WWE - The Week that Was: Hell in a Cell, Goldberg, Tim Wiese make news
By David Ruse
Last Updated: 07/11/16 4:24pm
Hell in a Cell, Goldberg spearing Paul Heyman and Tim Wiese's debut - check out the best of this week's WWE action.
SUNDAY
Sunday may have been the day of WWE Hell in a Cell but it was heaven, to a point, for Raw Women's Championship rivals Sasha Banks and Charlotte. The two were not only given the honour of main-eventing the show - the first time a women's encounter had done so at a WWE pay-per-view - but they also became the first females to contest a match inside the dreaded Cell.
Charlotte went on to regain the title from Banks in a pulsating bout, one which included Charlotte falling through a table and Banks being powerbombed through the announce desk, though both women received ample praise on social media afterwards, from the likes of Mick Foley - a man no stranger to Hell in a Cell - and Smackdown Women's Champion Becky Lynch.
Elsewhere inside Hell in a Cell, Chris Jericho helped Kevin Owens fend off Seth Rollins and retain the Universal Championship, while Roman Reigns almost speared Rusev out of his boots en route to keeping hold of the United States Title. Outside the Cell, Brian Kendrick outfoxed TJ Perkins to become Cruiserweight Champion and a disqualification allowed The New Day to remain tag champs.
MONDAY
Raw was just as epic as Hell in a Cell, with the brand's Survivor Series teams taking shape - and Goldberg flattening Rusev and Paul Heyman. The WCW legend opted to Jackhammer Rusev and spear Heyman, a matter of weeks before he fights Heyman's client, Brock Lesnar, at Survivor Series in a long-awaited rematch from WrestleMania XX - Goldberg prevailing first time around.
Mick Foley also announced that Owens, Jericho, Reigns, Braun Strowman and an as-yet unnamed wrestler would compete in the Raw men's team to take on Smackdown at Survivor Series, while Charlotte - fresh(ish) from her history-making triumph 24 hours earlier - would captain the women's side. Oh yeah, Enzo Amore and Luke Gallows also met in a Halloween Trick or Street Fight!
TUESDAY
While Amore versus Gallows was more thrilling than chilling - pumpkins were smashed and apples were bobbed for - there was an eerie moment on Smackdown as Randy Orton appeared to confirm he has joined The Wyatt Family. It was all smiles for Dean Ambrose, though, who benefited from James Ellsworth's run-in to defeat AJ Styles and become No 1 contender to the WWE World Title.
Ambrose will get his title tilt in a Tables, Ladders and Chairs Match against Styles on December 4 - but first the two must work together, having been named on Smackdown's Survivor Series team alongside Orton, Wyatt and Baron Corbin. The blue brand's women's line-up for the event is also complete: Nikki Bella, Becky Lynch, Alexa Bliss, Carmella and Naomi, with Natalya acting as coach.
WEDNESDAY
The field in the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic was whittled down to four on Wednesday night's episode of NXT, with The Authors of Pain (Akam and Rezar), SAnitY (Alexander Wolfe and Sawyer Fulton), #DIY (Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa) and TM-61 (Shane Thorne and Nick Miller) knocking out No Way Jose and Rich Swann, Kota Ibushi and Perkins, NXT Tag Team Champions The Revival (Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder), and Austin Aries and Roderick Strong respectively.
British wrestler Nathan Cruz will compete on a singles match on next week's NXT, against The Drifter, Elias Samson. We caught up with him ahead of the clash to discuss the NXT atmosphere, how he was given the gig by WWE - Cruz's pal, Wilder, played a key role - who his wrestling influences were, why he adopted the wrestling surname Cruz, his favourite word and his celebrity crush!
THURSDAY
Former Germany and Werder Bremen goalkeeper Tim Wiese completed an unlikely career change in Munich as he made his in-ring debut for WWE, the ex-gloveman, using the moniker 'The Machine', teaming with Ireland's Sheamus and Switzerland's Cesaro to down the trio of The Shining Stars (Primo and Epico) and Bo Dallas. Wiese even secured the pinfall in front of a raucous home crowd.
The crowd in Pennsylvania is sure to be raucous for The Undertaker's WWE comeback - the company announcing that The Phenom, absent since WrestleMania 32, would be in attendance for the 900th episode of Smackdown on November 15. UFC star Ronda Rousey is unlikely to be on the show, but Stephanie McMahon is hoping to lure her to WWE at some point…
FRIDAY
Following Wiese's WWE bow - which was watched live by Arsenal skipper Per Mertesacker - we wondered which footballers were handily named for a future WWE career. "Stone Cold" Charlie Austin? Brett "The Pitman" Hart? "Macho Man" Robbie Savage? Jake "The Snake" Livermore? Select your favourite in our vote - and feel free to give us your puns on Twitter @SkySportsWWE.
The Bella Twins, meanwhile, kicked off WWE's tour of the United Kingdom - which will see Raw and Smackdown emanate from Glasgow for the first time - by visiting Sky Studios. We chatted to Nikki and Brie about their WWE careers to date, the Women's Revolution and how Brie's husband, Daniel Bryan, is settling into life as Smackdown General Manager following his retirement from the ring.
