WWE Hell in a Cell 2019 final rating: Defied logic ruins main event
WWE Hell in a Cell 2019 put the finishing touches on a huge week in the WWE by further helping shake-up the complexion of both Raw and SmackDown moving forward.
At WWE Hell in a Cell 2019, a lot went down for a card that only featured four official matches heading into Sunday, but for as much good that went on throughout the course of the show, one particularly bad moment soured the taste in fans’ mouths at the conclusion of the show.
The main card kicked off with the first of two Hell in a Cell matches on the card when Becky Lynch defended her Raw Women’s Championship against Sasha Banks in what would turn out to be a prime match of the year candidate once the dust settled.
These women pulled out all the stops and made this one of the most physical women’s matches in WWE history. It was spectacular, but at the end of the day, The Man prevailed and made The Boss tap out to retain her title.
Tornado tag team action was on deck next when Roman Reigns and Daniel Bryan took on Erick Rowan and Luke Harper in the most personal battle of the night. This was a very good tag match with a lot of action and impressive moments from both sides, including the finish that saw Reigns and Bryan finally put away the former Bludgeon Brothers and get the win. The two even hugged it out after the match that saw The Big Dog finally get revenge on Rowan for his heinous actions.
An impromptu match between Randy Orton and Ali took place next and even for a match that felt random and thrown together, this turned out quite positively. This was a stellar match that included one of the best RKO counters of all-time by Ali, but unfortunately for him, that wouldn’t be enough and Orton managed to counter an attempted high-risk move from Ali into an RKO that sealed the win for The Viper.
The Women’s Tag Team Championship match followed with Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross defending their titles against Asuka and Kairi Sane, The Kabuki Warriors. This was a good match that showcased both teams well, but the subtle heel turn of Asuka and Sane was something to take note of. Especially when Asuka spit green mist in the face of Cross to help secure the victory that gave The Kabuki Warriors the Women’s Tag Team Championship.
Six-man tag team action followed when The O.C. took on The Viking Raiders and Braun Strowman in what turned out to be one of the least impressive matches on the night. It wasn’t bad, but it just did nothing to impress and the finish that ended in disqualification was the icing on the cake. That wouldn’t be the last disqualification finish on the night, however.
The recent feud between King Corbin and Chad Gable was on display when the two went one-on-one. This match was OK, but nowhere near the match they put on in the King of the Ring final a couple of weeks ago. However, this finish was satisfying when Gable finally got the upper hand over Corbin and defeated him with a roll-up that shocked the king.
It was all about the SmackDown Women’s Championship next when Bayley defended her title against Charlotte Flair. This was a pretty good match, but it wasn’t the most memorable match in the world either. In the end, history was made when Charlotte made Bayley tap out to the Figure Eight to give The Queen her record 10th women’s championship reign.
The main event of the night closed out the show with the Universal Championship on the line inside Hell in a Cell when Seth Rollins defended his title against The Fiend, Bray Wyatt. This match had a ton of hype heading in with fans clamoring for The Fiend to capture the Universal Championship, and for a while, that looked inevitable. He dished out a crazy amount of punishment to Rollins early on, but towards the end, everything changed.
Rollins couldn’t keep Wyatt down and no matter how many stomps he hit or how many weapons were used, The Fiend kept kicking out. However, Rollins used a sledgehammer to smash a chair and other items directly onto The Fiend’s face at the dismay of the official. And wouldn’t you know, that sledgehammer shot caused the ref to ring the bell and stop the match. Yes, a Hell in a Cell match where anything goes was stopped by the ref.
As they were attempting to load Wyatt onto a stretcher, he popped up and began attacking Rollins before ultimately finishing it off with a mandible claw that saw blood oozing out of The Architect’s mouth. Yeah, it was that big of a disaster of a finish and in all honesty, it could rank as the worst finish to a match in WWE history. If not in all of WWE history, certainly one of the worst.
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Think about it, a Hell in a Cell match ended because the ref stopped the match due to it getting too vicious. The same match that has seen careers shortened, ended, and everything in between and a match where anything goes. The logic just isn’t there and it gets even more illogical when the ref stopped the match to help save The Fiend, only for him to pop right up and take out Rollins without the match being restarted.
It’s clear that this was just a desperate attempt to “benefit” both parties. It keeps the title on Rollins without him having to actually defeat The Fiend and it makes The Fiend look as powerful as ever, but without winning the Universal Championship. It was a cop-out, shady, and cheap finish that ruined what could have been an epic moment in WWE history and no matter if/when The Fiend wins the title, it won’t ever be what it could have been at Hell in a Cell.
Outside of that horrific finish, this was a good pay-per-view. It started out on fire with several impressive matches, but the final few matches left quite a bit to be desired one way or another. Lynch vs. Banks is a match of the year candidate no matter what you thought about the rest of the show. Not to mention, the tornado tag match was very good, Orton vs. Ali was stellar, the women’s tag title match was good, and the main event was good besides a garbage finish.
Fans aren’t going to be happy following Hell in a Cell, and rightfully so, but when looking at it in a vacuum, it was a good show even with its few shortcomings.
Next. WWE Hell in a Cell 2019 Results. dark