WWE Hell in a Cell
#HIAC
Original Air Date: October 6, 2019
Event Date: October 6, 2019
aired live on the WWE Network
City: Sacramento, CA
Venue: Golden 1 Center
Commentary: Vic Joseph (1, 5, 8), Dio Maddin (1, 5, 8), Jerry Lawler (1, 5, 8), Michael Cole (2 – 4, 6, 7), Corey Graves (2 – 4, 6, 7)
Spanish Commentary (ringside): Carlos Cabrera, Marcelo Rodriguez
German Commentary (ringside): Calvin Knie, Carsten Schaefer, Tim Haber
Portuguese Commentary: Marco Alfaro, Roberto Figueroa
Russian Commentary: Moti Margolin, Zhan Pomerantsev
Mandarin Commentary: Meng Ai, Sean Deng
Hindi Commentary: Obaid Kadwani, Shez Sardar
French Commentary: Ray Rougeau, Jean Brassard
Japanese Commentary: Shun Yamaguchi, Funaki
Ring Announcer: Mike Rome (1, 5, 8), Greg Hamilton (2 – 4, 6, 7)
Brand: Co-Branded
Theme Song: “Here We Go” by Chris Classic
<< Read the Recap & Review for the Hell in a Cell Kickoff show. <<
Intro Video
Tonight, Hell returns.
Match 1
RAW Women’s Title Hell in a Cell Match
Sasha Banks vs Becky Lynch (RAW Women’s Champ)
(referee: Shawn Bennett; outside referee: John Cone)
Result: Becky Lynch wins via submission with Disarm Her
Time: 21:23
Match Thoughts
Great match! Banks started the fight before the bell (and before the cage was completely lowered), and the fight only got more brutal from there. There were a few moments where the competitors took a little time to set up some furniture, but for the most part they both stayed on target and beat the crap out of each other. There were a few scary moments by design, and there were countless memorably brutal spots and segments. This was a great match for both women, despite the fact that one of them had to lose. They set this this show up with a hard act to follow.
Match 2
Tornado Tag Team Match
Roman Reigns & Daniel Bryan vs Luke Harper & Erick Rowan
(referee: Ryan Tran)
Result: Roman Reigns pins Luke Harper after a spear
Time: 16:46
Match Thoughts
Great match. This match needed to do a lot to look good after the opening match of the night, and I think it succeeded. Harper and Rowan dominated large parts of the match, but Bryan and Reigns made a surprisingly good team when it mattered the most. There was a lot of destruction and rampaging from Harper and Rowan, and that was fun. The match was good, but the final few minutes made it great. This was a ton of fun.
Ring Area
After the match, Daniel Bryan holds out his hand for a handshake. When Reigns walks over, Bryan takes his hand away. Bryan would rather have a hug. Reigns isn’t so sure, but the crowd convinces Reigns to embrace Daniel Bryan.
Backstage
Charly Caruso welcomes Seth Rollins. Rollins still isn’t sure how to prepare for The Fiend, but later on tonight, he’ll have no choice but to fight and to burn it down. At least, he hopes so.
Match 3
Randy Orton vs Ali
(referee: Jason Ayers)
Result: Randy Orton wins via pinfall after the RKO
Time: 12:12
Match Thoughts
Good match. Ali looked great tonight. At times Orton seemed to be taking the match less than seriously, but that worked well for his character. Ali had a fantastic defense for the RKO late in the match, but Orton showed his experience by staying calm and only being thrown off for a short time. Hopefully Ali can use his performance tonight as the start of some momentum.
Ring Area
Michael Cole and Corey Graves announce that Natalya and Lacey Evans will face each other yet again on RAW tomorrow, this time in a Last Woman Standing match.
Match 4
Women’s Tag Team Title Match
Nikki Cross & Alexa Bliss (Women’s Tag Champs) vs The Kabuki Warriors
(referee: Danilo Anfibio)
Result: Asuka pins Nikki Cross after the green mist and a kick to the head
Time: 10:26
Match Thoughts
Great match. Asuka and Kairi Sane were more aggressive than we’ve seen them as a team, and Alexa and Nikki were not ready for them. This was kind of a return to form for Asuka. Being mean and aggressive while smiling the entire time looked great on her. It was a little odd to see Kairi take some cheap shots and do some mocking of her opponents, but she was strong and paired well with Asuka. Kairi did have what is possibly going to be my favorite moment of the night when she stomped across the ring to the corner where Nikki was and poked her in the eye. I clapped for that.
Nikki and Alexa each did well to try to build some offense, but they just couldn’t figure out Asuka and Kairi. Asuka was completely dominant every time she was in the ring, and she seemed to be in control of everyone. This was a very fun match. Even though it came out of nowhere (I think they announced the match online like a day prior to the show), I’m happy that it happened. Now maybe we can develop the story with Alexa and Nikki as they continue to battle Kairi and Asuka.
Video
Clips of SmackDown from Friday Night.
Match 5
Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson & AJ Styles (US Champ) vs The Viking Raiders & Braun Strowman
(referee: John Cone)
Result: The Viking Raiders and Braun Strowman win via DQ when Gallows and Anderson team up on Strowman
Time: 8:13
Match Thoughts
This was okay. I think everyone did as well as they could with what they were given, but the way the match ended (including the post-match brawl) made it seem like the whole thing was just a promo for RAW. The finish was weird and absolutely hurt the overall match.
Ring Area
Both teams continue to brawl after the match. The Viking Raiders send Gallows and Anderson out to the floor where the Raiders dive onto them. In the ring, Styles wants to beat up Strowman, but Styles gets punched in the face. Strowman then smiles as he clenches his fist. So, all of this, the match and post-match brawl, were all about Strowman punching someone as buildup to the upcoming confrontation between Strowman and Tyson Fury on RAW tomorrow.
Styles was the best part of this segment. After Strowman leaves, Anderson and Gallows help Styles get to his feet. Styles is on wobbly legs, and he has to be told what happened. Styles repeatedly says he’s fine as he staggers out of the ring and sells Strowman’s punch like he’d been knocked out by Tyson (Mike, not Fury).
Backstage
Montez Ford has been enjoying Hell in a Cell. Angelo Dawkins is more concerned with the upcoming draft and the draft showcase on RAW tomorrow.
As Dawkins laughs when Ford says he must be in Dawkins’ top five draft picks, R-Truth and Carmella come blundering into the shot. Carmella falls down, and Tamina pins her. Tamina is the new 24/7 Champion. Tamina runs, but she’s quickly stopped by Tyler Breeze. Breeze smiles at Tamina, so Tamina punches him in the face. Tamina escapes with the title.
Carmella and R-Truth wonder what happened to each other. They ask the Street Profits where Tamina went, but Ford and Dawkins point in different directions. R-Truth and Carmella run off in opposite directions from each other while the Street Profits dance.
Video
Clips of the feud between King Corbin and Chad Gable.
Match 6
King Corbin vs Chad Gable
(referee: Eddie Orengo)
Result: Chad Gable wins via pinfall with a schoolboy
Time: 12:41
Match Thoughts
Good match. I think their King of the Ring match was still better than this, their third one on one match in a matter of weeks. Even though the results gradually got better and better for Gable, they still couldn’t just let Gable beat Corbin. There had to be shenanigans and excuses for the finish. All of that baggage made me enjoy this match less than I probably should have, because the action in the ring was mostly good. I also really like that Gable is getting enough screen time to warrant a PPV match. I’m just frustrated with all the qualifiers they have to add to it to protect Corbin.
Video
The WWE draft starts this coming Friday on SmackDown and continues the following Monday on RAW.
Ring Area
Charlotte Flair and Bayley each head to the ring for the SmackDown Women’s Title Match. Cole introduces the line of international commentators, and when he’s done, we see Tamina wandering around in the crowd with her newly won 24/7 Title.
R-Truth chases Tamina behind the international commentators where Tamina grabs Funaki and uses him as a shield. R-Truth motions like he’s going attack Tamina, but Funaki takes a martial arts pose. R-Truth says he doesn’t want to fight Funaki, so Tamina shoves Funaki into R-Truth. With Tamina distracted, Carmella appears and kicks her. Carmella motions for R-Truth to pin Tamina, and he does. R-Truth is the new 24/7 Champ. Carmella hops onto R-Truth’s back, and the two escape with the title.
Match 7
SmackDown Women’s Title Match
Charlotte Flair vs Bayley (SD Women’s Champ)
(referee: Dan Engler)
Result: Charlotte Flair wins via submission with the Figure Eight
Time: 10:13
Match Thoughts
Good match. Bayley seemed outmatched, though a lot of that had to do with how she kept her title at Clash of Champions and how she continued to try to take shortcuts tonight. It’s interesting seeing Bayley fight like that, but it is a little disappointing that a harder edge for Bayley means a softening of her style in the ring. Regardless, I enjoyed the match.
Ring Area
After the match, Bayley sits at ringside and laments her situation. The crowd act like a bunch of jerks as Bayley continues to be distraught.
Backstage
Kayla Braxton calls Chad Gable “shorty,” but Gable is all smile tonight. Gable says Kayla can call him anything she wants, but she should also call him a winner tonight. Gable says that he was the bigger man tonight. As Gable walks away, he’s attacked and quickly destroyed by King Corbin.
Video
A look at the buildup to tonight’s Hell in a Cell match between Seth Rollins and The Fiend.
Match 8
Universal Title Hell in a Cell Match
Seth Rollins (Universal Champ) vs “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt
(referee: Rod Zapata; outside referee: Eddie Orengo)
Result: the match ends in a No Contest when Rollins hits The Fiend with a sledgehammer
Time: 17:04
Match Thoughts
This match was definitely about story line over wrestling. The match started fine. Rollins tried some attacks which The Fiend no-sold, but then there started to be a little more back and forth. Rolllins was in survival mode, and he was mostly trying to stay away from The Fiend while delivering some offense when he could. The Field would stalk Rollins and start dishing out punishment, but after a while Rollins took complete control of the match. Rollins stomped The Fiend probably around ten times, but The Fiend kept kicking out of pin attempts. Eventually Rollins gave up trying for pins and just hit The Fiend with every weapon he could grab. The Fiend was down and stayed down as Rollins kept hitting him. Eventually, when Rollins used a sledgehammer, the referee intervened and made an odd call.
I liked the match for a while, but there were definitely some strange decisions. First, the house lights were off, and the arena was lit by red lights instead. It was like a darkroom. I don’t really like it when certain superstars get special lighting for their matches. I understand what they were going for, but it did make some things harder to see than they should have been. I would much rather have them just turns the house lights completely off and just light the ring with regular lights. That would give the impression of eeriness they’re going for, and it would match the lighting used when The Fiend attacks people. Plus, we’d be able to see everything the wrestlers are doing.
The strangest decision was the end of the match. Having Rollins completely dominate The Fiend felt weird. I understand that The Fiend wasn’t pinned and kept kicking out, but Rollins naturally stopped being scared when he realized he was in complete control of the match. The story centered more on Rollins and his struggle to not try to murder someone than it did on The Fiend being some unstoppable force. That felt strange, and it wasn’t really what I was hoping for.
Ring Area
After the match, referees and medical staff check on The Fiend. The lights go out, and The Fiend attacks Rollins. The Fiend puts the Mandible Claw on Rollins at ringside, and “blood” pours from Rollins’ mouth. The show ends with a closeup on The Fiend and the lights going out again.
Show Impressions
The night started great, but it took a dip after the women’s tag title match. The end of the night left me frustrated and wanting something different. Overall, the ending made me enjoy the overall show less, but I’d definitely watch the first two women’s matches again.
I think I’ve said all I really want to say above in my match reactions, but I would like to add that Corbin beating up Gable in the back is stupid. They can’t let Gable have one good night, can they? In addition to the excuse Corbin will have for losing, he has to have the last laugh? It’s like when Balor beat Corbin on a PPV, but Corbin just kept coming at Balor over and over after that so the feud dragged on and on. WWE just has to protect Corbin despite having plenty of other guys who are more entertaining in the ring who could fill his role as one of the top bad guys. It’s frustrating.
Match of the Night
Sasha Banks vs Becky Lynch
I loved this match. If this had been the main event, I would have left the night happy.