#20
Mark Henry vs. Randy Orton
Hell in a Cell ’11
I didn’t mind this match. It was well-worked, and the story going in featured the white hot rise of Mark Henry to main event status. The start of the Hall of Pain was a fantastic piece of story-telling, and the ratings on Smackdown were enough to prove Henry was catching on as a World Heavyweight Champion. I also enjoyed the post-match brawl involving a steel chair after this Hell in a Cell match.
If anything, I think Henry and Orton really suffered from Hell in a Cell becoming its own annual PPV. The structure puts a lot of expectation on the performers inside, because there are so many historic, classic wars over its history. Henry and Orton just weren’t at a level where they needed the “Devil’s Playground” to advance their program.
Also, there should never be a need to continue a feud with a post-match brawl after Hell in a Cell. It’s the great equalizer. As John Cena said prior to this very PPV, it is a “brutal problem solver”. The brawl further emphasized that they didn’t leave it all in the cage, and that’s just not a feeling I ever want as a paying customer.
Like many of the other bouts during this era, they weren’t willing or able to get as violent as was needed to make this special. Simply put, this was a decent match made worse by the unrealistic expectations of the Hell in a Cell match.
