The 2010 Hell in a Cell was the second annual

Hell in a Cell Hell in a Cell is a professional wrestling steel cage-based match which originated in 1997 in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). It features a large cell structure, a five-sided cuboid made from open-weave steel mesh chain-link fenci ...

professional wrestling Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring o ...

pay-per-view Pay-per-view (PPV) is a type of pay television or webcast service that enables a viewer to pay to watch individual events via private telecast. Events can be purchased through a multichannel television platform using their electronic program guid ...

(PPV)

event Event may refer to: Gatherings of people * Ceremony, an event of ritual significance, performed on a special occasion * Convention (meeting), a gathering of individuals engaged in some common interest * Event management, the organization of eve ...

produced by

World Wrestling Entertainment World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and vario ...

(WWE). It was held for wrestlers from the promotion's

Raw Raw is an adjective usually describing: * Raw materials, basic materials from which products are manufactured or made * Raw food, uncooked food Raw or RAW may also refer to: Computing and electronics * .RAW, a proprietary mass spectrometry dat ...

and

SmackDown ''WWE SmackDown'', also known as ''Friday Night SmackDown'' or simply ''SmackDown'', is an American professional wrestling television program produced by WWE that as of currently airs live every Friday at 8 p.m. ET on Fox. Fox Deportes simulc ...

brand divisions. The event took place on October 3, 2010, at the

American Airlines Center The American Airlines Center (AAC) is a multi-purpose indoor arena located in the Victory Park neighborhood in downtown Dallas, Texas. The arena serves as the home of the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association and the Dallas S ...

Dallas, Texas Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County w ...

. It was the final Hell in a Cell held during the first brand split, which ended in August 2011, but was reinstated in July 2016. Six matches were contested at the event. In the main event, Kane retained the World Heavyweight Championship against

The Undertaker Mark William Calaway (born March 24, 1965), better known by the ring name The Undertaker, is an American retired professional wrestler. Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, Calaway spent the vast majority ...

in a

Hell in a Cell match Hell in a Cell is a professional wrestling professional wrestling match types, steel cage-based match which originated in 1997 in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). It features a large cell structure, a five-sided cuboid made from ope ...

. This made Hell in a Cell 2010 the last WWE pay-per-view in which the World Heavyweight Championship was in the main event until TLC: Tables, Ladders and Chairs (2013). Other matches included

Randy Orton Randal Keith Orton (born April 1, 1980) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and actor who is signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw (WWE brand), Raw brand but is currently out of action due to a back injury. H ...

retaining the

WWE Championship The WWE Championship is a world heavyweight championship created and promoted by the American professional wrestling promotion WWE, representing the Raw brand division. It is one of two world titles on WWE's main roster, alongside SmackDown' ...

against

Sheamus Stephen Farrelly (born 28 January 1978) is an Irish professional wrestler and actor. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Sheamus. Prior to joining WWE, he wrestled on the European indep ...

in a Hell in a Cell match, Daniel Bryan retained the United States Championship against

The Miz Michael Gregory Mizanin (born October 8, 1980) is an American professional wrestler, actor, and television personality. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under the ring name The Miz. Mizanin first gained fame a ...

and

John Morrison John Morrison or Morison may refer to: In politics * John Morrison (Manitoba politician) (1868–1930), politician in Manitoba, Canada * John Morrison (Saskatchewan politician) (1872–1950), Canadian Member of Parliament * John Morrison (intelli ...

in a Triple Threat Submissions Count Anywhere Match,

Wade Barrett Stuart Alexander Bennett (born 10 August 1980) is an English-American professional wrestling commentator, actor, and former professional wrestler who holds both British and American citizenship. He is currently signed to WWE, where he is a colo ...

defeated

John Cena John Felix Anthony Cena ( ; born April 23, 1977) is an American part-time professional wrestler, actor, and former rapper. He is currently signed to WWE. Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, he is tied w ...

, and

Edge Edge or EDGE may refer to: Technology Computing * Edge computing, a network load-balancing system * Edge device, an entry point to a computer network * Adobe Edge, a graphical development application * Microsoft Edge, a web browser developed by ...

defeated

Jack Swagger Donald Jacob Hager Jr. (born March 24, 1982) is an American professional wrestler and mixed martial artist, currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) under the ring name Jake Hager, where he is a member of the Jericho Appreciation Society st ...

Production

Background

In 2009,

(WWE) introduced

as a

gimmick A gimmick is a novel device or idea designed primarily to attract attention or increase appeal, often with little intrinsic value. When applied to retail marketing, it is a unique or quirky feature designed to make a product or service "stand ou ...

(PPV). The concept of the show came from WWE's established

match, in which competitors fight inside a 20-foot-high roofed cell structure surrounding the ring and ringside area. The main event match of the card was contested under the Hell in a Cell stipulation. The 2010 event was the second event under the

chronology, establishing the event as the annual October PPV. The event took place on October 3, 2010, at the

and featured wrestlers from the

and

brands A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that distinguishes one seller's good or service from those of other sellers. Brands are used in business, marketing, and advertising for recognition and, importantly, to create an ...

Storylines

The

professional wrestling matches Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a ...

at Hell in a Cell featured professional wrestlers performing as

characters Character or Characters may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''Character'' (novel), a 1936 Dutch novel by Ferdinand Bordewijk * ''Characters'' (Theophrastus), a classical Greek set of character sketches attributed to The ...

in scripted events pre-determined by the hosting

promotion Promotion may refer to: Marketing * Promotion (marketing), one of the four marketing mix elements, comprising any type of marketing communication used to inform or persuade target audiences of the relative merits of a product, service, brand or i ...

, World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). Storylines between the characters were produced on WWE's weekly television shows ''Raw'' and ''SmackDown'' with the Raw and SmackDown brands—storyline divisions in which WWE assigned its employees to different programs. The main

rivalry A rivalry is the state of two people or groups engaging in a lasting competitive relationship. Rivalry is the "against each other" spirit between two competing sides. The relationship itself may also be called "a rivalry", and each participant o ...

from the

brand A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that distinguishes one seller's good or service from those of other sellers. Brands are used in business, marketing, and advertising for recognition and, importantly, to create an ...

featured the new champion

against former champion

in a

match for the

. At

Night of Champions Night (also described as night time, unconventionally spelled as "nite") is the period of ambient darkness from sunset to sunrise during each 24-hour day, when the Sun is below the horizon. The exact time when night begins and ends depends o ...

, Orton won the championship in a six-pack challenge against

Chris Jericho Christopher Keith Irvine (born November 9, 1970), better known by the ring name Chris Jericho, is an American-Canadian professional wrestler and singer. He is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is the leader of the Jeri ...

and Sheamus to win the championship, following a winning streak leading up to the pay-per-view. The following night on ''Raw'', Sheamus invoked his rematch clause for the championship. The

Anonymous Raw General Manager The Anonymous Raw General Manager was a professional wrestling authority figure in WWE, who anonymously controlled the Raw brand from June 21, 2010 to July 18, 2011. The Anonymous General Manager controlled the show by sending emails to a laptop, ...

agreed to the match, allowing it to be contested as a Hell in a Cell match. The main rivalry from the

brand featured champion Kane against

in a Hell in a Cell match for the World Heavyweight Championship. The storyline saw Kane attack The Undertaker to put him in a vegetative state and steal his powers, which led to Kane dominating The Undertaker upon The Undertaker's return. At Night of Champions, Kane faced The Undertaker in a

No Holds Barred No holds barred or No Holds Barred may refer to: * ''No Holds Barred'' (1952 film), a film starring The Bowery Boys * ''No Holds Barred'' (1989 film), a film starring Hulk Hogan * ''No Holds Barred'' (Biohazard album) (1997) * ''No Holds Barred ...

match for the championship, which he won. In an attempt to get rid of The Undertaker for good, Kane challenged him to a Hell in a Cell match, a match originally conceived by The Undertaker, and the match in which Kane made his debut by attacking Undertaker nearly 13 years before at Badd Blood: In Your House. A returning

Paul Bearer William Alvin Moody (April 10, 1954 – March 5, 2013) was an American professional wrestling manager and licensed funeral director. He is best known for his tenure with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, later WWE) where he performed under t ...

reunited with The Undertaker on the September 24 episode of ''SmackDown'', however, restoring his powers. Another rivalry from Raw involved

and

, the leader of a group of former ''

NXT NXT may refer to: Professional wrestling * ''WWE NXT'', a professional wrestling television program produced by WWE that began in 2010 ** NXT (WWE brand), WWE's Florida-based brand and former developmental territory * ''NXT UK'', the British spin- ...

'' rookies known as The Nexus. Since their creation, The Nexus had assaulted several wrestlers on ''Raw'', but focused mainly on Cena causing him to lose several championship matches. At Night of Champions, The Nexus attacked Cena which allowed Barrett to eliminate him from the six-pack challenge. The next day on ''Raw'', both Cena and Barrett agreed to a match with the stipulation that if Barrett was to win, then Cena would be forced join The Nexus. If Cena won, however, The Nexus would be forced to disband. The Anonymous Raw General Manager added another stipulation if The Nexus interfered in the match then Barrett would lose the match.

Event

Preliminary matches

The actual pay-per-view opened with Daniel Bryan defending the United States Championship against

and

in a Submissions Count Anywhere match. In the end, atop the entrance ramp, Bryan forced Miz to submit to the Lebell Lock to retain the title. Next,

defended the

against

in a

match. During the match, Orton struck Sheamus with the steel steps for a near-fall. Orton performed a Snap Scoop Powerslam onto the steel steps on Sheamus for a near-fall. Sheamus performed an Irish Curse Backbreaker on top of the steel steps and a Brogue Kick on Orton for a near-fall. In the end, Orton attempted a Punt Kick outside the ring on Sheamus but Sheamus avoided, executed a second Brogue Kick on Orton and scored a near-fall. Orton performed an RKO onto the steel steps on Sheamus to retain the title.

Alberto Del Rio José Alberto Rodríguez Chucuan (born 25 May 1977) is a Mexican-American professional wrestler, professional wrestling promoter, sports commentator, and mixed martial artist, currently signed to the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) as a c ...

cut a promo on how he helped the audience by injuring

Rey Mysterio Óscar Gutiérrez (born December 11, 1974), better known by his ring name Rey Mysterio, is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand. Widely regarded as one of the greatest profes ...

and

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

interrupted Del Rio, cutting a promo on how he had been on a campaign against stupidity, with Del Rio not being part of the solution.

interrupted Edge, demanding retribution for Edge attacking The Swagger Soaring Eagle, Swagger's mascot. Del Rio hit Edge with a microphone and Swagger attacked Edge. The Anonymous Raw General Manager booked an impromptu match between Edge and Swagger. Edge faced Jack Swagger in an impromptu match. During the match, Edge attempted a Spear on Swagger, who countered and performed a Gutwrench Powerbomb on Edge for a near-fall. In the end, Swagger applied the Ankle Lock on Edge but Edge touched the ropes, forcing Swagger to break the hold. Edge performed a Spear on Swagger to win the match. Later,

faced

. The stipulations were if Barrett won, Cena would have been forced to join The Nexus. If Cena won, The Nexus would have been forced to disband. If The Nexus interfered in the match then Barrett would have lost the match. During the match, various WWE superstars attacked The Nexus, but the referees made them disperse. As Cena attempted an Attitude Adjustment on Barrett, Barrett countered into a Wasteland on Cena for a near-fall. Cena executed an Attitude Adjustment on Barrett for a near-fall. In the climax, Cena applied the STF on Barrett but Michael McGillicutty distracted the referee. While the referee restrained McGillicutty, Husky Harris attacked Cena with a metal object and ran away. Barrett pinned Cena to win the match, forcing Cena to join The Nexus. In the fifth match,

Michelle McCool Michelle Leigh Calaway (née McCool; born January 25, 1980) is an American retired professional wrestler. She is best known for her time with WWE, where she is a former two-time WWE Divas Champion and a two-time WWE Women's Champion. McCool or ...

defended the

WWE Divas Championship The WWE Divas Championship was a women's professional wrestling championship in WWE. The championship was created by WWE in 2008, and was introduced as part of the WWE brand extension via a storyline by then SmackDown General Manager Vickie Gue ...

against

Natalya Natalya (russian: Наталья) is the Russian form of the female given name Natalia. The name Natasha (russian: link=no, Наташа), being originally a diminutive form of Natalya, became an independent name outside the Russian-speaking state ...

. In the end, Natalya applied the Sharpshooter on McCool but

Layla "Layla" is a song written by Eric Clapton and Jim Gordon, originally recorded by Derek and the Dominos, as the thirteenth track from their only studio album, ''Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs'' (1970). Its contrasting movements were compose ...

threw her shoe into the ring, resulting in Natalya winning by disqualification.

Main event

In the main event, Kane defended the World Heavyweight Championship against

in a Hell in a Cell match. During the match, Undertaker applied Hell's Gate on Kane but Kane rolled outside the ring to escape the hold. Undertaker performed a Chokeslam for a near-fall. Undertaker attempted a Last Ride on Kane, who countered and performed a Chokeslam on Undertaker for a near-fall. Undertaker performed a Last Ride on Kane for a near-fall. Undertaker attempted a Tombstone Piledriver on Kane, who countered and performed a Tombstone Piledriver on Undertaker for a near-fall and Kane then attacked the referee. While the medical staff were tending to the referee,

entered the cell, leading to Kane confronting Bearer but Undertaker performed a second Chokeslam on Kane. Undertaker attempted to perform a Tombstone Piledriver on Kane but Bearer used the urn to blind Undertaker and passed Kane the urn. Kane hit Undertaker with the urn and performed a second Chokeslam on Undertaker to retain the title.

Reception

Hell in a Cell was attended by an audience of 7,500 in the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. The pay-per-view drew 210,000 buys, a decrease on the 2009 event buyrate of 283,000.

Aftermath

Paul Bearer issued a challenge to the Undertaker to fight Kane in a Buried Alive Match shortly after the events of Hell in a Cell. Undertaker accepted and would taunt Kane with his pyrotechnics, as well as drag him under the ring later. At

Bragging Rights Boasting or bragging is speaking with excessive pride and self-satisfaction about one's achievements, possessions, or abilities. Boasting occurs when someone feels a sense of satisfaction or when someone feels that whatever occurred proves thei ...

, Kane defeated Undertaker with help from The Nexus in order to close the feud. As the newest member of The Nexus, John Cena attempted to destroy the group from the inside, until the Anonymous Raw General Manager told Cena to follow Wade Barrett's orders or lose his job. In a battle royal to determine the number one contender to the WWE Championship, Barrett and Cena made it to the final two. Barrett then forced Cena to eliminate himself, making Barrett the new number one contender. To further guarantee his success, Barrett made Cena stand in his corner at Bragging Rights in his match against Randy Orton, as well as firing Cena if Barrett lost. At Bragging Rights, Barrett defeated Orton by disqualification after Cena attacked Barrett, thus letting Cena keep his job and not letting Barrett win the WWE Championship. Also at Bragging Rights, Cena won the WWE Tag Team Championship with

David Otunga David Daniel Otunga''Lawyer ' (born April 7, 1980) is an American actor and former professional wrestler. Otunga is best known for his time working with WWE. He was the runner-up on the first season of ''NXT''. He is also an original member of ...

. The 2010 Hell in a Cell was the last Hell in a Cell event held under the first brand split, which ended in August 2011. However, the brand split was reinstated in July 2016, with that year's Hell in a Cell event being ''Raw''-exclusive. Additionally, in April 2011, the promotion ceased using its full name with the "WWE" abbreviation becoming an

orphaned initialism An acronym is a word or name formed from the initial components of a longer name or phrase. Acronyms are usually formed from the initial letters of words, as in ''NATO'' (''North Atlantic Treaty Organization''), but sometimes use syllables, as ...

Results

References

External links

Official Hell in a Cell website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hell In A Cell (2010)

2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...

2010 in Texas Events in Dallas Professional wrestling in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex 2010 WWE pay-per-view events October 2010 events in the United States