WWE Network PPV to Watch: Hell in a Cell 2012 Review
By Mike Smith
WWE.com
The very first WWE Network PPV to Watch selection from Daily DDT will focus on 2012’s Hell in a Cell pay-per-view. Michael Cole is on commentary with JBL and Jim Ross.
Randy Orton vs. Alberto Del Rio
Orton wins by ducking under Del Rio’s enziguri in the corner and hitting him with the RKO as he fell to the ground. This PPV is worth watching for this finish alone, the two of them pull it off smoothly, and sometimes Orton actually does hit the RKO out of nowhere. Sometimes it’s easy to forget out good Orton is in the ring, but when he gets an opponent like Del Rio, he reminds you real fast just how good he is.
Vickie Guerrero and Paul Heyman w/ Josh Matthews
Vickie touts about how she has solid proof that former Raw GM AJ Lee had an affair with John Cena and that she deserved to be fired. Heyman then comes in trying to get CM Punk out of his match with Ryback, but Vickie’s not buying it.
Team Hell No vs. Team Rhodes Scholars for the WWE Tag Team Championship
Cody Rhodes hits Cross Rhodes on Daniel Bryan and goes for the cover, but Kane breaks it up and attacks Rhodes and Damien Sandow until the referee disqualifies him. After the match, he chokeslams Sandow, and Bryan and Kane fight. This was a really fun feud, it was a huge mistake never having Team Rhodes Scholars win the title.
The Miz w/ Josh Matthews
The Miz said that he needed to win his Intercontinental Championship match because doing so would stop the apocalypse and save the world, and it was brilliant.
Kofi Kingston vs. The Miz for the Intercontinental Championship/Kofi Kingston in-ring w/ Matt Striker
Kingston picks up the victory with the Trouble in Paradise. These two actually have a rich history with each other, and they put on good matches together.
Striker joins Kingston in the ring and Kingston is really hyped. Kingston thanked Miz for bringing “the wildcat” in him out.
Daniel Bryan and Kane backstage
Bryan and Kane are arguing who over who is to blame for their DQ loss. When Bryan gets angry, he tends to look like a robot that’s malfunctioning and it’s always hilarious. These two were so naturally funny together and I would have been okay if they stayed a team forever.
Antonio Cesaro and Justin Gabriel for the United States Championship
Cesaro retains his title with the Neutralizer. They did a good job throughout Cesaro’s title reign of feeding him people to beat, like Gabriel, and Ryder at Night of Champions, but they never gave him a serious threat to his title that he needed to beat, and that hurt him.
Vickie Guerrero and Paul Heyman backstage
Heyman meets up with Guerrero and thanks her for cancelling CM Punk’s match with Ryback, but she tells him that she didn’t and the match is still on. These two play off each other well, I would like to see how twisted their WWE relationship would get.
Rey Mysterio and Sin Cara vs. The Prime Time Players
Mysterio hits the 619 on Darren Young for the win. Pretty good match. At this time, they never really committed to any tag teams, other than Team Hell No, which hurt Team Rhodes Scholars and The Prime Time Players the most. This match was a good start for the two teams involved, but no momentum was built off it.
Sheamus vs. Big Show for the World Heavyweight Championship
Big Show hits the KO Punch on Sheamus to win the title.
Booker T, Eve Torres, Teddy Long, Zack Ryder, Santino Marella and Ron Simmons backstage
Eve goes to talk to Booker, but he needs to go check on Sheamus. Teddy then tells Eve that he knows what she’s trying to do, but isn’t worried. Ryder then comes in dressed as a witch for Halloween, and says that it’s an Eve costume. Eve asks if they really think she’s a witch, and Teddy says that witch is “one letter off.” Eve storms out and Ryder calls Santino over to show off his Lady Gaga costume. Santino sings a mash-up of some Lady Gaga songs, until Simmons strolls in and Santino and Ryder uncomfortably wait for his “Damn!”
Vince McMahon and CM Punk backstage
Vince is on the phone, until he realizes Punk is in his office. Punk tells him to call off his match with Ryback. Vince asks Punk if he’s worried or scared of Ryback, but Punk says he is not. So Vince tells him to go out and prove he is the Best in the World.
Eve Torres vs. Layla vs. Kaitlyn for the Divas Championship
With Kaitlyn pinning Layla, Eve hits a somersault senton off the top rope on top of both of them, and she pins Layla for the win. In all fairness, after the botch between Kaitlyn and Eve that caused Kaitlyn to get a title shot that belonged to Eve, WWE did a good job of trying to fix it. The only mistake they made along the way was the reveal of Kaitlyn’s attacker, which was pretty anticlimactic.
CM Punk vs. Ryback for the WWE Championship inside Hell in a Cell
Punk rolls up Ryback for the win, with the help of a quick count and low blow from the ref, Brad Maddox. After the match was over, Maddox and Punk tried to escape but they couldn’t get the cage door open and Ryback destroyed both men. Ryback takes care of Maddox inside the cell, but Punk tries to make some sort of escape to the top of the cell. Ryback hits the Shell Shock on Punk on the top of the cage. They made a real mistake here, they made Ryback look strong, but he needed to keep winning matches and he didn’t belong in this match that he couldn’t win.
Overall Impression
In retrospect, this show was the beginning of the downfall of Ryback, the beginning of the injustice booking of Team Rhodes Scholars, and the beginning of the baffling main event push for Big Show. However, if you’re just looking to watch an entertaining show, this show has good in-ring action and performances, along with some solid backstage segments.
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