Sunday, October 25, 2020

Hell In A Cell 2020 Review

Sunday, October 25th, 2020
Amway Center
Orlando, Florida

Follow me on Twitter: @WorkTheNetwork2

Hell In A Cell I Quit Match For The Universal Championship

Roman immediately starts throwing Uso around, as we basically pick up where we left off at Clash Of Champions. Uso gets a few shots in and pushes Reigns out of the ring. He hits two dives, driving Reigns into the cell. Back in the ring, Uso charges at Reigns, but he counters it with a spear. Reigns hits another spear with more authority this time around. Reigns is doing lots of trash talking, even though every time he does, Uso makes a comeback. He goes for another spear, but Uso counters and then hits a top rope splash. Uso begins whipping Uso with a strap, but again Reigns hits another spear. Reigns now has the strap and begins whipping with it. I know a lot of people have enjoyed this feud, but this just isn't working for me. Uso now has the strap and begins choking Reigns with it. <MORE STALLING> Uso goes for a chair shot, but Reigns hits a Superman punch. Reigns puts on a Dragon Sleeper, but Uso still won't quit. Now we get to watch the referee repeatedly asking Uso if he quits. I'm pretty close to trying to figure out a way to getting down there to say "I quit" for him. Reigns hits a Drive By, but Uso still won't quit. A bunch of officials come down, but Reigns is still trying to make him quit. He picks up the steel steps, but before he can do anything Jimmy Uso is there to stop him. Jimmy starts sternly yelling at Reigns, who is now seated and crying. Jimmy begs for this to end and they lock hands. Roman then puts him in the Dragon Sleeper. This makes Jey quit and this is finally over with. Again, there are people who probably really enjoyed this. I am not one of them. 

Match Rating: 1/2* (out of 5)

After the match, Afa and Sika are up on the stage and they embrace Reigns. This was by far the highlight of all of this. 

Elias vs. Jeff Hardy

You'll never guess it, but Hardy interrupts Elias's song. We get a little bit of back and forth and it all leads to Hardy missing a leaping splash into the apron off the steps. Elias hits a clothesline and puts on the dreaded chinlock. Hardy tries to make a comeback, but Elias hits a sit down powerbomb out of the electric chair position. Hardy hits Whisper In The Wind and goes up top. Elias is able to roll out of the ring. Elias grabs his guitar, but Hardy gets it away from him and hits him in the back, causing a disqualification. Why was this on the show if that was the finish? This was pure filler that should have been on Friday's show. 

Match Rating: *1/4

Otis says he's going to win or something.

Singles Match For The Money In The Bank Briefcase
Miz vs. Otis

Otis drives a shoulder into Miz into the corner and follows up with a body slam. Miz misses with a dropkick to the outside and Otis hits him with a clothesline. Morrison distracts Otis, allowing Miz to hit a DDT for a 2 count. Miz hits the It Kicks and then the running clothesline in the corner. Miz slaps on the sleeper and then a big boot to the face. Otis is starting to hulk up and he steamrolls Miz. Otis goes for the Caterpillar, but Morrison pulls Miz out of the ring. Morrison gest ejected and Otis rolls up Miz for a nearfall. Miz pushes Otis towards the ropes and Tucker purposely hits Otis with the briefcase. Miz gets the easy pinfall and is in shock. I'm not sure what they were really going for with Otis as Money In The Bank, but apparently they are done with it. I'm guessing that uncertainty of no live crowd was probably the final factor. Miz deserves one more title run, so why not now?

Match Rating: *1/2

Miz cuts a good promo on being Mr. Money In The Bank and in walks Tucker. Tucker says that he was the one who carried the load for the team, but he was always the afterthought. In runs Otis and we get a brawl. 

Hell In A Cell Match For The SmackDown Women's Championship
Sasha Banks vs. Bayley 

Sasha knocks the chair out of Bayley's hand as the cell is being lowered and it falls out of reach. Bayley tries to go find something else under the ring, but Sasha grabs her and starts nailing her with right hands. Sasha is able to get Bayley into the Bank Statement, but Bayley bites her way out. Sasha misses with the baseball slide dropkick and Bayley drives her into the cage. Sasha catches Bayley's kendo stick and throws it through the fence. Bayley grabs another one, but again Sasha catches it and this time hits Bayley with a knee. Sasha pulls out a table, but Bayley tries to stop her. Sasha uses it to drive Bayley into the cage. She then runs up the table and hits the Meteora on her, which has easily been the highlight of the night so far. Sasha has a chair, but Bayley rolls her up for a 2 count. Bayley pushes her off the apron, but then misses with a chair shot. Sasha hits another version of the Meteora into the cage after jumping off the apron. Bayley snaps Sasha's neck over the second rope. Bayley throws Sasha into the cage, but Sasha catches herself on the cage and then eventually hits a headscissors off the apron. Sasha puts two kendo sticks between the steps and the cage, but Bayley ends up hitting a drop toe hold on Sasha and she crashes through the one left standing and into the steps. Bayley now sets up two more sticks and she hits a catapult into them. Sasha is able to comeback and hit a powerbomb into the cell. She puts Bayley's head through the chair, but Sasha gets her head slammed into the chair. Bayley hits a sunset flip powerbomb into a chair in the corner. Bayley hits a top rope elbow drop and gets another close call. Sasha pulls a Backstabber out of nowhere and rolls it into the Bank Statement. Bayley rolls out and puts her in the apron and slams her face into the ring beam. Bayley then hits a series of shots with a kendo stick. Bayley tapes up some kendo sticks and puts them between the cell and the ring. Sasha grabs the fire extinguisher and sprays her. Bayley somehow grabs her chair through the door, but Sasha grabs it from her and unleashes on Bayley. Sasha then hits a bunch of kendo shots to the back. Sasha sits in the corner as Bayley crawls towards the chair. Sasha kicks her and goes up top. She goes for a Frog Splash, but Bayley uses the chair. Bayley hits the Rose Plant outside, but back in the ring Sasha is able to kick out. Bayley throws Sasha onto a ladder propped up on two chairs. Bayley starts spray painting Sasha, before going off the second rope. Sasha moves out of the way and hits a Meteora. Sasha hits a belly-to-belly suplex, but it's still not enough. Bayley hits a knee and then a Bayley-to-belly, but this time Sasha kicks out. Sasha is able to put the chair around the neck of Bayley and puts on the Bank Statement. She kicks on the chair as pulls back on the hold and Bayley taps, ending her 380 day reign. I have to think this still somehow leads to a WrestleMania match between the two, but we shall see. They worked extremely hard and it's a shame that this wasn't in front of a live crowd. 

Match Rating: ***3/4

The Hurt Business is out back and apparently someone is fighting someone from Retribution. 

United States Championship Match
Bobby Lashley vs. Slapjack

Of all the combinations, this was the best choice? Slapjack's mask looks unbearable to work in. Lashley tosses him around for a little bit. Slapjack kind of whiffs on a dropkick, but then hits a cannon ball in the corner. Slapjack hits a running DDT for a 2 count. Lashley comes back it doesn't take long for him to put on the Hurt Lock and that is all. As soon as the bell rings, Retribution is out and attacking Lashley. And you thought the Nexus was booked poorly? The rest of the Hurt Business comes out and they retreat. This really is something. This was a squash. 

Match Rating: 1/2*

Hell In A Cell Match For The WWE Championship
Drew McIntyre vs. Randy Orton

As McIntyre is about to walk in the cell, Orton attacks him from behind before the match starts. So I guess this one landed on "brawl outside the cell" on the Hell In A Cell spinner. McIntyre takes it to him and eventually gets him in the cell so this match can officially start. McIntyre clotheslines him over the ropes and drives him into the cell. McIntyre continues using the cell as the announcers marvel at how comfortable he is in this environment in his first match. Back in the ring he goes for a Claymore Kick, but Orton hits him with a chair. Orton takes this outside and is now using the cage. I just re-watched the Orton/Undertaker match for Armageddon 2005 and I'm not sure why Orton didn't go for that formula here. He stands up the steel steps and tosses McIntyre through them. McIntyre fights back and hits an overhead belly-to-belly. Outside the ring, Orton for some reason walks right into another overhead belly-to-belly suplex through a table. Back in the ring, Orton hits a draped DDT and McIntyre to kick out at 1. Orton uses the bolt cutters to get out of the cage. They brawl outside and then Orton begins to climb to the top of the cell. McIntyre accepts the challenge and climbs up top. They fight up there for a little bit and eventually Orton tries to climb his way down. McIntyre does as well and they get to the halfway point and Orton slams McIntyre's head into the bar. Both men look really uncomfortable here. Orton slaps McIntyre's arm, causing him to fall through the announce table and they didn't even show the whole fall. Back in the ring they go. Orton pounds the mat for what feels like an hour, but McIntyre pulls of a backslide, but this time Orton kicks out. McIntyre hits the Claymore Kick, but Orton is able to get out of the ring. McIntyre misses the Claymore Kick and Orton hits the RKO to win the WWE Championship. For real? I know I need to see where this all leads, but I don't understand this decision at all. This match had some moments, but it just felt way too long. 

Match Rating: **3/4

If it weren't for Bayley and Sasha, this would easily be one of the worst WWE pay-per-views in history. Even with it, this still was a really bad show. The three non HIAC matches were barely TV match quality and the Reigns/Uso match was more stalling than action. You can mark this show down as one I probably will never watch again. 

Overall Rating: 36%

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