Considering only four matches were promoted for this, four were added hours before the event, and another added in the kickoff show, it’s hard to imagine anything good coming out of this.
With all that in mind, here are the best moments of the pay-per-view.
Hell in a Cell match: Becky Lynch and Sasha Banks
This was by far the best match of the night as both superstars pushed themselves to the max both physically and creatively.
The most unique moment was when Lynch propped a chair in the cell about head high and used kendo sticks stuck in the cell to support it. Having Banks sit on the chair and absorb a dropkick was perfect.
While the outcome wasn’t expected by many, it was the right one to cement Lynch as the top female superstar. The question now, with her feud with Banks finished, is who does she face next? There aren’t other threats that are legitimate threats. This is the danger to having someone hold onto the belt for so long, but at least Lynch makes things interesting no matter who she faces. That along makes it worth keeping the title on her.
Respect
What wasn’t a match until the kickoff show ended up being the second best of the night. After approaching Ali and telling him he was lucky and not good, Randy Orton decided to put the younger superstar in his place.
The match was low key as few believed Ali had a chance, but despite being dominated by Orton, Ali managed a few flourishes and nearly scored a surprise pin by countering Orton’s RKO.
The two showed a good chemistry that gave the match a good back and forth and kept our attention. The highlight of it was after hitting an RKO for the win, Orton stood over Ali, nodded, and thumped his chest.
It was the ultimate show of respect from Orton, and it went a long way in putting Ali over, so we can expect bigger and better things from him in the future.
The Kabuki Warriors
This was a great match simply because we got to see what Asuka and Kairi Sane are capable of. Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross were great champions, but they seemed a little flatfooted in this match. Lack of time to prepare, maybe? Either way, this was a decent passing of the torch, even if the torch is expected to be extinguished before too long.
Amazing the talent that’s hidden by limiting matches to five or so minutes, huh?
Final Thoughts
This was more of a Raw or Smackdown episode (though not as exciting) than a pay-per-view, but it’s good to see some good things come out of it. For all the heat they take, WWE creative did a phenomenal job of setting up the Orton/Ali match and concluding it in the best possible way. It’s a shame any good in this event was overshadowed by the bad, but that’s a different article.
