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Pruett's Pause: WWE Hell in a Cell 2012 - C.M. Punk defeats Ryback via an evil referee, Big Show and Sheamus surprisingly steal the show, the pay-per-view disappoints slightly

Posted in: Pruett Editorials, MUST-READ LISTING
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Oct 29, 2012 - 02:40 PM

By Will Pruett

- What happened to the traditional Hell in a Cell set? WWE used to have a faux-cell on the entryway, which was a fun visual. For this show, it seemed like they just threw some screens up and hoped they would be enough. It was disappointing, as far as production goes.

- Were the large "Hell in a Cell" words on the stage supposed to be lit on fire all night? They barely caught fire at all. Seriously, this set made me sad.

- Alberto Del Rio vs. Randy Orton was an interesting choice for an opener. We don't usually see a "WWE Main Event Style" match in the opening slot (not the TV show, but the match type) and that is all these two tend to do in the ring. I thought the crowd would have been more into a match with a little more initial excitement.

- Am I the only guy tired of seeing wrestlers fall into the RKO? I know the idea is that he can hit it out of nowhere, but WWE has gotten too cute with how often they have him do so. It has actually caused me to find Orton matches less interesting.

- As I said in my preview of this show, Del Rio is a character incapable of evolution. I'm bored.

- Team Rhodes Scholars' promo proclaiming that they will win the Tag Team Championships was fun. This was a nice piece of work from two great talkers.

- Kane and Daniel Bryan's dissension throughout their match was a well-told story. Bryan and Kane have amazing chemistry together and I don't think I'll ever grow tired of seeing them as a team. At the very least, they will probably move on from the team before I tire of it.

- Continuing the rivalry between these two teams is the best course of action for WWE's budding tag division. They still have a whole lot of story they can tell.

- For the third time in three(ish) weeks, we saw a Kofi Kingston vs. The Miz match. Congratulations to those two artists for being able to construct a different match and tell a different story in the ring. All three matches were different and all three were entertaining. This was a great match that worked to elevate Kofi.

- Miz vs. Kingston would have been a fun best of seven series, had WWE started that on Raw a few weeks back.

- Is Kofi Kingston going to be "The Wildcat" and is that why JBL was discussing Tim Tebow during Kofi's match? I could think of worse things for Kofi to call himself, so Wildcat is fine by me.

- If Justin Gabriel is going to be pushed as a thrill seeker, I say bring in Lance Storm to manage him. The vignettes would be brilliant.

- Justin Gabriel vs. Antonio Cesaro was not as dynamic as I hoped it would be. I didn't expect a full on ROH main event, but I did hope for a little bit more in the excitement department.

- On my first viewing of this show (with friends over and while cooking some amazing nachos) I was confused as to if the Hell in a Cell match was actually cancelled. That would have been weird.

- Rey Mysterio and Sin Cara vs. The Primetime Players was a solid tag team match. I wish it would have been announced prior to the pay-per-view, but it was worth having on the show.

- Mysterio and Sin Cara continue to compliment each other as a team. I hope they are a centerpiece of the tag division for a long time. Even up through WrestleMania, where I would expect to see them have a match against each other, I'd keep them together.

- Sheamus vs. Big Show was better than it had any right to be. No one expected this match to be the show-stealer, yet it was head and shoulders above everything on this show. This match was well put together and it told a great story.

- Sheamus vs. Show may very well be one of the best of Sheamus' career. Especially when one looks at the movement Sheamus created around Big Show, it is proof of how exceptionally talented Sheamus is.

- Big Show as World Champion doesn't exactly excite me, but it does set Sheamus up for a chase. If Sheamus can become more serious in that process, it will be worth it. I'm not dreading Show's reign, but I wonder how many matches like this one he has in him.

- The Diva's match wasn't entertaining. The story isn't working for me and Kaitlyn in the ring is pretty awful. Hopefully this division improves, given that it has a compelling central character with Eve.

- The Big Show and Sheamus promos (or on camera appearances in Sheamus' case) did a nice job of emphasizing how important that match was. This story was exceptionally told on this show.

- I was disappointed in the Atlanta crowd during the main event. They seemed disinterested and the "Goldberg" chants from a vocal minority are more trolling than an actual critique.

- While the cell structure added to the story of Punk vs. Ryback by not allowing Punk to escape, it ultimately took away from it. This was an example of the cell being unnecessary and only there because it is October. I hope this is the final Cell match of this sort.

- I am fine with the finish of the Hell in a Cell match. Ryback and Punk had to end in an screwy way and the evil referee was an already established story in WWE. This has the added benefit of Ryback taking his first loss in a protected manner. It wasn't perfection. It was anticlimactic. It worked.

- Ryback vs. Punk was actually impressive as a match until the false finish. It made me want to see Ryback in some slightly longer encounters.

- With John Cena and Ryback both being owed rematches for the WWE Championship, I can easily see either a tag match at Survivor Series where both men get vengeance and neither gets the title, or a triple threat.

- Ryback's post match attack on Brad Maddox and Punk was great. The fans seemed to come alive as Ryback dominated Punk. It was a nice reward for the fans that were given that screwy finish.

- We haven't seen some top of the cell action since 2009 when Cena and Orton brawled up there on Raw. Ryback and Punk's Shell-shocked moment was a nice return of that. I never expect to see someone fall from the new cell (introduced in 2006), but brawling up top is always fun.

This show was simply alright. It provided some good action and one surprisingly great match, but it is hard to consider the main event more than a minor disappointment. The show didn't have any major moments that must be seen. It provided a logical chapter in a story, but it wasn't a must-see chapter.

I'd give the show a C-, which is just barely passing. It wasn't the worst show ever, but it also didn't do much for me.

Let's do some good old fashioned talking about this show! Feel free to email me at itswilltime@gmail.com or to follow me on twitter at twitter.com/itswilltime.

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