Genre: Wrestling
Produced By: WWE
Format: Pay-Per-View
Date: October 27 2013
Location: American Airlines Arena, Miami, Florida, USA
Attendance: 9,000
WWE Hell In A Cell 2013 was an improvement on the previous two supershows, Night Of Champions and Battleground. The combination of two big HIAC matches (even if one was unnecessary), a special appearance by a legend, the return of WWE’s biggest name and some high-quality action elsewhere on the card, all combined with the resolving of the WWE Title situation and the end of the CM Punk-Paul Heyman rivalry, made for a better show than Night Of Champions, where most of the card simply didn’t feel PPV-worthy, and Battleground, which had a very questionable ending to its main event.
That being said, whether the fall-out for HIAC paints the picture of a bright future for WWE, at least in the short-term, remains to be seen. Considering that this was the fourth PPV in a row where Daniel Bryan battled Randy Orton in some fashion, and he lost, it’s safe to say that Bryan’s main event adventures have now been curbed, at least for the time being. Meanwhile, John Cena’s comeback and immediate World Heavyweight Championship win, whilst a boon for that particular title, means that we are almost completely back to where we started before the Authority storyline began in grand fashion at SummerSlam. The one positive is that, since the CM Punk-Paul Heyman feud appears to have ended here, it’s possible that Punk will now be directed towards Randy Orton, which could be a pretty good main event for Survivor Series.
WWE Hell In A Cell 2013
WWE Tag Team Championship Triple Threat Match
Cody Rhodes & Goldust (C) vs. Seth Rollins & Roman Reigns vs. The Usos
After a pre-show match which saw Damien Sandow beat Kofi Kingston, Hell In A Cell 2013 opened with a triple threat tag team match, pitting the reigning WWE Tag Team Champions Cody Rhodes and Goldust against The Usos and the former titleholders, Shield members Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns. This was a really good opening match, with plenty of fast-paced action, wild high-flying spots and several close-but-no-cigar near falls. A ton of great moments reached their peak when Cody hit Rollins with a top rope superplex to the floor on all of the other combatants (this had been seen on a 2011 edition of Superstars which I vaguely remember Tyson Kidd being involved in, but the spot hadn’t been seen on PPV until now). It was the same two men involved in the finish, as Cody polished Rollins off with Cross Rhodes.
This was a great Tag Team Title match, the best in a long, long time. The Cody/Goldust vs. Shield match at Battleground was very good, but I thought that this match (with The Usos to provide extra thrills and spills) was even better. With the Rhodes brothers holding the titles, and several young, motivated and talented teams on the chase for their crowns, the tag team division has a genuinely bright future for the first time in ages. While The Shield aren’t breaking ground in the fashion that they were 6-9 months ago, they are definitely contributing to the revitalising of the WWE doubles ranks.
Before the next match at Hell In A Cell 2013, The Miz came to the ring and called out The Wyatt Family, following their recent attacks on him. The trio of terror did come out and begin dismantling Miz, before Kane unexpectedly returned from his hiatus. No mention was made as to how he escaped The Wyatts’ lair (or wherever they took him at SummerSlam; they can’t very well say on the air that Kane actually vanished to film See No Evil 2, after all). Kane and Miz teamed up on The Wyatts, which unfortunately included a very sloppy attempt at a bodyslam on Luke Harper by The Big Red Machine. Surprisingly, Kane then also Chokeslammed Miz before leaving. Did this mark a(nother) Kane heel turn? Has he been brainwashed by The Wyatts, even though he attacked them before levelling Miz? We’ll have to wait and see what happens.
Mixed Tag Team Match
The Great Khali & Natalya vs. Fandango & Summer Rae
After those hijinks, we had a mixed tag team match between Fandango and Summer Rae and the still-odd couple of The Great Khali and Summer Rae. This was a typical comedic tag bout, with nothing really memorable to show for it. So, it was filler, basically. Summer unexpectedly got the win by rolling up Natalya for the pin. There isn’t much else to say here, except that Khali and Natalya still make for a really strange combo, and that Fandango, while still receiving a basic push, is very unlikely to regain the fan excitement that he unexpectedly received after WrestleMania 29. His music is still awesome, though.
WWE United States Championship Match
Dean Ambrose (C) vs. Big E
Big E Langston had originally been scheduled to face Curtis Axel for the Intercontinental Title, following his recent babyface turn on Paul Heyman and Axel on SmackDown, but an injury to the IC Champ ruled that match out. As a result, WWE decided to replace that bout with a substitute clash that saw Dean Ambrose defend his United States Title against Langston instead. Unfortunately, while Big E vs. Axel didn’t exactly have WrestleMania-level excitement, Langston vs. Ambrose was mostly an average bout. The two highlights were an admittedly crazy spear by Big E that took Ambrose off the ring apron to the floor, and a pretty gnarly cut that Big E suffered to his eye when he collided in a slightly reckless fashion with the defending champion. The bout ended by countout, and afterwards Langston planted Ambrose with the Big Ending.
In contrast to Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns’ tag team adventures, Dean Ambrose’s singles efforts are currently making him the odd man out in The Shield. Another unmemorable PPV encounter with a screwjob ending leave his United States Title reign in jeopardy, but also raise questions as to whether he really is a future breakout star as had been predicted earlier in the year. Hopefully, Ambrose will get back on track and regain his early 2013 momentum, because if The Shield were to split up tomorrow, it’s unlikely that Ambrose would be the one awarded a major solo push.
Langston’s future seems brighter now that he has turned babyface and having been protected here with a countout victory; although he didn’t win the title on this night, it seems likely that he will (or he may win the IC Title, since he was meant to face Axel originally) further down the line. For his sake, though, I hope that Big E doesn’t inflict any more nasty-looking cuts to his face in the meantime.
Hell In A Cell Handicap Match
CM Punk vs. Ryback & Paul Heyman
We had the first major match of Hell In A Cell 2013 next, as CM Punk battled Ryback and Paul Heyman in a Hell In A Cell match. Only thing is, Heyman would come out on a forklift truck. And this would elevate him to the roof of the 20-foot structure. Therefore, Punk could not lay a hand on him. What a genius! So, it was essentially Punk vs. Ryback in a repeat of the 2012 bout. Unlike last year’s match, which was kept brief yet action-packed and was eagerly-anticipated, few were really interested in the two men meeting once again. And beside some occasionally tough weapon blows, the match itself wasn’t much to speak off either. It was competent, acceptable, but nothing that you would rave about to your friends, nor a match which will be remembered fondly within the legacy of the Hell In A Cell match.
After a top rope elbow put Ryback through a table, Punk nailed him with the GTS for the win. Heyman was unhappy. Of course he would be. But his night was about to get a lot worse. Because Punk would then scale the massive cage, aiming to get retribution on Heyman at long last. The betrayal at Money In The Bank, the Lesnar scrap at SummerSlam, the Heyman/Ryback union at Night Of Champions and other memorable moments all led to this, as Punk basically pounded Heyman over and over and over again with a kendo stick to the approval of the Miami crowd. This was followed by a GTS to the somewhat tubby manager, and Punk looked rather pleased with himself as he left, and having left Heyman in a battered heap on the top of the Cell.
While it was a big moment to see CM Punk finally get proper revenge on Paul Heyman in the aftermath to draw a line under their lengthy rivalry, I still felt this was one of the weakest HIAC matches, at least since the PPV event of the same name launched in 2009. That was largely because this match didn’t have to take place in the Cell; had it been a Street Fight or a Falls Count Anywhere match, few will have noticed the difference, and whilst it made sense for the cowardly Heyman to stay away from the action, his lack of involvement in the bell-to-bell aspect of the match hurt the presentation even more.
It served its purpose and ended the Punk-Heyman feud, but I still felt disappointed by this encounter. It also raises the question of why Ryback would lose to Punk at Battleground if he was losing again here. Because conclusively losing two feuds to Cena and Punk, after a sudden heel turn, and without a PPV win in over a year, all puts Ryback in a very precarious position. And besides maybe Daniel Bryan, Ryback has no obvious opponents. At least none that can currently keep him near the top of the card. So, the only way appears to be down now for The Big Guy. Punk’s fortunes should improve though, as he may now re-enter the WWE Title hunt.
Los Matadores vs. The Real Americans
We then got another tag team match between the relatively new combo of Los Matadores (Diego and Fernando, accompanied by the pint-sized bull El Torito) and the Real Americans squad of Antonio Cesaro and Jack Swagger, managed by Zeb Colter. This was an adequate doubles bout, albeit not one that could compare to the electric opening tag 3-way. Of note, Cesaro trapped Diego and sent him on a whirling journey via his Giant Swing. No exaggeration, the swing count here must eclipse 20! But it was the babyfaces who would triumph after hitting their as-yet-unnamed finishing move on Swagger. Cesaro took a played-for-laughs hurricanrana from El Torito afterwards, ensuring that Los Matadores and El Torito stood tall (well, tallish in Torito’s case) at the end. Ole!
If a comedy win can represent a push, then that was the case here for Los Matadores. It will take time for WWE fans to accept Diego and Fernando as serious contenders for the Tag Team Titles at a time when the more serious Rhodes brothers, Shield and Usos are tearing it up, but perhaps that will happen in time. It’s not a good sign for The Real Americans that they lost here and generally keep losing; the fortunes of both Swagger and Cesaro have plummeted this year. Cesaro’s recent introduction of the Giant Swing, and positive fan reactions to the spot, do suggest that he may in line for a babyface turn at some point once this team splits up, which given their current form can’t come soon enough.
WWE World Heavyweight Championship Match
Alberto Del Rio (C) vs. John Cena
John Cena would go on the shelf with a serious arm injury after SummerSlam. So, it was a surprise to hear that he would return here at Hell In A Cell 2013. And even more so to face Alberto Del Rio for the World Heavyweight Title. Still, most would expect Cena to return around the time of Royal Rumble from such a major setback. But that’s Cena. Sure, most men would be out of action for six months. But he always makes it back in three, or two in this case. Well, around two-and-a-half if you want to be specific. Cena got his usual “Let’s Go Cena!/Cena sucks!” response. Old times return again!
Nevertheless, it was good to see Cena back, and his match with ADR was alright. It wasn’t anything special, although it followed the logical story of Del Rio – who already boasts a lethal submission hold in the form of his Cross-Armbreaker – targeting the injured arm of Cena. Cena was wearing an elbow pad, which both served as a target for Del Rio and made fans wonder if he had really recovered 100%. My guess is that Cena was about 90% ready, and if he wasn’t 100%, it didn’t affect his performance. Del Rio did look in his signature move, but Cena somewhat annoyingly broke it by lifting Del Rio up and slamming him, which was followed by the match- and title-winning Attitude Adjustment.
So, John Cena is the World Heavyweight Champion for the first time since 2009. That should add prestige to that prize; of greater note is how he returned and immediately became a World Champion. Del Rio will probably get a rematch, but if he couldn’t beat the still-potentially-injured Cena here, then the chance of him winning a rematch are unlikely. The match was okay, and the result should at least bring more attention to the WHC. The only downside is that between the rapid loss, the sudden crowning of Cena as champ and the way in which his key hold was essentially shrugged off, the pairing ended up doing a pretty big amount of damage to Del Rio’s momentum, and served as a big low in what has mostly been a strong year of success for Alberto.
WWE Divas Championship Match
AJ Lee (C) vs. Brie Bella
We then had a Divas Title match, with AJ Lee defending against Brie Bella. It’s safe to say that the women’s matches are currently inferior to those between AJ and Kaitlyn. Mind you, this was still a good effort by AJ. Brie would keep up with the champion too. Yet a title change was never likely since AJ is much better than nearly everyone else. And that’s both from a wrestling standpoint and an acting perspective. (Brie’s acting during her on-screen interactions with Daniel Bryan and The Authority is truly embarrassing.) Nikki Bella would counter potential interference by Tamina Snuka. But AJ would still submit Brie to the Black Widow.
WWE Championship Hell In A Cell Match – Shawn Michaels Is Special Guest Referee
Daniel Bryan vs. Randy Orton
Daniel Bryan’s WWE Title victory over John Cena at SummerSlam would quickly receive repaellance. That was due to Randy Orton cashing in Money In The Bank with the help of Triple H. And so we would have the formation of The Authority along with Stephanie McMahon. Since then, Bryan would beat Orton on a controversial fast count at Night Of Champions. This would place the WWE Championship into abeyance, whatever that is (I think it means vacant). And this would continue beyond Battleground due to Big Show knocking out both men on that occasion.
Therefore, it was down to this Hell In A Cell match to finally fill the vacancy. And we would see Bryan and Orton clash once more, this time inside that big cage. And with Shawn Michaels receiving the fan’s votes over Booker T and Bob Backlund to be the special guest referee. With HB-Shizzle in the zebra shirt, Bryan would have no worries of a screwjob at Hell In A Cell 2013. Right?
The action was largely of a high standard. But again it would feel like something was missing for this to be a smash-hit feud inside the ring. There were still plenty of cool spots though. One spot would see Orton counter a Bryan tope by sending him head-first into the Cell wall. And there were the usual interactions with the Cell structure, chairshots and finisher attempts/reversals. Then, the fun and games by the corporate heel squad would come into play. So, Triple H would come to ringside and taunt Bryan through the Cell wall. Even HBK would tell his buddy to back off. Both combatants would argue with Michaels due to the HHH distraction. But then Shawn would go down in a heap! This would allow HHH to find a way into the cage to take over as the (not impartial) official.
The Game would unsurprisingly refuse to count after Bryan’s Running Knee to Orton. So, Daniel would finally exact some revenge by also hitting HHH with a Running Knee to a huge cheer. Those roars of approval would turn to dismay, however, with Shawn superkicking Bryan, presumably for attacking his best friend. We know that Michaels isn’t a heel 100% due to his reluctance for Orton to capitalise on the confusuion. Indeed, Randy would cover Bryan, and HBK would have no choice. Cue a three-count to crown Orton the WWE Champion once again.
Analysis
Shawn Michaels costing Daniel Bryan the match wasn’t a massive surprise. But the fact that Shawn would deny Bryan the WWE Title almost willingly is a jolt. Some have wondered if this will lead to Bryan vs. Michaels at WrestleMania (student vs. teacher). But more likely it’s a convenient way to bring the WWE Title back to Randy Orton and The Authority.
Meanwhile, Bryan remains very popular, and his headline stint is far from a failure. But it does seem that WWE is moving away from Bryan as a challenger to the top prize. Hopefully, for the Yes Man, his push will resume at a later stage. After all, his current momentum coincides with his fanbase greatly expanding. And those fans would love to see him get a permanent run with the WWE Title.
Summary
Summing it up, I definitely enjoyed WWE Hell In A Cell 2013. Sure, some matches still had that dreaded filler feeling. But four of the bouts were either very exciting or quite significant from a storyline perspective. As noted earlier, Bryan’s title chase ending with him not regaining the gold isn’t a good thing. But the growing popularity for DBryan suggests that WWE may very well go back to this. And therefore Bryan may get his big moment at a later date. Meanwhile, Cena ensures that the WHC is level with the WWE Championship for the first time in ages. Could it be that Cena’s win here will rebuild that prize enough for a future title unification? We shall see.
So, Hell In A Cell 2013 would answer many questions. And not all of those answers are necessarily positive. But the show as a whole is undoubtedly a step up from the last couple of PPVs. But whether that momentum is maintainable through the traditionally dullest couple of months in WWE remains to be seen.
Overall Rating: 7/10 – Respectable
Further Link
Read more about WWE Hell In A Cell 2013 by clicking here.
So, those are our thoughts on WWE Hell In A Cell 2013! But what do you think? Let us know by leaving a comment below!
