[2005-06-26-WWE-Vengeance] Batista vs HHH (Hell In A Cell)

[Superstar Sleeze]

World Heavyweight Champion Batista vs Triple H - WWE Vengeance 2005 Hell In A Cell

 

I'll be honest I was very skeptical about this match being good let alone great. On paper, this is a very uninspiring matchup especially given HHH's clunkers from 2003-2005 in gimmick matches. Yes, HHH can have great matches see Foley, Street Fight and Bryan, Mania match. He usually is not the better wrestler in the match. I am sure there are people that would argue Batista is better than HHH, I could see that, but to me HHH is the better wrestler. There is no main event wrestler that has inspired more apathy from me than Batista. Even Edge can be funny at times and I enjoyed the Edge & Christian stuff. Even Orton can wrestle a pretty compelling match based around sound psychology. Batista does nothing for me. I love power wrestlers, but he is powerful in a bodybuilding way not that awesome Mid-South Hoss style. He is super awkward in the ring in my opinion. Does not bump naturally and his moves look weird. Not much of a seller. His character is bland as hell. Though heel Batista heeling on all the internet nerds was legitimately very good. So much to my pleasant surprise, this was great just as everybody said it would be.

 

This is a better version of the Cena/JBL I Quit Match. I thought there was a lot more hate and a lot more gritty violence. Gotta give the devil his due, HHH wrestled one helluva match. He made Batista look like a million bucks. Big Dave did nothing to really change my opinion of him. I would say this may be HHH's best match in terms of having to be the better wrestler and really carry the work load here. I was just reading a review I wrote for a Harley Race match. I gotta say I would put HHH over Race in terms of great workers after watching this.

 

Pretty standard start with Batista in control using the Cell. HHH is able to whip him into the steps. First big bump is Batista off the apron into the cage. Batista's awkwardness actually made that look nastier. HHH grabs a chain. I thought this was pretty tactful in which weapons they used and how many they used. They did not feel like props. HHH was great at whipping with the chain and choking with chain. It felt violent. He was not using the chain because it was expected in the match. He was using it to inflict damage. That's difference between this Cell and the one I just watched love with Roman/Rusev. Great receipt spot with Batista whipping HHH with the chain. Batista spinebustering HHH into the Cell repeatedly was awesome and HHH does an amazing bladejob.

 

I think a big difference in this match from Cena/JBL was how much more of an asskicker Batista looked like. Cena had to come from behind and was bleeding profusely in his match. Here Batista busts HHH wide open first and HHH really sells it. Like I don't compliment HHH on selling much, but here he does a fantastic job. HHH's spinebuster is a babyface transition. Shaking my head. He gets a barbed wire chair Ok, ok, ok so that's a bit over the top but but but it is a barbed wire chair so it is fucking awesome. He pokes a bunch of holes in Batista flesh. Again, great receipt spot set up because Batista gets the chair and he blasts HHH right in his already bloody face and then grinds into his open wound. That is pretty friggin awesome. HHH gets a desperation DDT onto the chair to bust Batista open. Very violent, very good.

 

I miss grating your bloody opponent's face into a steel cage. Sister Sledge makes her appearance. Worst weapon ever. But you knew it had to be a part of the match so I will give it a pass. In the battle of sledgehammer and chain, the chain wins with HHH pulling the trigger first. Another great thing about this match, is the lack of pinning attempts. That was only the second cover of the match! The violence is taking center stage not kickouts to get pops. Good for them! The Irish Whip into the steel steps in the ring is a really good spot actually and HHH really threw himself into it. HHH gets a low blow NOW there is a GREAT heel transition. Pedigree only gets two. That's a nearfall I can get behind. Spinebuster on the steps is a great spot from Batista.

 

Loved the finish. Batista has HHH up in the powerbomb position but HHH has the sledgehammer. So it is a moment of high drama and you really don't know which way it is going to go. Batista pulls the trigger first and hits the powerbomb for the win.

 

Kudos to HHH he did everything he could to put Batista over huge in this match. He bled buckets, bumped big, sold well, Batista kicked out of the Pedigree and the finish was fantastic. Batista played his role well. Violence was great. Spots were huge. It was epic without trying to be epic. Is this the last great Hell In A Cell match? ****1/2

 

P.S. So I watched this last night, but I did not have enough time to review because I was going out with my friends. So I read a review this morning to jog my memory. The reviewer gave this **** and the Angle/Michaels match on the same card ****3/4. What the flying fuck?

 

 

 

[JKWebb]

I've always loved this match. I really want to watch it again after reading your review, because I always felt like I was one of the few people that would bring it up in great match conversations. Last time I watched it, I think I was about at ****1/2 too (edit: I am at ****3/4). The top 3 HIACs in my opinion are HBK/Taker (1) then Brock/Taker (1st one) and this one. I do think the last Brock/Taker was probably around ****, but not in the same league as those three.

[JKWebb]

Off the top of my head, I think I actually like Edge/Taker better than the second Brock/Taker. I think this one is the best one that Undertaker is not in.

[BigVanCrush]

To me, this one and Brock/Taker '02 are neck-and-neck for the GOAT HIAC match. This is violent, bloody, brutal and goes long without really ever losing the crowd. Triple H is fantastic as the desperate heel champion willing to take any shortcut to get his title back. They had the nice bit of continuity with the Pedigree being Hunter's ace in the hole despite it failing him at Backlash and I liked him loading up a sledgehammer shot just as Batista dropped him with the Batista Bomb. The barbed wire chair was also something kind of unique for 2005 WWE and the steel steps bit towards the end was really good as well. Brock/Taker '02 is bloodier and is probably the more 'raw' of the two matches, but this one feels like Hunter finally figured out how to do the type of Flair bloody feud blowoff matches that he'd always tried so hard to do, especially during this timeframe. This was as close to being modern Flair as he ever got and Batista was fucking phenomenal here too. My WWE 2005 MOTY and it's really not close. ****3/4

[Makai Club #1]

This was excellent. Not a big fan of Batista, at all, but he and Triple H just clicked in this match. It had everything a great Hell In A Cell match should have. Huge levels of violence, tons of hatred between the opponents, great storytelling and blood. Lots of it. Triple H shone big time as the desperate scumbag that was trying everything in his power to win back a title that's been his for near 3 years at this point. Loved how his cheating antics always came back to haunt him with the barbed wire chair being used, the steel steps, the chain whipping (ouch!). His selling was great - he really made Batista look like a beast and deserved champion. Great finish as well. ****3/4

[DMJ]

I just watched this for the first time this morning and thoroughly enjoyed it. I'd definitely consider it a career match for Triple H (and Batista too). I wouldn't necessarily call this a "carry job," though, because Batista puts a ton of gusto into all the bumps he takes and, impressively, delivers big power moves from beginning to end when he needs to. For a guy who was sometimes criticized for being gassed and unable to work long matches, on this night, Batista knocked it out of the park. In recent years, Batista has openly stated that he wished he'd been around during the Attitude Era rather than the "PG Era" and this match shows why - he and Triple H are clearly reveling in the barbarism they get to show off. They'd do it again at WrestleMania XXXV (or was it 34? I forget). 

I also like that this match is really simple in structure, pacing, and big spots. They don't overreach. They don't flood it with nearfalls. They don't finisher spam. They don't get cutesy with anything. Its a Hell in a Cell match so you don't need run-ins (even though a Flair appearance would make sense storyline-wise) and ref bumps and convoluted ways to have both guys out of the cage or on top of it. The match can just be a goddamn bloody brawl in a cage with weapons and, done correctly, you don't even need to use multiple finishers or some insane bump through 2 tables off a ladder to get to a believable ending point. (4.5/5)