Hell in a Cell 2022: Cody Rhodes Turns an Injury Into an Iconic Night

Bianca Belair, Asuka and Becky Lynch open Hell in a Cell with the kind of triple threat that makes the format feel organized rather than crowded. Each wrestler enters with a distinct role: Belair is the powerful champion, Lynch is the desperate former champion and Asuka is the returning disruptor who can outstrike either opponent. The structure lets all three identities matter.

The match is at its best when one wrestler tries to finish the second and the third arrives with something that logically interrupts the sequence. Asuka's Codebreakers and ankle-lock variations create genuine danger, while Lynch repeatedly turns chaos into pinning opportunities. Belair's strength spots are saved for moments when the match needs a visual reset.

Lynch appears to have the title won after a second Manhandle Slam on Asuka. Belair throws Lynch out of the ring and steals the pin on Asuka, retaining through awareness rather than simply overpowering both challengers. The finish gives Lynch a reason to remain furious without making the champion look lucky.

The match also benefits from going first. Nineteen minutes feels substantial without being exhausting, and the audience has not yet been asked to process the much heavier main-event story. It sets a high standard the middle card rarely matches.

Current Cagematch matchguide voting sits around 8.4 from hundreds of votes, while the reported Observer rating was four stars. The consensus is strong and justified. WrestleFile lands at A- / 8.8.

Bobby Lashley against Omos and MVP is the card's most obvious continuation match. The rivalry has already included singles matches and a steel cage, so the handicap stipulation exists mainly to give Lashley one more obstacle before the feud ends. The audience understands the destination immediately.

Omos supplies the power while MVP handles most of the character work. Lashley spends the match trying to isolate one opponent long enough to create an opening, but the size imbalance makes several control sections slow. The eight-minute runtime keeps the match from becoming a larger problem.

Cedric Alexander appears late and creates the distraction Lashley needs. Lashley Spears Omos and traps MVP in the Hurt Lock for the submission. The finish lets Lashley defeat the partnership without pinning Omos again.

The crowd reacts warmly because Lashley has remained popular through the rivalry. His post-match gesture toward the championship also points him away from Omos and back toward more meaningful title programs. That future direction is more valuable than the match.

Cagematch matchguide voting is barely above four, and the reported Observer rating was 1.75 stars. The bout is functional and forgettable. WrestleFile lands at D+ / 5.2.

Kevin Owens versus Ezekiel is built around one of WWE's strangest straight-faced comedy stories of 2022. Owens insists Ezekiel is Elias, Ezekiel insists he is Elias' younger brother and the entire feud depends on Owens becoming increasingly furious that nobody will validate what he believes is obvious. The match wisely treats the comedy as motivation rather than the wrestling itself.

Owens controls the pace and gives Ezekiel a more serious opponent than the character's television segments suggest. Ezekiel shows enough athletic offense to make the match competitive, while Owens keeps returning to powerbomb and Stunner threats. Nine minutes is the correct length.

The closing sequence is clean. Owens knocks Ezekiel from the ropes, follows with the Cannonball and finishes with the Stunner. The victory gives Owens evidence for his argument without actually settling the identity joke.

The feud continues afterward because WWE is more interested in escalating the Elias-Ezekiel premise than ending it. That limits the match's sense of payoff. As a self-contained bout, it is solid.

Cagematch matchguide voting sits around six, while the reported Observer rating was 2.25 stars. The wrestling is better than the gimmick sounds and less memorable than the gimmick itself. WrestleFile lands at C+ / 6.6.

The Judgment Day against AJ Styles, Finn Bálor and Liv Morgan is one of those matches that becomes more interesting after the next night's television. Edge, Damian Priest and Rhea Ripley are still the original version of the faction here, while Bálor is positioned firmly against them. Twenty-four hours later, that alignment disappears.

The match itself is energetic and smartly built around mixed pairings. Morgan and Ripley provide a personal rivalry, Styles and Edge carry WrestleMania history and Bálor's speed gives Priest a useful contrast. The six wrestlers rotate without the match feeling like six unrelated singles exchanges.

The best stretch comes late when the match stops observing normal tag rhythm and becomes a rapid sequence of saves and dives. Styles hits the Phenomenal Forearm, Morgan neutralizes Ripley and Bálor appears ready for the Coup de Grâce. Ripley blocks him just long enough for Edge to recover.

Edge Spears Bálor and scores the pin. The result reads like a normal faction victory on the night and becomes much more significant when Bálor joins Judgment Day on Raw and helps oust Edge. The match effectively closes the first version of the group.

Cagematch matchguide voting sits a little above seven, while the reported Observer rating was 3.5 stars. The wrestling is strong and the immediate aftermath gives it lasting historical value. WrestleFile lands at B / 7.8.

Madcap Moss and Happy Corbin finally receive the stipulation their breakup feud has been asking for. The story is simple: Corbin tried to injure Moss with a chair and trophy, so Moss returns without the comedy suspenders and wants to hurt him back. No Holds Barred is a natural conclusion.

The match is physical without becoming elaborate. Chairs and steel steps do most of the work, while Corbin repeatedly attacks the neck he had targeted in the original injury angle. Moss sells the damage well enough to give the revenge comeback shape.

The decisive sequence mirrors Corbin's earlier attack. Moss traps Corbin's neck inside a chair and crushes it beneath the steel steps before scoring the pin. The revenge is obvious enough that the feud should be finished.

WWE nevertheless adds one more Last Laugh match on television later in June. That extra chapter is unnecessary, but it does not erase the satisfaction of this ending. Moss leaves with a more serious presentation.

Cagematch voting lands in the mid-fives, while the reported Observer rating was 3.25 stars. The match is better than its long-running Happy Corbin material suggests. WrestleFile lands at C+ / 6.9.

Theory and Mustafa Ali enter with a local-crowd advantage because Ali is wrestling near Chicago. The United States Championship story is less important than the simple dynamic of an arrogant young champion trying to embarrass a technically gifted hometown challenger. The audience gives Ali real support.

Ali's movement carries the match. He forces Theory to react to counters, dives and quick pin attempts rather than letting the champion spend ten minutes posing. Theory answers by targeting the knee once the challenger crashes on a missed 450 splash.

A-Town Down ends the match cleanly. Theory retains without Vince McMahon or another outside participant deciding the result, which is important for a champion still being presented as management's chosen prospect. Ali loses without looking overwhelmed.

The match does not become the hometown upset the crowd wants, but it is one of Theory's more useful early title defenses. The focus stays on the two wrestlers and the championship. That simplicity helps.

Cagematch matchguide voting sits above six, while the reported Observer rating was 3.25 stars. It is a good secondary-title match on a card with much larger stories. WrestleFile lands at B- / 7.2.

Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins begin the main event with the audience already knowing something is terribly wrong. Rhodes had completely torn his right pectoral tendon during weight training, and removing his jacket reveals an enormous field of purple bruising across his chest and arm. The visual changes the meaning of every move before the Cell door even locks.

Rollins immediately turns the injury into the match's center. Kendo sticks, the steel steps and the Cell wall are aimed at the damaged side, while Rhodes is forced to throw many strikes with his left hand. The violence is uncomfortable because the injury is not a storyline prop.

The match still develops beyond shock value. Rollins wears Dusty Rhodes-inspired polka dots, uses a polka-dot weight belt and later produces a bull rope, forcing Cody to fight through pieces of his family's visual history as well as the physical damage. The symbolism is unsubtle and effective.

The closing run is extraordinary. A Buckle Bomb sends Rhodes through a table, both men trade Cross Rhodes attempts, Rollins lands the Stomp and Rhodes survives before hitting two Cross Rhodes and finally using the sledgehammer. The match escalates without forgetting the damaged chest.

Cagematch currently places the match a little above 9.1 from hundreds of votes, and the reported Observer rating was five stars. It later won major 2022 Match of the Year honors and remains the defining image of Rhodes' first WWE run after returning. WrestleFile lands at A+ / 9.8.