Making the use of a limited card, just one match type of the pay per view name and a recycled format in which WWE were forced to pad out yet another ‘B’ level pay per view with unadvertised matches and swerve turns which we’ve seen countless times before, from the Philips Arena in Atlanta Georgia, this was WWE Hell in a Cell 2012.
WWE Championship Match
Hell in a Cell Match
C.M Punk (Champion) defeated Ryback
As the night drew to a close on Hell in a Cell 2012, your writer was left wondering weather the ending to the only Hell in a Cell Match at this year’s offering, was the only way WWE could have sensibly had Punk retain the WWE Championship against the ever improving Ryback. And the answer is...yes. Looking at the other options WWE had at their disposal, it was the only choice that made any sense.
Hark back to September 17th Raw and for those watching, you’ll remember some dubious officiating by WWE’s newest referee acquisition Brad Maddox. Refereeing that caught the eye of C.M Punk in the wrong way and earned old Brad the business end of Punk’s temper. So then I can’t be the only sane one among us who when Brad Maddox was assigned such an important match, smelt a really big rat.
To tell the truth, as soon as Maddox stepped into the ring to officiate this year’s Hell in a Cell main event the speculation as to how WWE would keep the strap on Punk whilst retaining Ryback’s monster image was over. If you know wrestling as well as your Wrestling God then there could only be one finish. And that finish came when Maddox, who was soon to be revealed as in cahoots with the reigning WWE Champion, delivering low blow to Ryback who was about execute Punk’s Championship reign with Shell Shocked and quickly counting the pin fall for a Punk victory.
This was the only way WWE could have convincingly ended this match, as the disqualification and count out rules were abolished. If Punk had have convincingly pinned Ryback then Ryback’s monster image would have been destroyed. Gone. All the work WWE put in would have been wasted in the space of thirty minutes. Had WWE booked a Ryback victory then it would have been akin to the Goldberg WCW Championship victory of days gone by and taken all the heat from the upcoming Punk vs Rock feud which at the moment, WWE value more than any future WWE Superstar. By duping and screwing Ryback and having the artist formerly known as Skip Sheffield destroying both Champion and referee after the bell – WWE preserved the Punk vs Rock feud and also added another element of intrigue to an ongoing Ryback vs C.M Punk feud.
Oh yes. WWE, at this present moment plan for C.M Punk and Ryback to tangle again at Survivor Series with the possibility of John Cena being added to the match to take the pressure from Ryback and end both feuds – Punk vs Cena and Punk vs Ryback – in one foul swoop. Of course this being WWE that could all change and Punk and Ryback could tangle again until TLC in December. The problem with that plan is that Punk would have to go over Ryback two more times which would put Ryback’s future main eventer image to bed completely. The other way WWE could skirt around the issue of Ryback’s dominancy is have Punk pin Cena at Survivor Series and possibly TLC.
Judging by the Hell in a Cell match, I would be up for seeing Ryback in a few more main events. I know what I said before, ok, but at Hell in a Cell, whilst he wasn’t world rocking, Ryback proved that he can hang with the big guys. There were a few moments in which the former NXT rookie looked tired and moments when I thought Punk could have just ended him with one swift kick to the head. On the whole though, with a few more months treading water, working longer matches on Raw and upping his stamina in the ring, Ryback could easily go another thirty minutes with ‘the Best in the World’.
The highlight of the match though and the night come to think of it, was when Ryback and Punk made their way to the top of the Cell, a stunt looked down on by WWE, because let’s be honest, accidents can and usually will happen. After the bell had ended, Ryback delivered what looked to be a quite impressive Shell Socked to the WWE Champion. Again, a smart move by WWE. Not only did this signal a rematch for Ryback but also preserved his image as a broken Punk lay atop of the structure as a severely pissed off Ryback made his way to the locker room.
WWE now though need to begin looking to the future with Ryback. November and possibly December are sorted with the feud against Punk set to run. After that WWE must ask themselves, what then? Ryback will not take the WWE Championship in 2012 – that’s certain. So WWE are now going to have to think of something brilliant to do with him to make up for three pay per view losses in a row – which will be the number count come TLC. Could a switch to Smackdown and a feud with new World Heavyweight Champion Big Show be in the offing for 2013? Certainly a few victories over the most useless wrestler next to John Cena would do wonders for Ryback, as would capturing the Intercontinental Championship and having a run in a division down from the one he currently plies his trade. Whatever WWE decide to with Ryback they must seal the cracks quickly, otherwise by the time the Punk feud is done with no one is going to be able to buy into the indestructible monster feud anymore, because let’s face it, what monster who has gone undefeated for months gets felled by a weak low blow?
As much praise as Ryback will get for Hell in a Cell, we mustn’t forget the real star of the match. The reigning WWE Champion. Without Punk, Ryback would have looked awful. Can you imagine if WWE had given Ryback to Cena? With his no sell and dead sell and superman comebacks Cena would have made Ryback look fake. Breaking out of holds with ease and no selling Ryback’s destructive moves would have surely been the end of WWE’s future hope.
Inside the confines of the Hell in a Cell structure, C.M Punk was reminiscent of a young Shawn Michaels in the way he sold the moves Ryback hit him with. C.M Punk will surely get a standing ovation when he finally does drop the WWE Championship – and if he doesn’t then it just goes to prove that the WWE Universe are a bunch of ignorant, uneducated morons who wouldn’t know great wrestling if it slammed them into the mat and screamed ‘Tap Bitch’ into their faces – at Hell in a Cell though, C.M Punk went above and beyond to make Ryback look as fearsome as he could and deserved a round of applause which sadly never came.
We already know the future for C.M Punk. He’ll participate in what should be a red hot feud with the Rock in January and face either ‘The Great One’ or The Undertaker at Wrestlemania 29. Either match will easily be Punk’s biggest ever match on WWE’s stage. Should Punk go over the Rock at Royal Rumble then its almost guaranteed that should the two clash again at Wrestlemania then it will be the Rock who will dethrone Punk and his mammoth WWE Championship reign. Should Punk clash with the Undertaker then I’d expect Punk to end the Wrestlemania streak of the Deadman. If the man born Philip Brooks is given the honour of ending the Undertaker’s ‘streak’, then C.M Punk can truly say that not only is he ‘the best in the world’ but he’ll have accomplished everything there is to accomplish in WWE.
World Heavyweight Championship Match
Big Show defeated Sheamus (Champion)
Senseless. That’s about the only word I can use to sum up this match. I wasn’t expecting anything earth shattering and it’s a good job because we got nothing of the sort. I sort of expected Big Show to lumber about before Sheamus worked over the usual body parts. Though the first question mark that fell over this match for me was when Big Show entered the ring doing his best impression – which was really bad – of Rocky Balboa. Watching him do the silent motivation in the corner with his back to the ring was absurd. I wanted to reach through the television and smack his big, bald, sweaty head.
It’s a given that Sheamus’ World Heavyweight Championship run was getting a tiny bit tedious and that WWE Creative had run out of ideas for the ‘Great White’. This was evident by the fact that Sheamus had been given Alberto Del Rio on consecutive pay per views this year. The outcome of this match told me and everyone watching everything they needed to know about WWE’s efforts in trying to revive the Sheamus character. They just couldn’t be bothered.
I can envisage Vince, Triple H, Stephanie and everyone else in WWE headquarters who likes to think they know more than the rest of us, racking their brains on the easiest way to rebrand Sheamus. It’s obvious that lunch time was creeping up on them and someone looked at the clock and said “Why don’t we just have Big Show beat him!’ and everyone went “Fantastic, let’s go get sandwiches!” Sadly this seems to be how WWE make up their minds about most booking decisions in WWE lately. Either that or they toss a coin.
Big Show wouldn’t even be on my list of candidates of future World Heavyweight Champions. In fact he’d be so far off of it he’d be at the end of an eraser. I usually like to pick something good out from a match when there is something but this time around I just can’t. The whole thing was terrible from start to finish. And to make it worse by booking Big Show to beat Sheamus so soon after Sheamus’ seemingly effortless victories over Alberto Del Rio put out the message that Sheamus can only beat men of his size and is useless when it comes to men like Big Show.
The worst thing is that Sheamus now has a rematch. Which means we have to sit through this crap again. However I doubt even WWE are dumb enough to keep the gold around Show’s ample waist. I would expect Sheamus to regain the World Heavyweight Championship from Show at Survivor Series or, god help us, TLC. Triple H’s golden boy won’t stay down for long and certainly not to a man who WWE regard as expendable. There is a train of thought that says Big Show defeated Sheamus at Hell in a Cell so the Championship reign and WWE’s ideas for the Irish born Champion didn’t stagnate. There’s also a conflicting train of thought that says if WWE had bothered to think of anything fresh for Sheamus, then they wouldn’t have had that problem to begin with.
At the end of the day though WWE will do what WWE likes. Regardless of what we think or even want to say. I can’t pick one head out of a crowd who would want to see Big Show as World Heavyweight Champion now or ever. Maybe WWE have had another investor who really likes the Big Show and they don’t want to upset him. Or maybe, right now, WWE are sitting biting their nails, knowing this is the very best they have for Smackdown and for the Championship Title that once meant so much.
WWE Intercontinental Championship Match
Kofi Kingston (Champion) defeated The Miz
In the process of trying to rebuild the Miz, WWE seem to have come to the conclusion that embarrassing him on pay per view, which goes out live to the entire world and making him look an absolute tool is the way forward. The news coming out of WWE’s Titan Towers before Hell in a Cell was Miz lost the Intercontinental Championship so WWE could rebuild him and eventually make him a main event player again.
That is a plausible reason for stripping Miz of the Championship he was doing so well with. It’s also plausible that they wanted to put it on Kofi to hammer home the fact that Kingston is now back in the singles standings in WWE. What isn’t plausible however is to have a Champion who you want people to take seriously defeat a challenger who you want to rebuild back into the main event the way Kingston defeated the Miz. WWE are selling the Miz’s loss to us using the excuse that Miz took his eye off the ball and Kingston too advantage. What that does, in case people aren’t quite on the ball here, is make Miz look like a haphazard fool who has other things on his mind and not the job at hand. Just think!!!
There were many ways WWE could have had Kingston defeat Miz whilst protecting both men in the ring. The first way and the best way is to have the two fight a clean and enthralling match in which the winner defeats the loser via pinfall. After people have seen a hard fought match then they will accept the loser crashing via pinfall without his reputation and image tarnished. The second way is to ease both of them into different feuds at the same time. If this is done correctly then someone could have cost Miz the match whilst Kingston was distracted with his new muse – therefore Kingston would have had no idea what happened and wouldn’t have looked like he was willingly picking up the scraps like a desperate champion who couldn’t win on his own. To see how well and seamlessly WWE can ease people into new feuds, when they sit down and think about it, go back and look at the final moments of the Jeff Hardy vs C.M Punk Ladder Match at SummerSlam 2009.
Now though, providing WWE keep to their word, I’m willing to put this behind us and look to the future. Kofi Kingston has a bright future as the man atop the Intercontinental Championship ladder. The skill, the fans base, the charisma are all there. WWE just needs to find a way to put it all to good use before the Intercontinental Championship goes off of the boil again. Should WWE pit Kingston into a feud with their latest flavour of the month, WWE United States Champion Antonio Cesaro then both men and both Championships could be elevated by the association. There’s no doubt both Kingston and Cesaro are great talents and both are future main event wrestlers. Look how well Triple H and The Rock did in the main event after they’d feuded over the Intercontinental Championship on the mid card.
Kingston’s other options are Randy Orton. A wise and safe option for a man that was on the brink of stardom before when Orton was heading up Legacy. If WWE had have had the balls to pull the trigger and allow Kingston to go over Orton in their feud ending match then Kingston would be in the main event now. Back then though, both Orton and WWE were much more selfish than they are now – on the WWE front, it’s quite hard to believe isn’t it? An Orton vs Kingston feud where Kingston prevails this time around would be the making of the Ghana Champion.
For Miz, I hope WWE have picked someone really special for his ascension back to the top. The wrong person and Miz is heading in the opposite direction once again. I still can’t understand a company that would bury the star of their latest film – even temporarily – when they know how much they’re losing on this ridiculous movie enterprise. It’s almost as if WWE want to keep flushing their money down their crapper just so they don’t have to close the department and admit they were wrong.
Like Kofi Kingston, the Miz would be best suited with someone like Randy Orton. Looking down the roster ‘the Viper’ seems the only logical choice right about now. Certainly WWE can’t split Orton between Kingston and Miz so they’re going to have decide which of the two is most important. And I’m sorry people but that answer will always be the Miz. If WWE can get the feud right then they can pit Orton against both men. This would take Orton out of the World and WWE Championship picture for a while longer so again WWE are going to decide weather they want Orton back on top or if they want the Miz’s long term future built. Either way, the answers are there if eyes are open.
Hell in a Cell 2012 wasn’t a triumph for either Kofi Kingston or the Miz. The saddest fact is that it should have been. Kofi Kingston should have left Hell in a Cell the undisputed choice for Intercontinental Champion and the Miz should have left as WWE’s clear stand out future star. Neither managed any of that this time around and most of the blame has to lie with WWE and the handling of their stars.
Randy Orton defeated Alberto Del Rio
Alberto Del Rio has to be given credit. I mean come on. To lose all those high level pay per view matches in a row and still come out smiling. I’m in no doubt that inside Del Rio is crying and mourning what was once a fine and prosperous career. But then he really should have taken heed from the other foreign stars that have crashed onto WWE’s shores. I get the feeling that it’s best to come into WWE with fairly low standards and anything that happens beyond them can be considered a bonus.
The Mexican christened Alberto Rodriguez should have done that very thing. To come into a company that has wasted so much great talent and so many obvious opportunities would have rang the warning bells for anyone else. Yet it didn’t seem to do so for Del Rio. Once a star in Mexico, wrestling under a mask, Del Rio has fallen so far from the throne that it’s hard to imagine in October 2012, that he’ll ever be able to reclaim his seat.
The history of wrestlers coming in from other organisations and doing well in WWE is sparse. Everyone who’s anyone knows that Vince opposes wrestlers from the Indy circuit and especially wrestlers from other promotions and enjoys hiring them just to make an example out of them, no matter how much talent they may have. Essentially it’s cutting your nose off to spite your face. You don’t want the opposition to have the talent but you’re not willing to do anything with it either, so you purchase it and either shelve it or destroy it so no one else will touch it.
When he was told that a high profile spot against Randy Orton was looming, Del Rio must have felt the whole world lift from his shoulders. After the disastrous feud with Sheamus which made Del Rio look like a real jobber, he had all the right in the world to see this opportunity as a reprieve. A fresh start. Unfortunately WWE had other ideas. Once again Alberto Del Rio is being used as cannon fodder to allow WWE to push Randy Orton back to where he belongs. Coming so soon after being used as a stepping stone to get Sheamus over, Del Rio must be asking himself what he’s done wrong.
There must have been other alternatives available to WWE in rebuilding Orton. WWE could have given Orton the Big Show and made the biggest waste of space in WWE look at the lights to the advantage of ‘the Viper’. Failing that WWE could have found Randy Orton someone else who means something to defeat or continued the Dolph Ziggler feud, with Ziggler coming out on top, which would have been better than burying Del Rio yet again. There’s a fine art in putting someone over whilst not harming their image and elevating them. It’s not something every wrestler can do, yet it’s something those in power should be able to. Randy Orton and C.M Punk can do it. Triple H and the Undertaker can do it. The Rock, Stone Cold Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels could do it. John Cena is abysmal at it – it’s has a reverse effect with him. WWE should have allowed Randy Orton to make something of Dolph Ziggler.
There’s no doubt for anyone who watched Hell in a Cell that the match was good. WE expected it to be. Yet there was an air of unimportance to it. Like it was there to give Orton a reason to work and Del Rio yet another reason get frustrated – and tick off reasons on what must be a huge list – of why he should have stayed in Mexico. A match should have meaning to it. It should serve a purpose for both men. Yet this one didn’t.
Alberto Del Rio’s future looks bleak in WWE. It’s unfortunate and ironic that the man who was a beloved star in his own country chose to come to the biggest stage in the world to become immortal, and failed. Maybe if he’d have tried his luck in TNA there might have been better results for both Del Rio and TNA. Right about now I’d usually plot out an outline for Del Rio’s immediate future in WWE. As hard as I’ve tried, I just can see one that’s going to do anyone any good.
Randy Orton’s slow but steady climb back to the top of the mountain, at some point, will check in with either the Miz or Kofi Kingston as stated above. When the Viper Train does finally reach that station, let’s hope both parties put aside the selfish nature that befell them at Night of Champions and look to build the future that those who came before built for Orton.
WWE Tag Team Championship Match
Team Rhodes Scholars defeated Team Hell No (Champions) via Disqualification
The comedy duo that hasn’t yet tired hit a stumbling block at Hell in a Cell when the combination of Team Rhodes Scholars came to town. There was never any doubt that Cody Rhodes and Damien Sandow were going to leave as WWE Tag Team Champions but it is slightly worrying that WWE have begun to allow the cracks in the team to show so much when Team Hell No are still taking their baby steps and have so much more to offer.
Usually Bryan and Kane ‘Hug It Out’ and out their differences aside. At Hell in a Cell there was an air of tension that felt like the whole team could implode right there and then. This would be a disaster for WWE. Having only just found the key to the kingdom with Kane and Daniel Bryan and finding something Kane is actually good at – yes it took a while – breaking up the pair would just send the whole Tag Team Division crashing down into one smouldering heap.
At the moment WWE don’t have any other tag teams that could take the place of Team Hell No. No other team have the chemistry or the mileage that Kane and Bryan do. And for that reason alone, WWE should keep the pair together as long as is humanly possible.
It was a breath of fresh air to see Damien Sandow back on pay per view. Usually we’re given the same old wrestlers and the same old matches. Damien Sandow is a wrestler who can brighten up the night by just walking down the aisle. The guy has all the talent and all the skill to make it in WWE, if he could just get the backing of WWE staff. At the moment, in the minds of WWE creative, Sandow is a talentless curtain jerker who won’t amount to anything in WWE. Curiously they also believe that John Cena is one of the best they have. Maybe they should step out of that looking glass, Alice.
Cody Rhodes and Damien Sandow, awful team name apart could go a longer way together than they will apart. I know that sounds harsh on both men but if you take a look at their singles pushes recently then you’ll agree with me, I’m sure. Cody Rhodes’ year has been a real pig. Losing the Intercontinental Championship to Big Show and Christian within a few months of each other all but killed of Rhodes’ momentum that he’d worked so hard to gain. Damien Sandow, since his drilling at the hands of DX at Raw’s 1,000 Episode has had to be content with low level matches on Smackdown and Superstars. Note to the WWE Universe: if a wrestler is being ground out on Superstars week in and week out then you can bet they’re right at the very top of WWE’s future endeavour list.
I’d just like to note though that WWE’s future endeavour list now consists of wrestlers who could have made a difference to both the business and WWE’s product. For example, somewhere in the top five on said list is Tensai. WWE see him as a complete failure in WWE since his return / debut in April. A wrestler can’t be a success when he’s given second class talent to work with and isn’t supported by the WWE creative. It’s not like Tensai can walk into a pay per view and say “I’m headlining tonight and I think I’ll be the new WWE Champion.” The only reason Tensai and others in his boat have been deemed a flop is because WWE have done nothing with them. The blame for those wrestlers being considered ‘flops’ lies solely with WWE and Vince McMahon.
If you read the Hell in a Cell 2012 preview then you’ll recall I promised you the story of Katy Vick. Well, I’m a man of my word and I give the people what they want. So here it goes.
In 2002, Kane and Triple H fought over the World Heavyweight Championship and the Intercontinental Championship. The feud was the pits for the most part until WWE made it personal. Spinning the storyline that Kane had a girlfriend named Katy Vick who he supposedly killed in a car crash. WWE had Triple H play on this to create one of the sickest yet, at least in my opinion, amusing angels of the decade. Donning a Kane mask, Triple walked into a mock up funeral home, lifted the lid on a casket and proceeded to pretend to make love to a cadaver – which in reality was a blow up doll – whilst calling it Katy. Yes, it was criticised by every critic with no sense of humour, but it was also one the edge, which WWE doesn’t do nearly enough of now. Despite the fact that in reality, there was no Katy Vick and in storyline terms she’d have been dead for at least ten years and therefore been a bag of bones, WWE didn’t let that stop them presenting a life size fake corpse for Triple H to make love to. If you want to see it then I’m sure by typing ‘Triple H Katy Vick’ in you tube, you’ll find it somewhere.
That WWE booked a set of Championships that are still being rebuilt to be defended in a match, on pay per view, that they knew was always going to end via disqualification was a disservice to both the paying public and the WWE Tag Team Championships. No Championship Match should end in anything but a pinfall of submission. Saying that, I can see WWE’s reasoning for the finish. Sort of.
If Kane and Bryan had have pinned Rhodes and Sandow or made them quit then, Team Rhodes Scholars’ claim to the number one contender ship would have been dead in the water. You can’t claim to be the number one contenders if you lose the match by pinfall or submission. The other fact is that by not losing in any shape or form it didn’t de-evaluate Rhodes or Sandow, meaning that they can challenge for the WWE Tag Team Championships again somewhere down the line.
The future for both teams is simple, really. Team Hell No and Team Rhodes Scholars will clash again, most probably at Survivor Series and TLC where they’ll hopefully be joined by Rey Mysterio and Sin Cara. Neither the teams of Mysterio and Cara or Team Rhodes Scholars will walk away with the WWE Tag Team Championship in 2012, but with the talent on show here, it’s going to be awesome to watch them try.
Rey Mysterio and Sin Cara defeated The Prime Time Players
And so begins the ballard of pointless matches that weren’t important enough to advertise before the pay per view went on air but were designated ‘needed’ to pad out the show when WWE realised they didn’t have enough content to fill the three hours.
The sole reason this match existed was to build the tension between Rey Mysterio and Sin Cara, ready for the inevitable feud in 2013. The Prime Time Players then, were perfect follies for this. The Prime Time Players, Titus O’Neil and Darren Young, have no future in WWE no matter how many matching pair of trunks they wear. The harsh truth is that neither man is good enough and if they weren’t in a tag team they’d be no reason for either of them to be on WWE’s books.
WWE couldn’t even be bothered to attach a last minute, Number One Contenders stipulation to the match to make it a little more interesting. Which for the most part it wasn’t. Mysterio and to a lesser extent Sin Cara tried their hardest to make the match look like a must see. They flew, they twirled, they dived but in the end the result was never in doubt so it was hard to take this seriously.
Considering that Rey Mysterio and Sin Cara will clash in 2013 when one turns on the other, WWE are doing a decent job in trying to build up the feud. Unfortunately it’s not quite getting there. There’s nothing for Sin Cara or Rey Mysterio to get jealous over. Mysterio doesn’t have something Sin Cara wants and Sin Cara certainly poses no threat to Mysterio. What WWE are building this feud on is beginning to bemuse me.
They could make so many things out of this. The obvious is going to be the masks yet again. Whatever WWE decide to build a feud on it’s going to end in a mask vs mask match which Sin Cara will lose. I, like many of you, would love to see Mysterio turn heel. If WWE aren’t going to give us a Cena heel turn then at least give us a heel Mysterio. Fans boo him now, there’s no reason to keep him as a face apart from the massive revenue he brings in with his merchandise. A heel Mysterio could do big business for WWE if they’d only take one of those famed chances.
What can I say that you don’t already know about the Prime Time Players? It’s valiant that the pair continue, knowing in their heart of hearts that they have no chance of ever making it in either singles or tag competition and I suppose they tried their best whilst the spotlight was upon them for a short time. And that’s the very best I can think to say about them. I can’t make a house out of jelly if you know what I mean.
Rey Mysterio and Sin Cara might be better served thinking up their own storyline and pitching it WWE officials if their feud is ever going to get off of the ground. Their tag team is getting lazy in certain areas and if a keen eye isn’t kept on the pair then we’re going to grow weary of the pair before their feud kicks in. The build has to begin now. If it’s Sin Cara that’s going to turn then start making Mysterio someone that Cara wants to be. A few backstage skits with Mysterio signing pictures for fans – who would be actors – and then the actors reject Sin Cara’s offer of a autograph would set it up nicely. As would Mysterio constantly getting the pinfall in their tag matches.
This needs careful planning if WWE want to string it out for as along as they have planned. It also needs some appeal on Sin Cara’s part. Right now, all the appeal Sin Cara had has been blown along with those moves.
WWE United States Championship Match
Antonio Cesaro (Champion) defeated Justin Gabriel
Match number two in the ‘Unadvertised’ portion of Hell in a Cell was a head scratcher. Not the outcome which again was never in doubt, but the fact that this match, for a Championship that badly needs attention was just slung on as an afterthought. It becomes even more puzzling when you realise that Antonio Cesaro is a favourite with WWE officials and with Vince McMahon.
McMahon sees Cesaro as a future main event wrestler, which he is. So wouldn’t it be more fruitful for both if WWE had advertised this match before the show went on and given Cesaro a better opponent? No offence to Justin Gabriel but all the credit he held with the fans has been used up on NXT and Superstars. Justin Gabriel isn’t anyone in WWE anymore except from a very handy punch bag when WWE needs one.
WWE would have been better served if they’d have had Cesaro defend the WWE United States Championship in an open challenge and Tensai or R-Truth had have answered the challenge. At least when Cesaro won the match he’d have either beaten a man who was huge in Japan before he came back to WWE or the former WWE Tag Team Champion. Defeating Justin Gabriel on pay per view is like Manchester United who are a premier league football club and one of the best in the world, choosing Hereford United – who are in the lowest football league in England – as opponents for a friendly game. The result means nothing in the end if the person you beat doesn’t hold any weight with the audience watching.
If WWE are adamant that Antonio Cesaro is the next rising star, and this time I have to applaud their choice, then they’re going to have up their game big time. Defeating jobbers and curtain jerker’s isn’t going to make Cesaro’s star rise. It’s something WWE need to realise and put a stop to before this format puts a shuddering halt to not only Cesaro’s career but many more to come.
WWE Divas Championship Match
Triple Threat Match
Eve (Champion) defeated Layla and Kaitlyn
Do you sort of yawn when the bell rings and the announcer informs us that the WWE Divas Championship Match is up next? Yeah, me too. It’s like kryptonite on Superman. There’s something about the stale and useless division that just drains me before the match even begins. I’m convinced that before every Divas Match the WWE creative team are huddled around the Gorilla Position with their fingers crossed, hoping for some miracle that is never going to come. Like they’re hoping this time the crowd will explode like the Rock has just entered the arena.
Disheartening, is the best phrase I can use. All around. For us watching, for the people who have paid their money sit in the arena and constantly have it shoved down our throat and for the women who whilst in vein, try their best to make something positive out of a bad situation.
If this had been a wrestler or any other project, except WWE Films, and it had gotten this kind of response – which is silence for the most part – for so long, WWE would have either looked at repairing what is wrong or canned the entire thing altogether with the view of bringing back at a later date with a new look. Yet we’re years down the line and WWE have sat back and done nothing. And now have the cheek to wonder why we just don’t care.
The only thing of very small note to come out of the Divas Triple Threat Match at Hell in a Cell 2012 was that the tension between Layla and Kaitlyn came to a head when Layla effectively turned on her friend and kicked her in the head. That’s the only thing of note that came out from this match and to be honest, if WWE aren’t going to get off their arses and do anything about it, I don’t see why I should wrack my brains offering them ways out of the slump they’ve booked themselves into.
Pre Show
John Cena Answers The People’s Questions
Who can guess what I’m going to say now? Anyone? Yes, you in the back there. The one probably looking at porn right now!
It was a decent idea to allow the WWE Universe to ask questions to possibly the most hated man in the company at this point. At least it would have been if the questions hadn’t have been written by WWE and asked by people who were paid by WWE. Let’s be honest, a real fan wouldn’t have asked Cena about his dubious relationship with A.J. That’s a WWE question to move the storyline along. A real wrestling fan would have asked why Cena didn’t bother to learn how to wrestle properly. His thoughts on turning heel and why he’s such a prick!
Those are the questions we want answered. But of course WWE would never take the risk of us asking him those questions and like everything else had to have control at all times. Maybe John Cena would have earned some respect if he’d answered real questions by real fans. If he’d have shown a modicum of guts and WWE had have taken a chance that its WWE Universe that apparently values so deeply wouldn’t have swore on live pay per view but moulded the questions to suit the audience. Of course WWE couldn’t have us asking Cena questions about the workings of the business because that would have broken kayfabe and WWE doesn’t like us to think for ourselves. It prefers to tell us what we want to see.
However it wasn’t the phoney questions and Cena’s cartoon faces that was the biggest travesty of this pointless section. It was the treatment of Dolph Ziggler. Breaking up the monotony of the pre-show segment Vicki Guerrero – who is one shriek away from a stroke – and Dolph Ziggler made their way to the ring only to be treated like local athletes in a Ryback match. Cena made Ziggler look like a moron and certainly not someone who proclaims he’s the next World Heavyweight Champion. Though interestingly enough, the arm Cena had operated on, the cause of him being unavailable for the Hell in a Cell Match on the main card, Cena used with ease to dispatch Ziggler from the ring. Like there was nothing wrong with it at all.
This was WWE’s chance to give Dolph Ziggler an almighty kick into the stratosphere. Had Ziggler marched to the ring, put Cena down with some clever lines and then WWE had Cena try to attack Ziggler only for Ziggler to telegraph the attack and beat Cena down, then it would have made Dolph look a million dollars. There’d have been no need for a match between the two because that would have been Dolph’s funeral. Just a heavy and convincing beat down of WWE’s number one star would have done more for Dolph than a spate of losses to nobodies ever could.
Yet again WWE just can’t allow the golden boy to look weak. Not even when it might have been to the benefit of their long term product.
Unbelievably WWE were annoyed with us, the fans, at the way we treated the main event. Apparently the WWE Universe in the arena didn’t make as much noise as expected for the Hell in a Cell Main Event and WWE believe that had the match taken place on free television then it would have elicited a much better reaction. If a match isn’t getting the crowd noise WWE wants for it then the blame lies with only one set of people and it’s not us. I’m afraid that’s what you get when you throw a match together with a competitor who has only beaten low level talent.
On October 28th 2012, Satan’s structure may have created a new star in WWE and solidified a Championship reign that will go down in history. Ultimately though the devil’s playground failed to live up to the promise. As for the devil himself – well maybe he should start to take some chances before the minions that make his playground so abundant begin to see that playing with fire will get your burnt.
Onwards and upwards...
