Cody Rhodes vs Seth Rollins (Hell in a Cell - WWE - 6/5/22)

Wrote about it in my Ringer column

www.theringer.com/2022/6/6/23156275/cody-rhodes-seth-rollins-hell-in-a-cell-young-bucks-lucha-bros-best-matches

Thought it was a really big spectacle and way better then their previous two matches, but falls short of a list like this, last five minutes or so were pretty bad

I am a sucker for drama and even as the product has been in a down period I guess I will always be a sucker for WWE. Like Phil I didn’t really go for the first two matches. I did find this riveting but it doesn’t strike me as something that will stand the test of time as a match.

But it does seem like a defining chapter of the Cody in WWE story, and may be a lucky break in that regard. I can’t imagine what they would do to Come up with good Cody storylines for 6 months. Now it seems like he will be red hot at the time they need him to be hot.

I would not have ended the match before the bull rope but def would have before the sledgehammer.

At any rate, worth a watch? Sure. Top 100 candidate? Nah, not for me.

I will add that this match without Cody’s injury would not be as positively discussed. It actually gave those kickouts some meaning. One of my favorite Cody performances

Yeah, agree with most folks. This isn't something I'm going to second (first? third? I don't know). It was good and exceeded my expectations, but nothing that sniffs consideration. I also wonder how this will hold up over time. As someone who likes matches that hold up over time and space and in a vacuum, I suspect this match is the product of our current moment (may be wrong).

That is a lot of negative words for a match I did genuinely enjoy though. I especially liked the bullrope part. I thought that was inspired.

To Kadaveri's point, I was wondering why wrestling fans are so obsessed with tables during this match. I caught them cheering in weird ways for the table as well and I don't know that I get why the table is so beloved.

I'll join in the chorus of lukewarm praise for this match. The convenient availability of plunder underneath the ring in WWE street fights is an insurmountable obstacle for me when it comes to suspension of disbelief, and the heavier-handed dramatic set pieces fell flat for me (Seth whipping Cody with a polka-dot belt while wearing Cody's ring jacket was particularly cringe). On the whole, though, this was a smartly structured match with a compelling story, two things that go a long way in my book. I did like the bullrope spot, although I would have placed it at the end and had the cowbell shot be the finish. I also got a kick out of the vile heel Rollins getting a Road Warrior pop for pulling out a table. I wouldn't give this any real consideration for my list, but it's definitely worth a watch. To be honest, it'll probably be a while before this can be placed in the proper historical context. When you have a match that's an overt attempt to establish a legacy, how well it holds up largely depends on how well it achieves the goal it set out. If Cody becomes the ace of WWE, this will grow in stature as the match that launched him on the road to immortality. If not, it'll be more of an artifact of a specific moment in time that you had to be there to truly appreciate.