Hell in a Cell is a mixed pay per from WWE, with some rating it amongst the likes of Money in the Bank for fun, while others think the overuse of the cell has diminished its’ once feared reputation.
The match type has housed some of the WWE’s most legendary and brutal matches in history. The Undertaker took on Shawn Michaels in the first ever Hell in a Cell match, which was rated 5 stars by Dave Meltzer and considered a classic.
Not to be outdone, Mick Foley went through hell against the Deadman in the second edition of the match, being thrown from the cage through the announce desk before crashing through the cage roof to his doom later on in the match.
Many stars have competed in the match and had fantastic bouts, like Triple H, Batista, Brock Lesnar and many more. While the overuse of the match type does make every iteration less special, the match is always one that will be used to settle scores and entertain fans in the most violent way possible.
Here in this article we will look at the matches that took place at Hell in a Cell 2022 and see what match rating they were given. We will take their match rating from Cagematch.net, a wrestling match aggregation site where users vote on match ratings to give an average view of what the fans thought of the match.
We will also look at Dave Meltzer’s famous (or infamous to some) star ratings. In his weekly publication The Wrestling Observer Newsletter, he gives every match he reviews a star rating. While these match ratings are generally considered to be out of five, some matches (such as Kenny Omega vs Kazuchika Okada) being rated six or even seven stars.
Hell in a Cell Star Ratings
Cody Rhodes vs Seth Rollins
The main event of the show and the most anticipated match was, for the third pay per view in a row, Cody Rhodes vs Seth Rollins. This time the feud would be ended by facing off inside the demonic structure known as Hell in a Cell.
Cody Rhodes suffered a torn pectoral the day of the show and WWE were not sure he would be able to compete. However, he made the choice to continue and, with one on the biggest and most painful looking bruises you’ll see in a wrestling ring, stepped inside the cage to take on Seth Rollins.
He made the right call. The match was the match of the night and the highest rated match at Hell in a Cell. Cody Rhodes finally hit the pedigree, something he had teased multiple times in reference to Triple H, before hitting two Cross Rhodes and a sledgehammer (another oblique reference to The Game) to pin Seth Rollins and end the feud for good, winning all three matches.
This match had the highest Hell in a Cell match rating with an 8.91 on cagematch, and Dave Meltzer is expected to give it a very high star rating, possibly even 5 stars. He commented on Twitter after the match claiming it was “among the most compelling matches in pro wrestling history”
Match Rating – 8.91
Star Rating – 5 STARS
Bianca Belair vs Asuka vs Becky Lynch
To open the show, The Raw Women’s Championship was on the line in a fantastic triple threat match. A dark cloud had been hanging over the women’s title picture after Sasha Banks and Naomi left WWE a few weeks back, and the original match of Bianca Belair vs Naomi was scrapped in favour of adding Asuka and Becky Lynch to the proceedings.
The crowd was hot for the whole match as the three women in the match did not relent and kept working at a breakneck pace to keep the crowd on their side. All three women are among the greatest women wrestlers in WWE history and were all desperate to become the WWE Raw Women’s Champion.
The pacing of the match and booking was also impressive. With triple threats easy to get muddled and keep the focus on just two wrestlers, this match featured all three women equally and produced an all-time great three-way dance.
Biance Belair pinned Asuka after she was hit by Becky Lynch’s Manhandle Slam to retain her championship in one of the highest rated matches at WWE Hell in a Cell 2022. The fans voted to give this match rating a 8.72, one of the highest for a women’s match in WWE.
Match Rating – 8.72
Star Rating – 4 STARS
Bobby Lashley vs MVP & Omos
In a thankfully short match, Bobby Lashley defeated the team of Omos and MVP in a handicap match, partially thanks to interference from Cedric Alexander.
Omos looked like a dominant giant again but his in-ring work seems not be improving much at all. MVP and Lashley did all they good to try and get the match rating for this match up, but it was impossible when the match was meant to make Omos look good despite his deficiencies.
It was a poor match and on the lower end of the Hell in a Cell star ratings.
Match Rating – 4.19
Star Rating – 1.75 STARS
Ezekial vs Kevin Owens
A surpassingly entertaining affair saw Kevin Owens taking on the brother of Elis, Ezekial. Ezekial has quickly become one of the most entertaining character on Raw, with Kevin Owens setting out to prove that Ezekial and Elias are one and the same.
The situation had made Owens incredible angry and you could tell as soon as he walked down the curtain. He looked ready to kill someone as he stormed down the ramp straight for Ezekial and did not let up until the final bell rung.
Kevin Owens won the match after a series of Superkicks and a Stunner to pin Ezekial. It was a surprisingly entertaining match that was fun to watch, but wont get a five star match rating.
Match Rating – 6.61
Star Rating – 2.25
Theory vs Mustafa Ali
In a decent match at Hell in a Cell, Theory defended his United States Championship against Mustafa Ali. With the troubles Ali has had in recent years in WWE, it is a shock to even see him a wrestling at all for the company, let alone challenging for a championship.
Both men are great in the ring with fantastic work rate so put on a fast paced match that everyone enjoyed. The show was in Ali’s hometown and the star got some nice reactions from the crowd for his big spots. However, in typical WWE tradition he failed to win in his hometown and Theory retained his title in a great match that was rated at a 6.47 by cagematch.
Match Rating – 6.47
Star Rating – 3.25
Finn Balor, AJ Styles & Liv Morgan vs Judgement Day
In one of the matches with the most star power on the show, the team of Finn Balor, AJ Styles and Liv Morgan battled Judgement Day at Hell in a Cell 2022.
Edge, Damien Priest and Rhea Ripley recently formed the demonic faction and have been tormenting AJ Styles since he lost to Edge at Wrestlemania. In response, AJ Styles joined forced with fellow former Bullet Club member Finn Balor and WWE superstar Liv Morgan to try to take down the group once and for all.
Despite losing all the matches in the feud to Edge, AJ Styles was once again on the losing team. He got the hot tag to one of the biggest pops of the night, but couldn’t stop Edge spearing Finn Balor and pinning him for the victory. Judgement Day remain one of the most dominant teams in WWE at the moment.
This match got a decent match rating with a 7.47, so expect a high star rating from Dave Meltzer about this Hell in a Cell match.
Match Rating – 7.47
Star Rating – 3.5 STARS
Madcap Moss vs Happy Corbin
In another rematch, Madcap Moss took on Happy Corbin, but this time it was in a No Holds Barred match to put their long feud to bed.
Madcap Moss looked great and seemed to be moving away from the Madcap character and into a more serious role. The match was designed to make him look good in victory and was heavily based toward brawling and weaponry being used.
Moss won the match after hitting Corbin with the steel steps whilst having a chair around his neck, and could signal the star of a big push for Moss after Hell in a Cell.
Match Rating – 5.12
Star Rating – 3.25 STARS
