Hell in a Cell (2012 TV Special) User Reviews

Aside from a few Solid Matches, this PPV was Pretty Weak Overall

[carologletree · 5/10 · 5 January 2019]

I remember watching this pay-per-view live when it aired in 2012. This is not a very good show. There is some solid stuff here, but it mainly feels like a throwaway for the most part, and it is made even worse by the terrible main event.

Randy Orton vs. Alberto Del Rio - This was a pretty solid way to open up the show. These two may not be the ideal pairing, but they managed to deliver a good enough back-and-forth contest, and the finish was really well-done. Randy Orton wins by countering an Enziguiri with an RKO in mid-air. RATING: ***

WWE Tag Team Championship Match: Team Hell No (c) vs. Team Rhodes Scholars - This was a decent tag match with the teams working pretty well together, but the finish kind of killed it. Despite this being the culmination of a tag team tournament that lasted for about a month, it actually ends in disqualification. Not cool. RATING: **1/2

Intercontinental Championship Match: Kofi Kingston (c) vs. The Miz - As to be expected, these two put on a pretty solid match. It wasn't as good as their match on WWE Main Event a few weeks prior, but it still had some good sequences and told a good story. Kofi Kingston retains with the Trouble In Paradise. RATING: ***

United States Championship Match: Antonio Cesaro (c) vs. Justin Gabriel - These two are good in-ring workers, but this match was really nothing special. It was mostly a Raw-quality match with not much to say. Cesaro retains with the Neutralizer. RATING: **1/4

Rey Mysterio and Sin Cara vs. The Prime Time Players - A worthless filler match. The match was 12 minutes long, and not much really happened. They could have easily cut it down or just not had the match altogether. All men involved deserve better. The luchadores win. RATING: *1/2

World Heavyweight Championship Match: Sheamus (c) vs. The Big Show - This match was actually quite good and definitely the match of the night. It was pretty exciting, and they actually worked surprisingly well together. They built up some good drama and some surprising finisher kick-outs. The Big Show wins the championship with a Knock-out Punch. RATING: ***1/2

Hell In A Cell Match for the WWE Championship: CM Punk (c) vs. Ryback - CM Punk tried, but he just couldn't carry Ryback to a decent match. They just didn't really click and not much interesting was really going on. The match was already pretty terrible even before the finish, but the finish made it even worse. CM Punk retains after referee Brad Maddox low-blows Ryback. Afterwards, Ryback attacks Maddox and CM Punk. RATING: *

For the most part, the card is nothing special, and the screwjob ending left me with a really bad taste in my mouth when I watched it live. Not really a show worth tracking down, in my opinion.

RATING: C

Would you believe that the Big Show has the best match of the night?!

[gridoon2024 · 6/10 · 27 January 2018]

It's true, it's damn true. It's versus Sheamus for his World Heavyweight title, and - surprisingly - these two put on a nearly half-hour corker of a match. It tells a story step-by-step, and has an unpredictable finish. It also makes both men look strong. The main event, a HIAC match for the WWE title between CM Punk and Ryback, suffers in comparison, not only because it tries to tell almost the exact same story 20 minutes later, but because it makes Punk look like a wuss. The other matches include Alberto Del Rio vs. Randy Orton, Cody Rhodes and Damien Sandow vs. Kane and Daniel Bryan for the Tag Team titles, Kofi Kingston vs. The Miz for the IC title, Antonio Cesaro vs. Justin Gabriel for the US title, Rey Mysterio and Sin Cara vs. The Prime Time Players, and Eve Torres vs. Layla vs. Kaitlyn in a triple threat for the Diva's title. They are all OK, but nothing special. But compared to many other PPVs, this one has relatively little downtime and a more let's-get-down-to-business approach.