Hell in a Cell (2015)
Hell in a Cell (2015) | |||
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File:Hell in a Cell 2015 Poster.jpg Promotional poster featuring Brock Lesnar and The Undertaker | |||
Promotion | WWE | ||
Date | October 25, 2015 | ||
City | Los Angeles, California | ||
Venue | Staples Center | ||
Attendance | 14,184[1] | ||
WWE Network event chronology | |||
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Hell in a Cell chronology | |||
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Hell in a Cell (2015) was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by WWE. It took place on October 25, 2015, at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California.[2] It was the seventh event under the Hell in a Cell chronology. This is also the first WWE pay-per-view, other than SummerSlam to be held in the city of Los Angeles since 2007's No Way Out.
Eight matches were contested at the event, with one match on the pre-show. In the main event, Brock Lesnar defeated The Undertaker in a Hell in a Cell match, their second such match, the first one being at No Mercy (2002). The show is also notable for Alberto Del Rio's return to the WWE, who answered John Cena's "US Open Challenge" and defeated him to win the WWE United States Championship.
Background
The professional wrestling matches at Hell in a Cell featured professional wrestlers performing as characters in scripted events pre-determined by the hosting promotion, WWE. Storylines between the characters played out on WWE's primary television programs, Raw and SmackDown.[3][4]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/be/Alberto_Del_Rio_RAW_2012.jpg/170px-Alberto_Del_Rio_RAW_2012.jpg)
The main event match heading into Hell in a Cell is a Hell in a Cell match between Brock Lesnar and The Undertaker, dubbed as the final chapter in their rivalry. This was their second Hell in a Cell main event, as they faced off 13 years earlier for the WWE Championship at the 2002 No Mercy pay-per-view. The rivalry started at WrestleMania XXX in 2014 where Brock Lesnar defeated The Undertaker to break his undefeated WrestleMania streak.[5] Over a year later at Battleground Lesnar was about to win back the WWE World Heavyweight Championship from Seth Rollins when the lights went out and Undertaker attacked Lesnar; Lesnar won the match by disqualification but not the title. After a vicious brawl between the two on Raw, Undertaker and Lesnar would face each other in a rematch at SummerSlam. Undertaker defeated Lesnar in controversial fashion; the timekeeper ringing the bell after seeing the Undertaker supposedly indicating submission; since the referee hadn't see a submission and never stopped the match, the match continued. The confusion allowed Undertaker to surprise Lesnar with a low blow before trapping him in the Hell's Gate submission hold, which caused Lesnar to pass out and gave Undertaker the win.[6] At Night of Champions, it was announced that Lesnar would face Undertaker one last time in a Hell in a Cell match at the event.[7]
At Battleground, Bray Wyatt defeated Roman Reigns after interference from Luke Harper.[8] At SummerSlam, Reigns and Dean Ambrose defeated Wyatt and Harper.[6] At Night of Champions, Wyatt, Harper and Braun Strowman defeated Reigns, Ambrose and Chris Jericho.[7] On the September 21 episode of Raw, Randy Orton helped Reigns and Ambrose fend off an attack by Wyatt, Harper and Strowman.[9] Subsequently, Reigns challenged Wyatt to a Hell in a Cell match at the event, which Wyatt accepted.[10] A match pitting Ambrose and Orton against Harper and Strowman was also scheduled for the Hell in a Cell Kickoff show[11] but after Orton suffered a Shoulder injury, the match was cancelled.[12]
At Night of Champions, Kane returned from injury as "Demon" Kane and attacked Seth Rollins after Rollins retained the WWE World Heavyweight Championship against Sting.[7] At Live from Madison Square Garden, Demon Kane attacked Rollins after Rollins lost to John Cena in a steel cage match.[13] Subsequently, Rollins was scheduled to defend his title against Demon Kane at the event, but that should Demon Kane lose, Corporate Kane, Kane's alter ego, would be fired from his role as Director of Operations.[14]
At Night of Champions, The Dudley Boyz had defeated WWE Tag Team Champions The New Day by disqualification, therefore not winning the titles.[7] At Live from Madison Square Garden, The Dudley Boyz again won by disqualification.[13] This led to another rematch for the title at Hell in a Cell.[14]
The event also included two more rematches from Night of Champions: Charlotte had defeated Nikki Bella to win the Divas Championship[7] and Kevin Owens had defeated Ryback to win the Intercontinental Championship.[7] Both champions had to defend their newly-won titles against the former champions.[15]
An open challenge title defense by United States Champion John Cena was also scheduled for the event.[12]
On the October 19 edition of Raw, Sheamus, King Barrett, and Rusev defeated Dolph Ziggler, Cesaro, and Neville. Later that night, a rematch between the trios was scheduled for the Hell in a Cell Kickoff show.[12]
Event
Pre-Show
The analysis team was hosted by Renee Young and consisted of Booker T, Byron Saxton and Corey Graves, while JoJo and Rich Brennan served as social media correspondents. The pre-show match was a Six-Man Tag Team match between 2015 Money in the Bank winner Sheamus, King Barrett and Rusev against Dolph Ziggler, Cesaro and Neville. Towards the end of the match, Ziggler performed a Superkick on Barrett before Cesaro performed a Cesaro Swing on Barrett. Neville performed a Red Arrow on Barrett to win the match.
Preliminary matches
The actual pay-per-view opened with John Cena issuing an Open Challenge for the WWE United States Championship. Zeb Colter interrupted Cena's pre-match promo, announcing Cena's opponent as Alberto Del Rio. At the end of the match, Del Rio countered an Attitude Adjustment and performed a Backstabber on Cena. Del Rio pinned Cena after a Superkick whilst Cena was kneeling to win the title.
Next, Roman Reigns faced Bray Wyatt in a Hell in a Cell match. During the match, Wyatt performed a Standing Side Slam on Reigns off the Ring Apron through a Table for a near-fall. Reigns performed a Powerbomb on Wyatt through a Table for a near-fall. Reigns performed a Spear on Wyatt off the Ring Apron through a Table for a near-fall. Reigns attempted to perform a Spear on Wyatt but Wyatt performed Sister Abigail on Reigns for a near-fall. At the end of the match, Reigns threw Wyatt into a Kendo Stick wedged in the padding of a turnbuckle. Reigns pinned Wyatt after a Spear to win the match.
After that, The New Day (Big E and Kofi Kingston) defended the WWE Tag Team Championship against The Dudley Boyz (Bubba Ray Dudley and D-Von Dudley). At the end of the match, Big E hit Bubba Ray with The New Day's Trombone. Kingston pinned Bubba Ray after Trouble in Paradise to retain the title.
In the fourth match, Charlotte defended the WWE Divas Championship against Nikki Bella. Charlotte forced Nikki to submit to the figure eight leglock to retain the title.
After that, Seth Rollins defended the WWE World Heavyweight Championship against Kane. During the match, Kane performed a Chokeslam on Rollins for a near-fall. Kane attempted to perform a Chokeslam on Rollins through the Announce Table but Rollins performed a Powerbomb on Kane onto the Spanish Announce Table. At the end of the match, Kane attempted to perform a Chokeslam on Rollins but Rollins countered the move. Rollins pinned Kane after a Pedigree to retain the title.
In the penultimate match, Kevin Owens defended the WWE Intercontinental Championship against Ryback. Owens pinned Ryback after a Pop Up Powerbomb to retain the title.
Main Event
In the main event, Brock Lesnar faced The Undertaker in a Hell in a Cell match. During the match, Undertaker shoved Lesnar into the Ring Post, causing Lesnar to bleed. Lesnar hit Undertaker with a steel chair, causing Undertaker to bleed. Undertaker drove the chair into Lesnar's throat for a near-fall. Lesnar performed two F5s on Undertaker for near-falls. Lesnar hit Undertaker with the steel steps for a near-fall. Undertaker applied Hell's Gate on Lesnar but Lesnar fought out of the hold. At the end of the match, Lesnar ripped the ring cover, exposing the wooden floor boards. Undertaker performed a Chokeslam and a Tombstone Piledriver on Lesnar, both onto the wooden floor boards for a near-fall. Lesnar hit a Low Blow on Undertaker and pinned Undertaker after a third F5 onto the wooden floor boards to win the match.
After the match, The Undertaker was given a standing ovation from the crowd. Undertaker performed his signature pose but The Wyatt Family's music played. Undertaker fought with The Wyatt Family but The Wyatt Family attacked Undertaker. The Wyatt Family carried The Undertaker away as the event ended.
Aftermath
After immediately losing to Brock Lesnar at the event, The Undertaker was given a standing ovation from the crowd. He decided to pay back their respects by doing his signature pose, but as he did so The Wyatt Family appeared and attacked him before carrying his unconscious body backstage. On the following night of Raw, Bray Wyatt explained that he wanted to claim The Undertaker's Soul and obtain its powers.[16] Kane then appeared and attempted to attack Wyatt, but he too gets ambushed and attacked by other members of The Wyatt Family, before also being carried out to the backstage.[16] On the November 9 episode of Raw, The Undertaker and Kane reunited as The Brothers of Destruction, reemerged and attacked The Wyatt Family.[17] On the November 12 episode of Smackdown, Wyatt challenged The Undertaker and Kane to a tag team match against two members of The Wyatt Family of his choosing at Survivor Series, which they accepted later that night.[18]
On the following night of Raw, The Authority held a tournament by pitting the winners of their respective matches at Hell in a Cell against each other to determine the next No.1 contender to Seth Rollins's WWE World Heavyweight Championship. Roman Reigns would win the final Fatal 4-Way match also involving Dolph Ziggler, Kevin Owens and Alberto Del Rio to become the No.1 contender and face Rollins for the championship scheduled for Survivor Series. On November 4, however, Rollins suffered a multiple knee injuries during a live event in Dublin, Ireland and was forced to vacate the title. On the November 9 episode of Raw, a new tournament has started to determine a new champion in the finals at Survivor Series. Reigns would win the tournament and the vacant WWE World Heavyweight Championship at the event but his reign would be short-lived when Sheamus cashed-in his Money in the Bank contract and pinned him to win the title, ending Reigns title reign of 5:15.
On the October 26 episode of Raw, Paige continued to persuade Charlotte and Becky Lynch, that she did not attack Natalya. While still not convinced Charlotte and Lynch allowed Paige to join them as PCB and faced Team Bella on that night in a losing effort. After the match, Paige attacked Charlotte and Lynch, cementing her heel turn. On the November 2 episode of Raw, Paige defeated Lynch, Sasha Banks and Brie Bella in a No.1 contender's Fatal 4-Way match to face Charlotte for the WWE Divas championship at Survivor Series.
After Hell in a Cell, Jack Swagger entered into a brief feud with Alberto Del Rio and Zeb Colter, when Swagger confronted Zeb about joining Del Rio and then after a match against Neville, Alberto Del Rio continued to assault him until Swagger made the save.
Results
Reception
The event received generally positive reviews from critics. Larry Csonka from 411MANIA gave the event a 7/10. He praised Wyatt vs. Reigns and Lesnar vs. Undertaker saying that both matches delivered.[27] The main event went on to win the Slammy Award for Match of the Year.
See also
References
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- ^ Johnson, Mike. "COMPLETE 2015 WWE PPV SCHEDULE". pwinsider.com. Retrieved 7 January 2015.
- ^ Grabianowski, Ed. "How Pro Wrestling Works". HowStuffWorks, Inc. Discovery Communications. Archived from the original on 18 November 2013. Retrieved 5 March 2012.
- ^ "Live & Televised Entertainment". WWE. Archived from the original on 18 November 2013. Retrieved 21 March 2012.
- ^ Caldwell, James. "WrestleMania 30 PPV results (Hour 3): Complete "virtual-time" coverage of Undertaker vs. Lesnar Streak match". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved 28 April 2014.
- ^ a b Caldwell, James. "CALDWELL'S SUMMERSLAM REPORT 8/23: Complete "virtual-time" coverage of Lesnar vs. Taker, Title vs. Title, more matches". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved 23 August 2015.
- ^ a b c d e f Caldwell, James. "CALDWELL'S WWE NOC PPV REPORT 9/20: Live Night of Champions Coverage from Houston - Seth Rollins's double duty, more". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved 21 September 2015.
- ^ Caldwell, James. "CALDWELL'S WWE BATTLEGROUND PPV REPORT 7/19: Complete "virtual-time" coverage of live PPV - Rollins vs. Lesnar, Cena vs. Owens III, Orton returns home, more". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved 20 July 2015.
- ^ Mike, Tedesco. "WWE RAW Results - 9/21/15 (Demon Kane attacks Rollins)". wrestleview.com. Retrieved 21 September 2015.
- ^ Kahrs, Alex. "WWE SmackDown Results - 10/1/15 (Six Man Tag Match)". wrestleview.com. Retrieved 1 October 2015.
- ^ Tedesco, Mike. "WWE RAW Results - 10/12/15 (Seth Rollins vs. Demon Kane)". wrestleview.com. Retrieved 12 October 2015.
- ^ a b c Tedesco, Mike. "WWE RAW Results - 10/19/15 (Austin and Undertaker appear)". wrestleview.com. Retrieved 19 October 2015.
- ^ a b "KELLER'S WWE MSG SPECIAL REPORT 10/3: Lesnar vs. Big Show, Cena vs. Charlotte in a cage, Jericho vs. Owens in an IC Title match, Dudleys vs. New Day for tag titles". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved 6 October 2015.
- ^ a b Tedesco, Mike. "WWE RAW Results - 10/5/15 (Hell in a Cell takes shape)". wrestleview.com. Retrieved 5 October 2015.
- ^ Kahrs, Alex. "WWE Smackdown Results - 10/8/15 (Reigns & Orton team)". wrestleview.com. Retrieved 12 October 2015.
- ^ a b Dilbert, Ryan (October 26, 2015). "WWE Raw Results: Winners, Grades, Reaction and Highlights from October 26". Bleacher Report. Turner Broadcasting System (Time Warner). Retrieved November 16, 2015.
- ^ Benigno, Anthony (November 9, 2015). "WWE Raw results, Nov. 9, 2015: The Brothers of Destruction return and five Superstars advance in World Title Tournament". WWE.com. WWE. Retrieved November 16, 2015.
- ^ Lopez, Josh (November 12, 2015). "WWE SmackDown Results (11/12) – Usos vs. Wyatts, WWE World Title Tournament Continues?, Undertaker Responds To Bray Wyatt's Challenge". Wrestle Zone. Retrieved November 16, 2015.
- ^ Clapp, John. "Dolph Ziggler, Cesaro & Neville vs. League of Nations (Sheamus, King Barrett & Rusev) (Kickoff Match)". WWE. Retrieved 20 October 2015.
- ^ Clapp, John. "John Cena's U.S. Open Challenge". WWE. Retrieved 19 October 2015.
- ^ Clapp, John. "Roman Reigns vs. Bray Wyatt (Hell in a Cell Match)". WWE. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
- ^ Clapp, John. "WWE Tag Team Champions The New Day vs. The Dudley Boyz". WWE. Retrieved 6 October 2015.
- ^ Melok, Bobby. "Divas Champion Charlotte vs. Nikki Bella". WWE. Retrieved 5 October 2015.
- ^ Clapp, John. "Intercontinental Champion Kevin Owens vs. Ryback". WWE. Retrieved 6 October 2015.
- ^ Clapp, John. "The Undertaker vs. Brock Lesnar (Hell in a Cell Match)". WWE. Retrieved 20 September 2015.
- ^ Caldwell, James. "10/25 Live HIAC PPV Report – CALDWELL'S Live Coverage". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved 26 October 2015.
- ^ Csonka, Larry. "Csonka's WWE Hell in a Cell Review 10.25.15". 411MANIA. Retrieved 27 October 2015.