Bang For Your Buck PPV Review: 2014 Hell in a Cell

 WWE TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH

The Usos vs. Goldust & Stardust (C)

What Nick Wants to Happen: A definitive end between these two, who I’ve grown somewhat tired  of seeing perform with one another.

This was easily the best match of the almost interminable set of matches between these two teams. Even when trying to rationalize why they have faced each other as much as they have by trying to compare it to division rivals or a playoff series, this thing was getting way long in the tooth. But these four men did exactly what I hoped they would do: look like the extremely competent performers they are and give me something resembling closure.

They’ve also — and this is something we touched on during our discussion of the match (which you can hear below) in greater detail — managed to really lean in on Stardust as a character after dipping their toes in for the past few months. Stardust  is no longer “Cody Rhodes”, even if he is still the brother of Goldust. He’s become an entity unto himself, and while he won’t have the androgynous/transgressive sexual proclivities that the elder Dust had, he certainly has his talent, and that’s started to shine through in a way that may allow him to transcend his lot in life as Dusty’s son and Dustin’s brother.

As for the in-ring action, the level of control that Goldust had over the proceedings was a nice change of pace after what’s largely been an understandable push to establish the Stardust character. Goldie ending the match with a beautiful Final Cut just moments after getting the nudge/bit of chicanery from Stardust did more to establish a dynamic between the two than anything they’ve done since Cody put on the face paint.

While it’s hard to imagine what these teams will be doing next, and with whom, this at least seemed to allow them to break away from one another. That it was also a highly enjoyable match that the crowd was into which flowed well and added new wrinkles while celebrating the old ones? That right there is the cosmic key.

Match +.6  | PPV 1.8

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