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Tag: WWE

  • WWE: Brock Lesnar injury update post-Hell In A Cell

    Brock Lesnar needed nine staples to close the forehead cut suffered when he went headfirst into the ring post during his match with Undertaker at Sunday’s Hell in a Cell show, a match Lesnar won.

    Blood, which is frowned upon by WWE, was a huge part of the match with both Lesnar and Undertaker clearly wanting to bleed, as opposed to it being an accident.

    While Vince McMahon was upset at the gorilla position and ordered the doctor to the ring to have the blood wiped off, nothing was said to the talents after the match regarding the subject.

    Blading is strictly forbidden in WWE. The last guy who did it and was caught trying to hide it was Dave Bautista several years ago, fined $100,000 for doing so in a match with Chris Jericho.  He was caught by one of the cameras and everyone involved in the match was called into McMahon’s office, heavily reprimanded and fined.

    Neither Lesnar nor Undertaker suffered any significant injuries during the match itself.

  • WWE Breaking Ground debut episode: behind the scenes at NXT

    By Ryan Pike

    Key Takeaway —

    The journey of WWE hopefuls through NXT is profiled in this new WWE Network program. The first episode, while a bit unfocused and sanitized, is a pretty strong debut, showcasing several new faces with dreams of WWE stardom.

    Show Recap — 

    We open with a monologue from Triple H, who lists off the attributes that are necessary to be a WWE superstar. But he notes that without an “it factor,” even the best might not make it. He welcomes viewers to their glimpse inside NXT and the journey of their aspiring superstars. “They’re all just one step away from realizing their dreams. But for some, that one step might as well be a mountain. Some will make it. Some don’t. This is WWE Breaking Ground.” (A tad hokey, but for what they’re going for, this was the perfect opening to frame the series.)

    The first NXT superstar we meet is Bayley, as she drives to work. She muses on her journey from being a dreamy 10-year-old wanting to wrestle to being the NXT Women’s Champion. “Sometimes if I’m driving, I’ll look at the person next to me in their car and just wonder, I wonder what they’re doing with their life, if they’re living their dreams?” She arrives at the Performance Center at the same time as Tough Enough winner Josh Bredl, who’s there for his first day and signs his contract. We then transition to a training montage and some WrestleMania clips, and get a glimpse of Adam Pearce shouting encouragement to WWE hopefuls.

    From this point, Breaking Ground focuses on five individuals: former NFLer Tino “Sabby” Sabbatelli, former NFLer Baron Corbin, 19-year-old female wrestler Nhooph, NXT interviewer Devin Taylor and former independent star Apollo Crews. It doesn’t spent a ton of time on any one of them, particularly given that it’s a 30-minute show, but they do their best to paint a picture of each.

    Sabbatelli, real name Sabatino Piscitelli, played college football at Oregon State and spent time with Tampa Bay, Cleveland and Kansas City before turning to pro wrestling following the end of his football career. He signed with NXT in 2014, and is adjusting to being a rookie and having to prove himself after being an established NFLer. He opens the show sidelined after a concussion in his second NXT match.

    Corbin, like Sabbatelli, is a former NFLer who spent time with Indianapolis and Arizona. He’s been in NXT for three years and based on his experience and his resume, he thinks he should be on the main roster already. Jason Albert, interviewed extensively about Corbin, notes the challenge is keeping Corbin focused and motivated.

    Nhooph began training for wrestling at 16 years of age, and recalls having to lie to her parents about going to her job when heading to her first training sessions. We’re told she’s not improving, and get a wonderful montage of her taking awful-looking hip-tosses. She’s been in NXT for awhile, but the coaches don’t think she’s good enough yet to get a match on a live event yet. Finally, she takes a hip-toss properly and the coaches praise her.

    Devin Taylor is NXT’s ring announcer, who is trying to transition from holding a microphone to actually wrestling. However, we’re told she’s had a few injuries that have slowed down her progress, and she’s been leap-frogged by several other females in the mean-time. We get another hiptoss montage as she trains with Nia Jax. (And they’re awful.)

    Apollo Crews is the former Uhaa Nation, though that name isn’t mentioned on this show. He tells a story about his father, who grew up poor in Nigeria and emphasized the importance of needing an education to be successful – the story’s interspersed with clips of Crews on the indies. He shares a story about his dad saying the only way to be successful was by getting an education, and then getting a nice message from his dad after his NXT debut saying how proud he was.

    William Regal leads promo class at the Performance Center, emphasizing the importance of connecting with the camera. We get a montage of NXT kids doing quick promos, and Mojo Rawley does a strong promo and is praised by Regal. The majority of the promos we’re shown aren’t very good.

    Sabbatelli goes through the WWE’s concussion protocol this episode, which we’re given quite a bit of detail about – basically it’s three weeks of no work, followed by them being eased back into ring-work and getting repeatedly monitored for recurring symptoms. He does a mock match at the end of the episode as part of the evaluation.

    Norman Smiley rides with Corbin and his girlfriend to the Gainsville, FL show and we get this exchange: “We do you think you’ll be out of here, NXT?” “The reality is, I don’t know. You’re the coach, you tell me.” Then it’s quiet in the car. Corbin discusses how he’s not well-liked. Mojo jokingly praises Corbin as he eats food. He replies: “Go do some more workouts while I enjoy this. It sure as hell isn’t his wrestling that’s getting him over.”

    We see some clips from the Gainsville show. Nhooph doesn’t get a match and is bummed out. Bayley has a tag match and is praised by Shatner’s voice-over for her efforts regardless of the size of the crowd – and how that’s a good example for the rest of the performers on each show. Corbin is in the main event, teaming with Tyler Breeze in a losing effort against Finn Balor and Samoa Joe.

    The nextday, Nhooph arrives at the Performance Center. Sara Amato chats with her about card adjustments and apologizes for her match getting bumped from a prior show. Amato and Albert chat about Devin, and about whether she has a future after two major injuries in less than a year. Sabbatelli goes through the concussion protocol in the ring. If he fails it, he could be done. Canyon Ceman appears. He’s the recruiter, and notes that the hardest part of the job is when they have to let talent go, leading into a meeting with a talent in which somebody will probably get cut. The cliffhanger is which NXT talent gets the axe: Devin? Nhooph? Sabbatelli? (I believe Devin got released recently in real-life, but I suppose that all three performers could be released next episode.)

    Final Thoughts

    This was a really strong premiere episode. It provides a really fascinating glimpse into the backstage goings-on and challenges facing aspiring WWE performers. That said, it could’ve been stronger had it spend more time with fewer performers. They never really follow up with Apollo Crews or Bayley, and spending that time with the lesser-known performers might’ve established better connections given how the episode ended.

  • Wrestling Observer Radio 10/25: Hell in a Cell recap show plus weekend news!

    Wrestling Observer Radio with Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer is back today to talk all the news in wrestling and MMA including full results of Hell in a Cell, all the matches and angles, Undertaker vs. Brock, blood everywhere, plus news on Global Force Wrestling, AJ Styles, mailbag and more! A fun show as always so check it out~!

    Right click save

  • Reader Feedback: WWE Hell in a Cell

    Thumbs Up

    Thought it was on-course for a thumbs in the middle show until the main event, with the crowd being a big factor, however after the main event no way you could give it anything other than a thumbs up. Speaking of the crowd, having not seen the pre-show match until after main card, I thought it was a case of an unenthused crowd based on the recent product, but after watching the six-man I was left scratching my head. I guess it was a case of some slow action, some average matches, some tiredness towards the end, and only having a strong desire to see certain people and the main event being responsible for the lacklustre response.

    Wasn’t thrilled with the return of Del Rio, and no idea what happened to things being bad under Triple H as Head of TR, and being able to make more money outside of the company. Always felt Del Rio consistently had decent-good matches in WWE, but never really “fit” in the company high up the card, and he was never close to being as over as he should’ve been given his push. As far as the match, I was pretty shocked. It seemed nothing more than a one-sided midcard house show. I understood that they couldn’t do too much with the first cell match following, but expected more. As far as the finish, I didn’t think it was a good idea at all. With the push Del Rio was getting in the company just over twelve months ago, I think there’s little chance of people taking him seriously as a high level guy anytime soon. And again, despite his huge push last time he never got that over. For him to beat Cena clean in the middle in an 80-20 match, especially at the present time, just seemed so wrong.

    As far as the rest of the show I thought Reigns & Wyatt had a good match with a great layout, but felt there was a real lack of intensity and aggression, and would’ve liked a change of pace a few times in the match. Thought Bubba did well to get some rare life out of the crowd in the back-end of the tag title match. Charlotte & Nikki had a good women’s match, there was some good aggression, a little too much aggression on one occasion in Nikki’s case, some nice athletic and creative spots, felt it was one of Nikki’s most solid performances in recent months, also Charlotte did some real babyface selling which is a novelty in WWE these days. My only real problem was going to the finish so soon after Charlotte took the Alabama Slam on the apron, didn’t seem right at all. Also not sure what the deal was with that top rope German spot, real odd looking spot.

    Thought Kane worked hard. They say better late than never, but it may be a little too late with the booking of Rollins. Ryback-Owens was a total rush job. Main event was great, thought the flow wasn’t quite there at times, but it was a real war, had a big match feel, lots of nice spots, plenty of aggression, great job by both guys without being overly reckless. As far as the blood, I thought it was a case of intended hard-way by both guys without permission from the company, but after the push on the doctor I’m not sure what to think. Closing angle was good, great to see someone get heat for a villainous beat-down in 2015. Interested to see where they go from here, whether it be a Taker-Wyatt match at Survivor Series with Taker possibly returning the favour, or perhaps a Wyatts vs. Taker/Reigns/Ambrose/? match at Survivor Series, as the backstage segment with Reigns & Ambrose could be seen as a hint and an explanation for their absence during the beat-down.                     

    Tom Griffiths

    Thumbs Up

    Best Match: Undertaker vs. Lesnar

    Worst Match: Ryback vs. Owens

    US Title: Cena vs. Alberto Del Rio

    – Great surprise with Del Rio returning, didn’t see that coming at all – and great to have another top heel in the mix who feels fresh after being gone for a while. Not sure about the pairing with Zeb, it seemed a bit awkward, but Zeb’s great, so we’ll see how it pans out. Both guys seemed a bit out of time with each other and I think the match would have meant a lot more later on in the card, but it was still a good match, just not up to the insanely high bar Cena has set this year. The finish of course came out of nowhere (as to how we’ve been conditioned as fans), but I didn’t mind it as it caught us all off guard (which is a good thing) and I think Del Rio is a great US champ while Cena’s gone. **3/4

    HIAC:Roman Reigns vs. Bray Wyatt

    – Let me preface this by saying I hate having 2 of the same gimmick matches on the same card. You wouldn’t do 2 steel cage matches on the same night, you wouldn’t do 2 Last Man Standing matches on the same night… and Hell In A Cell is supposed to be the WWE’s ultimate grudge ending match. So to me it should be saved for the main event, something that you anticipate all night. That being said, this was a great match. Both guys took some brutal table bumps and had an extremely physical match. Much better than what I was expecting. ***1/2

    **Survivor Series: 25 years of Undertaker commercial… wow poor Taker, after what you know is going to be a brutal Cell Match later tonightthis 50 year old man has to wrestle again next month. This must be the most dates he’s worked in years now.

    Tag Titles: Dudleyz vs. New Day

    – This match definitely missed Xavier’s crazy antics outside the ring. I loved the set up for the false DQ finish by throwing the Trombone to the Dudleyz. If the Dudleyz were going to win the titles tonight would have been the night with New Day having a built in excuse by not having Xavier there, but they just haven’t had the momentum since coming back, so it was the right decision to keep them on New Day for the time being. **

    Divas Title: Nikki Bella vs. Charlotte

    – By Divas standards, really good singles match for the title. Best women’s match they’ve had on the main roster in quite a while. Thought both girls worked well and told a good story and pulled off a few big spots. ***

    WWE Title: Kane vs. Seth Rollins

    – Why in the hell in the champion coming out first? Stupid question, I know. What can I say about this match? They’ve made the WWE title mean about as much as the old European Title over the past few months of constantly pinning Seth. This was the 4th biggest match of the night, behind the two HIAC and Cena Open Challenge. That’s a sad, sad state of affairs for the title which meant SO MUCH just back in March. **1/2

    IC Title: Ryback vs. Kevin Owens

    – The IC title has officially replaced the Divas matches in the death spot before the main event. Total waste of time with KO facing Ryback. At least they kept it short. 1/2*

    HIAC: Undertaker vs. Brock Lesnar

    – As usual, when Brock is on the card, he steals the show. Loved how they started out in MMA stances. Was shocked obviously to see colour (Canadian spelling) so early on.. let alone double colour from both guys. Taker looked like he took a nasty chair shot right in the jaw. Both guys looked like they were beating the absolute crap out of each other (again, Undertaker is a 50 year old man!). He really is a phenom to be having these kind of matches 25 years after his debut with the scariest genetic freak to ever step inside the ring. They found an interesting finish to the match with Brock pulling up the ring, I can’t remember seeing that before in WWE. I did find it somewhat amusing that a “balls shot” is still seen as a cheap shot in a match where you can use tables, kendo sticks, stairs, chairs, etc. Great, physical match overall. The blood really does add to a match like this when used properly. 

    ****1/2

    Aftermath: As soon as the Wyatt’s music hit I immediately thought, “Oh God no, Dave’s speculation of Taker vs. Braun Strowman as a possible Mania match might actually happen!” Luckily, I quickly remembered that Taker was scheduled for Survivor Series and there were 4 Wyatt’s now with Harper returning to set up a 4-on-4 traditional Survivor Series match. Obviously, Kane will get in there with Taker. If they want to keep with the “spooky gimmick character” theme it would be a good time to do a surprise debut for Finn Balor (although he would look like an absolute midget in there against all the Wyatt’s). And had Sting not got injured, it would have been a great spot to put him in as well, but maybe instead they’ll debut someone like Baron Corbin, or simply use a returning Randy Orton. 

    Strong show overall for a PPV that had an extremely weak build. 

    – Tim Dudley in Toronto

    Best Match: Brock Lesnar vs Undertaker

    Worst Match: Charlotte vs Nikki Bella

    This was a pretty fun show. I was really glad to see Del Rio and although the match could have been a little better it was a solid presentation overall and I liked the finish. I liked the Reigns vs Wyatt cell match, it is tough to know where to go with these two guys in a company where the booking is kind of lost but as a match it was quite good

    The New Day match was a lot of fun, even without Xavier Woods they are still really entertaining. Charlotte vs Nikki was a little weak to me but I still liked it. Rollins vs Kane was fine but I am begging to never have Kane in another world title match. Owens vs Ryback was too quick but I was glad to see Owens get a nice, simple win.

    Lesnar vs Undertaker was really great. I do wish that some of the things these guys were able to do were available to undercard guys but I also understand that they might not have been allowed to do them anyway. But ya, this was a great match that might not go down as an all-time classic but was well worth watching

    Dave Musgrave

    Oshawa, Ontario

    Thumbs Up!

    Best Match: Taker vs. Lesnar

    Worst Match: Owens vs. Ryback

    I felt like this was a quality show from the pre-show all the way through. Really not a bad match on the show at all. I thought the build up videos for each match were really well done and it felt like the blow off to several feuds. Lesnar vs. Taker felt like a big time match and the crowd reaction was totally different than the rest of the show. Alberto Del Rio was a real surprise in the opening match. I think WWE definitely needs to bring in a few more people of his caliber to mix things up a little. I will say that the product did not seem stale at all on this PPV because of the strong matches and build up videos. Raw is another story because the biggest stars do not even do Raw anymore. Looking forward to the Undertaker celebration at Survivor Series…I wonder if they are planning to bring in big stars from his past for this?

    Cory Walker

    Thumbs in the middle

    Best match: Lesnar vs. Undertaker

    Two cell matches on one show is pointless and the Reigns/Wyatt match would have been just as good without the cage. Lesnar vs. Undertaker felt like the climax to a heated feud, as it should have. Undertaker against the Wyatts has little appeal to me, I’d much rather have seen Undertaker ride off into the sunset.

    Del Rio returning doesn’t feel like a big deal since he’s just going to be stuck as an upper mid carder without many new people to work with.

    Mike Hiscoe

    WWE Hell in a Cell: Thumbs Up

    Best Match: Undertaker vs. Brock Lesnar

    Worst Match: Ryback vs. Kevin Owens

    Show started off well with a fun six man tag during the pre-show.  Cesaro is truly deserving of something more.  I know it gets said time and again, but it is so true.

    John Cena vs. a surprising Alberto Del Rio for the U.S. Title kicks off the show.  It is weird having him with Zeb Coulter.  Maybe it sets up a turn for the down line when Del Rio can’t take Zeb anymore.  The finish was a little shocking. 

    Reigns vs. Wyatt in the Cell was very good.  Not surprised that Reigns went over at least not until the close of the show in which it seems maybe Wyatt should have gone over. 

    Tag Title match was okay.  Not sure how the Dudley’s get another title shot after they keep not getting the job done, but since it is WWE they will probably get a hundred more title shots.

    Charlotte vs. Nikki Bella was the best Diva’s match probably since they brought the NXT Women up to the main roster.  Charlotte retains and I am sure Paige will be next in line.

    Rollins vs. Kane was solid.  I guess Kane will get fired tomorrow, but will probably continue as a wrestler. 

    Main Event was excellent with Lesnar vs. Taker and the finish with Wyatt Family looks to be leading to a traditional Survivor Series match for next month.  I would suspect Kane, Ambrose, and Reigns perhaps as the partners for Taker.

    Robb Block

    WWE Hell in a Cell 2015
    Thumbs Up
    Best Match: Brock Lesner vs. Undertaker
    Worst Match: Kevin Owens vs. Ryback

    It’s noteworthy that my feed was almost perfect for this show, the
    first time that has ever happened for me for a live WWE Network
    show/PPV on my PS3. They have almost always been problematic in the
    past with freezing, skipping, poor video quality, etc. particularly
    via the PS3 app.

    Lou Pickney

    Hey Dave,

    Overall: Thumbs up! One of my main criticisms of the WWE is the way that they never end feuds, rivalries, and angles with a climax and exclamation point. In stark contrast to Summerslam, I felt finality in the four major angles that served as the tent poles of the Hell in a Cell event.  Rollins soundly beat Kane. Cena cleanly ended his successful reign as the US Champion. Reigns decisively won his season long rivalry with Wyatt. Most notably, the Taker and Lesnar saga was ended in a climatic and fitting manner.  Furthermore, despite ending four major story arches, they established a new story branch at the conclusion of the event.

    Best Match: Taker and Lesnar was not pretty, but it felt like the most important match in WWE this year. It has the epic feel that is hard to create.

    Worst Match:  Nothing was bad. Ryback and Owens was disappointing.

    A. Neville, Cesaro, and Ziggler vs. Barrett, Sheamus, and Rusev.  As Michael Cole stated, “Cesaro was incredible during that match!” On this occasion, this was not an exaggeration. When Cesaro made the hot tag he was a runaway train and the Cali crowd supplied the nitrous. This match would have been a worthy PPV opener. Instead, it served as a better than usual pre match show. ***

    1. US Title Match: John Cena vs. Alberto Del Rio. Del Rio was certainly a surprise, but I have never been a big fan of his. He is one of the few wrestlers in WWE who has been pushed beyond his ability. The match was above average. I appreciated the fact that the finish came out of nowhere and was not preceded by multiple near falls and finishers. The challenger was a surprise, and finish came as a surprise. **3/4

    2. Hell in a Cell: Roman Reigns vs. Bray Wyatt. Strong, physical, and lenghty match. The pacing was deliberate and the high spots were designed as the main transitions building towards a finish. The crowd was lukewarm at the onset, but were stirred into reacting by the physicality and the high spots. The announcers oversold the match a bit, but this is obviously a preordained step in elevating Reigns towards bigger and better things. With that said, the WWE brass must be at least somewhat concerned with the mixed reaction that Reigns receives in all of the WWE’s major markets. ***1/2

    3. Tag Team Title Match: New Day vs. Dudley Boys. Just an average tag match. Crowd was settling down after the Hell in a Cell carnage, and hence were quiet to start. Crowd came alive towards the end and really ate up the DQ tease spot.  The timing of the finish was a bit off. **

    4.  Divas Title Match: Charlotte vs. Nikki Bella. The layout of the match was good, the execution left some to be desired. The presentation of Nikki as the seasoned veteran rubs me the wrong way. The closing sequence was a highlight and it appears as though Nikki has been knocked off the pedestal she has occupied for the last year. Hopefully, this is onwards and upwards for women’s wrestling.  **1/2

    5. WWE Title Match: Seth Rollins vs. Kane. Strong win for Rollins. Despite how he is often booked, Rollins continues to be the WWE’s MVP.  This match was about the best one could ask from a aging big man like Kane. Acceptable match with a  clean and decisive finish. **1/2

    6. IC Title Match: Kevin Owens vs. Ryback. As a match, it was disappointing. From a character portrayal perspective, it worked. Ryback dominated the match with power and aggression. Owens snakes away the victory using under handed tactics. The camera man and announcers did not give adequate description and vantage point to the eye rake prior to the pop up powerbomb **

    7. Hell in a Cell: Undertaker vs. Brock Lesnar. It was not pretty, but it sure was exciting.  Most importantly, the match brought finality to the feud and rivalry. It was the exclamation point that should be placed as the capstone to an epic main event feud.  I enjoyed the tit for tat low blow that Lesanr delivered to defeat the Taker. It was a fitting blow that fit the tenor of the rivalry. I appreciated the fact that Taker got to take in the moment before the Wyatt attack. ****

    Derrick Hubbard

    Thumbs Up
    Best Match: Lesnar-Taker
    Worst Match: New Day – Dudleys

    Want to start by saying that Reigns vs Wyatt reminded me a lot of Rock-HHH from Summerslam 98. Two guys who management liked and were getting close to title/upper level and in a long feud with each other and took that next step. Did they use some gimmicks and shortcuts in it? Yes but so didnt that ladder match. Crowd really appreciated Reigns afterwards and Wyatt did a great job carrying most of the narrative. 

    Had to highlight that first since we know what everyone will be talking about – that main event. Holy cow. Started off a little slow but as soon as the bladejob and blood went to a frenzy. Saw all the talk on Twitter about Vince losing it about blood and though I dont doubt it for some reason I could see him not liking ripping the ring more, was an odd visual – added to the match though. These two had a challenge ahead of them matching their prior encounter and hell in a cell history but pulled it off. Would have preferred to have the Wyatt angle on Raw personally to not take away from the match and the gravity of it, as well as having a really good angle to fill out Raw but if they are set for Wyatt-Taker II guess they just wanted to bridge right to it. 

    Raw mat continue to disapoint but the PPVs have been so solid for a while. Gave the tag title match worst again but felt it was better than last months and nothing “terrible” about it. 

    Del Rio was a nice surprise, know his name had come up but you never know til you see it. He looked in great shape and had a little more fire and spirit. Was puzzled he didnt come in as a face considering they are short there and there is always the talk about a Latino star. Not the pandering forced face act around WM29 but just a straight up tough face role. 

    Was dreading Kane-Rollins but Seth was able to once again do a lot with it. Huge Owens fan and thought he got another solid match with Ryback. The six man was pretty exciting and Cesaro continues to just be a burst in every match. Its a broken record but its too bad they refuse to go with him as someone who can have legit title opportunities and around the top tier even if they never go “all” the way. The divas match had some rough parts but enough spots made it better to me then the tag match. 

    Im looking forward to the behind the scenes radio show talk about the Main Event and Del Rio!

    P.S. – Breaking Ground looks awesome from the sneak tonight. We know they are going for Hard Knocks but theres a reason why; its because that setup almost always delivers on its viewing experience and this looks to be the same

    Thanks,
    Michael O’Brien

    Thumbs up.

    Best match: Lesnar-Undertaker

    Worst match: Divas

    Best highlight: Del Rio return/winning title quickly in one-sided match

    Better than expected. With Undertaker-Lesnar, they made it work and engaged the crowd.

    Wyatt-Reigns did a great job in their match as well.  Del Rio’s surprise return with a pretty easy and

    decisive win over Cena was also well done. Rollins-Kane decent for what it was…kind of lost between 

    the other key matches.

    Owens fine. Could have lived without Divas, New Day matches, but it was a solid show. The Bray Wyatt-led attack on Undertaker at the end of the show interesting…

    gives Undertaker a potential “next step”.

     –Mike Omansky

    THUMBS just in the middle.  The lack of build probably hurt the show.  I wasn’t that invested in it.

    Best Match: Reigns v. Wyatt

    Worst Match: Kane v. Rollins

    Cena v. ADR: I paid less attention to the match than to the return of ADR.  A legit surprise, but not a terribly exciting one.  It is not clear to me whether he is going to be a babyface or a heel.  The Colter promo suggests possible babyface, but I think he works better as a heel.

    Reigns v. Wyatt:  Perhaps the most promising sign for Reign’s potential longevity was the dueling chant that broke out at one point.  Some people do love to hate this guy, but you have to agree, he can go in the ring, and is having much better matches than he did 1 year ago.  I think a solo heel run would really help him in the long run.  Wyatt put on a good match, too (he did seem to hit his head hard on that spear through the table, which I didn’t love seeing).  I think he would be the perfect babyface for the anti-establishment moment in our culture.

    On the booking, I hated seeing Reigns kick out of a GREAT looking Sister Abigail.  I hope Wyatt was just selling his eye, because that spot with the kendo sticks as spikes was very ominous looking.

    New Day v. Dudleys: The New Day held its own despite Woods notable absence.  Interesting to see the New Day getting more pops than even the Dudleys, and the Dudleys are clearly liked.  An interesting dynamic with the New Day.

    Charlotte v. Nikki Bella:  This match was okay, not great, but I want to commit a sacrilege by saying that Nikki outperformed Charlotte here.  I wish Charlotte would retire the wooing; it is just distracting.  

    Kane v Rollins: I just did not want to see this match, and the match itself didn’t change my mind.  I think the main problem was the outcome was never in any doubt.  Title defense in this spot on the card also says a lot.

    Ryback v. Owens:  A decent match.  The pop-up power bomb looked a lot better on Mark Henry than it did here, so much so I was afraid that Ryback was going to kick out.  I still like Owens, so I hope he’s on to something better.

    Taker v. Lesnar:  I feel like a lot of this we have already seen before.  I liked the ripping of the ring canvas and exposed boards as something we have actually never seen before.  I feel like this whole aftermath of The Breaking of The Streak didn’t really have much of a point.  Nonetheless, I am ready to see what is next for Lesnar, and how the Undertaker wraps up his legendary career.

    Undertaken Abduction:  I’m intrigued.  I just don’t want to see a replay of the Daniel Bryan-Wyatt angle, with UT taking over the Daniel Bryan role.

    Richard Orloski

  • Bryan & Vinny Show 10/25: Full WWE Hell in a Cell recap!

    The Bryan & Vinny Show is back today with full results from the WWE Hell in a Cell PPV, plus all the backstage news from the main event! A fun show as always so check it out~!

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  • Wrestling Observer Live 10/25: WWE Hell in a Cell preview show!

    Wrestling Observer Live with Bryan Alvarez and Mike Sempervive is back today to preview Hell in a Cell, take your phone calls, text messages, tweets and more! Two full hours of pro-wrestling discussion, so check it out~!

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  • WWE Hell in a Cell live results: Brock Lesnar vs Undertaker, John Cena defends US Title (with updates on Alberto Del Rio)

    Welcome to WrestlingObserver.com’s live coverage of WWE Hell in a Cell from the Staples Centre in Los Angeles, California. As the days get shorter and the air turns chilly, autumn brings with it one of WWE’s most destructive and chaotic events. On this night, the ominous steel structure known as Hell in a Cell will encapsulate the ring on two separate occasions as we bid farewell to a number of long-running feuds.

    18 months in the making, The Undertaker and Brock Lesnar will write the final chapter in their storied rivalry when they step into the cell, as will both Roman Reigns and Bray Wyatt. In addition, all

    We’re looking for your thoughts on tonight’s show, so you can leave a thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle along with a best and worst match to dave@wrestlingobserver.com

    five championships will be defended including John Cena’s US Title as he faces a mystery partner in perhaps his last appearance until December.

    WWE Hell in a Cell Preview and Predictions and here are Dave’s thoughts on the mystery opponent for John Cena.

    Don’t miss the Wrestling Observer Live Preshow that begins at 6PM ET – 3PM PST.  LISTEN HERE

    Bryan and Vinny will be back with a new Bryan and Vinny Show shortly after Hell in a Cell ends. And if that wasn’t enough! Dave and Bryan will return with a Wrestling Observer Radio WWE Hell in a Cell post show.

    Join us at 8PM ET for our live coverage of WWE Hell in a Cell.

    SHEAMUS & RUSEV & KING BARRETT VS. DOLPH ZIGGLER & NEVILLE & CESARO

    Stardust and The Ascension were at ringside but played no part in this.  Good match, particularly the last few minteus.  Neville did an assisted Fosbury Flop dive on Rusev and Sheamus.  Ziggler superkicked Barrett and then Cesaro did a 16 rep giant swing and Neville pinned Barrett using the red arrow.

    JOHN CENA VS. ALBERTO DEL RIO WITH ZEB COLTER AS MANAGER FOR THE U.S. TITLE

    Coulter came out in a motorized wheelchair as he’s still not recovered from surgery, and said that he’s bridging things and said Del Rio was his new guy.  Del Rio was a lot bigger and more muscular than before.   They had an average match, short, with Del Rio getting out of the Attitude Adjustment and Del Rio used a backstabber and superkick and got the pin.  Nobody was ready for that to be the pin. 

    Backstage, HHH & Stephanie and Seth Rollins were backstage.  Kane came in smiling and Rollins said tomorrow he’d be out of a job.  Kane smiled and said, “Good luck,” but then turned mad face and said, “You’re gonna need it.”

    Alberto is still AAA champion and was booked on all their big shows going forward.  Alberto just told AAA about this over the weekend so they got their second big blow in a short period of time.  They irony is a major reason Myzteziz left was Alberto, and now Alberto is gone as well.  This was really a huge blow to them.  Alberto had pretty much decided when he had it with Lucha Underground to go to WWE.  Combate Americas was also left in the lurch by this one as there were big plans for him there.  I believe they also just found out about this.  We’ll have a lot more on this later tonight.

    ROMAN REIGNS VS. BRAY WYATT IN A HELL IN A CELL MATCH

    Very good long match.  This was a long slow match, 70s pacing where Rerigns sold a ton and for a long period of time, would make some comebacks.  Very deliberate and well worked.  Wyatt used a uranage off the apron through a table.   Reigns speared  Wyatt off the apron though a table.  Reigns kicked out of Sister Abigail.  The finish saw Wyatt set up two kendo sticks in the corner with the idea he was going to throw Reigns’ face into the sticks.  Reigns, who was selling like he was dead, blocked it, pulled one of the sticks out and hit Wyatt.  He then threw Wyatt eye first into the kendo stick and followed with a spear for the pin.  Crowd really got into it late.

    BIG E & KOFI KINGSTON VS. DUDLEYS FOR TAG TITLE

    Xavier Woods isn’t here.  He was getting married this weekend so they did an injury angle to take him out for the weekend.

    The New Day retained.  The Dudleys had the 3-D set up on Kingston but E hit Bubba with part of the trombone that Bubba broke over his knee during the match, and Kingston pinned Bubba with Trouble in Paradise.   Match was okay.  They did a total  Arena Mexico spot a moment earlier where Kingston threw the trombone to Bubba and the ref turned around, Kingston fell to the ground selling like he’d been hit with Bubba holding the trombone.  They teased a DQ, the ref went to signal for the bell, and then decided against it.  They went right to the finish from there.

    CHARLOTTE VS. NIKKI BELLA FOR THE DIVAS TITLE

    Everyone is banned from cheerleading at ringside.

    Really good match.  Probably the best women’s match on a WWE PPV in a while.  Charlotte retained the title by reversing out of the rack attack into a cradle and the figure eight.  Charlotte was bleeding from the bridge of the nose after a hard elbow early.  Most of the match was Nikki working over Charlotte’s back and the story was that Charlotte couldn’t bridge for the figure eight, but she “gutted it out” for the finish.  

    After the match Paige and Becky Lynch ran in to congratulate them.  The idea is Paige was disingenuous. 

    They are pushing that  Survivor Series next month will be the 25th anniverary of The Undertaker.  So something should happen today or tomorrow to set him up for a match there.

    SETH ROLLINS VS. DEMON KANE FOR WWE TITLE VS. KANE’S JOB

    Good match.  Rollins won clean with the pedigree after a kick to the chest when Kane went for a choke slam.  Rollins kicked out of a choke slam.  Rollins did a series of springboard knees and two superkicks, followed by a frog splash but Kane kicked out of that.   So Corporate Kane lost his job.   A big spot also saw Rollins power bomb Kane onto the Spanish announcers table, which didn’t break.  They teased a count out spot but Kane got in at nine.  

    KEVIN OWENS VS. RYBACK FOR IC TITLE

    A 5:00 match with Owens winning with a power bomb after Owens kicked him in the chest, although Ryback sold it like his eye was poked.  It was fine for what it was.  The crowd was heavily for Owens.  Ryback did have chants, but he was also booed.

    BROCK LESNAR VS. UNDERTAKER IN A HELL IN A CELL MATCH

    Great match.  Lesnar won with his third F-5 on the exposed boards after Lesnar had tore the canvas open and pulled the mats away.  The story of the match is that Lesnar as learned form Undertaker to make him the perfect fighting machine.   Both guys were bleeding.  Lesnar was thrown into the post and threw his head in hardway.  Lesnar punched Underaker in the head or threw him into cage and he bled.  The doctor twice tried to wipe the blood off Lesnar.  During the match Undertaker kicked out of the first two F-5s while Lesnar kicked out a tombstone piledriver.  Loud “Thank you Taker” chants when it was over.  The crowd heat was way higher for this than anything else onthe show.  Undertaker got a standing ovation when it was over. 

    The Wyatts came out for Undertaker.  Harper, Strowman, Wyatt and Rowan surrounded the ring.  They all attacked him.  Strowman throwing knees.  They held him while Wyatt attacked him.  They carried him on their shoulders to the back to end the show.  One would think Undertaker will form a team against the Wyatts.  Real strong presentation, espeically the set up for the final angle.

  • Samoa Joe eliminated as mystery opponent for John Cena

    We’ve had confirmation minutes ago that those in NXT have said Samoa Joe is scheduled to wrestle on one of the two shows in Sacramento today, which would eliminate him from speculation as far as being John Cena’s opponent in the U.S. title match.

    As noted on the audio last night, there was a rumor in Los Angeles regarding Joe in that spot, but that made no sense to me because I didn’t think they’d have him work an NXT show yesterday if that was the case. Last night we were told by someone close to the situation that Joe was never scheduled for the spot.

    We have a correspondent in Sacramento who said that he hasn’t seen Joe personally, but was told he is scheduled to wrestle and was still in Sacramento.

    Tyler Breeze, another name speculated about online in recent days, is also currently in Sacramento at an autograph signing.

  • DR. KEITH PRESENTS: All The Paatelainens! – UFC Dublin, Hell In A Cell & More!

    DR. KEITH PRESENTS: All The Paatelainens! 

    This week on the DKP, Alan is joined by his fellow Irishmen Eamo (you know him and love him) and Dave (you probably don’t know him but you will definitely love him!) to discuss their experience at UFC Dublin last night, look ahead to tonight’s Hell In A Cell PPV and look at the family history of a very random mid-90s soccer player. Quite the hilarious show if we do say so ourselves! CHECK IT!!!

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  • WWE Main Event results (10/24): Sasha Banks vs. Brie Bella; Kevin Owens vs. Neville

    WWE Main Event on the campus of the University of Texas in Austin was part of the go-home week of programming leading to Hell in a Cell. The show featured two very good quality television matches and another match that showcased monster heels. Notably, Sasha Banks and Brie Bella had a match that arguably bordered on the edge of strong style, or at least as close as WWE style can get to that. Likewise, Kevin Owens and Neville showcased their in-ring chemistry in another good match.

    Sasha Banks (with Tamina & Naomi) beat Brie Bella (with Nikki Bella & Alicia Fox)

    Brie taunted Sasha after getting the better of an early exchange. On the next exchange, Sasha got the better of Brie and taunted her by mocking Brie’s husband and YES-ing. The crowd followed Sasha’s lead. There was an awkward tilt-a-whirl headscissors spot. Sasha, an admitted devout Eddy Guerrero fan, ran up the turnbuckles for a lucha arm drag similar to her idol.

    Sasha went for a double knee drop in a corner but Nikki and Alicia pulled Brie out to safety. Well, maybe not quite to safety as they yanked her out by her feet and Brie took a bump on the floor. Team Bella consoled her at ringside. Apparently someone was checking out the ladies at ringside because Alicia shouted, “What are you looking at? Don’t you look at the goods!” With Brie near the apron, Sasha hit her with a baseball slide. “RUDE,” Nikki declared.

    Sasha stayed on offense until she perched herself in a corner and Brie jerked her down before a commercial. After the break, Brie delivered some Bryan-esque kicks and the crowd chanted “YES” along with her kicking. Before delivering a running knee strike, Brie signaled it was time for Brie Mode. Brie grounded Sasha on the mat then executed a side Russian legsweep followed by more kicks.

    To start a comeback, Sasha used a headscissors to send Brie crashing into a turnbuckle. Sasha fired up and moments later did her double knee drop in the corner they had teased earlier. Brie fought back and hit a missile dropkick off the middle rope. Sasha dodged a kick and used a schoolgirl for a nearfall then a backslide for a two count. Brie countered with an inside cradle for a nearfall. Brie signaled for her finisher only for Sasha to counter into a backstabber. Sasha floated over and applied the bank statement for the submission as Brie tapped out.

    Erick Rowan & Braun Strowman beat The Prime Time Players (Darren Young & Titus O’Neil)

    The story of the match was Rowan and Strowman were big, strong, and more powerful. Basically, they were monster heels. More specifically, Strowman was an unstoppable monster. Every time The Prime Time Players would get an advantage, Rowan and Strowman would quickly pummel them. Titus, a big man himself, did get to run wild briefly off a hot tag but to no avail. A blind tag allowed Strowman to cut off Titus and apply the head and arm choke, lifting Titus off of his feet no less, to get the decisive victory via submission.

    Intercontinental champion Kevin Owens beat Neville in a nontitle match

    During chain wrestling in the opening sequences, Owens would cheat by grabbing the hair besides also trash talking. Neville would use his quickness and high flying to counter the bullying style of Owens. In chickenshit heel fashion, Owens would take a powder to stall Neville’s momentum. At one point, Neville sent Owens to the outside off of a flying headscissors. When it looked as if Neville would do a dive to the outside, Owens bailed out of the way and used commentator Byron Saxton for cover. Later, he would also taunt Saxton to continue the storyline of Owens bullying him they began some time ago.

    After a commercial break, Owens was begging off then he countered Neville and threw him out to the floor. As Neville broke the count, Owens hit a superkick that knocked Neville off the apron. Owens then gave him a fallaway slam into the barricade on the outside. Owens got heat on Neville and gave him a gutbuster. With Neville down on the mat selling, the crowd began to chant for him.

    A flurry by Neville led to a comeback as he escaped a fireman’s carry that he turned into a DDT. Moments later, Neville did a moonsault off the top turnbuckle to the floor. It really was a thing of beauty. Nevertheless, Owens cut him off, did a senton and set up for his running cannonball. Neville avoided it and slipped behind him to deliver a German suplex followed by a dropkick for a nearfall.

    Neville went to the top rope and jumped off for the red arrow. However, Owens rolled out of the way and eventually executed the pop-up powerbomb for the pinfall.