Review for WWE Hell in a Cell 2020

There are few PPVs that have lost all their appeal than this one. There was a time when the phrase ‘In a HELL IN A CELL!’ used to send chills down my spine. The very idea of this match was so special and brought out maybe once a year to really end a feud. Now it’s just another PPV gimmick and it is a shame.

However…

I will say that the three Cell matches we get on this PPV are some of the best that I have seen in a long time and they all at least felt like a definitive ending to a feud rather than just another stipulation.

Of the three Hell in a Cells it would be difficult to say which one was the best. All three had unique points about them and this made them all enjoyable. Roman Reigns against Jey Uso for the Universal Championship was added an extra bit of salt by adding the I Quit stipulation. Again, both worked well, I think there should have been more emphasis on Jey possibly winning as it just felt like an inevitable win for Roman, but it had some amazing moments.

Drew McIntyre against Randy Orton for th WWE Championship was a good match and of the matches they have had probably their best. This wasn’t a perfect Hell in a Cell, but there was enough going on to make it memorable and both had moments were you thought they were going to win.

Finally, Bayley against Sasha Banks for the WWE Smackdown Women’s Championship was simply fantastic. This really had a perfect story going in and this simmering friendly rivalry has been going for over a year and I am so surprised that WWE took this long to pay it off and boy did it ever. It is a shame this wasn’t the main event as I think it would have been given more fanfare and definitely more credit for how well Bayley has done this year and how great the two of them have always worked together.

The rest of the PPV is, sadly, by the numbers. Jeff Hardy against a returning Elias was underwhelming and I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to make of it. The US Championship match between Bobby Lashley and Slapjack did not do anything for either The Hurt Business or The Retribution teams. Finally, we have The Miz taking on Otis who I had completely forgotten was the Money in the Bank winner and this was a good match, nothing too special, but it at least didn’t just feel like a match that could have been on TV.

The only extra feature included is the Kickoff Match for the 24/7 title between R-Truth and Drew Gulak. Considering this is one of the few times I have seen the belt being defended in an actual match it is a shame that more wasn’t made of it. Too quick to mean much and the title is a joke to begin with, which is a shame.

Hell in a Cell 2020 went some ways to redeem one of my favourite matches that the WWE have created. Of the Six Matches (Seven if you include the Kickoff) none are unwatchable and that is sometimes all I can ever hope for. The three Hell in a Cell matches are great and I wouldn’t be surprised if one of them is featured on some ‘Best of’ sets and lists. This was a PPV that definitely not hell to get through.