WWE Hell in a Cell 2014 Results: Biggest Highlights and Low Points
The results of WWE's Hell in a Cell 2014 pay-per-view are in, so it's time for us to look back on the evening and break down the highlights and low points that made the event what it was.
Did the show end up being severely hurt by the lack of Brock Lesnar and the WWE World Heavyweight Championship not being defended?
For something advertised as having a double main event, did the Hell in a Cell matches deliver adequately? Or were they hyped up beyond what the finished product was?
What were the positives and the negatives of the card when all things were said and done?
Let's break down the highlights and low points of the night in order of appearance.
Low Point: Mizdow TV Pre-Show Kickoff
1 of 9
If the pre-show is meant to give WWE Network subscribers something extra they can't afford to miss out on, this was a failure.
During an hour-long pre-show, this clocked in at only a few minutes long and accomplished nothing more than what a regular segment on Raw would.
It was a generic promo about how the Miz would defeat Sheamus later on and how he and Damien Mizdow are friends.
In true WWE fashion, it was followed up with Sheamus saying that he would retain the title.
That is it—nothing more.
Unless something happens to change the stipulation of the match or the feud itself, a baseline standard promo is not good enough to be considered a feature.
In an era when there are so many recaps and repetitive promos dominating the majority of the shows in WWE, having something like this is just as much of a waste of time as watching SmackDown nowadays.
Having a squash match with Mark Henry and Bo Dallas helped soften the blow a bit, but it still doesn't excuse the overuse of promos like this.
Highlight: Dolph Ziggler vs. Cesaro
2 of 9
The first match of the night should always be a good show and entertain the fans, regardless of whether there is an important story to go along with it.
Dolph Ziggler and Cesaro have had a pretty basic feud so far, but that did not matter here.
These two are among the best in-ring performers in the company today and were able to put on a simple match that showcased their talents without having to add crazy gimmicks to spice things up.
In fact, the stipulation to this match barely came into play at all.
It's very rare that WWE ever does a 2-out-of-3 Falls match and not follow the pattern of trading the first two pinfalls between the opponents, forcing the third to be the tiebreaker.
What happened here was solid action with a twist to the end, as Ziggler was able to take the first two decisions and end the match early.
It may not be the 2014 Match of the Year candidate that Alex Riley touted it to be earlier on in the evening, but it still was a very good Intercontinental Championship defense.
Highlight: Brie Bella vs. Nikki Bella
3 of 9
Divas matches are an easy target for fans to make fun of, but they might have to stretch a bit to do that for this match.
All things considered, this was better than most people should have expected.
In fact, at one point, the crowd started chanting for JBL in typical "I'm not enjoying this" fashion, but that was put to rest by the end of the match.
Eventually, the Bella Twins were able to get the attention of the audience and keep it, which is going to help this feud a great deal in the long run.
It was kept short enough that it didn't become a bore, and there also weren't anywhere near as many botches as usual in this scenario.
By no means is the WWE Universe going to be referencing this as a classic for all ages, but if you can defy expectations and pull a decent match out of something that was expected to be punctuated by flaws, it's definitely an accomplishment and a highlight.
Highlight: Goldust and Stardust vs. the Usos
4 of 9
Both the Usos and the team of Goldust and Stardust have been consistently putting on good-to-great matches for most of the 2013 and 2014 period in WWE.
Once more, these teams were able to take what could have been a lame-duck rematch that nobody should pay attention to—the outcome was more than predictable—and turn it into a solid performance from start to finish.
Several times in the match, it appeared as though the Usos had a legitimate chance of regaining the Tag Team Championship.
It was not meant to be, as Goldust and Stardust found a way to bend the rules and retain the titles.
Goldust and Stardust will likely move on to new opponents after this, and it will be tough to find people that they can work with as well as they did with the Usos.
Highlight: John Cena vs. Randy Orton
5 of 9
John Cena and Randy Orton have had so many matches together that this segment theoretically was a situation that fans have already seen and had no reason to watch.
Much like the match between the Bellas, some expectations might have been low going into this contest, but anyone doubting it was proven wrong.
This avoided potential pitfalls such as overbooking, having interference come into play to diminish the quality of the victory and making it all about Cena redeeming his loss to Lesnar.
It wasn't crazy with spots, but that wasn't necessary to tell a proper story.
Orton looked very strong—enough to make it appear as though he was inches away from winning several times throughout the match.
Two of the best wrestlers that WWE has had to offer from the past 10 years exchanged blows and finishers in a match that may not have lived up to the best Hell in a Cell bouts in history, but one that was better than some of recent memory.
Your mileage may vary on whether or not Cena was the best choice for the victor, but at the very least, it was a fun ride to that finish and doesn't leave Orton in a compromising position as a true loser.
Low Point: Sheamus vs. the Miz
6 of 9
While Mizdow's antics were definitely a highlight, it's a shame to say that the United States Championship match itself couldn't hold a candle to them.
Fans frequently complain that the titles in WWE don't mean as much as they used to, and when you have a champion like Sheamus, who has not done much with the championship in months, each passing day that continues just makes it worse.
The Miz and Damien Mizdow are far more entertaining characters than the Celtic Warrior, who retained the title after a bland performance.
A valet on the outside of the ring should not be the best thing about a match, no matter how talented he is at making a joke of himself.
If it wasn't for Mizdow, this whole segment would have been a bomb.
In theory, the low point is the fact that the current champion is about as boring as he can possibly be while an interesting member of the roster still isn't getting the credit he deserves.
Low Point: Big Show vs. Rusev
7 of 9
If you've seen one Rusev match, you've seen them all.
At this point, there is almost no reason to watch Rusev, as every one of his matches is just leading up to an inevitable submission victory for the Bulgarian Brute.
Did anyone realistically think Big Show had a chance to win?
You may have had more fun watching this if you did, but anyone who has been a WWE fan long enough could call this from a mile away.
Rusev won't be losing unless he's facing someone important enough to beat him—Big Show is not that person.
Until then, every match is just about Rusev momentarily looking weak and then crushing his opponent.
People only care about the end result to Rusev's undefeated streak, and if that doesn't make it all worth the while, having to sit through a year's worth of these matches will be even more annoying in retrospect.
Low Point: AJ Lee vs. Paige
8 of 9
At this point, AJ Lee and Paige have had enough matches together that something interesting has to happen to justify seeing another.
This match wasn't one of those scenarios.
The most interesting thing that happened was that Paige seems to be no longer friends with Alicia Fox, but that duo was only formed a few weeks ago and was never at the forefront of WWE television to begin with.
It's unlikely that splitting Fox and Paige will turn any heads in the WWE Universe, and this match won't be talked about come tomorrow.
Lee retained the title in what wasn't a bad outing, but it was far from their best encounter, and the Divas Championship is left in the same position it has been in months.
This kept up the tradition of having a lackluster Divas match go on before the main event to act as a bathroom break, which is a shame considering how talented these women really are.
Highlight: Dean Ambrose vs. Seth Rollins
9 of 9
The spot where Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins fell from the side of the cell onto the commentary tables is definitely going to be the most talked about moment of Hell in a Cell.
That alone gives it a spot on the highlight side of this post.
Thankfully, the fun didn't stop there, as the two former Shield members continued the match and gave the fans even more to remember.
Two of the young stars of the next generation once again showed how bright their futures really are by putting on a great performance and a memorable Hell in a Cell match.
Rollins continued to evade utter destruction and Ambrose looked like a million bucks, so this is a winning scenario on both fronts.
Where WWE goes from here is not written in stone, although it seems Rollins will start a feud with Randy Orton and Ambrose will be locking horns with Bray Wyatt.
After their performance in this match, fans should be excited for both of them, since Rollins and Ambrose appear to be unable to do any wrong as of late.
What were some of your favorite and least favorite moments from the show? Are there any not listed here that you want to draw attention to? Leave your thoughts in the comment section below.
Anthony Mango is the owner-operator of the wrestling website Smark Out Moment as well as the host of its podcast show Smack Talk on YouTube, iTunes and Stitcher. You can follow him on Facebook and elsewhere for more.
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