Hell In A Cell 2016

Image Source: Amazon

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Running Time: 184 Minutes
Certificate: 15
Number Of Discs: 1
Studio: Fremantle Home Entertainment
Released: January 2 2017

(Thanks to Fetch Publicity for arranging this review.)

Hell In A Cell 2016 was a historic night in WWE, as it would be the first time ever that a Pay-Per-View event was headlined by an all-female encounter, which is a testament to the talent and popularity of Sasha Banks and Charlotte, the two combatants in said match. But does HIAC 2016 measure up as a major show in terms of quality?

The event starts on a decent note with Roman Reigns vs. Rusev inside the Cell for the United States Championship; whilst it is not as good as Reigns vs. Bray Wyatt from HIAC 2015, it's still an enjoyable brawl, and a fitting way to cap off their fairly lengthy rivalry. Next up, Bayley battles Dana Brooke in a match which is unspectacular, but still better than their previous Raw match where Dana's inexperience and inferiority to Bayley were extremely evident (in the Raw match, Brooke pinned Bayley clean when she was meant to use the ropes to secure a win by nefarious means, which made Bayley look ridiculous).

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Hell In A Cell 2016 coming soon on DVD and Blu-ray in the UK

Image Source: Amazon

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Provided By: Fetch Publicity

The following story is courtesy of Fetch Publicity ...

For the first time ever, the leaders of the Women’s Revolution make history inside Hell In A Cell as WWE Raw Women’s Champion Sasha Banks defends her title against Charlotte Flair. “The Bulgarian Brute” Rusev and United States Champion Roman Reigns bring their rivalry to an end inside the demonic structure. WWE Universal Champion Kevin Owens enters his first Hell In A Cell match and looks to continue his Kevin Owens Show against “The Undisputed Future” Seth Rollins. Plus more as the Superstars of Raw go to hell and back at Hell In A Cell!

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Hell In A Cell 2012

Image Source: Amazon

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Running Time: 166 Minutes
Certificate: 15
Number Of Discs: 1
Studio: Fremantle Home Entertainment
Released: January 28 2013

Unlike previous years, where WWE would overload the Hell In A Cell card with too many HIAC matches (there were three in 2009, none of which were particularly necessary), the 2012 event kept things simple with just the one Cell bout, a well-built collision between longtime WWE Champion CM Punk and the undefeated, Goldberg-like Ryback. That being said, it is another match which stands as the main reason to see this DVD.

Starting chronologically: Randy Orton vs. Alberto Del Rio is a good opener, if not the best match that the two could put together, followed by an entertaining yet forgettable bout pitting Team Hell No (arguably WWE's hottest act at the time of this PPV) against Team Rhodes Scholars. Kofi Kingston vs. The Miz is good, though, and a reminder that both men can deliver a thrilling contest despite each man's reduced status in recent times. Conversely, while well-executed, Antonio Cesaro bvs. Justin Gabriel isn't a PPV-calibre match, nor is Rey Mysterio & Sin Cara vs. The Prime Time Players

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Hell In A Cell 2013

Image Source: Amazon

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Running Time: 182 Minutes
Certificate: 15
Number Of Discs: 1
Studio: Fremantle Home Entertainment
Released: January 27 2014

Hell In A Cell was WWE's best PPV event since SummerSlam, with several matches that either delivered great action or concluded major storylines, not to mention having a big return. That being said, the strange drop in standards over recent months means that the DVD of the show is still no more than adequate.

The opening match between The Brotherhood, The Usos and The Shield is fantastic, and is the unquestionable highlight of the event. Conversely, The Great Khali and Natalya vs. Fandango and Summer Rae is weird filler, and Big E vs. Dean Ambrose is notable only for a dangerous-looking spear through the ropes by Big E and a nasty cut opened up under Big E's eye just before the (dodgy) finish.

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Hell In A Cell 2014

Image Source: Amazon

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Running Time: 183 Minutes
Certificate: 15
Number Of Discs: 1
Studio: Fremantle Home Entertainment
Released: January 19 2015

The sixth annual HIAC PPV featured two Cell matches, a couple of entertaining mid-card bouts and a return of sorts, but no appearance by WWE World Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar. That being said, Lesnar's absence doesn't really harm one's enjoyment of the show, and therefore the DVD.

Inside the Cell, both John Cena vs. Randy Orton and Dean Ambrose vs. Seth Rollins are impressive battles, particularly the latter contest based on the greater risks taken by Ambrose and Rollins. Cesaro vs. Dolph Ziggler is a fun Two Out Of Three Falls bout with a somewhat surprising result (or score, at least). Nikki Bella vs. Brie Bella exceeds expectations, and Damien Mizdow's antics enhance the clash between The Miz and Sheamus.

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WWE Hell In A Cell 2013

Image Source: Bleacher Report

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Genre: Wrestling
Produced By: WWE
Format: Pay-Per-View
Date: October 27 2013
Location: American Airlines Arena, Miami, Florida, USA
Attendance: 9,000

Hell In A Cell was an improvement on the previous two supershows, Night Of Champions and Battleground. The combination of two big HIAC matches (even if one was unnecessary), a special appearance by a legend, the return of WWE's biggest name and some high-quality action elsewhere on the card, all combined with the resolving of the WWE Title situation and the end of the CM Punk-Paul Heyman rivalry, made for a better show than Night Of Champions, where most of the card simply didn't feel PPV-worthy, and Battleground, which had a very questionable ending to its main event.

That being said, whether the fall-out for HIAC paints the picture of a bright future for WWE, at least in the short-term, remains to be seen. Considering that this was the fourth PPV in a row where Daniel Bryan battled Randy Orton in some fashion, and he lost, it's safe to say that Bryan's main event adventures have now been curbed, at least for the time being. Meanwhile, John Cena's comeback and immediate World Heavyweight Championship win, whilst a boon for that particular title, means that we are almost completely back to where we started before the Authority storyline began in grand fashion at SummerSlam. The one positive is that, since the CM Punk-Paul Heyman feud appears to have ended here, it's possible that Punk will now be directed towards Randy Orton, which could be a pretty good main event for Survivor Series.

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Hell In A Cell 2015

Image Source: Amazon

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Running Time: 183 Minutes
Certificate: 15
Number Of Discs: 1
Studio: Fremantle Home Entertainment
Released: January 4 2016

(To read a full event review of WWE Hell In A Cell 2015, click here.)

Hell In A Cell was one of the better WWE PPV events in 2015. Watching it back on DVD, the impact of some encounters is lost, but the show as a whole is still worth giving a second look.

The opener between John Cena and Alberto Del Rio for the United States Championship is the bout which loses the most impact upon second viewing. This is because, at the time, Del Rio's return appearance was a huge shocker, largely because of the circumstances in which ADR left WWE, but obviously that isn't a factor on DVD when you know it's coming. Also not helping is how Alberto quickly became just another wrestler again, and how his Mex-America alliance with Zeb Colter was quickly abandoned after general apathy. The match is fine but quite short, and as stated it lacks the significance that it had when it was originally held.

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WWE Hell In A Cell 2015

Image Source: Staples Center

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Genre: Wrestling
Produced By: WWE
Format: Pay-Per-View
Date: October 25 2015
Location: Staples Center, Los Angeles, California, USA
Attendance: 17,505

A double surprise return and a brutal main event book-ended this year's Hell In A Cell card. The action in between was largely unmemorable yet inoffensive, but it is the shocking appearance of a former multi-time World Champion and the violent nature of the headline attraction which will ensure that fans will not soon forget the 2015 edition of Hell In A Cell.

The Kick-Off show featured a six-man tag team match pitting Neville, Dolph Ziggler and Cesaro against King Barrett, Sheamus and Rusev. This was a good choice to start the show (as a pre-show bout, it was questionable, considering that it involved Sheamus, the holder of the Money In The Bank briefcase who nearly cashed it in at the end of the previous PPV, Night Of Champions), due to its frenetic energy and the number of slick moves and dives involved. In the end, Barrett took a superkick from Dolph, a Giant Swing from Cesaro and a Red Arrow from Neville, who pinned his fellow Englishman to win the match. I should point out that this was a rematch, which would actually prove to be the case for every single bout on the night, which may hurt the viewing numbers for HIAC. It's also worth noting that Stardust and The Ascension sat at ringside with "Stardust section" signs to mock Cesaro, suggesting an upcoming Stardust-Cesaro feud.

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Hell In A Cell

Image Source: Amazon

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Running Time: 500 Minutes
Certificate: 18
Number Of Discs: 3
Studio: Clear Vision Ltd/Silver Vision
Released: November 10 2008

Before WWE went PG, the ultimate battleground in the company was Hell In A Cell. A huge steel cage structure with a roof that also surrounded ringside, HIAC not only created a no-holds-barred forum for the most personal scores to be settled, but the structure itself could also come into play, even if the action spilt out of the cage and onto its top. This, in turn, led to some of the most memorable moments of the Attitude Era and of later years, which are captured in this anthology of the Hell In A Cell match.

The first Cell bout between Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker at In Your House: Badd Blood in 1997 is a true classic. Held at a time when the WWF was still marketing towards a younger audience, this war which led to Shawn being busted wide open was a huge step towards the group going TV-14. The match is a barnburner, but perhaps the most memorable moment is the arrival of Kane, months in the making, as he confronts and Tombstones Taker for HBK to win.

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WWE Hell In A Cell 2014

Image Source: Suplah

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Genre: Wrestling
Produced By: WWE
Format: Pay-Per-View
Date: October 26 2014
Location: American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas, USA
Attendance: 15,333

WWE's latest supershow, Hell In A Cell, was more notable beforehand for the absence of one particular superstar: Brock Lesnar, the main titleholder in the company (to quote Paul Heyman, he's the reigning, defending, undisputed WWE Heavyweight Champion of the World). Did Lesnar's non-appearance, criticised by many beforehand, hinder the show as a whole? As it turned out, not really; but Lesnar aside, let's look at HIAC as a whole.

The opening match saw Dolph Ziggler defend his Intercontinental Championship against Cesaro in a Two Out Of Three Falls Match. It was expected to be a strong start to the show in the ring, and so it proved with some pretty impressive moves, particularly Cesaro's methods of executing suplexes from seemingly impossible situations. What was unexpected was Ziggler retaining his title in two straight falls; the first off an out-of-the-blue roll-up, and the other from a superkick followed by a Zig Zag. Some have speculated that Cesaro's lack of falls was related to an interview in which he criticised the repetition of the John Cena vs. Randy Orton saga (more on that later); if so, it's quite petty to punish him for a complaint shared by the vast majority of fans and pundits. Still, there was nothing wrong quality-wise with the opening contest.

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