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Damien Barling: Major Plot Twist at Hell In A Cell

THE USOS VS THE NEW DAY - HELL IN A CELL (SMACKDOWN TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP)
This was every bit as good as you would expect. There was more psychology in this Cell match then we've seen in recent memory. The New Day used kendo sticks and the cell to create some sort of Home Alone style trap that was pretty humorous. After a very physical match The Usos won with a double splash on Xavier Woods. These two teams have tremendous chemistry. The Usos are now 5x tag team champions.

RUSEV VS RANDY ORTON
I have no reason to care about this match. So I don't. Somehow Randy won and no one is surprised. He probably hit an RKO cause thats his thing (sarcasm, of course he hits an RKO).

TY DILLINGER VS BARON CARBIN VS AJ STYLES (US CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH)
Please put AJ back in the main event picture. This was not entertaining. Corbin is awful. Kings game started will this match was going on so I started tuning it out. Ty Dillinger feels like the latest cool NXT guy to disappear on the main roster (thats becoming a long list by the way). In fact, Dillinger was added to this match for the sole purpose of being the guy Corbin pins to win the US Championship. Chris is texting me how great this was. Maybe I was too distracted. Maybe I'm just prejudice to matches involving Baron Corbin.

CHARLOTTE FLAIR VS NATALYA (SMACKDOWN WOMENS CHAMPIONSHIP)
This was an old school match with an old school storyline. Work over a body part. Work it, work it, and work it. Natalya worked over Charlottes leg pretty good before getting disqualified for using a chair. This match wasn't on the level of there NXT matches but the story worked for me and I'm sure the ending is leading to something.

SHINSUKE NAKAMURA VS JINDER MAHAL (WWE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP)
This story has been awful from jump. The last match was flat and didn't deliver. The promos have been of horrible taste. This is no different. Jinder spent weeks making a fool of Nakamura and he just flat out pinned him again. So, for the better part of the last few months the King of Strong Style has looked like a fool against Mahal and never got that revenge everyone was waiting for. Look up the Triple H Booker T feud from Wrestlemania 19. The ending result of that feud ended Bookers ability to be a top level star. The similarities between these two story arches are pretty amazing.

SHANE MCMAHON VS KEVIN OWENS - HELL IN A CELL
Kevin Owens is such a tremendous bad guy. I mean, he is pretty much great at everything he does. The showed Shane hugging his kids and wife in the front row and you could hear KO yelling at them, "I should be your role model" at various points in the match. Owens set up a table outside the ring and wound up doing a cannon ball through it. Shane McMahon hit the famous garbage can Coast to Coast, then came the moment where he looked to the top the Cell and the crowd went nuts. He told the referee to open the door. "I can't". So, without even having to search, Shane McMahon grabbed some bolt cutters from under the ring, cut the lock and opened the door. Because, of course theres bolt cutters under the ring. The two battled on the outside until the big spot we all waited for came. Kevin Owens teased jumping off the top on to Shane. Shane eventually climbed to the top and the two brawled. The story became them performing big moves on each other weakening the structure. It looked as if KO hit Shane with a pop up power bomb and, PERHAPS, the cell was suppose to give and Shane would fall to a hopefully cushy landing. They teased throwing each other off before finally climbing part way down and KO taking a pig Vince McMahon style bump off the cage. I hated a lot of this. It felt so unnecessary. I didn't enjoy those two fighting on the Cell and I very much didn't want one, or both of them, jumping off.

Shane set KO on the table and climbed the Cell again. Shane jumped off. KO wasn't there. Sami Zayn saved him. Yep, didn't see that coming. Zayn pulled Owens on top of Shane for the pin. Yep, really didn't see that coming!

 

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