In the opening match at the Raw-exclusive Hell in a Cell event, Roman Reigns put his United States Championship on the line. This was Rusev’s first time in the Cell but gave the champion one of the most vicious battles of his career.
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The Bulgarian Brute lived up to his name, bringing the fight to Roman, avoiding a Superman Punch early on in the match, and was the first to collide with the side of the towering construct. Eventually, Reigns struck down Rusev with a kendo stick from under the ring, however, Rusev retaliated and unloaded on the champion once he became in possession of the weapon.
Reigns caught Rusev with his finishing Superman Punch, but he managed to kick out. Rusev reversed another Superman Punch with a brutal kick to Roman’s skull, but also got a two-count.
Even after attempting to lock his submission maneuver, the Accolade, Rusev was still unable to break Roman Reigns. Using a thick chain he found from under the ring, Rusev beat down his opponent and went to finish him off using the steel steps. However, Roman refused to stay down.
Reigns even powered out of an Accolade and performed a Samoan Drop on Rusev right on the steel steps and caught Rusev with a devastating spear to retain his championship.
