With less than two weeks (seriously, two more weeks.) remaining until the Hell in a Cell pay-per-view, WWE decided to gift fans with an excellent main event with plenty on the line. Let’s take a look at what went down during an interesting show.
Ambrose and Cena Settle Things Once and For All
Once again, the prevailing storyline on Raw featured the feud between Dean Ambrose and John Cena over who gets to feud with Seth Rollins. Generally speaking, this would be a dumb idea, except for the fact that it unleashes Ambrose on the world and we get awesome reactions from the Fringe Lunatic like this one.
The show kicks off with Ambrose in the ring talking about how he can’t wait to get his hands on Seth Rollins. Oh, and he has one minor thing he has to take care of before getting to that match and that’s beating John Cena, which, no biggie. Ambrose says the only thing to do is beat Cena senseless so he can get his shot at Rollins inside the Cell and this of course brings out Super Cena.
Cena takes his patented “Hey young fellas listen to this advice” stance and tries to lecture Ambrose on how he should shut up and get ready for what Cena says will be the match of Ambrose’s life and that the youngster is making a big mistake by running his mouth so much.
This of course brings out the Authority and Triple H says that him and the Mrs. have a little bet going on and he books Cena/Ambrose vs. The Usos vs. Goldust/Stardust right now. Well, at least they added some new elements to this thing. (Seriously, is this not the longest break between PPV’s in WWE history?!)
As the match gets underway, Ambrose and Cena take turns trying to one-up each other against their opponents who are apparently only there to help put the main eventers over. Eventually, things develop into chaos and Cena heads up top to take all his opponents out with a Big Splash outside of the ring. Not to be outdone, Ambrose heads up top himself and hits a massive elbow drop onto the pile.
Ambrose then rolls Stardust (please bring back Cody Rhodes) into the ring and hits him with a Dirty Deeds, however it’s Cena who gets the pinfall and the victory for his team.
After the win, the Authority makes their way back out and Triple H says that Cena and Ambrose need a spark. Hunter says we’ll really find out who wants to fight Seth Rollins as tonight Ambrose and Cena will face off in a No Holds Barred Contract on a Pole match (seriously, longest match name of all time) in the main event of Raw instead of waiting until Hell in a Cell.
The Authority’s Henchmen Begin to Unravel
Another interesting development on Raw was what seemed to be the beginning of a Seth Rollins and Randy Orton inter-Authority feud. We first see Orton head into the back and tell Triple H he wants the loser of Ambrose/Cena at Hell in a Cell which I don’t really like because it makes Orton look weak, but what do I know.
Things really pick up when Orton hits the ring to take on Intercontinental Champ Dolph Ziggler. The two go back and forth at the beginning of the match, and when Ziggler begins to take control, Mr. Money in the Bank makes his way out to ringside. This doesn’t make the Viper very happy as he tells Rollins to stay out of the way.
Following a few near-falls from both competitors, Ziggler has the advantage and looks to hit a Fame-Asser when…
RKO OUT OF NOWHERE!!! Seriously, this is the greatest move in wrestling today, and probably the greatest of all-time.
Orton continues to come up with amazing new ways to hit his finisher. After picking up the win, Orton taunts Rollins who laughs and then Curb Stomps Ziggler because the IC champ is nothing more than main-event storyline fodder at this point. #PUSHZIGGLER!
Later in the evening, we see Rollins take on Jack Swagger. Good, solid match between the two sees them go back and forth before the slimey Rollins picks up the win via roll-up with a handful of tights. As Seth celebrates his win, Orton runs out and hits an RKO on Swagger to re-assert his dominance. Hopefully this is the beginning of a feud between Triple H’s favorite lackeys.
Ambrose Earns His Shot at Revenge
It’s main event time and Cena, Ambrose and the Authority all make their way out for this No Holds Barred match. We’re immediately reminded of how ridiculous the Contract on a Pole aspect of the match is as both men try to rush up the turnbuckles and to the contract. Fortunately for all of us, they eventually settle into an actual wrestling match.
The two don’t spend much time in the ring as they are eventually battling on the ramp and exchanging punches as Rollins, Orton and Kane look on in amusement. Cena tries to hit Ambrose with an Attitude Adjustment on the stage, but the Lunatic counters and hits a suplex before making his way back to the ring. Cena eventually takes control and applies the STF Lock, but Ambrose breaks the hold by biting, yes biting, Cena’s arm in a way that only Dean AMbrose could pull off.
Ambrose then knocks Cena out of the ring and hits him with a suicide dive as the Authority’s three stooges taunt him. This just hypes up Cena who tosses Ambrose into all three men before rolling Ambrose into the ring. This ignites an all-out brawl as all three men attack Cena before Ambrose helps Mr. Hustle, Loyalty and Respect clear the ring.
Only Cena gets knocked down in the process, and when he gets back to his feet realizes that Ambrose has taken advantage.
Ambrose is on the turnbuckle and mocking Cena’s “You Can’t See Me” taunt (and doing it a thousand times better might I add).
Ambrose. Rollins. Hell in a Cell.
I don’t think I need to tell you that Ambrose-Rollins in a Hell in a Cell match has the potential to be the match of the decade, but just in case you were on the fence about watching the PPV, do it for this match alone.
A pay-per-view main event featuring two of WWE’s fastest-rising stars? WWE definitely got this one right.
Other Results:
AJ Lee & Layla defeat Paige & Alicia Fox via pinfall
Basically, Layla wouldn’t tag AJ, so AJ got mad, pinned Alicia Fox and then rushed Layla and beat her down. So apparently WWE now has two divas divisions, the ‘Total Divas’ rivalries, and the ‘non-Total Divas but Divas Championship’ rivalries. Okay.
Rusev defeats Big Show via disqualification
Interesting that they actually gave this match away for free instead of just saving it for Hell in a Cell. WWE teased a Mark Henry heel turn here as he attacked Rusev who had Show locked in the Accolade to cause the DQ and we saw hints of dissension between Henry and Show before they beat Rusev down (because two faces always beat up one heel right?). Really, all you need to know is that Rusev did this.
Yeah that Super Athlete thing is no joke. That dropkick was absolutely insane for a normal-sized person, let alone someone as big as Rusev.
The Miz defeats Sheamus via countout
Typical Miz/Sheamus match that sees the A-Lister steal a win via count-out thanks to some help from Mizdow. Really, the greatest thing about this feud and the Miz character in general is how hilarious Damien Sandow has been.
Comedic genius.
Naomi, Natalya & Brie Bella defeat Summer Rae, Cameron & Nikki Bella via pinfall
And this was your match from the ‘Total Divas’ division. Nothing special here, Brie got a bit of revenge hitting a running knee on Nikki for the win to presumably set up their Hell in a Cell match.
