by This year’s HIAC was a very pleasant surprise of a show, considering it was given what could arguably considered the biggest feud in the WWE to date: Cody Rhodes vs. Seth Rollins.
2 titles matches happened at the pay-per-view: Theory United States Championship against Mustafa Ali, while Bianca Belair, the Raw women’s title, against Asuka and Becky Lynch in a Triple Threat.
The feud between Ezekiel and Kevin Owens came to a head in their encounter, as did the program involving Corbin and Madcap Moss.
We saw The Judgment Day take on Finn Balor, AJ Styles and Liv Morgan, and Bobby Lashley faced Omos and MVP in a handicap match.
Let’s take a deeper look at what went down during Sunday’s show.
Raw women’s championship – Bianca Belair vs. Becky Lynch vs. Asuka:
Belair was constantly in danger of losing her championship. She was clearly the match’s most imposing presence nearly won the title after landing a guillotine leg drop on Belair off the middle rope. “The Man” Becky continued to steamroll the competition, punishing Belair with a top rope leg drop.
“The Empress of Tomorrow” finally found her groove, landing a near pinfall on Lynch after a series of thudding strikes. A standing moonsault from Belair nearly pinned both Asuka and Lynch simultaneously.
The trio teased a Tower of Doom, but Belair backflipped off the ropes and ate a Codebreaker by Asuka, who also delivered one to Lynch. Belair closed out the show by using Lynch’s tactic against her.
Lynch planted Asuka with a Man Handle Slam only for Belair to toss her foe from the ring. The champion pinned a defenseless Asuka to retain her title – Everyone delivered to start the evening. Match Grade: A
Bobby Lashley vs. Omos and MVP (Handicap match):
Omos and Lashley got into a battle of strength vs. strength. Lashley used his MMA background and striking advantage against his larger opponent. MVP only tagged himself in when Lashley was on the ropes and was quick to flee anytime Lashley built momentum.
Cedric Alexander – who earlier in the evening was pushed away by MVP – interfered in the match. Alexander distracted Omos long enough for Lashley to hit a spear. Lashley applied the Hurt Lock to MVP to force a tap out. Post-match, Lashley grabbed a fan’s replica WWE championship and proclaimed himself the champ. A good match, I like it. Match Grade: B+
Ezekiel vs. Kevin Owens:
Ezekiel nearly shocked the world, flooring Owens with a flying knee and landing the top rope elbow drop for a near count. Owens showed off his fantastic athleticism, landing a springboard moonsault.
Owens’ obsession with Ezekiel’s identity distracted him, allowing Elias’ “brother” to punish him with a big spinebuster. Yet, A superkick, cannonball in the corner and stunner secured the victory for the villainous Canadian. A very fun midcard match. Match Grade: B
A.J Styles, Finn Balor and Liv Morgan vs. Judgement Day (Edge, Damian Priest and Rhea Ripley):
Judgement Day punished Morgan and Balor early, distracting their foes to gain the upper hand anytime momentum slipped away. A Pele Kick by Balor finally presented him with the opening to make a tag. The crowd, after witnessing Balor receive an extended beatdown by Edge and Priest, roared to life when Styles tagged in.
“The Phenomenal One” rattled off his signature strikes and slams on Edge and Priest while Morgan took out Ripley. Styles finally clocked Edge with the Phenomenal Forearm, a move he had not been able to land on his rival since before WrestleMania 38 in April.
The match escalated into another six-person brawl. In the end, Ripley stood between Balor and Edge just long enough for her Judgement Day leader to crush Balor with a spear for the victory. A solid match without much to complain about. Match Grade: B
Madcap Moss vs. Happy Corbin (No Holds Barred match): There was no love lost between the two. The action immediately spilled to the outside. Corbin planted Moss with a chokeslam to the ring apron. Corbin provoked the Chicago crowd as he repeatedly smacked Moss with a steel chair. Corbin drilled Moss in the back of the neck with the chair, taking advantage of Moss’ storyline injured neck. Madcap Moss def. Happy Corbin via pinfall. A fun brawl that showed Moss’ vicious side despite the feud feeling less than spectacular. Match Grade: C
United States championship – Theory vs. Mustafa Ali: The Chicago crowd was firmly behind their hometown hero Ali. Theory is Vince McMahon’s chosen one and the youngest U.S. champ in WWE history. Ali is a incredibly under-appreciated superstar who was benched for months; vocally demanding his WWE release. Both men showed off their athleticism & looked slick in the ring while doing it.
The real-life contrast between Theory and Ali, plus the fan investment elevated the match immensely. Theory def. Mustafa Ali via pinfall to retain the U.S. championship, but the sentiment that WWE will never really commit to Ali is difficult to understand at all. Match Grade: B+
Cody Rhodes vs. Seth Rollins (Hell in a Cell match): Rollins entered the ring dressed in polka dots to mock “The American Dream” Dusty Rhodes, Cody’s father. Rhodes took off his jacket to reveal a terribly bruised right chest and bicep. Rhodes suffered a legitimate complete pectoral tear before the event & Rhodes himself did not shy away from hiding it – Rollins didn’t not shy from the injury either, digging a kendo stick into the injured muscle before smacking him with it. Rhodes refused to give up for the injury.
Cody Rhodes def. Seth Rollins via pinfall. It was a amazing effort and fantastic match. Any tribute to Dusty Rhodes is a treat. The polka dots and bull rope were a welcomed addition to the match. Both men, Rhodes and Rollins, had a hall pass to take things easy with the severity of Rhodes’ injury. But instead, they worked a legitimate problem into the story of the match. It was as badass as Pro-wrestling could get. Grade: A++
HIAC Overall Grade: B+ – Much better than anticipated for sure. We got a classic for years to talk about Rhodes vs Rollins when discussing the greatness of what we witnessed last night.
