411’s Instant Access 10.03.10: WWE Hell in a Cell 2010

411’s Instant Access 10.03.10: WWE Hell in a Cell 2010
Posted by Michael Uphoff on 10.03.10

Randy Orton successfully defended his WWE Championship against Sheamus, and Daniel Bryan retained his United States Championship in a hellacious match, and John Cena is forced to join Nexus! Also, Michelle retained the Unified Diva’s Championship, and Kane retained the World Heavyweight Championship against the Undertaker! All this and more is inside!

Hey kids, I’m Michael Uphoff, filling in for Scott Slimmer, and this is 411’s Instant Access: WWE Hell in a Cell 2010. 411’s Instant Access is the companion piece to 411 Live Pay-Per-View Coverage and features immediate reaction to wrestling pay-per-views. The focus in Instant Access is on first thoughts and initial reactions instead of play-by-play with the goal of providing you with instant access to one two three four FIVE writers’ thoughts on the show. Here’s the team for Hell in a Cell:

• Mike Uphoff, author emeritus of 411’s WWE Smackdown Report.

Okay kids, enough with the explanations. Let’s get to the wrestling.

Triple Threat Submissions Count Anywhere Match
Daniel Bryan (Champion) vs. John Morrison vs. The Miz
Match Result: Daniel Bryan wins via submission on the Miz
Match Length: 14:00
Match Analysis:
Uphoff: I was not really high on this match initially because of the way it was just thrown together on RAW, but I had some high expectations. Morrison brought his A-game, Miz really continued to raise his in-ring ability, and Daniel Bryan was Daniel Bryan. This was a great match that featured the best of each man involved. This match highlighted Bryan’s skill and determination, Morrison’s skills and resourcefulness, and the Miz’s ability to be outsmarting both of his opponents. We saw some very innovative submission holds, and also some submission holds that I didn’t think I’d ever see again in the WWE, like the Tarantula and the Texas Cloverleaf. Also, I got to see Cattle Mutilation, which was a win. Striker calling out Cole there was great. This was a great match from the get go, and a no-brainer for the opening match. This match is a must-see because it is an example of when WWE can occasionally get it right and let three midcarders (one or two upper-midcarders) truly shine and let everything go and have a great match.
Match Rating:
Uphoff: ****

Hell in a Cell Match for the WWE Championship
Randy Orton (Champion) vs. Sheamus
Match Result: Randy Orton retains the WWE Championship via RKO on steel steps
Match Length: 23:00
Match Analysis:
Uphoff: This was a perfect example of how WWE should do a Hell in a Cell match in the PG era. This feud has been ongoing since the Royal Rumble, where Sheamus won via DQ, and the past couple matches have actually been quite entertaining. This match started off pretty good and picked up nicely as it got going. Orton’s powerslam to Sheamus on the steel steps was SICK, as was him giving Sheamus the hangman’s DDT to the floor. Sheamus has consistently stepped up his in-ring ability in the past few months, and this match was no different. These two have had matches that didn’t flow well, but this match flowed very well and the crowd ate up almost everything that happened in this match. This was a very good match that might have been a little better, but this is still worth seeing for a good brawl.

Match Rating:
Uphoff: ***1/4

Edge vs. Jack Swagger
Match Result: Edge wins via pinfall with the Spear
Match Length: 12:00
Match Analysis:
Uphoff: For a match that was just thrown together to take up time in the PPV, this wasn’t half bad. I don’t like how this took away from the good promo that Alberto Del Rio was cutting, and I don’t know what happened to him when the match started. This was a decent match between the two, and really, with the two involved, it couldn’t have been that bad. Swagger brought his usual and so did Edge. What we got was a fun way to spend 12 minutes.
Match Rating:
Uphoff: **1/4

John Cena vs. Wade Barrett
Match Result: Wade Barrett wins via pinfall on John Cena via outside interference by Husky Harris
Match Length: 18:00
Match Analysis:
Uphoff: This was a match that I didn’t know what was going to happen. It could either be very good or very bad. What we got was a match that was fairly good. It was made even better by a hot crowd that cheered for both men. I don’t think that there was a more highly anticipated match at this PPV than this one, and it didn’t fail in delivering a good time. The expressions of the crowd after the match were priceless, as were the expressions of the kids in the bar where I was watching the PPV. Barrett is improving in the ring more and more, and even got to kick out of the Attitude Adjustment. Cena made Barrett look good, and this match sets up some very interesting future booking to which I am eagerly looking forward.
Match Rating:
Uphoff: ***

Unified Divas Championship Match
Michelle McCool (Champion) vs. Natalya
Match Result: Natalya wins via DQ, and Michelle McCool retains the Unified Diva’s Championship
Match Length: 6:00
Match Analysis:
Uphoff: This was a very competently wrestled Diva’s match. McCool and Natalya meshed very well together, and this was a good match until the ending. I wouldn’t mind seeing a rematch between the two Divas.
Match Rating:
Uphoff: **

Hell in a Cell Match for the World Heavyweight Championship
Kane (Champion) vs. The Undertaker
Match Result: Kane retains the World Heavyweight Championship via pinfall on chokeslam to the Undertaker
Match Length: 23:00
Match Analysis:
Uphoff: I didn’t expect much from this match, and I really didn’t get much from this match either. This feud has been one of the best in 2010, but this match really didn’t help the feud in terms of quality. Both men put on a decent match, but I know that they are capable of putting on a better match. Bearer turning on Taker is something that I saw potentially happening, but I didn’t think it would happen. Then again, this is Vince we’re talking about here. He’s capable of anything. I wonder where each man heads, presumably towards a rematch at Survivor Series.
Match Rating:
Uphoff: **1/4

Final Thoughts

Match of the Night:
Uphoff: Submissions Count Anywhere Triple Threat- Off the charts entertainment from start to finish and a must see for everyone.

Trash of the Night:
Uphoff: World Heavyweight Championship Match- I expected more and got less. I was disappointed in the effort, but not the booking. I’m kinda looking forward to what happens next.

Final Analysis:
Uphoff: This was a PPV that had some ups and downs, but it mostly had ups. That marks two PPV’s in a row that WWE has put on now that have been above average efforts, hopefully a trend that continues in the near future. This PPV is a must-see for the opening match, the WWE Championship, and the Cena/Barrett match. Everything else is decent and watchable, but get it for those matches.

Verdict:
Uphoff: ***1/4