Hell in a Cell (2022)

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Hell in a Cell
Hell in a Cell 2022 Official Poster.jpeg
Promotional poster featuring Cody Rhodes
PromotionWWE
Brand(s)Raw
SmackDown
DateJune 5, 2022
CityRosemont, Illinois
VenueAllstate Arena
Attendance12,834[1]
WWE Network event chronology
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The 2022 Hell in a Cell was the 14th annual Hell in a Cell professional wrestling pay-per-view and livestreaming event produced by WWE. It was held for wrestlers from the promotion's Raw and SmackDown brand divisions. The event took place on June 5, 2022, at the Allstate Arena in the Chicago suburb of Rosemont, Illinois.

Seven matches were contested at the event. In the main event, Cody Rhodes defeated Seth "Freakin" Rollins in a Hell in a Cell match. In other prominent matches, The Judgment Day (Edge, Damian Priest, and Rhea Ripley) defeated AJ Styles, Finn Bálor, and Liv Morgan in a six-person mixed tag team match, Bobby Lashley defeated Omos and MVP in a 2-on-1 handicap match, and in the opening bout, Bianca Belair defeated Asuka and Becky Lynch in a triple threat match to retain the Raw Women's Championship.

The event was met with positive reviews from critics, with the main event receiving universal acclaim. Rhodes and Rollins were praised for their performances but fans and critics especially praised Rhodes' efforts in competing inside Hell in a Cell even though he was injured.

Production[]

Background[]

Hell in a Cell is a gimmick event produced annually by WWE since 2009. The concept of the show comes from the promotion's established Hell in a Cell match, in which competitors fight inside a 20-foot-high roofed cell structure surrounding the ring and ringside area. The main event match of the card is contested under the Hell in a Cell stipulation.[2][3][4] The 2022 event was the 14th event under the Hell in a Cell chronology and featured wrestlers from the Raw and SmackDown brands. With the exception of the September 2018 event, Hell in a Cell had been held in October. The 2021 event, however, moved the event series up to June, with the 2022 event scheduled for June 5 at the Allstate Arena in the Chicago suburb of Rosemont, Illinois. It aired on pay-per-view (PPV) worldwide and the livestreaming services Peacock in the United States and the WWE Network in international markets.[5]

Storylines[]

The show included matches that resulted from scripted storylines, where wrestlers portrayed heroes, villains, or less distinguishable characters in scripted events that built tension and culminated in a wrestling match or series of matches. Results were predetermined by WWE's writers on the Raw and SmackDown brands,[6][7] while storylines were produced on WWE's weekly television shows, Monday Night Raw and Friday Night SmackDown.[8]

After defeating Seth "Freakin" Rollins at both WrestleMania 38[9] and WrestleMania Backlash,[10] Cody Rhodes was granted a United States Championship match against Theory on the May 9 episode of Raw. However, during the match, Rollins attacked Rhodes, costing Rhodes the title.[11] The following week, Rhodes challenged Rollins to another match, this time inside Hell in a Cell, which Rollins accepted.[12]

At WrestleMania 38, Bianca Belair defeated Becky Lynch to win the Raw Women's Championship.[9] On the April 25 episode of Raw, Lynch wanted a rematch, but Asuka interrupted, making a surprise return after nine months of inactivity due to injury.[13] WWE official Adam Pearce gave Asuka a chance to face Belair in a championship contender's match on the May 9 episode; however, the match ended in a no contest after Lynch attacked both competitors.[11] The following week, Asuka defeated Lynch to earn the right to face Belair for the Raw Women's Championship at Hell in a Cell.[12] On the May 23 episode, Lynch was given another chance to face Asuka with the added stipulation that if Lynch won, she would be added to the championship match at Hell in a Cell. Lynch defeated Asuka, turning the bout into a triple threat match.[14]

At WrestleMania 38, Bobby Lashley defeated Omos.[15] The following night on Raw, Lashley's manager, MVP, turned on Lashley and aligned with Omos, who then defeated Lashley at WrestleMania Backlash with the help of MVP.[10] On the May 16 episode of Raw, Lashley defeated Omos again, this time in a Steel Cage match when Omos threw Lashley through the cage allowing him to win by walking out of the cage.[12] The following week, with Lashley wanting to put an end to their rivalry, he challenged MVP to a match where the winner would choose the stipulation of his match against Omos at Hell in a Cell. With the help of Omos, MVP defeated Lashley by countout. Omos and MVP decided that the stipulation at Hell in a Cell would be a 2-on-1 handicap match with Omos and MVP facing Lashley.[14]

Event[]

Other on-screen personnel
Role: Name:
English commentators Michael Cole (SmackDown)
Jimmy Smith (Raw)
Corey Graves (all matches)
Byron Saxton (Raw)
Spanish commentators Marcelo Rodriguez
Jerry Soto
Ring announcers Mike Rome (Raw)
Samantha Irvin (SmackDown)
Referees Danilo Anfibio
Jason Ayers
Jessika Carr
Daphne Lashaunn
Eddie Orengo
Ryan Tran
Rod Zapata
Pre-show panel Kayla Braxton
Kevin Patrick
Peter Rosenberg
Booker T
Jerry Lawler

Preliminary matches[]

The event opened with Bianca Belair defending the Raw Women's Championship against Asuka and Becky Lynch in a triple threat match. Asuka caught Belair in an Armbar, but Belair countered and slammed her onto the top turnbuckle. Lynch performed a Natural Selection on Belair. Lynch performed a Top Rope Leg Drop on Belair, but Asuka broke up the pin. Belair slammed Asuka onto Lynch and performed a handspring into a Standing Moonsault onto both for a nearfall. Asuka hit a Codebreaker on Belair and then caught Lynch off the ropes into another Codebreaker for a nearfall on both. Asuka placed both in a Double Ankle Lock, but both made it to the ropes. Lynch hit the Manhandle Slam on Belair, but Asuka broke up the pin. In the end, Lynch threw Belair out of the ring and hit a second Manhandle Slam on Asuka. Belair returned to throw Lynch out of the ring and pinned Asuka to retain the title.[16]

Next, Bobby Lashley took on Omos and MVP in a 2-on-1 handicap match. In the end, MVP drove Lashley out of the ring with the Player's Boot. Omos tackled Lashley through the barricade, but Lashley made it back into the ring at nine. Cedric Alexander came out and entered the ring, but was thrown out by Omos. That distraction from Alexander allowed Lashley to hit a Spear on Omos and force MVP to submit to the Hurt Lock to win the match.[16]

Then, Ezekiel took on Kevin Owens. Owens performed a Tornado DDT for a nearfall. Owens went for a Swanton, but Ezekiel got his knees up. Owens hit a Pop-Up Powerbomb for a nearfall. Ezekiel went up top, but Owens crotched him on the ropes. Owens knocked Ezekiel off the ropes and then hit a Cannonball in the corner. Owens hit a Stunner on Ezekiel to win the match.[16]

In the fourth match, AJ Styles, Finn Bálor, and Liv Morgan took on The Judgment Day (Edge, Damian Priest, and Rhea Ripley) in a six-person mixed tag team match. The two teams brawled in the ring to start. Judgment Day spent most of the match neutralizing Bálor from his teammates. Styles eventually tagged in and hit Edge with a Phenomenal Forearm, but Priest pulled Styles out of the ring on the pin. Ripley attempted the Riptide, but Morgan reversed and hit a DDT. Bálor attempted the Coup de Grâce on Priest, but Ripley crotched Bálor on the top rope. Priest hit a South of Heaven Chokeslam on Bálor, but was caught with a Phenomenal Forearm from Styles. Edge threw Styles into the ring post as Bálor again attempted the Coup de Grâce, but Ripley stepped in to stop it. After Morgan took out Ripley, Bálor missed the Coup de Grâce as Edge moved and then hit a Spear on Bálor to win the match for The Judgment Day.[16]

Next, Madcap Moss took on Happy Corbin in a No Holds Barred match. Corbin beat Moss down with a steel chair, but Moss took control and returned the favor. Moss hit a DDT to Corbin for a nearfall. On the outside, Corbin ran and hit a huge Chop Block on Moss. Corbin placed the chair around Moss' neck and slammed him into the announce table. Moss hit a Fallaway Slam to Corbin into steel steps that was set up in the corner and then hit the Punchline. Moss placed Corbin's neck in a steel chair and slammed the steps onto the chair and pinned Corbin to win the match.[16]

In the penultimate match, Theory defended the United States Championship against Mustafa Ali. Ali went for a 450 splash, but Theory rolled out of the way and Ali hurt his knee. Theory chop blocked the bad knee and hit Ali with the ATL to retain the title.[16]

Main event[]

The main event saw Cody Rhodes take on Seth "Freakin" Rollins in a Hell in a Cell match. Rollins came out in polka dot themed attire to mock Rhodes' father, Dusty, while Rhodes competed in the match with a completely torn pectoral muscle. Rhodes hit Rollins with the Disaster Kick and the Cody Cutter on Rollins early. Rhodes locked in the Figure-Four Leglock on Rollins, but let go after Rollins refused to let go of the bottom rope. Rollins threw Rhodes into the cell wall multiple times with the injured shoulder. Rollins attacked the injured shoulder using the steel steps. Rollins pulled out a polka dot weight belt to lash Rhodes in the injured shoulder. Rollins attempted a Frog Splash, but Rhodes moved and Rollins crashed through a table. Rhodes pulled a bull rope out from under the ring and both he and Seth attached themselves to it. Rhodes struck Rollins in the head with a cowbell for a nearfall. Rollins used the rope to slam Rhodes' shoulder first into the ring post. Rhodes executed a Cross Rhodes on Rollins for a nearfall. Rollins performed a Buckle Bomb to Rhodes through a table for a nearfall. Rollins pulled a sledgehammer out from beneath the ring, but Rhodes was able to avoid being hit. Rhodes landed a Pedigree on Rollins for a nearfall. Rollins hit Rhodes with Cross Rhodes, but Rhodes was able to hit his own. Rollins hit the Stomp for a nearfall. Rhodes performed the Cross Rhodes twice on Rollins before hitting the latter with the sledgehammer to win the match.[16]

Reception[]

The event received mainly positive reviews, with the main event receiving worldwide acclaim for Rhodes' dedication along with his and Rollins' performances. It was reported by WWE on Twitter that the event was the most-watched Hell in a Cell in WWE history.[17] Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter rated the main event between Seth Rollins and Cody Rhodes five stars, which makes this match the first on the WWE main roster since 2011 to receive such a rating.

Aftermath[]

Cody Rhodes opened the following night's episode of Raw and said that he was finally done with Seth "Freakin" Rollins. Despite having an appointment to have surgery for his torn pectoral muscle that Thursday, he hinted at winning the Money in the Bank ladder match at the upcoming Money in the Bank event. Rollins then interrupted and said that he still did not like Rhodes, but Rhodes earned his respect. Rollins left the ring, but while Rhodes was making his exit, Rollins attacked Rhodes from behind with a sledgehammer and continued to attack Rhodes until separated by referees and WWE officials.[18]

The Judgment Day (Edge, Damian Priest, and Rhea Ripley) boasted about their victory over AJ Styles, Finn Bálor and Liv Morgan. Ripley said they were destined for victory and that she would win the fatal four-way match that night, also involving Morgan, and go on to Money in the Bank to win the Raw Women's Championship. Edge said they would be adding a new member to the group, who was revealed as Bálor. Bálor said he was tired of being someone he didn't want to be and saw The Judgment Day as a way to advance his own career. Bálor, along with Priest and Ripley, then turned on Edge and attacked him, hitting him with a Con-chair-to. Later that night, Ripley won the fatal four-way match by pinning Doudrop to face Bianca Belair for the Raw Women's Championship at Money in the Bank.[18]

Ezekiel admitted that he came up short in his match against Kevin Owens. He then challenged Owens to a rematch the following week. Owens agreed only if Ezekiel admitted that he was actually Elias. Ezekiel did and, after Owens agreed to the match, then revealed he was lying before attacking Owens.[18]

Results[]

No. Results Stipulations Times[16]
1 Bianca Belair (c) defeated Asuka and Becky Lynch by pinfall Triple threat match for the WWE Raw Women's Championship[19] 18:55
2 Bobby Lashley defeated Omos and MVP by submission 2-on-1 Handicap match[20] 8:25
3 Kevin Owens defeated Ezekiel by pinfall Singles match[21] 9:20
4 The Judgment Day (Edge, Damian Priest, and Rhea Ripley) defeated AJ Styles, Finn Bálor, and Liv Morgan by pinfall Six-person mixed tag team match[22] 16:00
5 Madcap Moss defeated Happy Corbin by pinfall No Holds Barred match[23] 12:05
6 Theory (c) defeated Mustafa Ali by pinfall Singles match for the WWE United States Championship[24] 10:25
7 Cody Rhodes defeated Seth "Freakin" Rollins by pinfall Hell in a Cell match[25] 24:20
  • (c) – refers to the champion(s) heading into the match

References[]

  1. ^ "WWE Hell In A Cell [FINAL COUNT] Sun • Jun 05 • 6:30 PM Allstate Arena, Rosemont, IL Tickets Distributed => 12,834 Totally SOLD OUT". Twitter. @WrestleTix. Retrieved June 6, 2022.
  2. ^ Caldwell, James (June 27, 2009). "WWE News: WWE changes the names of two more PPVs; Report on WWE fan input leading to changes". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved August 3, 2010.
  3. ^ "Specialty Matches: Hell in a Cell". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved August 3, 2010.
  4. ^ "WWE seeking feedback on PPVs". WrestleView. Retrieved August 3, 2009.
  5. ^ Lambert, Jeremy (March 4, 2022). "WWE Announces Date And Location For WWE Hell In A Cell". Fightful. Retrieved March 4, 2022.
  6. ^ Grabianowski, Ed. "How Pro Wrestling Works". HowStuffWorks. Discovery Communications. Archived from the original on November 29, 2013. Retrieved March 5, 2012.
  7. ^ "Live & Televised Entertainment". WWE. Archived from the original on February 18, 2009. Retrieved March 21, 2012.
  8. ^ Steinberg, Brian (May 25, 2016). "WWE's 'Smackdown' Will Move To Live Broadcast On USA (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Archived from the original on May 26, 2016. Retrieved May 25, 2016.
  9. ^ Jump up to: a b Powell, Jason (January 29, 2022). "WrestleMania 38 results: Powell's live review of night one with Steve Austin on The KO Show, Charlotte Flair vs. Ronda Rousey for the Smackdown Women's Title, Becky Lynch vs. Bianca Belair for the Raw Women's Title, Seth Rollins vs. an opponent of Vince McMahon's choosing". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved January 29, 2022.
  10. ^ Jump up to: a b Powell, Jason (May 8, 2022). "WWE WrestleMania Backlash results: Powell's live review of Roman Reigns and The Usos vs. Drew McIntyre and RK-Bro, Charlotte Flair vs. Ronda Rousey in an I Quit match for the Smackdown Women's Title, Cody Rhodes vs. Seth Rollins, Edge vs. AJ Styles, Bobby Lashley vs. Omos, Happy Corbin vs. Madcap Moss". Pro Wreslting Dot Net. Retrieved May 8, 2022.
  11. ^ Jump up to: a b Powell, Jason (May 9, 2022). "5/9 WWE Raw results: Powell's live review of Theory vs. Cody Rhodes for the U.S. Championship, "RK-Bro" Randy Orton and Riddle vs. The Street Profits for the Raw Tag Titles, Omos on the VIP Lounge, the fallout from WrestleMania Backlash". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved May 13, 2022.
  12. ^ Jump up to: a b c Powell, Jason (May 16, 2022). "5/16 WWE Raw results: Powell's live review of Becky Lynch vs. Asuka for a future shot at the Raw Women's Championship, Bobby Lashley vs. Omos in a steel cage match, Riddle vs. Jimmy Uso, Cody Rhodes addresses Seth Rollins, Mustafa Ali vs. Veer Mahaan with The Miz as special referee". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved May 17, 2022.
  13. ^ Johnson, Mike (April 25, 2022). "ASUKA RETURNS". PWInsider. Retrieved April 25, 2022.
  14. ^ Jump up to: a b Powell, Jason (May 23, 2022). "5/23 WWE Raw results: Powell's live review of Cody Rhodes vs. The Miz, Bobby Lashley's "All Mighty challenge" for Omos and MVP, Becky Lynch comments on losing to Asuka, the build to Hell in a Cell continues". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved May 24, 2022.
  15. ^ Powell, Jason (April 3, 2022). "WrestleMania 38 results: Powell's live review of night two with Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar for the Unified WWE Championship, RK-Bro vs. The Street Profits vs. Alpha Academy for the Raw Tag Titles, Edge vs. AJ Styles, Johnny Knoxville vs. Sami Zayn in an Anything Goes match, Pat McAfee vs. Austin Theory, Bobby Lashley vs. Omos". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved April 3, 2022.
  16. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h Powell, Jason (June 5, 2022). "WWE Hell in a Cell results: Powell's live review of Cody Rhodes vs. Seth Rollins in a HIAC match, Bianca Belair vs. Asuka vs. Becky Lynch for the Raw Women's Title, Theory vs. Mustafa Ali for the U.S. Title, Bobby Lashley vs. Omos and MVP in a handicap match, Kevin Owens vs. Ezekiel, Judgment Day vs. AJ Styles, Finn Balor, and Liv Morgan". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved June 5, 2022.
  17. ^ WWE [@WWE] (June 6, 2022). "Last night's #HIAC was the most watched Hell in a Cell in WWE history! Thank you, WWE Universe!" (Tweet). Retrieved June 6, 2022 – via Twitter.
  18. ^ Jump up to: a b c Powell, Jason (June 6, 2022). "6/6 WWE Raw results: Powell's live review of the HIAC fallout edition with a Cody Rhodes promo, Judgment Day adding a new member, Alexa Bliss vs. Rhea Ripley vs. Liv Morgan vs. Doudrop to become No. 1 contender to the Raw Women's Championship, Miz TV with The Miz and Maryse". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved June 6, 2022.
  19. ^ Miller, Greg (June 5, 2022). "Raw Women's Champion Bianca Belair def. Asuka and Becky Lynch". WWE. Retrieved June 6, 2022.
  20. ^ Miller, Greg (June 5, 2022). "Bobby Lashley def. Omos & MVP (2-on-1 Handicap Match)". WWE. Retrieved June 6, 2022.
  21. ^ Miller, Greg (June 5, 2022). "Kevin Owens def. Ezekiel". WWE. Retrieved June 6, 2022.
  22. ^ Miller, Greg (June 5, 2022). "The Judgment Day def. Finn Bálor, AJ Styles & Liv Morgan". WWE. Retrieved June 6, 2022.
  23. ^ Miller, Greg (June 5, 2022). "Madcap Moss def. Happy Corbin (No Holds Barred Match)". WWE. Retrieved June 6, 2022.
  24. ^ Miller, Greg (June 5, 2022). "Theory def. Mustafa Ali to retain the United States Championship". WWE. Retrieved June 6, 2022.
  25. ^ Miller, Greg (June 5, 2022). "Cody Rhodes def. Seth "Freakin" Rollins". WWE. Retrieved June 6, 2022.

External links[]

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