Hell in a Cell (2011)
Encyclopedia
Hell in a Cell was a professional wrestling
pay-per-view
event produced by WWE that took place on October 2, 2011 at the New Orleans Arena
in New Orleans, Louisiana
. It was the third annual Hell in a Cell event
. Like the 2009 and 2010
events, this event also featured the Hell in a Cell match. Seven matches took place at the event.
which involve different wrestlers from pre-existing scripted feuds, plots, and storyline
s that played out on WWE's television programs. Wrestlers portrayed villains
or heroes
as they followed a series of events that built tension and culminated in a wrestling match or series of matches.
The main rivalry from Raw involved the WWE Championship
. On September 18, 2011, John Cena
defeated Alberto Del Rio at Night of Champions
to become the ten-time WWE Champion. On the following night's episode of Raw, WWE COO Triple H
announced the first-ever Triple Threat Hell in a Cell match, in which Cena would defend his title against Alberto Del Rio and CM Punk
, giving Punk the rematch clause he never received.
The main rivalry from SmackDown involved the World Heavyweight Championship
. On September 18, 2011, Mark Henry
defeated Randy Orton
at Night of Champions to win his first ever World Title. On the following night's episode of Raw, SmackDown General Manager Theodore Long
announced that Orton would invoke his rematch clause at Hell in a Cell, and that the rematch would take place inside that structure.
The Mexican claimed his second belt in a three-way match inside the cell structure against John Cena and CM Punk. Del Rio prevailed in the main event after interference from his ring announcer Ricardo Rodriguez ended up with Cena trapped outside the cell.
Alberto used a steel pipe on Punk, knocking him out and drawing the three count. However, the real action came after the match ended. At the start of the night The Miz & R-Truth, fired by Triple H according to storyline, appeared in the crowd, but were ejected by John Laurinaitis. Later, a commotion backstage revealed that Miz & Truth had attacked Evan Bourne and Kofi Kingston.
At the conclusion of the match the Cell lifted into the air, and John Cena rushed into the ring to attack Del Rio. The Cell dropped again, though, and Miz & Truth emerged from beneath the ring to attack all participants and referees inside the cell.
Triple H & Laurinaitis ran to the ring to attempt to remove Miz & Truth from the scene, but could not penetrate the cell. Almost the entire locker room as well as policemen joined the siege, and eventually the door was breached. Miz & Truth immediately surrendered to police, although Triple H got a few shots in on them before being dragged away himself.
The match itself had been a decent yet unspectacular affair, but the post-match was definitely eye-catching and unique. The only other match inside the Cell saw Mark Henry retain the World Championship against Randy Orton. Henry won cleanly, kicking out of Orton's much vaunted RKO finishing move, but there was again a post script. Henry attempted to inflict some extracurricular punishment but Randy fought back, indicating we may not have seen the last of this feud.
The show began with a very serviceable Sheamus v Christian bout which contained no surnames but plenty of action. The Irishman prevailed, and is another possible challenger to Henry should WWE choose that direction. A Sin Cara v Sin Cara battle drew very little from the live crowd, who were somewhat subdued all evening, but it was a decent match, offering a refreshingly different style of wrestling. The 'original' Sin Cara prevailed over the dark imposter. Bourne & Kingston — Air Boom — got their hands raised in a tag title defence against Jack Swagger & Dolph Ziggler in an unannounced bout. In another surprise title match, Cody Rhodes fended off the challenge of John Morrison. Rhodes brought back the classic design of the Intercontinental title belt in a move sure to pop longstanding fans. There was one other title change, though, as Beth Phoenix finally got the better of Kelly Kelly to get her hands on the Divas Title.
It was an odd show in the sense that there were no bad matches on the show, yet nothing really raised its head above the parapet as being exceptional, or worthy of having paid PPV money for.
As many correspondents noted on Twitter at the conclusion of the show, rather than a PPV this felt like a three-hour episode of Raw — albeit a very good episode of Raw. For giving us close to three hours of decent entertainment — but leaving us with no sense of value for money satisfaction — we award WWE Hell in a Cell a rating of 6 out of 10.
Professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...
pay-per-view
Pay-per-view
Pay-per-view provides a service by which a television audience can purchase events to view via private telecast. The broadcaster shows the event at the same time to everyone ordering it...
event produced by WWE that took place on October 2, 2011 at the New Orleans Arena
New Orleans Arena
New Orleans Arena is an indoor arena in New Orleans, Louisiana. It is located in the city's Central Business District, adjacent to the Mercedes-Benz Superdome....
in New Orleans, Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
. It was the third annual Hell in a Cell event
WWE Hell in a Cell
Hell in a Cell was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment , which took place on October 4, 2009 at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. It was the first Hell in a Cell event and featured talent from the Raw and SmackDown brands...
. Like the 2009 and 2010
Hell in a Cell (2010)
Hell in a Cell was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment that took place on October 3, 2010 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. It was the second annual Hell in a Cell event. Like the 2009 event, the event featured the Hell in a Cell...
events, this event also featured the Hell in a Cell match. Seven matches took place at the event.
Background
Hell in a Cell featured professional wrestling matchesProfessional wrestling match types
Many types of matches, sometimes called "concept" or "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, can be found in the form of performing art that is professional wrestling....
which involve different wrestlers from pre-existing scripted feuds, plots, and storyline
Narrative thread
A narrative thread, or plot thread , refers to particular elements and techniques of writing to center the story in the action or experience of characters rather than to relate a matter in a dry 'All knowing' sort of narration...
s that played out on WWE's television programs. Wrestlers portrayed villains
Heel (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a heel is a villain character. In non-wrestling jargon, heels are the "bad guys" in professional wrestling; the term heel coming from the term take to you heels, which means to run away which heel champions tend to do to avoid losing their titles.storylines...
or heroes
Face (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a babyface or face or in simple words, a fan favorite is a character who is portrayed as a heroic relative to the heel wrestlers, who are analogous to villains...
as they followed a series of events that built tension and culminated in a wrestling match or series of matches.
The main rivalry from Raw involved the WWE Championship
WWE Championship
The WWE Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in WWE. It is the world title of the Raw brand and one of two in WWE, complementing the World Heavyweight Championship of the SmackDown brand. It was established under the then WWWF in 1963...
. On September 18, 2011, John Cena
John Cena
John Felix Anthony Cena is an American professional wrestler, actor, rapper, and television personality. He is currently signed to WWE as a member of its WWE Raw brand....
defeated Alberto Del Rio at Night of Champions
Night of Champions (2011)
Night of Champions was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by WWE that took place on September 18, 2011 at the First Niagara Center in Buffalo, New York. It was the 4th annual WWE Night of Champions event and the 11th in the WWE Vengeance overall timeline. Seven matches took...
to become the ten-time WWE Champion. On the following night's episode of Raw, WWE COO Triple H
Triple H
Paul Michael Levesque is an American professional wrestler, professional wrestling authority figure, WWE Executive Vice President of Talent and actor, better known by his ring name Triple H, an abbreviation of the ring name, Hunter Hearst Helmsley...
announced the first-ever Triple Threat Hell in a Cell match, in which Cena would defend his title against Alberto Del Rio and CM Punk
CM Punk
Phillip Jack "Phil" Brooks , better known by his ring name CM Punk, is an American professional wrestler currently signed to WWE and working on its Raw brand currently serving his second title reign as WWE Champion....
, giving Punk the rematch clause he never received.
The main rivalry from SmackDown involved the World Heavyweight Championship
World Heavyweight Championship (WWE)
The World Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in WWE. It is the world title of the SmackDown brand and one of two in WWE, complementing the WWE Championship of the Raw brand...
. On September 18, 2011, Mark Henry
Mark Henry
Mark Jerrold Henry is an American professional wrestler signed with WWE, where he performs on its SmackDown brand as the reigning World Heavyweight Champion. He is a 1992 Olympian, and winner of the 2002 Arnold Strongman Classic...
defeated Randy Orton
Randy Orton
Randal Keith "Randy" Orton is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to WWE wrestling on its SmackDown brand...
at Night of Champions to win his first ever World Title. On the following night's episode of Raw, SmackDown General Manager Theodore Long
Theodore Long
Theodore R. "Teddy" Long is an American professional wrestling manager and former referee who currently works for WWE on its SmackDown brand as its General Manager.-National Wrestling Alliance / World Championship Wrestling:...
announced that Orton would invoke his rematch clause at Hell in a Cell, and that the rematch would take place inside that structure.
Reception
The Sun Reviewed the events as follows:The Mexican claimed his second belt in a three-way match inside the cell structure against John Cena and CM Punk. Del Rio prevailed in the main event after interference from his ring announcer Ricardo Rodriguez ended up with Cena trapped outside the cell.
Alberto used a steel pipe on Punk, knocking him out and drawing the three count. However, the real action came after the match ended. At the start of the night The Miz & R-Truth, fired by Triple H according to storyline, appeared in the crowd, but were ejected by John Laurinaitis. Later, a commotion backstage revealed that Miz & Truth had attacked Evan Bourne and Kofi Kingston.
At the conclusion of the match the Cell lifted into the air, and John Cena rushed into the ring to attack Del Rio. The Cell dropped again, though, and Miz & Truth emerged from beneath the ring to attack all participants and referees inside the cell.
Triple H & Laurinaitis ran to the ring to attempt to remove Miz & Truth from the scene, but could not penetrate the cell. Almost the entire locker room as well as policemen joined the siege, and eventually the door was breached. Miz & Truth immediately surrendered to police, although Triple H got a few shots in on them before being dragged away himself.
The match itself had been a decent yet unspectacular affair, but the post-match was definitely eye-catching and unique. The only other match inside the Cell saw Mark Henry retain the World Championship against Randy Orton. Henry won cleanly, kicking out of Orton's much vaunted RKO finishing move, but there was again a post script. Henry attempted to inflict some extracurricular punishment but Randy fought back, indicating we may not have seen the last of this feud.
The show began with a very serviceable Sheamus v Christian bout which contained no surnames but plenty of action. The Irishman prevailed, and is another possible challenger to Henry should WWE choose that direction. A Sin Cara v Sin Cara battle drew very little from the live crowd, who were somewhat subdued all evening, but it was a decent match, offering a refreshingly different style of wrestling. The 'original' Sin Cara prevailed over the dark imposter. Bourne & Kingston — Air Boom — got their hands raised in a tag title defence against Jack Swagger & Dolph Ziggler in an unannounced bout. In another surprise title match, Cody Rhodes fended off the challenge of John Morrison. Rhodes brought back the classic design of the Intercontinental title belt in a move sure to pop longstanding fans. There was one other title change, though, as Beth Phoenix finally got the better of Kelly Kelly to get her hands on the Divas Title.
It was an odd show in the sense that there were no bad matches on the show, yet nothing really raised its head above the parapet as being exceptional, or worthy of having paid PPV money for.
As many correspondents noted on Twitter at the conclusion of the show, rather than a PPV this felt like a three-hour episode of Raw — albeit a very good episode of Raw. For giving us close to three hours of decent entertainment — but leaving us with no sense of value for money satisfaction — we award WWE Hell in a Cell a rating of 6 out of 10.
Results
| # | Matches | Stipulations | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dark | Daniel Bryan Bryan Danielson Bryan Danielson is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE where he wrestles on its SmackDown brand as Daniel Bryan, and currently holds the SmackDown Money in the Bank briefcase, which enables him to have a World Heavyweight Championship match at any time of his choosing... defeated JTG |
Singles match | 06:22 |
| 1 | Sheamus defeated Christian | Singles match | 13:41 |
| 2 | Sin Cara Azul Místico Luis Ignascio Urive Alvirde is a Mexican luchador enmascarado, or masked professional wrestler, currently signed to WWE, working on its SmackDown brand under the name Sin Cara... defeated Sin Cara Negro Incognito (wrestler) Jorge Arias is an American professional wrestler, who is currently signed by WWE wrestling on its SmackDown brand while also wrestling in Florida Championship Wrestling under the ring name Hunico... |
Singles match | 9:45 |
| 3 | Air Boom Air Boom Air Boom is a WWE professional wrestling tag team consisting of Evan Bourne and Kofi Kingston, both of whom compete on WWE's Raw brand where they are the current reigning WWE Tag Team Champions. Their team name "Air Boom" was voted upon by fans on WWE's website... (Evan Bourne and Kofi Kingston Kofi Kingston Kofi Nahaje Sarkodie-Mensah , is a Ghanaian American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Kofi Kingston. He is currently signed to WWE and works on its Raw brand where he is one half of the WWE Tag Team Champions with Evan Bourne as Air Boom... ) (c) defeated Jack Swagger and Dolph Ziggler (with Vickie Guerrero Vickie Guerrero Vickie Lynn Guerrero is an American professional wrestling personality, manager, shifting authority figure and occasional wrestler. She is the widow of professional wrestler Eddie Guerrero, currently signed to WWE on its Raw brand... ) |
Tag team match Professional wrestling tag team match types Much like singles matches, tag team professional wrestling matches can and have taken many forms. Just about any singles or melee match type can be adapted to tag teams; for example, hardcore tag team matches are commonplace... for the WWE Tag Team Championship WWE Tag Team Championship The WWE Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling world tag team championship in WWE. It was established as a second title for tag teams in WWE in 2002 to complement the original World Tag Team Championship... |
11:18 |
| 4 | Mark Henry Mark Henry Mark Jerrold Henry is an American professional wrestler signed with WWE, where he performs on its SmackDown brand as the reigning World Heavyweight Champion. He is a 1992 Olympian, and winner of the 2002 Arnold Strongman Classic... (c) defeated Randy Orton Randy Orton Randal Keith "Randy" Orton is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to WWE wrestling on its SmackDown brand... |
Hell in a Cell match for the World Heavyweight Championship World Heavyweight Championship (WWE) The World Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in WWE. It is the world title of the SmackDown brand and one of two in WWE, complementing the WWE Championship of the Raw brand... |
15:57 |
| 5 | Cody Rhodes (c) defeated John Morrison | Singles match for the WWE Intercontinental Championship WWE Intercontinental Championship The WWE Intercontinental Championship is a professional wrestling championship in WWE. It is the original secondary title of the promotion. Currently, it is the secondary championship exclusive to the SmackDown brand... |
7:19 |
| 6 | Beth Phoenix Beth Phoenix Elizabeth Kocianski is an American professional wrestler, currently signed to WWE where she wrestles on the Raw brand under the ring name Beth Phoenix, where she is the reigning WWE Divas Champion.... (with Natalya) defeated Kelly Kelly (c) (with Eve Torres Eve Torres Eve Marie Torres is an American dancer, model, and professional wrestler. She is working for WWE on Raw brand. She is a two time WWE Divas Champion.Torres began her career as a model and dancer... ) |
Singles match for the WWE Divas Championship WWE Divas Championship The WWE Diva's Championship is a unified professional wrestling championship in WWE. It is competed for by WWE Divas. The championship was created by WWE in 2008, and was introduced in storyline by then-SmackDown General Manager Vickie Guerrero as an alternative to Raw's Women's Championship... |
8:29 |
| 7 | Alberto Del Rio (with Ricardo Rodriguez Ricardo Rodriguez (wrestler) Jesús Rodríguez is a Mexican-American professional wrestler and ring announcer, currently signed to WWE, performing on its RAW brand under the ring name Ricardo Rodriguez as Alberto Del Rio's personal ring announcer and occasional wrestler.-Early career:Rodriguez formerly wrestled for promotions... ) defeated John Cena John Cena John Felix Anthony Cena is an American professional wrestler, actor, rapper, and television personality. He is currently signed to WWE as a member of its WWE Raw brand.... (c) and CM Punk CM Punk Phillip Jack "Phil" Brooks , better known by his ring name CM Punk, is an American professional wrestler currently signed to WWE and working on its Raw brand currently serving his second title reign as WWE Champion.... |
Triple Threat Hell in a Cell match for the WWE Championship WWE Championship The WWE Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in WWE. It is the world title of the Raw brand and one of two in WWE, complementing the World Heavyweight Championship of the SmackDown brand. It was established under the then WWWF in 1963... |
24:07 |