middle rope that knocked Roode off the apron. From that moment forward Roode and Nakamura knocked their match up several notches, with desperate near-falls or non-falls (The King of Strong Style being unable to cover after hitting a clean Kinshasa). Both men sold every element of desperation and pain across their entire bodies and whilst the Doctors seeing to Nakkers went a little long, the commentary team and the two lads in the ring made it unbelievably captivating piece of television. By the time Roode held the title a loft, after hitting two Glorious DDT's and holding Nakamura in a Boston Crab for about two weeks, I was gutted and ecstatic all in the same moment. 

Okay, that was the finish, but what about the meat and potatoes of the match? The duo took their time early on and allowed the crowd to settle themselves down, so that they could take them on the journey that they wanted to take them on and to be fair to San Antonio, they went with Roode and Nakamura on every step. The two wrestled a little and it was passable, not the smoothest stuff you'll see, but watchable, mainly thanks to the two characters involved and the crowd's energy. The Red Roodester controlled following a nasty moment that saw Shinsuke pushed from the top rope and crash the floor onto his upper back. There was some decent submission work in the middle of the bout, as Nakamura flew into an armbar and transitioned it into a chicken wing, which I think the pair could potentially have built upon. Roode has regularly used a Crossface and Fujiwara Armbar in his past, so I would've liked to have seen them go down this route, rather than the kind of messy power out routine they went down.

In his first Takeover main event and title win, Roode's character work stood out more than his wrestling. He looked great as dominant bruising heel, happy to take advantage of any situation that came his way (Nakamura crashing to the outside and the knee problems). The former TNA World Heavyweight Champion also showed his intelligence as he lay prone on the mat following an inverted exploder suplex that had been well built towards, denying Shinsuke the chance to hit the Kinshasa, whilst also earning strong near falls off a roll up and a backstabber. There did seem to be a few moment however where the Glorious One looked a little awkward taking some of The King of Strong Styles' offence, especially some of the kicks. Yes, it could've have been slicker, but this match showed how strength of character and theatricality are arguably the two most important elements in modern pro wrestling. Any way you shake it, this was Roode's best singles match in over four years and perhaps his crowning glory as a sports entertainer.

Finally...

ATPW Scale Rating - 7.31/10

A rock solid show from NXT, with a card that over delivered on my expectations going in. Whilst it wasn't as strong as Dallas, there was still a strong variety of action on display with a focus on telling stories and developing characters. With Takeover: Orlando during WrestleMania weekend so close and with only one hour a week to build, it certainly felt like there was one eye on that show here, but if this event ends up making that show even more compelling and dramatic then I'm all in. All three title pictures look more interesting than they did before and we got to watch some quality wrestling along the way. 

Wrestling is good. Believe in wrestling.

Review - James Marston 
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Supercard Review: WWE Hell in a Cell 2016 - Charlotte Flair v Sasha Banks *Hell in a Cell*

On 30th October, WWE's RAW brand held the 8th incarnation of the Hell in a Cell PPV (the 1st to be entirely RAW branded). The main event was the first ever female Hell in a Cell bout with Sasha Banks putting her RAW Women's Championship on the line against Charlotte Flair, whilst a pair of semi-mains came from Roman Reigns and "The Bulgarian Brute" Rusev battling over the United States Championship and Kevin Owens placing the Universal Championship on the line, both inside the structure. With Cesaro, Bayley, RAW Tag Team Champions The New Day, Karl Anderson and Brian Kendrick on the undercard, how would Hell in a Cell turn out? Let's take a look. 

Despite what WWE's "triple main event" billing said, Charlotte Flair winning the RAW Women's Championship from Sasha Banks in a Hell in a Cell match was the main event in pretty much every sense of the term. It went on last, took up the most screen time and got the most hype. So how about that main event? It was always going to be difficult for Flair and Banks to step up not only into the main event, but to join the grand pantheon of Hell in a Cell matches, that includes classics like Shawn Michaels v The Undertaker and Cactus Jack v Triple H. There was a lot of history behind this bout, but at the same time there was none. Never before had two women main evented a PPV, never before had two women stepped inside the demonic structure. Was the match looking to emulate the past or create the future? It's difficult to judge something's effectiveness, if you're unsure of its aims. 

A large portion of the action happened outside of the bell, with Flair attacking Banks before the bell, leading to the two brawling outside of the cage. This would include the main angle for the bout that would drive the contest's narrative. Flair pulling Banks from the outside of the cage and hitting a powerbomb through the announce table looked superb. Banks took the bump like an absolute boss (pun intended), with the table collapsing underneath her and Flair's powerbomb looked tasty also. The build up could have been a lot slicker than it was, with Flair awkwardly bumping off the cage and then waiting for Banks to position herself into the powerbomb, instead of simply grabbing her. If the prior work had looked less cooperative then the big spot would have looked even better. The angle with Banks being put onto the stretcher and not wanting any help, only to pull herself into the cage when the announcement was being made, felt a little corny and didn't make a whole lot of sense. The two ladies played it well, but if the doctors had decried that Banks couldn't wrestle to the point that it had been communicated to the ring announcer (Jo Jo) then surely the match still doesn't go ahead? The spot has been played out in various formats over the years, including in a number of Hell in a Cell matches and I would've preferred the ladies had started with something that couldn't be easily compared to things we've seen over, at least, the last five years. 

Once the wrestlers were inside the Cell, I thought Banks and Flair did a damn good job, with a number of strong spots, some substantial storytelling and never for a moment looking out of place in the slot they were given. The majority of the bout was wrapped around Banks' back injury, with Flair targeting the damaged area and Banks offence kept to desperation flurries. The Boss' selling was mostly good, but the length of the bout (over 20 mins bell to bell) at times threatened it's believability, especially during a spot that saw her hit the three amigos suplexes (Because Eddie Guerrero). Spots-wise the match had some good use of the cell, from the very beginning where Charlotte hit a wicked monkey flip into the steel and a flurry of double knee shots from Banks that pinned Flair against the structure. A couple of the spots involving tables could have come off slicker, especially Flair's bump off the apron. Had these spots come together as planned then this probably would have been the undisputed match of the night. Flair winning the match with Natural Selection, having thrown Banks into a table twice, was a flat end to the evening, especially with the match in Banks' hometown. 

Match in a Sentence - A very good match, with some flashes storytelling brilliance, but it occasionally got lost and some of the bigger spots could have looked better

The show opened with Roman Reigns retaining the United States Championship over Rusev in a solid heavyweight scrap inside the structure. The match was hurt by having to take two other HIAC matches into consideration, meaning that the bout lacked any particularly impressive spots, meaning that Rusev bumping off the apron and into the cell was replayed about twenty times during the match. However, within the confines that they were given, I felt like Reigns and Rusev managed to produce an extremely watchable affray. They'd introduce a number of props to compliment that big lads style, whacking each other with Kendo sticks, the steel steps and a big metal chain. One of my favourite parts of the match was when Rusev had Reigns caught in the ropes and was wailing away with the kendo stick, but with the crowd chanting along, he stopped the beating and broke the kendo stick over his knee. It made me chuckle at home, but also got him a decent big of heat, because Boston loves to count. There was a couple of near falls with Reigns' being sent into the steps and then taking a superkick, which were worked well and had the crowd gripped, especially on the first one! 

My main problem with the bout was that it felt like a missed opportunity to make Rusev into a legitimate top guy in WWE. This was all down to how the story of the match unfolded and also, in part, the finish. The conclusion saw Rusev wrap the steel chain around Reigns' chin and apply a modified Accolade with the chain, with the two on top of the steel steps, now for me, unless you can do a run-in, that's the end of the match, right there. Instead, Rusev was made to look a bit dim, by dropping the chain to lock in a normal Accolade, allowing Reigns to power out and hit a Samoan Drop on the steps, followed by a spear to get the win. Why on earth would Rusev drop that chain? It just made him look a fool. Have Reigns pass out or if The Big Dog HAS to win for whatever reason, work an injury angle where Rusev can't keep the hold on because X, Y or Z, anything that gives a reason for The Bulgarian Brute to drop the chain. With the knowledge that Reigns was going over, I would've liked to have seen Rusev get more offence in during the first act of the match, where it seemed like Reigns always had the upperhand, even when the former champ resorted to raking the eyes, Reigns somehow rebounded and sent Rusev into the steps. There was a more interesting story to be told, with a few simple changes, that would've lead to both being elevated at the same time.

Match in a Sentence – Big heavyweight scrap, that utilised a number of props well, but could have done with cutting time and also feels like a missed star-making opportunity for Rusev.

The third Hell in a Cell contest on the card was Kevin Owens retaining his Universal Championship against Seth Rollins, after Chris Jericho had got himself locked inside the structure. There were a number of different elements that went into this, with the near 25 minute bout moving through a number of distinct segments. Each of these sections had their own merits, Owens focusing on Rollins injured tapped back had some good spots and suited the pairs styles, a lightning quick sequence of reversals sent the crowd into a frenzy and Jericho's involvement in the finish bought more storyline into the action without feeling over-booked. Everything on it's own was entertaining and the variation of styles meant that the 25 minutes went past fairly quickly, but (there's always a but) it wasn't melded together as good as it could have been. The back and forth sequence felt so out of place for what had come before, the run-in was awkwardly ambled towards with fire extinguishers and shit. It felt like when it was booked everyone had a load of good ideas, but not the time to make them fit together. 

Everything from when Jericho got inside the cage to when Owens pinned Rollins was very good. Rollins looked great fighting from underneath, managing to keep Jericho out of the action, only for Y2J to comeback just in time to keep Owens in the match. The spot where Rollins powerbombed Owens through a ridiculous structure of tables on the outside was superb stuff with the highspot itself looking insane. Similar to the Banks v Flair announce table spot, the build up could have been slicker, but the duo managed to recover the moment well, as when Rollins seemed to be unable to get Owens in position it could have been a lot worse, both visually and physically.  The finish built up nicely with Owens unable to put Rollins away with a Pop-Up Powerbomb, before Jeri-KO were finally able to combine for a sustained period, hammering away with chairs, before Owens hit a DDT on a chair for a near fall and finally won with a Powerbomb through a pair of seated chairs. It protected Rollins by having him scrap til the very end and also included some pretty cool looking moments along the way. I feel like everyone will benefit from this story ended, with Rollins able to stretch his babyface wings in a separate feud, whilst Jeri-KO can step up their best friends storyline that is obviously only heading in one direction.

Match in a Sentence - Good bout that goes through a number of different section, but doesn't quite manage to thread them together.

The biggest bout on the undercard saw Sheamus & Cesaro defeat The New Day (Big E & Xavier Woods, accompanied by Kofi Kingston) by disqualification, meaning that New Day retained the RAW Tag Team Championships. At times this match had some great wrestling, at times it was super awkward. Sheamus being the only heel in the contest, just meant that the structure of the whole thing was a bit off and that the first half of the match played out in front of a crowd that didn't really know how to react to it. The hot tag sequence was exciting stuff, with Big E having overhead belly to belly suplexes for days, Woods hitting a lovely tope conhilo and then Big E blocking a Brogue Kick and hitting a sit-out powerbomb for 2, but it didn't have enough substance or heat heading in to make it as satisfying as it could have done. The finish had way too much going on to set up the DQ finish, with Kingston retaliating Sheamus hitting Big E with Francesca 2 (the trombone, if you're not keeping up) with a Trouble in Paradise, whilst Cesaro got Woods to tap out to a Sharpshooter. After the match, I don't feel like anyone involved came out of the show looking any different from before the match took place.

Match in a Sentence - Some really well worked spots, but also incredibly awkward at points and did very little for anyone involved.

Brian Kendrick won his first singles title in WWE, taking the Cruiserweight Championship from TJ Perkins. The contest was technically sound but struggled to grab to crowd's attention and at points risked the audience turning on it. One of the matches biggest challenges was that it came directly after the Owens v Rollins HIAC bout, which had included the stupidly quick back and forth section. There was nothing in this match which even came close to the excitement of that piece of work. The spot that seemed to turn the crowd off was Kendrick trying to tape Perkins to the bottom rope by his wrist tape, which made absolutely no sense (the commentary team said Kendrick was going for the countout) and looked awful. WWE have weaved a story into the cruiserweight division that nobody wanted to see and have shown a clear misunderstanding of what made the Cruiserweight Classic so popular. The majority of the wrestling content was fine, because Kendrick and Perkins know what they're doing, but by the time Kendrick had won the belt I didn't feel anything or at least felt nothing near to how emotional I was for any of Kendrick's matches during CWC. 

Match in a Sentence - A match that struggled to get the crowds imagination, but included some decent wrestling 

Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson got a big victory over Big Cass & Enzo Amore, in a simple but enjoyable tag team match. Gallows, Anderson, Cass and Amore didn't reinvent the wheel here, but each part of the wheel was constructed well. Enzo & Cass' face shine was fun, Gallows and Anderson controlled the bout well, the build to the hot tag was good, Cass looked like a hero during his come back and the heels got the win thanks to some over exuberance from Cass and a swift double team on Amore. I would've liked to have seen Gallows & Anderson get a bit more time to work over Jersey's Finest and to have really ground on him to the point where the crowd were absolutely desperate for Cass to come lay waste to them, but in a show that went three and half hours, asking for more is an odd request. Gallows & Anderson needed this victory, after no supercard win since May and especially after the New Day feud had killed their momentum as two bald bad asses. Don't worry about Enzo & Cass they could lose week in week out and still turn things around with one promo, plus Cass looked like a beast, so all is well.

Match in a Sentence - Solid tag team match, that finally gives Gallows & Anderson a bit of momentum!

Rounding out the show we had Bayley picking up a victory over Dana Brooke in what was both women's first singles match on a main roster supercard. It was clear to see where both women were at in their careers in this match as Bayley shone, whilst Brooke looked average (that's being me being uncharacteristically nice).  From the awkward spot where Brooke tried to drop Bayley shoulder first onto the top buckle, it was clear that the contest was a little too sophisticated for a Brooke who should probably still be in NXT. Brooke working the arm was mostly sloppily executed, including a move that I believe was supposed to be a Bow and Arrow, but Bayley's selling was strong enough that it pretty much carried the match. Little touches, like only using one arm to do the wacky waving inflatable arm flailing tube man dance, made the contest for me and gave me a big smile on my face. The logical next step would seem to be moving Bayley into either a one on one feud with Charlotte or Nia Jax, the top two female heels on the RAW brand currently. 

Match in a Sentence - Very good performance from Bayley in a match that wasn't always as tight as it should have been

Best of the Rest 

• Big Cass & Enzo Amore knocked their pre-match promo out of the park, with a number of funky references to their opponents, such as renaming them Big Gal and Andy.

• The New Day's pre-match promo was mainly pandering and talk of potential merchandise for Cesaro & Sheamus, it wasn't great.

• Backstage, Stephanie McMahon and Mick Foley shilled the upcoming Survivor Series PPV before Chris Jericho canvassed for position on the RAW Survivor Series team, with all the signature catch phrases. 

• Backstage, Tom Phillips interviewed Kevin Owens – Cesaro & Sheamus argued about something 

Finally...

ATPW Scale Rating - 6.27/10

Show in a Sentence - A good show, with three good to very good Hell in a Cell bouts, even if each would have been improved by not having to take the others into consideration, accompanied by an average, yet mostly entertaining undercard.

Match of the Night - Sasha Banks v Charlotte Flair

All content - James Marston

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