| Hell in a Cell | |||
|---|---|---|---|
.jpg) Promotional poster featuringThe Undertaker and theHell in a Cell structure | |||
| Promotion | World Wrestling Entertainment | ||
| Brand(s) | Raw SmackDown ECW | ||
| Date | October 4, 2009 | ||
| City | Newark, New Jersey | ||
| Venue | Prudential Center | ||
| Attendance | 12,356[1] | ||
| Buy rate | 283,000[2] | ||
| Pay-per-view chronology | |||
| |||
| Hell in a Cell chronology | |||
| |||
The 2009Hell in a Cell was the inauguralHell in a Cellprofessional wrestlingpay-per-view (PPV)event produced byWorld Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). It was held for wrestlers from the promotion'sRaw,SmackDown, andECWbrand divisions. The event took place on October 4, 2009, at thePrudential Center inNewark, New Jersey. It replaced the previously annual October PPV,No Mercy. This was the only Hell in a Cell event to feature the ECW brand, as it was disbanded in February 2010.
There were eight matches scheduled on the event'scard, as well as onedark match that occurred before thelive broadcast. The event featured what was known as asupercard, which featured more than onemain event match. Theconcept of the event was that each of these main event matches would be contested asHell in a Cell matches. The main events includedD-Generation X (Triple H andShawn Michaels) defeatingThe Legacy (Cody Rhodes andTed DiBiase),Randy Orton defeatingJohn Cena to win theWWE Championship, andThe Undertaker defeatingCM Punk to win theWorld Heavyweight Championship.
Other matches featured on the event wereJohn Morrison defending theWWE Intercontinental Championship againstDolph Ziggler,Mickie James versusAlicia Fox for theWWE Divas Championship,Unified WWE Tag Team ChampionsChris Jericho andBig Show versusBatista andRey Mysterio,Drew McIntyre facingR-Truth, and atriple threat match for theWWE United States Championship amongKofi Kingston,The Miz, andJack Swagger. This event would also be the final timeJim Ross called as part of WWE's commentary team full-time for a pay-per-view event and began part-time commentary onwards. The pay-per-view drew 283,000 buys, up from the 261,000 buysNo Mercy 2008 received.
In early 2009,World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) ran a poll on their official website in which fans could vote on the name of that year's Octoberpay-per-view (PPV), which would replace the previously annual October PPV,No Mercy. Hell in a Cell was chosen over No Escape, Locked Up, and Rage in a Cage.[3][4] Theconcept of the event came from WWE's establishedHell in a Cell match, in which competitors fight inside a 20-foot-high roofed cell structure surrounding the ring and ringside area and the main event match would be contested under the Hell in a Cell stipulation.[4][5] The 2009 Hell in a Cell PPV was scheduled to be held on October 4, 2009, at thePrudential Center inNewark, New Jersey. It featured wrestlers from theRaw,SmackDown, andECWbrands.[1][6]
The event included matches that resulted from scripted storylines, where wrestlers portrayedheroes,villains, orless distinguishable characters in scripted events that built tension and culminated in a wrestling match or series of matches. Results were predetermined by WWE's writers on the Raw, SmackDown, and ECW brands,[7][8] while storylines were produced on WWE's weekly television shows,Raw,SmackDown, andECW.[9]
The mainrivalry from the Raw brand was betweenD-Generation X (Triple H andShawn Michaels) andThe Legacy (Ted DiBiase andCody Rhodes). Triple H and Shawn Michaels reformed theirtag team unit D-Generation X atSummerSlam in a winning effort against Ted DiBiase and Cody Rhodes (collectively known as The Legacy).[10] Their confrontations continued in the coming weeks before leading to aFalls Count Anywhere match that canonly be won by submission atBreaking Point, which saw The Legacy get the victory.[11] After one last major brawl between both teams the following night onRaw, it was announced later that night they would face one more time at the event in a Hell in a Cell match of their own.[12]
The main rivalry from the SmackDown brand was between theWorld Heavyweight ChampionCM Punk andThe Undertaker. At Breaking Point, the two faced off in a submission match. Despite Undertaker successfully forcing Punk to submit with hisHell's Gate submission hold, SmackDown General ManagerTheodore Long declared that the hold had been banned "a long time ago" byVickie Guerrero and restarted the match. Reminiscent of theMontreal Screwjob, Punk later locked in hisAnaconda vise hold and despite Undertaker never submitting, Punk was declared the winner when refereeScott Armstrong called for the bell to be rang.[11] On the September 18 episode ofSmackDown, Undertaker kidnapped Long inside his limousine.[13] Released from a casket a week later, a startled Long announced a reversal on the Hell's Gate ban and that a rematch between the two would take place at the event in a Hell in a Cell match.[14]
Another rivalry from the Raw brand was betweenJohn Cena andRandy Orton over their vying for theWWE Championship; atSummerSlam, Orton had retained the title in a controversial fashion that saw him intentionally getdisqualified before ultimately retaining the title;[10] WWE owner,Vince McMahon, announced a rematch at Breaking Point; an"I Quit" match[15] which was won by Cena.[11] The following night onRaw, Orton received a rematch for the title from the night's guest matchmakerTrish Stratus at Hell in a Cell in the eponymous match.[12] On the finalRaw, Cena competed in a gauntlet match againstChris Jericho,Big Show, and Orton. After Cena defeated Jericho and Show by disqualification, Orton came out as the last opponent. However, the cell began to lower as Cena tried to stop Orton from escaping. Orton almost managed to get free but was too late, becoming trapped inside the cell with Cena. As Orton attempted to get away, Cena blocked the door and the two brawled. Orton managed to get out and began climbing to the top of the cell as Cena chased after him. With nowhere left to run, Cena attacked Orton with an Attitude Adjustment on top of the cell to close the show.[16]
On the finalSmackDown before Hell in a Cell, DX, Undertaker, and Cena teamed up to face Legacy, Orton, and Punk in aneight-man tag team match. Undertaker won the match for his team after executing a Tombstone Piledriver on Orton.[17]
Dolph Ziggler continued his pursuit for theWWE Intercontinental Championship that he started in July when he won atriple threat match on the August 27 episode ofWWE Superstars againstMike Knox andFinlay to become the number-one contender.[18] A week later onSmackDown,John Morrison defeatedRey Mysterio to become the new Intercontinental Champion.[19] The match between Ziggler and Morrison was originally set to take place at Breaking Point. However, the match was later postponed and subsequently announced to take place at Hell in a Cell instead.[20][21]
Batista made his return to the company following a tornbiceps brachii muscle and joinedSmackDown, where he came into immediate conflict withUnified WWE Tag Team ChampionsChris Jericho andThe Big Show.[12][13] After several confrontations with the team, Batista announced his contention for the titles at Hell in a Cell with partner Rey Mysterio.[14]
| Other on-screen personnel | |
|---|---|
| Role: | Name: |
| Commentators | Michael Cole |
| Jerry Lawler | |
| Jim Ross | |
| Todd Grisham | |
| Interviewer | Josh Mathews |
| Ring announcers | Tony Chimel |
| Justin Roberts | |
| Referees | Charles Robinson |
| John Cone | |
| Scott Armstrong | |
| Chad Patton | |
Before the event went live on pay-per-view,Matt Hardy defeatedMike Knox in adark match.[22]
The first match was aHell in a Cell match betweenCM Punk andThe Undertaker for theWorld Heavyweight Championship. Punk focused on The Undertaker's leg in the early going. Punk hit The Undertaker with a steel chair to score anearfall. After Punk performed astep-up high knee in the corner, The Undertaker executed aLast Ride to score a near-fall. Punk then attempted to hit The Undertaker with the chair again but The Undertaker countered with abig boot. The Undertaker executed achokeslam followed by aTombstone Piledriver to win the title.
The next match featuredJohn Morrison defending theIntercontinental Championship againstDolph Ziggler. Control of the match shifted between both superstars. Morrison missed theStarship Pain in the early part of the match, after which Ziggler dominated until Morrison countered apowerslam attempt into aDDT. Morrison then missed aFlying Chuck, after which Ziggler executed aGerman suplex. Ziggler attempted to delivered aZig-Zag, but Morrison held onto the ropes and delivered Starship Pain to retain the title.
Next was theDivas Championship match between defending championMickie James andAlicia Fox. James dominated most of the match before countering abridge attempt by Fox into aMickie-DDT to score the pinfall and retain the title.
The next match featuredJeri-Show (Chris Jericho andBig Show) taking onBatista andRey Mysterio for theUnified WWE Tag Team Championship. The challengers dominated the early part of the match, isolating Jericho from his partner. Batista executed aspinebuster on Jericho to score a near-fall, after which Jericho executed aCodebreaker on Batista to score a near-fall. Big Show then performed achokeslam on Batista but Mysterio broke the pinfall. Batistaspeared both Jericho and Big Show on the outside. Mysterio then executed a619 on Big Show but was struck with aKnockout Punch while attempting aWest Coast Pop. Big Show then pinned Mysterio to retain the titles.
The first main event match was a Hell in a Cell match for theWWE Championship between championJohn Cena andRandy Orton. Both competitors had control at different points of the match. Cena used the cell to his advantage when he slammed Orton twice into the cell wall. When Cena attempted to slam Orton a third time, the challenger pushed him into the wall instead. Orton then attempted to drive Cena onto the steel steps but Cenabodyslammed the challenger to the outside. Orton then executed hismiddle-rope DDT for a near-fall. Cena followed with anAttitude Adjustment but Orton kicked out. Orton hit Cena on the neck with a steel chair, followed by a pin attempt which Cena kicked out. Cena applied theSTF to Orton but Orton managed to get to the ropes. When Cena attempted another STF, Orton pushed him off, knocking the referee down in the process. Cena applied another STF and Orton tapped out, but the referee was unconscious at the time. After Cena checked on the referee, Orton executed anRKO but Cena kicked out. Orton then delivered apunt kick to win the title.
The next match featuredR-Truth againstDrew McIntyre. R-Truth executed adropkick andleg lariat in the early going before McIntyre executed abig boot and aclothesline. McIntyre attempted twice to executed theFuture Shock but R-Truth countered each one until McIntyre threw him from the top rope. McIntyre followed with the Future Shock to score the pinfall.
Next was a triple threat match for theUnited States Championship between championKofi Kingston,The Miz, andJack Swagger. The Miz and Swagger worked together to deliver adouble clothesline anddouble Irish whip to Kingston. The Miz, however, attacked Swagger and executed his signature moves. Swagger hoisted The Miz on his shoulders for anelectric chair and Kingston executed acrossbody on The Miz at the same time. Swagger delivered abelly-to-belly suplex on Kingston and covered him, but The Miz broke the pin. Kingston afterwards performed aBoom Drop on Swagger but The Miz broke up that pin too. Swagger attempted aGerman suplex on Miz but Kingston hit him with theTrouble in Paradise. The Miz then delivered aSkull-Crushing Finale to Kingston, but Swagger put Kingston's foot on the rope. Swagger executed agutwrench powerbomb on The Miz, after which, Kingston executed another Trouble in Paradise on Swagger. Kingston then pinned The Miz to retain his title.
The final match was a Hell in a Cell tag team match betweenD-Generation-X (Triple H andShawn Michaels) andThe Legacy (Cody Rhodes andTed DiBiase). Rhodes and DiBiase attacked DX during their entrance which led to a brawl outside the cage before the match even started. Rhodes delivered aCross Rhodes on the entrance ramp to Triple H. Legacy then put Michaels inside the cage and locked the door with Triple H outside. Rhodes and DiBiase focused on Michaels' knee, performingknee breakers and ramming it into the steel post. Michaels fought back, delivering anatomic drop,chops andSweet Chin Music to DiBiase. However, Legacy continued to dominate Michaels as Triple H tried to break the lock with a chair. Triple H then left, seemingly abandoning Michaels, but returned with pliers and opened the door, attacking Rhodes and DiBiase. Triple H thenpunched DiBiase using a chain and delivered aPedigree on him, then left him outside the cage and locked the door. Triple H and Michaels finished Rhodes off with asledgehammer/Sweet Chin Music combination to win the match. After the match, DiBiase entered the ring but was struck with a Sweet Chin Music, thus ending the show as DX celebrated their victory.
On the following episode ofRaw, John Cena challenged Randy Orton to one final rematch for the WWE Championship atBragging Rights, this time as a 60-minuteIron Man match. Orton accepted on two conditions: if Cena lost, he would leave Raw and that the match would beanything goes.[23]
The 2009 Hell in a Cell event was the inaugural event of an annual gimmick pay-per-view for WWE, generally held in October—the only exceptions being theSeptember 2018 event,[24] theJune 2021 event,[25] and theJune 2022 event.[26] This inaugural event would be the only Hell in a Cell to feature ECW as the brand was disbanded in February 2010.[27] The event would be discontinued after the 2022 event and replaced by what was to be a revival ofKing of the Ring in 2023, rebranded as "King and Queen of the Ring", but that was changed toNight of Champions, in turn revivingNight of Champions.[28][29]