WWE Hell in a Cell 2017 review: What we learned, takeaways, future projections

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Hell in a Cell Falls Count Anywhere Match

Shane McMahon vs. Kevin Owens

What we learned: There was a lot to take away from this match. If we didn’t know it before, we know that Shane McMahon will put his body through hell to entertain the WWE Universe. We know that Kevin Owens continues to be one of the best wrestlers in the world. However, I think the biggest thing we learned here is that creative maybe hasn’t given up on Sami Zayn just yet.

We’ll get to Sami Zayn shortly, but let me get into the match a little bit first. While this did turn out to be better than I thought it would, it did go on a tad too long. Shane just looked so exhausted when he was standing on the top of the cage, but I suppose that’s what Hell in a Cell is supposed to do to you. This match also had the unenviable task of trying to be better than the first Hell in a Cell match of the night, which was going to be almost impossible. However, this match told a fantastic story and did feature some great spots.

Seeing Shane’s kids at ringside wasn’t a surprise, especially given the comments that Kevin Owens made about them, which is what really kicked this program beyond some bad refereeing. There was a personal aspect to this program and those are usually the ones that turn out to be the most successful. Throwing Vince into the mix a couple of weeks ago was a nice touch and only added to the storyline.

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They started brawling almost immediately, and while the Hell in a Cell structure is designed to keep people in, I’ve always enjoyed the battles outside of it, and you knew that was going to happen anyway when Shane added the Falls Count Anywhere stipulation. After a few minutes on the outside that featured some good spots, they made their way inside and continued to beat the hell out of each other. Owens got the upper hand and him yelling at Shane’s kids was beautiful. Shane turned the tide and got some of his punches in. A quick note on that. I’ve always respected the fact that Shane gets in there and puts his body on the line for these big matches, but those strikes are not good and never have been. But I digress.

While the punches didn’t impress, Shane attempting a freaking Shooting Star Press did. I never saw that coming and it was a nice “wow” moment. His counter from the pop-up powerbomb to the triangle was solid as well. But Owens was able to get to the outside and finally hit a powerbomb on the steps, which really sounded nice. KO then set up Shane on the table, which the crowd had been itching for all night, and seeing him explode through it was fantastic. The thing split in half, and I don’t ever remember seeing anyone use a half of the table like a chair shot, so kudos to Shane for picking up on that.

Shane had a little trouble with the bolt cutters (good move by the director to cut away after a minute), but the action eventually moved back to the outside and we all knew they would end up on the top, but it didn’t matter. I was really into everything they were doing up there, and watching them hit maneuvers that could have killed someone had one of those sections collapsed was pretty awesome. KO was the first to go through the table after the two climbed halfway down (still a crazy fall) and Shane was next after attempting the elbow from the top. I don’t care what anyone says about a different kind of table or padding underneath or what … that is still a crazy spot. But in the surprise of the night, Sami Zayn pulled Kevin Owens from the table before Shane went crashing through and then pulled his former best friend on top of McMahon for the 1-2-3. WHAT?!

What’s next: The next steps in this storyline are crucial. We’ve seen the potential of a program so many times only to watch it crash and burn. Bray Wyatt vs. Randy Orton, anyone? Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn are going to be connected forever and this latest chapter has the chance to be something really special if done correctly. The chance of Owens turning on Zayn yet again is still there and still pretty high but this is very intriguing.

Why exactly would Sami Zayn help Kevin Owens? He’s needed a character change for quite some time (just put the mask back on him already), and this is an interesting way to go about doing that. Does he still hate Kevin Owens but have that one ounce of respect left for him and couldn’t see him get completely obliterated? Is this the “if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em” mentality? There are so many different ways to go with this. Tuesday night just got a lot more interesting.

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How did you like this year’s WWE Hell in a Cell pay-per-view? What was your favorite match or moment? Please feel free to join in the conversation below in the comments section and be sure to check back in with FanSided each and every day for all of your WWE needs. See ya at TLC!