[7.0] "This was for Roman's Universal Championship. A three-act match well executed. Good rushing start from Mysterio. A great example of a smart babyface that is willing to take advantage of the rules. Reigns' physical superiority ends up catching up to him, though. When in control, he's more deliberate, but sometimes to the point of being meandering. Great fire in Rey's comeback while being logical. After it, it gets to the point and doesn't overindulge in false finishes."
[7.0] "This was a pretty good match. Say what you will about Roman Reigns' run as Universal Champion and how long it's been, but there's no denying that he has delivered in the ring more often than not. Rey Mysterio told a great story here, as he was getting revenge for Reigns beating up Dominik. So he didn't need to do too much high flying or overly fancy moves. Instead he attacked Reigns from the outset with weapons like a fire extinguisher and a toolbox. Reigns would fight back, but Rey managed to counter and hit two Frog Splashes, the first of which had a steel chair on Reigns. The best spot of the match was Reigns in a power bomb position, throwing Rey from the ring to the cell outside. This led directly to Reigns locking a modified guillotine on Rey and winning the match. This was all about story, and it delivered in an entertaining match. ***1/2"
[7.0] "This was a pretty good HIAC match that I think slightly eclipses the other tv cell match. Rey was good in the underdog role as usual and Roman continues his dominant reign as the champ."
[1.0] "This was boring and forgettable. I had little issue with Roman or Rey's performances in this match but the booking, stipulation and commercial breaks did a number on this one. Spots you've seen a million times before. Literally no one thought Rey would win so this was a filler defense and an easy clean win for Roman. *"
[7.0] "This was a fine hiac match between Rey and reigns but it's hurt by them only going 16 and the commercials. Both times we got hit with the commercials it felt like it was finally going to hit the next gear but it never did. This probably would have been much better if on PPV and they got 20-25 min. Still a fine matchup but disappointing.***1/2"
[8.0] "One of the most entertaining WWE TV matches in 2021 so far. Roman Reigns continues his streak of awesome performances. Wrestler of the year for sure."
[6.0] "This was good, but super disappointing with all the hype going into it. It doesn't felt like a Cell match and there was no sense of urgency at all. Some good spots then and there kept it from being mediocre, I suppose. [***1/4]"
[7.0] "Solid stuff with them playing off the natural dynamic of Rey being the smaller man & Reigns being the bigger, dominant champ. It's simple stuff really, and the chemistry between the two is solid. Definitely felt like it didn't need the HIAC gimmick attached to it though, and I feel like it would've been even more fun as a street fight/no dq, or one of the deals like that."
[7.0] "A good match, but very disappointing match for someone of Roman's caliber. In my opinion it's his his worst singles title match during this title reign."
[7.0] "This should have been given more time and a biggest stage, but for what it had, it did its job perfectly. Started too quick but it amped the violence with a long Mysterio domination. Then Reigns got to be a beast and comeback from all that, then nice back and forth before a nice final big spot. ***1/2+"
[8.0] "Roman Reigns vs. Rey Mysterio. Another great title defence for The Tribal Chief. Rey Mysterio managed to get some offence within this match with some nice spots with the frog splash onto the chair and even when Roman Reigns threw Mysterio in a powerbomb into the Hell in a Cell structure causing another nice spot. Roman Reigns changing the guillotine submission to suite a much smaller opponent was a nice touch of class in his move set. The moment after the match as well with Roman Reigns attacking the hurt Rey Mysterio with another guillotine chokehold and saying 'Happy Fathers Day' was a nice touch with a slight mockery of parental guidance which shows perfect storyline specially with what had happened with Dominik Mysterio previously. Great match and highly enjoyable."
[6.0] "Roman ends his streak of classic/near-classic title defenses with this, which is merely decent. Needed way more time, a stronger build, and a less anticlimactic ending. if this were on the PPV, Rey would have likely gotten the pass-out treatment just like Cesaro did a month prior. Commercial breaks did a number on its momentum too. ***1/4"
[8.0] "Good first HIAC for Rey Mysterio who despite his age debuts excellently in the demonic structure. Not one of the best matches with this stipulation but fun and engaging with a beautiful ending"
[8.0] "This was a very good match between Reigns and Mysterio here, a match that in itself disappointed me a little bit as it obviously would have been a big classic if it had taken place last night on the HIAC PPV with a lot more time and no commercials, but a match that was nonetheless of great quality as it always has been with Reigns for months now. It was probably his weakest title defense since his match against Braun Strowman on SD but it was still solid, it says a lot about the phenomenal quality of his title reign. It wasn't a brutal HIAC match but the few weapons were well used and Rey used that to his advantage to dominate the champion, he dominated a lot but it was never disturbing because he was a believable challenger. Reigns did little but his powerbomb was the best moment of the match. I'm a little bitter that I didn't see this match in the context it deserves but it was historic for SmackDown's history, and the match was of a high quality."
[8.0] "Incredible underdog performance from Rey Mysterio juxtaposed with a great dominant heel performance from Roman Reigns. Rey started off the match going straight to the outside of the ring for weapons, surprising Reigns and putting Rey in control of the match immediately. Loved this as an opening segment to the match, Reigns in kayfabe was clearly not expecting nor accustomed to this and it showed both the determination and desperation of Rey. This went on for much longer than expected in a good way, it? s been a while since we? ve seen Reigns be put in the defense to such a degree for such an extended period of time and it coming from a guy like Rey made it all the more compelling. Reigns predictably fought back though, delivering some incredible power moves that made my jaw physically drop, but also made a few key missteps that showed how flustered he was at this point in the match. This dynamic continued with Reigns gaining more and more control of the match until he powerbombed Mysterio from the ring onto the Cell wall before choking him out with a modified guillotine. I would have liked for this to have moved with a bit more urgency and the finish ended up falling a tad flat and would? ve loved to have seen it without ad breaks, but this was still very, very good, on the verge of being great. ***3/4+"
[7.0] "For a TV Hell in a Cell first time ever Main Event, it was a very cool match to watch! But I do think that it coulda been better if it would've taken place at HIAC itself. Rey directly went to attack Reigns with the fire extinguisher and a toolbox putting him in a bad position while he messed his spear going through the table ! The luchador even managed to execute the 619 prior getting hurt by himself as he splashed towards Reigns while the chair was on the body of the Tribal Chief! The Head of The Table would catch him and toss him onto the cell and then make him sleep quickly an' I wasn't a fan of this fast ending. A fun HIAC match happening on SmackDown but that likely may have been better this Sunday."
[8.0] "This is so difficult to rate. I can honestly see an argument for rating this anywhere between 6-9. The story leading to this match felt so rushed that even having this match felt unearned. The action was pretty solid though. There was minimal actual wrestling, instead, they had a reliance on weapons and brutality, which fit the story much better. Even though it was simple, I really appreciated the table spot in particular. Both guys left this match looking better I would say. The finish was cool, but also, kind of abrupt? That could be a positive or a negative, depending on your point of view. The biggest downfall, however, was the commercials. That seriously hurt the flow of the match in my opinion and took away time that really could've been used. Depending on how much you care about these things, your ratings could go all over the place. Because of the commercials though, the most optimistic I can be is an 8."
[7.0] "This was pretty good, though the constant advertising threw off the pacing. I wish they had more time, maybe this match should've just stayed on the PPV."
[8.0] "The match was very good but short and it suffered of the commercials. Mysterio had some good offense, their styles connected and the match still delivered (****)"
[6.0] "Only the third Hell In A Cell match to ever air on free TV, and like the other two, this wasn't memorable at all. Rey Mysterio got some hope spots in, but Roman Reigns largely dominated and no-one really expected Rey to win anyway. It all fell rather flat, maybe it would have worked better on PPV with more time."
[7.0] "Too little too late as far as a good Cell match on free TV, but regardless, this was a really good match. The finish reeked of Thunderdome shenanigans, but it was good nonetheless."
[7.0] "This was solid, if unspectacular. Mysterio worked well as an underdog and Reigns always plays his role well. There were some fun spots as well as a few more brutal-looking ones. The finish was never in doubt though and Rey Mysterio's single nearfall on Reigns was not believable at all. The main issue I had with the match though were the commercial breaks. They destroyed the pacing of the match and happened far too frequently, one of them happening just two and a half minutes after a commerical break had just ended. A decent outing, but one hampered heavily by poor commercial break timing as well as predictability. [***1/2]"
[7.0] "This was a really good Hell in a Cell match with a lot of brutality but this was far from being excellent, especially in terms of building. With a 2 weeks storyline, it was not easy to make most of the spots believable, and this match suffered from it. However, Reigns plays very well his role of heel and against an underdog like Mysterio, it can only be very good. ***1/2"
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