WWE Hell In A Cell 2018: Star Ratings For All 8 Matches

6. Charlotte Flair Vs. Becky Lynch - SmackDown Women's Title Match

Randy Orton Screwdriver III
WWE.com

An ambitious story executed with too little elegance, this grudge match took a while to get firing - though the shocking but entirely welcome clean finish elevates it to something really quite good.

The in-ring action was as sloppy as the character dynamic, initially; Charlotte Flair attempted a Figure Eight, a spot designed entirely around Becky's escape - but since she came nowhere near to locking the door, it looked hopeless. Once everything stabilised - this stuttering start is consistent with Becky's 2018 output, come to think of it - this grew into a gripping affair in which Becky backed up her great character work with a vicious performance. Targeting Charlotte's arm, this was logical storytelling; in Becky's mind, she knows all too well the sort of entitled person Charlotte is, so naturally, she was always going to brutalise that arm with more zeal and precision that most of her opponents.

A missed moonsault into a Disarm Her attempt looked fantastic, and succeeded in transferring the online furore into a heated arena atmosphere.

The finish looked far less impressive, but since the result was so well-received...

Star Rating: ***1/2

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and surefire Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!