9 Match Star Ratings For WWE Hell In A Cell 2019
7. Daniel Bryan & Roman Reigns Vs. Erick Rowan & Luke Harper
A cracking, all-action match almost cruel in its fun factor, this card, lol, was trending to be the best of the year.
Daniel Bryan's opening burst of offence tore the roof off. Flying at his two colossus opponents from all angles, just as they were assuming control, the way he times and paces everything is ingenious. He inspires hope and pumps the blood as a matter of course, and his chemistry with Roman Reigns was electric, too; he manoeuvred Rowan into unique versions of his partner's Superman punch in a pop-pop-pop opening shine.
The eleventh hour tornado stipulation suited the dynamic perfectly: just when it was thought Roman had kicked out (and his ability to do so at 2.99 put over Rowan and intensified the drama very effectively), Luke Harper blasted him from out of nowhere.
When the pace slowed, interest didn't follow suit, because Bryan is so great - almost too great - at selling; the way he clutches his head breeds the same sort of anxiety Shawn Michaels once generated with his crumpled, agonising selling of the back. There was a note of Hiroshi Tanahashi to Bryan's performance here, too, in that he applied the LeBell Lock in a perfectly logical transition for a moment of real peril. Everything built to the big spot carnage of the crescendo, where, in contrast to last month's No Disqualification match, it meant something.
WWE received fierce, totally warranted criticism for the main event fallout, but they turned sh*t into shinola with this feud.
Star Rating: ★★★¾