MIAMI – In the end, Shawn Michaels did what he always does: With the fate of the WWE Title in his hands, the special guest referee stopped the show – and Daniel Bryan’s dream of becoming WWE Champion – with a swift Superkick that sent HBK’s bearded protégé tumbling into his own personal hell while Randy Orton picked the bones and ascended once again to the Promised Land as WWE Champion.
Watch Bryan's greatest battles | Photos of the main event
Why, exactly, “Mr. WrestleMania” acted against his student remains unclear. On the surface, there didn’t appear to be any sort of fix in against the bearded rebel who has defied The Authority at every turn. However, it was clear something was amiss from the very beginning, when Triple H – who had a heated discussion with HBK moments earlier – made a grand show of parading the abeyant WWE Title before the match, offering handshakes to both Orton and Bryan. Even as The Viper seemed smug and confident in his patron’s presence, Bryan’s rebuke of the handshake was repaid with a knowing wink from the COO, as if he knew the tenacious grappler’s fate was already sealed.
The two rivals wasted no time on pleasantries once the steel came down, using everything from the ring ropes to the Cell walls to their fists as weapons. Bryan attacked The Apex Predator with the force of a bullet train, but The Viper picked his spots carefully, absorbing his opponent’s attacks and cutting Bryan off each time the submission master neared critical mass. The early patience paid off almost immediately when Orton sent the winded former WWE Champion flying into the Cell, leaving the “Yes!” man splayed and dazed outside the ring.
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Exploiting the full lawlessness of Hell in a Cell, Orton attempted to use the steel steps as weapons, yet he seemed to have underestimated Bryan’s capacity for ruthlessness. The “Yes!” man reversed Orton’s attempts to dismantle him, slamming him into the steps and sending an ominous message to his clearly rattled opponent: Hell ain’t a bad place to be for Daniel Bryan.
