WWE Hell in a Cell 2018 review: What we learned, takeaways, future projections

Hell in a Cell Match for the WWE Universal Championship

Roman Reigns (c) vs. Braun Strowman

What we learned: So we learned here that Brock Lesnar must have signed a new deal. There was so much happening during this Hell in a Cell match for the WWE Universal Championship that focus kind of got lost, so let’s try and get in all of what happened.

So we get Mick Foley in there as the ref, which only happened to further promote the special on the network immediately following the pay-per-view, and then Roman Reigns and Braun Strowman duke it out for a little while. Oh yeah, we also learned that Roman apparently can’t see a 6-foot-8 man holding a giant set of metal steps while running around the ring. So that was fun. But then things just went haywire.

Dolph Ziggler and Drew McIntyre showed up to help out Strowman, and Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose inevitably came down to even the odds. There were a lot of minutes that went by without even knowing what Roman and Braun were doing in the ring because the focus was on the others. The four went to the top of the cage so Reigns and Strowman didn’t have to struggle getting up there, and Rollins and Ziggler later went crashing through the announce tables from about halfway up. Once they showed up, I figured those two would be the ones to take the risk, but it was still a nice spot.

So we’re now ready to put the focus back on the two competitors actually competing in the match, and then Brock Lesnar’s music hits and he and his new beard made their way down to the ring. It was pretty awesome to see him bust down the door to get in, and then he just wreaked havoc on Roman and Braun on the inside, mercilessly beating them with pieces of the table they’d broken earlier and finishing things off with a couple of F-5s. He walked out and the match was called.

What’s next: So where does this leave things? Well, Strowman has now wasted his Money in the Bank opportunity, further pushing a storyline between he and Lesnar which likely culminates at WrestleMania 35. This also protected Roman from losing the Universal Championship without Braun having to lose, so I can see what they were going for here. It’s maybe not the way I would have taken things, but I’ll admit that I was a little amped up while all of this was going on, which is strange as I’ve been ready for Lesnar to just go away. Strowman never did lose officially, so he’s likely going to get a rematch in Australia. Very interesting finish.

Overall, I was pleased with how this show played out. Outside of the mixed tag, I can’t say that any match on the card was bad, and the RAW Tag Team Championship match stole the show as one of the best tag matches in WWE this year. We’ll see you next time from Melbourne.

NEXT: 10 who deserve to be in the WWE Hall of Fame

What was your favorite match at WWE Hell in a Cell? Please feel free to join in the conversation in the comments section below.