Hell in a Cell 2017: Two Great Cage Matches Carry a Show That Loses Its Way in the Middle

New Day and Usos treat the Cell like a playground designed by people who hate one another. Musical instruments become weapons, kendo sticks pin bodies against the cage, handcuffs change the geometry of the match, and every escape attempt creates another opportunity for punishment. The creativity would mean less without the rivalry underneath it. Big E's bursts of anger feel earned, Woods keeps fighting while restrained, and the Usos grow more ruthless as the match progresses. The closing sequence is especially strong because Woods tries to save Big E despite being cuffed, only to be overwhelmed by repeated kendo-stick shots and a chair-assisted double splash. The Usos regain the titles after twenty-two violent minutes that never feel repetitive.

Orton and Rusev finally get enough time to wrestle after their previous matches were built around ten-second jokes. Rusev attacks the back and ribs, controls stretches with power, and gets one convincing opening for the Accolade. Orton works a familiar comeback, using the powerslam and draping DDT to steer the match toward the RKO. The problem is that the outcome never feels uncertain. Rusev has already been treated as the wrestler who needs a miracle to beat Orton, so each near fall feels temporary rather than threatening. The finishing counter is clean: Rusev reaches for the Accolade, Orton slips free, and the RKO ends it. Eleven minutes is perfectly acceptable, but the feud has already taught the audience not to believe.

Adding Dillinger gives the match a useful third rhythm even if the triple-threat structure remains familiar. Styles supplies the pace and spectacular counters, Dillinger gets enough offense to look like he belongs, and Corbin slows things whenever he takes control. The best stretches come when all three are involved rather than when one wrestler waits outside. Styles eventually lands the Phenomenal Forearm on Dillinger and appears to have the defense won. Corbin knocks Styles out of the ring and steals the pin on Dillinger, becoming United States Champion without directly beating the champion. The finish is predictable once the late addition is announced, but it protects Styles and gives Corbin his first main-roster championship. Nineteen minutes is a little long, yet the match finishes well.

Charlotte and Natalya build the match around Charlotte's knee, giving the champion a clear target and forcing the challenger to sell through her comeback. Natalya's control work is logical, and Charlotte's power offense creates enough contrast to keep the middle from becoming static. The crowd never fully invests because the feud lacks urgency, but the match is heading toward a respectable finish when the booking interrupts it. Charlotte connects with the moonsault to the floor, Natalya recovers, grabs a chair, and attacks her for the disqualification. Charlotte wins the match but not the title. The decision preserves another championship rematch while denying this one a real conclusion. Twelve minutes of competent work are remembered mostly for the anticlimax.

Mahal and Nakamura never find the urgency a second major championship match should have. Mahal's control periods are methodical without becoming oppressive, while Nakamura's comebacks arrive in isolated bursts rather than building toward a sustained threat. The Singh Brothers again become part of the structure, drawing the referee's attention until they are finally ejected. Nakamura then lands the Kinshasa, but the delayed count gives Mahal enough time to reach the rope. That should be the point where the match accelerates. Instead, Mahal retreats, Nakamura chases him, and the champion catches him with Khallas after another missed knee. The pin is clean enough, but the challenger leaves looking diminished. For a WWE Championship match, the bout feels strangely small.

Roode's first main-roster pay-per-view match should feel like an arrival, but the bout never develops beyond competent television wrestling. Ziggler's entrance gag establishes the character issue, then both men settle into a long middle built around holds, counters, and near falls that draw surprisingly little from the crowd. Roode's Blockbuster and spinebuster create brief lifts, while Ziggler's DDT and sleeper stretches keep the pace measured. The final exchange becomes a sequence of tights-assisted rollups, with Roode eventually stealing the three-count while the referee misses the leverage. Ziggler immediately hits the Zig Zag afterward, ensuring the feud continues. Neither man looks bad, but the match feels more like the first chapter of a television program than a pay-per-view debut worth remembering.

Owens and Shane wrestle a spectacle rather than a conventional Cell match, and the approach works until the runtime begins to drag. The brawl starts outside the cage, moves through weapons and ringside crashes, then climbs onto the roof where every step looks dangerous. Owens falling from the side through an announce table provides the expected major bump, but Shane still needs one larger risk. He places Owens on another table and climbs to the top. The real finish happens below him. Zayn pulls Owens away just before Shane dives, watches Shane crash through the table, then places Owens on top for the pin. The betrayal is so surprising that it overwhelms the excess that came before it.