DirtSheets.com Presents: Hell in a Cell 2012 Review
Randy Orton defeats Alberto Del Rio with an RKO
Going into this match, I was expecting a snoozefest. Both men have been rather underwhelming for the past several months and putting them against each other seems like an awful idea. Although I didn’t like it starting off the PPV, I am happy to say that this match was surprisingly decent. I loved all the punishment Del Rio was putting on Orton’s arm. Anytime a wrestler concentrates on a wrestler limb it always adds to a match. It just seems like the logical thing to do. The one thing that really hurt this match was an obvious botch where Del Rio was coming off the top rope to hit Orton but both men ended up just standing there looking at each other for one awkward second which lead to more awkward moves. It was obvious on Randy’s face that he was pissed. Luckily they got back on track and ended it with a typical RKO out of nowhere after Del Rio jumped from the top rope and that was all she wrote.
Rating: ***
Team Rhodes Scholars defeat Team Hell No by DQ cause by ref stoppage
What a disappointment and a complete waste of a match. I was really looking forward to this because both teams are incredibly entertaining and are great in the ring. Any time you have a false finish on a PPV its just hampers the PPV as a whole. This was one of those instances where the WWE figured that they had to protect both teams and that having a DQ finish would fix that. WRONG! Believe me when I say this, I do like the odd couple dynamic of Kane and Bryan but I rather have them lose because of this instead of DQing themselves. Yeah, it was a decent match overall but it could have been so much better. I think the better option would be for Rhodes Scholars to win the title and Daniel Bryan and Kane move on to some type of Survivor Series match with Team Bryan vs. Team Kane. Think of the T-Shirts! Hopefully the rematch will justify this but overall, this was a waste.
Rating: **
Kofi Kingston defeats The Miz to retain his Intercontinental Title
I have to say that both of these men have great chemistry together. I really feel like these guys had another good match but the crowd totally took away from it. The crowd was god awful all night but this deserved a better reaction. It wasn’t a great match by any means and deserved more time but for what it was it had all the action you could ask for. The Miz did a great job of working on the leg of Kofi. It was kind of crazy to see how small Kofi’s leg was once Miz took off his pads and boot. Kofi might need to eat more. Kofi managed to get out of the situation and get off the Trouble in Paradise to get the win. Overall it was a decent match but I think their match on Main Event was a lot better but it did get a lot more time. I look forward to seeing this feud play on because there is definitely more potential for better matches here.
Rating: ***
Impromptu Match #1: Antonio Cesaro defeats Justin Gabriel to retain the US Title
You know I will never understand why the WWE doesn’t announce matches like this on the card. It is a title match for heaven’s sake! People want to see title matches! Cesaro and Gabriel had a very good match on RAW and this one was even better. Again, it was short but it showcased both men’s talent and it gave us a taste of things to come. I really wish these guys could get more time because I honestly believe they could steal the show. Cesaro pulling off the European Uppercut on Gabriel while he is jumping to the outside was flat out sick. I honestly don’t know why that isn’t his special because it literally takes his opponents head off every time. I really hope we see more of these two on PPVs to come.
Rating: **1/2
Impromptu Match #2: Rey Mysterio & Sin Cara defeat the Prime Time Players
Once again, why can’t the WWE just announce these matches before the PPV?! People want to see matches like this and it could help sell the card and earn you more money! This was a very cookie cutter tag team match here. Nothing special and nothing you wouldn’t see on a regular episode of RAW. I think the most interesting part of this match was the fact that Mysterio and Sin Cara had each other’s mask on the back of their heads. The DirtSheets staff and I were joking on how they could tag each other in by tapping themselves on the back of the head. Yeah, we are hilarious. I wish I could have seen more out of these two teams because they both are very entertaining. They even got a solid amount of time. Overall, just a basic tag match here.
Rating: **1/2
Big Show defeats Sheamus to become the NEW World Heavyweight Champion
Who would have thunk it! Sheamus and The Big Show had the best match on the card. I won’t lie, this match started off methodical but for the first time during the night, the crowd was completely into this match. Maybe it was because Big Show was in WCW country but for some reason the crowd was hot. Big Show dominated almost the entire match. He literally slapped Sheamus on the chest so hard that he was bleeding! There were plenty of near falls but in the end we found out that the WMD was stronger than the Brogue Kick. I have to give props to Show; he made me believe that he deserved to be the World Champion. It will be interesting to see where he goes from here.
Rating: ***1/2
CM Punk defeats Ryback to retain the WWE Title due to ref shenanigans
Ever since this match was set, I have been wondering how WWE would get out of this situation. They really booked themselves into a corner here. On one hand, you want to continue CM Punk’s title reign so he can face off against the Rock at the Royal Rumble. On the other hand, you don’t want to make Ryback look weak because he is your next “big” star. I will say that even though this match wasn’t great because of how it ended, Ryback impressed me in the main event spotlight. This match really gave me hope that Ryback can big a big time player in the future. I also liked that CM Punk got the most offense on Ryback then any person before him. CM Punk felt like a champion and although he won in heel fashion there was no doubt that he gave Ryback a fight. The best part of all this was after the match when Ryback and Punk climbed to the top of the cell. I was actually scared that they would fall though because Ryback picked the weakest point on the cell to do his finsher to Punk. Every cell match should have a top cage spot and although it wasn’t during the match, it made me a happy camper. I look forward to seeing Ryback in other higher card matches and I probably won’t mind it too much when he finally wins a world title.
Rating: **3/4
Overall Rating
Pros:
- Solid wrestling throughout the show
- Big Show proving he’s worthy of being a World Champion
- No John Cena
- Ryback/CM Punk top of the cell moment
Cons:
- Absolutely God Awful crowd
- Two impromptu matches
- Tag Team Title DQ finish
- No Dolph Ziggler!