Hell in a Cell 2021: A Solid Wrestling Show Buried Under Bad Creative

The strongest booking is attached to Bianca Belair. Putting her and Bayley inside the Cell gives the feud a decisive environment, and Belair winning with the Kiss of Death onto a ladder reinforces her championship run without needing interference. Seth Rollins beating Cesaro by roll-up is less definitive, but it keeps the rivalry moving while giving Rollins a win he can use to rebuild after WrestleMania. Sami Zayn defeating Kevin Owens cleanly enough with the Helluva Kick is another useful result because Zayn desperately needed a major victory in their series.

The weaker decisions are much more damaging. Rhea Ripley intentionally using the announce-table cover to get disqualified protects the championship without resolving anything, which is exactly the kind of finish a pay-per-view title match should avoid. The Alexa Bliss-Shayna Baszler supernatural story is worse because the booking changes the basic rules of the world around the wrestlers. Hypnosis and magical distractions make Baszler look less dangerous rather than making Bliss more compelling.

Lashley beating McIntyre is the right long-term result, but the finish is unnecessarily soft. MVP grabbing McIntyre's leg gives Lashley the opening for a roll-up, ending a brutal Last Chance Cell match with the least brutal pinfall imaginable. The stipulation matters afterward, yet the finish prevents the feud from ending with the force the structure promised.

The ThunderDome is both useful and limiting here. WWE's production team had become extremely good at using the LED-wall environment for entrances, camera movement and controlled atmosphere, so Hell in a Cell looks polished throughout. The Cell itself benefits from the lighting and the ability to shoot around the structure without worrying about obstructed sightlines for a live crowd.

At the same time, the event feels like the end of a format WWE had already outgrown. Virtual reactions cannot replace the volatility of a real audience, and that matters most during matches like Charlotte-Ripley, where a live crowd might have made the momentum swings feel larger. The Bliss-Baszler material leans into the ThunderDome's ability to support supernatural presentation, but the show does almost nothing visually bold enough to justify the story.

The main event is the best use of the environment because Lashley and McIntyre can weaponize the Cell, ringside area and props without losing clarity. The match looks dangerous and controlled until the finish. As the final pay-per-view of the ThunderDome era, the show is competent production-wise but rarely sentimental about what is ending. WWE was clearly ready to get back in front of real people.

Hell in a Cell 2021 is historically significant because it was WWE's final pay-per-view from the ThunderDome and the last major event of the company's extended residency at Yuengling Center. Money in the Bank the following month would mark the return to a full live audience, so this event closes one of the strangest presentation eras in modern WWE history.

The show also provides important career and storyline transitions. Bobby Lashley's victory ends Drew McIntyre's ability to challenge him for the WWE Championship and clears the path toward Kofi Kingston at Money in the Bank. Bianca Belair's Cell victory gives her another strong defense during the first phase of her SmackDown Women's Championship reign. Rhea Ripley and Charlotte Flair continue directly into Money in the Bank, while Rollins-Cesaro and Owens-Zayn also extend beyond this night.

The event is less significant as a classic Hell in a Cell card. Neither Cell match is generally treated as an all-time entry in the stipulation's history, but Lashley-McIntyre earned the night's highest Observer rating at four stars and was the clear winner in post-event best-match polling.