A – Excellent
B – Good
C – Mediocre
D – Avoid
Release Date: January 19th 2015
Available From: www.wwedvd.co.uk
Price:
DVD £12.99
Blu-ray £13.99
(Prices from www.wwedvd.co.uk: high street prices will vary)
Format Reviewed:
DVD
(Also Available on Blu-ray)
What It’s About:
WWE’s
2014 Hell in a Cell 2014 pay-per view event held on October 26th 2014 from the
American Airlines Centre in Dallas, Texas. Featuring two Hell in a Cell Matches
which see Dean Ambrose vs Seth Rollins and John Cena vs Randy Orton, as well as
Dolph Ziggler vs Cesaro for the WWE Intercontinental Championship in a 2 out of
3 falls Match and Brie Bella vs Nikki Bella with the loser becoming the others
personal assistant.
Strengths:
Dolph
Ziggler vs Cesaro is a show stealer fought under 2 out of 3 falls for the WWE
Intercontinental Championship. Full of relentless action which builds to a
tremendous crescendo, the first fall is a wonder to behold with reversals and
counters aplenty, the highlight being a tremendous pinfall exchange which will
have you on the edge of your seat. The second fall begins slower but is a slow
burner and ends in a great series which puts all those previous moves to good
use. It has a story and a great conclusion although losing the first two falls
in a row does nothing for Cesaro’s image which is now firmly in the toilet.
The
Usos vs Goldust and Stardust isn’t as a good as their Night of Champions effort
but like almost all the Usos bouts, it starts slow and gets better with time
livening up towards its conclusion. However, though this is very watchable, the
four don’t seem to be trying anymore and it plays out at a slower pace than any
of their previous outing. That doesn’t detract from the outing per say but it
is notable at the conclusion when the pace diminishes somewhat.
Nikki
Bella vs Brie Bella doesn’t begin with much hope but surprisingly it’s
efficient and somewhat entertaining once you get past the opening couple of
minutes in which nothing much happens. Brie looks completely out of her depth
when in control and it’s hard to watch her control the crowd without feeling
slightly uncomfortable, however both sisters do a very good job for their skill
set in putting on a match and telling a story though it lacks emotional depth
as neither are great actors. To their credit, The Bella Twins pull off some
great moves which keep this just about watchable.
John
Cena vs Randy Orton is largely mediocre in its execution but thankfully the
Hell in a Cell surrounding and the hardcore nature of the battle lend it a big
fight feel. As always John Cena’s selling is dire and Randy Orton seems as if
he’s had enough of his treatment at the hands of WWE. The stipulation of a WWE
World Heavyweight Championship bout for the victor makes this predictable as
only one man was ever likely to come out the winner and WWE would have found
much more interest in this bout had they billed it as the final ever fight
between Cena and Orton. After all, they make enough of the pair’s history and
WWE must be savvy enough to know that none of us want to see them battle again.
As for the bout itself, it’s well timed and similar to almost every other match
the pair have fought but that’s not say it isn’t interesting. Credit where
credit is due, both men try their hardest and it makes for good viewing.
A.J
Lee vs Paige is another notable bout but only for its beginning and end, the
middle tails off somewhat and loses the crowd. A.J begins with a flurry and
shows her agility whilst Paige connives and screams her way through a good
routine. She’s much better as a heel than she was as a face, though WWE need to
do something better with her than this tap out loss. Rest holds pas out the
middle of the bout and the story has been told to death thanks to WWE’s lack of
imagination, yet the ending is intriguing and well executed.
Dean
Ambrose vs Seth Rollins is a thrilling Hell in a Cell war which has the big
fight feel of a 2000 main event. Seth Rollins plays his part to perfection,
sending Jamie Noble and Joey Mercury up to the top of the cage for an amusing
segment with Ambrose, and it’s been years since I heard a crowd react like they
do when Ambrose and Rollins finally collide up top. The double fall from the
side of the cage through the announce tables is just sublime and after the time
out for medical attention the pair excel the pair take part in a superb
hardcore brawl until the lights go out, and Bray Wyatt’s voice booms over the
titan tron whispering a mystic message. The lantern in the middle of the ring
with the hologram in the middle is genuinely eerie and unexpected, whilst Bray
Wyatt attack on Ambrose saves the latter’s image by having to lose clean again
but doesn’t do Rollins much good. Nonetheless, it’s gripping.
Weaknesses:
The
Miz vs Sheamus is a disappointment. Both men are capable of so much more than
this that they should be ashamed with the offering on show. With Sheamus having
put such an effort in with Cesaro in months pervious to this and The Miz
pulling out decent showings against Dolph Ziggler, both should be more capable
than the dullness they display here. Damien Sandow tries to help out by selling
the moves which Miz receives and gets a laugh but this is largely a miss rather
than a hit.
Big
Show vs Rusev is predictably bad even though Rusev handles Show with ease and
Big Show even manages to pull off a nice looking submission hold. Sadly, that
is all there is. Both stumble through a well worn routine that neither
entertains or keeps one glued to the screen. It’s a shame, because it’s obvious
that WWE are setting Rusev up for John Cena but these recent pay-per bouts have
done him no favours. We hear the ‘boring’ chants from a tired audience whilst
Jerry Lawler couldn’t have telegraphed Rusev’s path better had he tried when
commenting that he doesn’t think there was a way out of the Accolade.
As
for the Extras:
‘Mizdow
TV with The Miz’ is a monotonous little piece which has no entertainment value
whatsoever. Damien Sandow looks completely moronic as he attempts to imitate
everything The Miz says but hasn’t read The Miz’s script because he rarely gets
it correct. The acting is so cringe worthy that you’ll squirm in your seat
watching this drivel which could have been axed for an actual match.
Mark
Henry vs Bo Dallas from the Hell in a Cell Kickoff show is tragically poor.
Instead of bigging up Bo Dallas as a true star, WWE job him to Mark Henry in
seconds of the opening bell and then allow Henry to completely wipe Dallas’
image by initiating a post-match attack. It’s pathetic to watch a star of the
future be treated like this and somewhat disgusting. WWE needed to book Dallas
to win on pay-per view to push him forward. Right now, there’s no hope for him
if the company don’t get behind him fast as the audience have.
‘Goldust
and Stardust Cannot be Divided’ is sickeningly bad as the Rhodes brothers
babble and snarl through another disjointed and lacklustre promo. Cody Rhodes
looks completely insane and in 2015, his Stardust moniker is even more
ridiculous than it was in 2014. It’s time for him to find another avenue to
walk before this taints his image.
‘The
Miz and Damien Sandow Vocal Training’ is so short that no one would miss it
should WWE have cut this for the good of both men. If the goal is to make these
two look dumb and clueless then this angle is working. It’s painful to watch
two talented wrestlers be treated like this and WWE should be ashamed.
DVD and Blu-ray Special
Features:
Hell in a Cell Kickoff
Mizdow
TV with The Miz
Hell in a Cell Kickoff
Match
Mark
Henry vs Bo Dallas
Home Video Exclusive
Goldust
and Stardust Cannot Be Divided
Home Video Exclusive
The
Miz and Damien Mizdow’s Vocal Training
Blu-ray Exclusive
Extras:
Raw – October 6th 2014
The
Rock Returns to Confront Rusev
Home Video Exclusive
Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania – October 10th 2014
Paul
Heyman Addresses the John Cena vs Dean Ambrose Rivalry
Smackdown – October
10th 2014
John
Cena and Dean Ambrose Face off on MizTV
Raw – October 13th 2014
John
Cena Gives Dean Ambrose ‘Veteran Advice’
No Holds Barred
Contract on a Pole Match
John
Cena vs Dean Ambrose
Raw – October 24th 2014
WWE Intercontinental
Championship Match
2 Out of 3 Falls Match
Dolph
Ziggler vs Cesaro
Randy
Orton Has Words for John Cena
Conclusion:
As
the first pay-per view event to be released on DVD and Blu-ray in 2015, Hell in
a Cell 2014 is a decent beginning and lays the foundations for the rest of the
year to come. Though the event doesn’t reach the heights promised in its build
up, there is ample quality to be had here in matches such as Dean Ambrose vs
Seth Rollins and Dolph Ziggler vs Cesaro which steals the show.
Of
course, as with every other WWE release, there is a downside and this comes in
the form of John Cena vs Randy Orton which is nothing special but watchable and
the disastrous extras on the DVD version of this release, none of which hold
any quality, ranging from dire to horrendous. None of which hold any quality or
interest. However, that is just a part of the course of things and it’s the
main release which makes the purchase worthwhile. Hell in a Cell 2014 isn’t an
essential purchase but is worthy of having in your collection.
Rating:
B
Next Time in Review
Corner: WWE Live in the UK: November 2014 DVD
Onwards
and upwards...
