Hell in a Cell 2012: Big Show and Sheamus Deliver While Punk-Ryback Gets the Wrong Ending

Randy Orton and Alberto Del Rio open the pay-per-view with a solid singles match built around a straightforward personal grudge. Del Rio spends much of the bout trying to slow Orton with kicks and targeted offense, while Orton repeatedly looks for the sudden RKO counter that can end the match instantly. The crowd stays engaged because both men are established near the top of the card, even though no championship is at stake. Del Rio creates one late opening and attempts an enziguri in the corner. Orton avoids it, catches Del Rio during the recovery and lands the RKO. The clean pin gives Orton a decisive victory and sends the show forward with a reliable opener rather than an overcomplicated angle.

Team Rhodes Scholars challenge Team Hell No in a match that is more useful for continuing the champions' dysfunctional partnership than for delivering a satisfying title finish. Bryan and Kane remain entertaining because every tag and argument feels like it could become another mistake, while Rhodes and Sandow work more coherently as the actual team. The wrestling is steady and the challengers get enough offense to look credible. The finish comes when Kane loses control and attacks both opponents beyond the referee's tolerance. The disqualification gives Rhodes Scholars the official victory while Team Hell No keep the championship. That choice preserves both teams for future matches, but it also makes the pay-per-view title defense feel like an unfinished chapter rather than a meaningful conclusion.

Kofi Kingston and The Miz deliver one of the stronger midcard matches on the show with a clean Intercontinental Championship defense. Miz works deliberately and tries to keep Kingston grounded, while Kingston repeatedly changes the pace with springboard offense and quick counters. The match receives enough time to build beyond a television-style sprint and gives Miz several credible chances to regain the title. Kingston finally creates separation during a late exchange and lines up Trouble in Paradise. Miz cannot avoid the kick, and Kingston scores the pin. The clean retention gives the championship a straightforward result and provides the card with one of its better wrestling matches before the heavier stipulation and world-title bouts.

Antonio Cesaro's United States Championship defense against Justin Gabriel is a compact match built around the contrast between Gabriel's speed and Cesaro's strength. Gabriel creates the quickest offense of the night to this point and forces the champion to react to dives and sudden attacks rather than simply dictate the pace. Cesaro repeatedly absorbs the movement and waits for one opening to turn the match back toward power. That opening arrives when Gabriel attempts a suicide dive. Cesaro catches him with a European uppercut on the way in, stopping the momentum instantly. Back inside, Cesaro hits the Neutralizer and scores the pin. The match is short but gives the champion a memorable counter and another clean defense.

Rey Mysterio and Sin Cara face The Prime Time Players in a clean tag match that gives the middle of the card a needed change of pace. Young and O'Neil use size and quick tags to control the smaller team, while Mysterio and Sin Cara rely on speed and synchronized offense to create openings. The match never carries major stakes, but the styles fit together well enough to keep the action moving. Mysterio eventually catches Young in position for the 619 and connects. He follows with a diving splash and scores the pin. The result gives the masked team a clear win and keeps them relevant in the tag division, though the match remains a supporting attraction rather than a memorable destination.

Big Show and Sheamus produce the best match on the card by building a twenty-minute heavyweight fight around increasingly difficult attempts to finish one another. Show controls long stretches with size and power, but Sheamus keeps finding ways to survive and force the champion's usual finishing sequences into deeper territory. Both men kick out of moves that normally end matches, including the WMD and Brogue Kick, giving the match genuine escalation rather than empty finisher repetition. Sheamus eventually attempts a second Brogue Kick. Show avoids it, catches the opening and lands a second WMD. This time Sheamus cannot kick out, and Big Show wins the World Heavyweight Championship. The title change feels earned because the match spends its entire structure proving how difficult both men are to put away.

Eve Torres defends the Divas Championship against Kaitlyn and Layla in a short triple threat that advances the mystery surrounding Kaitlyn's earlier attack more than it develops as a match. Layla and Kaitlyn both receive brief stretches of offense, while Eve spends much of the bout choosing moments to interrupt rather than controlling outright. The six-minute runtime prevents the three-way structure from becoming especially layered. Kaitlyn and Layla create one final exchange near the center of the ring. Eve climbs and lands a senton bomb onto both challengers. She covers Layla and retains the championship. The finish gives Eve another opportunistic victory and supports her manipulative character, but the match itself feels secondary to the surrounding storyline.

CM Punk and Ryback enter Hell in a Cell with a difficult booking problem: Punk's long championship reign needs protection while Ryback arrives undefeated and heavily pushed. The match itself gives Ryback the expected physical advantage and lets Punk spend most of the time surviving through movement, weapons and Paul Heyman's distraction. The tension is effective because the crowd increasingly expects Ryback to complete Shell Shocked and win the title. Referee Brad Maddox suddenly stops Ryback, lands a low blow and helps Punk secure a roll-up with a fast count. Punk retains, ending Ryback's undefeated streak through blatant interference. Ryback's post-match Shell Shocked on top of the cell creates a memorable image, but the finish badly damages the championship match's credibility.