WWE took a lot of heat for Hell in a Cell, but Bianca Belair and Bayley out-shined everything on what turned out to be an average pay-per-view.
After giving away the Rey Mysterio vs Roman Reigns match on Friday Night SmackDown, many fans and observers didn’t hold much hope for this weekend’s card. Although it was never explained why they moved that Hell in a Cell match to SmackDown, the ladies of the SD division didn’t wait around for the answer.
The buildup to Bianca Belair vs Bayley had been terrific, with the heel now developing a Joker-style, maniacal laugh to mock her opponent. At this point, Bayley’s turn to the dark side is so complete that it’s almost hard to picture the original version of the character. She’s come a long way from her days of playing with her balloon buddies.
Instead, she’s become this perfectly obnoxious villain, complete with a bobbed haircut and a sadistic smile. Even her talk show vignettes, which show her sporting Sally Jesse Raphael glasses and speaking as annoyingly as possible, have cemented her status as SmackDown’s resident bad girl. Now, her crazy cackling has been the icing on the cake.
On the flip side, you have Belair – the cool, cocky champion. As a standout college track and field star, she represents the future of the female division in WWE. Her sassy swagger and trademark hairstyle make her stand out as a character, but it’s her amazing athleticism and surprising strength that have become her signatures in the ring.
After weeks of harassing the champion, it was finally time for Bayley to face off with The EST on Sunday night. The two women made it count inside the Cell.
While Bianca has already had some great performances in her young career, this match may have been her best thus far. She showed off some maneuvers we hadn’t seen before, mixing in a little high flying with the hardcore action. For her part, Bayley played the heel perfectly, always ready to go for a chair or the steel stairs to try and neutralize the champion.
(One particularly entertaining spot had Belair using her ponytail to fight off a chair attack from the challenger.)
On a card that appeared to be mostly flat, these two carried the day. The ladies out-shined what turned out to be a disappointing men’s HIAC match. They also out-shined all the other bouts, as well.
Elsewhere, you had a terrible finish in the main event, a confusing ending to the Charlotte Flair vs. Rhea Ripley match and the usual fare between Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens. And let’s not even get started with Alexa Bliss and her hocus pocus act dragging down a legit performer in Shayna Baszler.
That’s not to say that none of these matches had redeeming qualities. For the most part, the action was solid. But, the booking didn’t make sense when it was all shaken out in the end. For the most part, this card applied as much ‘WWE logic’ as it could to these supposedly climactic showdowns.
Bayley and Belair, however, avoided all the confusion and just provided a solid bout. Their battle had a little bit of everything involved. Both women laid it all on the line inside the cage.
Although some critics once questioned whether or not Belair was ready to be champion, those doubts must be silenced now. She showed maturity beyond her experience on Sunday night, with the veteran Bayley there to guide her along the way. Here’s hoping that her reign lasts for a while. She should be given a chance to blossom even further in that role.
Bayley should definitely stay in the mix as one of Belair’s main challengers. Having said that, the HIAC match is the perfect blow off for now. Belair can move on to other challengers. Most likely, that means the newly re-packaged Carmella. Meanwhile, Bayley can lay back in the shadows, regroup, and re-emerge to face the EST sometime down the road.
Most of the fan reaction for Hell in a Cell appeared to be negative regarding the overall show. But very few people criticized the SmackDown women’s title match.
Even the world of social media, known for typically being the ‘Debbie Downer’ of all things wrestling, was actually pretty upbeat for Bianca Belair vs. Bayley.
And rightfully so. This contest had a little bit of everything. It gave the champion the victory, without hurting the character of Bayley. It brought all the ingredients that a HIAC battle should have. And, most of all, it allowed one of WWE’s brightest young stars to shine in the spotlight.
But most of all, it had something that many of the night’s other matches was missing. The combination of all-out action with a clear cut winner.
A great job by both of these ladies. Their match will go down as the highlight of Hell in a Cell 2021.
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