WWE: Hell In A Cell 2011 DVD Review

WWE: Hell In A Cell 2011 DVD Review
The show opens with Christian making his way to the ring for the first match of the night. As he is making his entrance, The Miz and R-Truth who were banned from the arena are seen coming through the crowd. They have tickets in hand and go to sit down on the front row, but out comes John Laurinitus with security. After some arguing, Laurinitus and security take Miz & Truth out of the arena. Great way to start the show with some controversy. Miz and Truth were one of the main reasons I wanted to pick this show up on DVD and take another look at it.

1) Christian vs. Sheamus
These guys have an undeniable chemistry together and always manage to put on great matches. This bout was no exception. Sheamus delivered his typical offense full of stiff strikes and power manuevers, but the sly Christian managed to gain the advantage on several occasions with big moves such as a huge spear on the outside planting Sheamus on the floor. The bout headed back in the ring following that manuever where Sheamus & Christian countered each other multiple times before Sheamus was finally able to nail Christian with a brogue kick for the victory. Great match.

Match rating - 7.75/10

2) Sin Cara vs. Sin Cara
I found this storyline stupid, but the match was very entertaining. Alot of fast paced and innovative lucha libre action here. Unfortunately the crowd wasn't that into it so it hurt the match a bit. Despite that, this was a fun encounter.

Match rating - 6.5/10

3) Evan Bourne & Kofi Kingston vs. Dolph Ziggler & Jack Swagger - WWE Tag Team Championship Match
This was the action packed tag team match that you would expect from Air Boom. Ziggler did his share of highflying as well and Swagger held his own with the aerialists on the opposing team. Very entertaining tag team title match.

Match rating - 7.5/10

4) Mark Henry vs. Randy Orton - Hell In A Cell Match for the World Heavyweight Championship
I didn't have high expectations for this match, but Orton & Henry managed to find a way to make it quite entertaining. Although this wasn't an oustanding contest, I never really lost interest so I can't complain too much aside from the fact that there was no reason for this to be held inside the cell, no weapons were even used besides the steel steps. Solid match none the less. The best part of the action however take place after the bout when Orton beat the hell out of Henry with a chair.

Match rating - 6/10
At this point in the show, Cody Rhodes came to the ring with his baggers. Rhodes proceeded to debut the new Intercontinetal Championship which is actually the old classic white belt. Rhodes names off the people who held that belt and said he would wear it prouder than any of them ever did. Laurinitus comes out and makes Cody defend the belt now against John Morrison.

5) Cody Rhodes vs. John Morrison
Well Cody wrestled this match in street clothes, but still put on a really good contest with Morrison. It lasted around ten minutes and was very entertaining. Rhodes and Morrison were two of my favorites in WWE at this time so it was nice seeing them compete against each other. Rhodes picks up the cheap victory with a roll up. If this one had went a bit longer, I may have rated it higher, very enjoyable match.

Match rating - 6.5/10
Backstage, The Miz and R-Truth have broken back into the arena and are in the back beating up talent. John Laurinitus runs to get Triple H and they go into the locker room as security is pulling Miz & Truth off of Evan Bourne and Kofi Kingston. Triple H is pissed and yells at Laurinitus before leaving.

6) Kelly Kelly vs. Beth Phoenix - Diva's Championship Match
Had low expectations for this because WWE has never put much into their women's division, but this was better than what we normally get. They had some nice counters and nearfalls here which really surprised me. Decent match.

Match rating - 5.5/10

7) John Cena vs. CM Punk vs. Alberto Del Rio - Hell In A Cell Match for the WWE Championship
I think this match is often overlooked because all the other classic moments and matches from 2011. This is honestly one of the best matches of the year in my opinion. Easily the match of the night. Punk and Cena have amazing chemistry, that combined with Del Rio's in ring expertise made for a fantastic three way. Beyond that, these guys took full advantge of the Cell rules by using multiple weapons such as chairs and tables. There were some unique multi man moves here as well such as Cena lifting Del Rio up for an AA on the outside only for Punk to dive out onto both of them! Several cool spots in this match and everything flowed very well. Awesome match!

Match rating - 9/10
After the match, two masked men hit the ring as the cell lowered back down to the arena floor. They beat down Cena, Del Rio, and Punk repeatedly. The men take off their masks to reveal.. THE MIZ AND R-TRUTH! They somehow made it back into the arena to cause more chaos! Booker T said it best "Miz and Truth have lost their damn mind!" The locker room ran out to ringside to try and stop them, but they couldn't get in the cell because it was still lowered. Miz & Truth continue beating on the three men in the cell along with referees while Triple H gets someone to unlock the cell door. Triple H has Miz and Truth arrested. The night ends in chaos!

Overall thoughts: This was a solid PPV. There weren't any bad matches, pretty much every match here is enjoyable. The opening bout was outstanding and the main event was a MOTY candidate. On top of the consistency of the card, the story that ran throughout the night featuring Miz and Truth causing chaos made the event even more exciting to watch. I ordered this show along with several other PPVs from 2011 to relive what an awesome year it was and this show was just as enjoyable as when it originally aired. This wasn't an awesome show, but it's better than what we get from WWE alot of times so if the Miz/Truth conspiracy storyline interests you or you're a fan of any of the guys in the main event, I definitely recommend checking this out.