2 things that went right at WWE Hell in a Cell 2022

At Hell in a Cell 2022, WWE primarily hoped that the two marquee matches that bookended the show would carry the pay-per-view. The gamble paid off, and combined with the entertaining midcard matches, it made for an entertaining event, albeit an unspectacular one.

This continues the promotion’s streak of producing quality PPVs despite butchering the build to it, showing how much the wrestlers’ efforts rescue WWE from its own incompetence.

Yes, the company still couldn’t get out of its own way at times with the booking, but there will be plenty of time to discuss those aggravating mistakes. For now, let’s focus on the positives that we saw throughout the show.

These are three things that went right at WWE Hell in a Cell 2022.

Bianca Belair vs. Becky Lynch vs. Asuka

Where would this company be without the women on the roster, specifically the women at the top of the card? Hell in a Cell opened with the Raw Women’s Championship triple threat match between Bianca Belair, Becky Lynch, and Asuka. Like most of the matches on the card, WWE didn’t put much effort into building this one up, but fans had high hopes for the match.

As usual, these three didn’t disappoint. In front of an excited Chicago crowd, Asuka, Belair, and Lynch rewarded their enthusiasm with nearly 20 minutes of smooth, innovative, non-stop offense. What else can you say about a match that featured Belair RUNNING IN PLACE before delivering a vertical suplex to Lynch?

Throughout the match, they told the story of Lynch opportunistically going for pins on Asuka and Belair, which perfectly set up the finish of Belair tossing Lynch out of the ring and pinning Asuka after Lynch delivered the Manhandle Slam to “The Empress of Tomorrow”. Good stuff from everyone involved.

Cody Rhodes beats Seth Rollins for the third time

This Hell in a Cell main event between Seth Rollins and Cody Rhodes wasn’t an easy match to sit through, and not because it was particularly violent. Rhodes worked this match with a torn pectoral muscle, an injury he sustained while training for this bout, and seeing the very conspicuous bruising brought forth legitimate questions of how Rhodes got cleared for this match and whether he should’ve participated in this show.

Even if Rhodes insists that he chose to wrestle with the injury independent of any influence, there’s no question that this being his WWE PPV main event match and the broader culture of “toughing it out” regardless of future ramifications, and the latter is something people shouldn’t endorse in 2022.

That said, WWE still made the correct decision putting Rhodes over Rollins for the third time. “The American Nightmare” is now established as a legitimate main event attraction and Rollins now has room to tweak this annoying, directionless heel character he has (which has already started with his attack on Rhodes to start the June 6 episode of WWE Raw).