A horrific scene occurred just before this match. After Christian retained the World Heavyweight Championship, Air Boom (Kofi Kingston and Evan Bourne) defended the WWE Tag Team Championship against Awesome Truth (The Miz and R-Truth) in a Night of Champions rematch. This time, there were no countouts or disqualifications. In the end, Kingston nailed Miz with Trouble in Paradise while Bourne finished it off with Air Bourne. After the match, there were several "You suck" chants directed at Awesome Truth. It's a reference to their entrance theme "U Suck", which is a heel version of R-Truth's entrance theme "What's Up?" When interviewed backstage by Josh Matthews, the duo responded with a brutal attack, and R-Truth said the whole WWE Universe will see how much they really suck. After the match between CM Punk and Alberto Del Rio (which Punk won with the GTS followed by the Anaconda Vice) Awesome Truth came from under the ring and assaulted Punk with a lead pipe. Del Rio and his personal ring announcer Ricardo Rodriguez were also beaten down with lead pipes. The timekeeper and RAW ring announcer Justin Roberts received pipe attacks as well. Referees, security guards, and road agents came to stop everything, but Awesome Truth and their lead pipes were more than enough defense. Eventually, the entire WWE roster (Triple H, The Executioner, Mark Henry, Big Show, WWE Champion John Cena, and William Kelly-McLaurin weren't there) came to stop the assault. It turned into a full-on riot as Miz and Truth showed no mercy with their pipe attacks, and at this point, Punk's skull was dripping blood and getting in his eyes. Del Rio had legitmately blacked out. Miz and Truth especially beat down Air Boom. The New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) had to be called in to end it all. They had nightsticks and handguns, and weren't afraid to use them against Awesome Truth. The two surrendered and were promptly arrested for assault and battery. Triple H suddenly arrived and started beating down Miz and Truth. The security guards, road agents, and the NOPD forced the COO to go backstage, which he did. Meanwhile, Awesome Truth was going to spend the night (maybe more) behind bars. Twitter blew up with tweets about it and #HellInACell became the top trending topic on that site for an hour and a half. Some had no idea if it was a work or a shoot. After the incident died down and the blood cleaned up (the attacks were still being talked about amongst the fans, though) the ring was reinforced for the Hell in a Cell Match between Henry and Show. As the Cell was being lowered, a video package aired, and then came the entrances.
The bell rang as Henry and Show sized each other up. The World's Strongest Man vs. The World's Largest Athlete inside The Devil's Playground. Show got the early advantange with a flurry of punches and kicks to Henry, and to King, he liked the urgency in the 441-pound giant's offense. Booker cited how important it was for Show to wear down Henry as quickly as possible, because in a match like Hell in a Cell, you don't want your opponent sticking around for too long. Show bashed Henry into the Cell wall time and time again, and put him back in the ring. A failed chokeslam turned into a DDT, and Henry had the upper hand now. The Silsbee native punished Show, repeatedly displaying his strength and stomping on his ankle. This would work for later when Henry plans to induct Show into the Hall of Pain. Cole brought up another "Did You Know?" by praising Show as the man that changed Hell in a Cell forever. In 2006 at Unforgiven, then-ECW Champion Show teamed up with Vince and Shane McMahon to take on D-Generation-X in a 3-on-2 Handicap Hell in a Cell Match. Because the giant couldn't fit inside the original 16-foot, two-ton structure, it was remade into a 20-foot, five-ton structure and kept as the design to this day. Henry clotheslined Show out of the ring and got his turn to punish. The giant's skull bounced off the Cell wall like a baseball bouncing off Josh Hamilton's bat. Stewart talked about interviewing Henry earlier in the day about if he was nervous about entering The Devil's Playground for the first time, and Henry responded with: "That's not even a question. You'll never see me nervous about anything, and even if I am, I destroy it within seconds. As far as I'm concerned, Hell in a Cell should be afraid of me and the mess it'll be when I damage it." Cole, seeing how Stewart backed himself into a corner with that question, said: "Stick with me, Carson. You'll go places learning from a real journalist." Henry took a steel chair and went to town on Big Show's ankle, hoping to weaken it as much as possible. Henry then stood in the middle of the ring while the crowd booed wildly and yelled, "This is what I do! I'll break everybody!" Henry then climbed the top turnbuckle and attempted a risky high-flying attack. It appeared as if he was going for a clothesline on the outside. Whatever it was, it was a bad move because Show caught him with the W.M.D. in mid-air. Both men were down for about a minute, and Show got up first. He slammed Henry back-first into the Cell wall numerous times, and then hit him in the head with the steel steps twice, busting Henry open. Show got Henry in the ring, and attempted a chokeslam. BAM! The only man to win the WWE, World Heavyweight, and ECW Championships in his career pinned Henry. ONE! TWO! KICKOUT! Cole said that had to be 2 7/8. Booker stated how neither man cannot and will not quit tonight. There had to be a winner. Desperate to end it as soon as possible, Show went for another chokeslam, but Henry wiggled free and bodyslammed the 441-pounder. Cole and King agreed that no one has ever picked Show up with such ease and quickness, until tonight. Stewart said that maybe Henry really is all that, while Booker was dead silent. The crowd popped for "The Bodyslam Heard 'Round The World." To test the reinforced ring, Henry had a major smirk on his face. He propped Show up on the top turnbuckle, and the commentators, despite knowing the ring is reinforced, begged Henry not to do it. The former ECW Champion planned to re-create the earth-shattering superplex from Night Of Champions two weeks ago. With just one fall, the ring collapsed and it was ruled a no-contest. Match over. Bye.
Nah, I'm just kidding. The superplex was executed and the ring held. 859 pounds of humanity just crashed onto the canvas. DAMN! Henry got up without much struggle, and made the cover. ONE! TWO! KICKOUT! Even after that, Show wasn't through. Henry decided to top the bodyslam and superplex with the biggest World's Strongest Slam this side of the French Quarter. BAM! Cole asked his three colleagues, "Did you hear the way Big Show's spine bent when it hit the canvas?" Booker responded with, "That has to be the greatest feat of strength I've ever seen in this business." The cover. ONE! TWO! KICKOUT! Now, Henry was almost about to scream, and for good reason. Nearfall after nearfall after nearfall. The crowd was almost spent, while the commentators were almost out of words. King summed it up best by saying, "The most exciting Hell in a Cell Match I've seen in a long time." Henry had to put Show away, and threw him out of the ring and propped him up on the wall. The Silsbee native was attempting a spear through the wall like Edge at SummerSlam 2008 against The Undertaker. However, as Henry made his move, Show got him by the neck and bulldogged him through the wall and onto the now-broken piece of it. Henry was incapacitated, while Show's back was in pain. His eyes were dead open as some members of the WWE Universe started applauding. This match really was bringing The Devil's Playground back to life. Well, not like the first one didn't, but the people are just really into this one. Show slowly stood up, and removed Henry from the broken Cell piece. Show ripped the piece off completely, stood Henry up, and made his face even more crimson-masked by ramming his skull with the piece. Show put the piece and Henry in the ring, and chokeslammed him on the piece. BAM! Going for the cover, Show had a smirk on his face while Scott Armstrong counted. ONE! TWO! NO! Show removed himself from Henry's body, opened up his hand, closed it, screamed, and cleaned Henry's clock with the W.M.D. BAM! The cover, while the Universe chanted along. ONE! TWO! THREE! In what will be talked about for days as the match that legitimized Hell In A Cell as a major PPV and the structure itself as a vicious concept once again, Big Show took down Mark Henry and proved that a giant's rage stomps all over the rage of the strongest man in the world. Not exactly done yet with Henry, Show decided to induct him into his own Hall of Pain. Show wrapped a chair around Henry's neck and threw him head-first into the turnbuckle. That's what us wrestling fans call "The CM Punk." EMTs, trainers, and referees came to Henry's side as Show slapped hands with fans and raised up his other hand in victory. Final result: Big Show def. Mark Henry in a Hell in a Cell Match (W.M.D.)
NEXT UP:
Hell in a Cell Match
Triple H vs. The Executioner
If Triple H wins, The Executioner is fired and banned from the WWE for one year; if The Executioner wins, Triple H remains COO, but can no longer run RAW