After an injury that kept Intercontinental champion Curtis Axel out of the Hell In A Cell (HIAC) pay-per-view, Damien Sandow took on Kofi Kingston in the HIAC Kick-off show, telecasted via YouTube.com, WWE.com, the WWE App, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Yahoo!, Google+, Samsung Smart TVs, Xbox, Sony PS3, Pinterest or Pheed. Kingston was in control for most of the match, getting a two-count off a Slingshot Splash. Sandow kicked Kingston on the knee as he approached him and flung him neck-first onto the second rope, giving Sandow the chance to hit his opponent with his You're Welcome finisher and the win.
The WWE Tag Team title match started off the HIAC pay-per-view telecast, with the champions, Goldust and Cody Rhodes defending the titles in a Triple Threat Tag Team match against number one contenders The Usos and the former champions, The Shield's Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns. The match was spot-heavy, including Jimmy Uso tossing Rollins in the air for a huge Samoan Drop and Cody suplexing Rollins off the top turnbuckle onto the other competitors outside the ring. Cody managed to score the pin after Rollins attempted a Power-Bomb on him, yet escaping the move as Goldust stunned Rollins with an uppercut, setting him up to eat Rhodes' Crossroads finisher to retain the tag-team titles.
The Miz came out and called out the Wyatts, after their attack on him on Friday Night Smackdown. The lights went out, with Bray Wyatt sermonizing on the TitanTron, distracting The Miz as the Erick Rowan and Luke Harper ambushed The Miz once the lights came back on. Kane came to the rescue, having been gone since his match at SummerSlam, attacking Rowan and Harper before he choked-slammed The Miz to clear out the ring.
Fandango and Summer Rae took on Natalya and The Great Khali in a Mixed Tag-Team match. Summer Rae, making her in-ring wrestling debut, managed to roll up Natalya for the victory for her and her dance-partner Fandango.
During the HIAC Kick-off Show, The Shield interrupted Big E Langston, who was doing analysis, and Smackdown general manager Vickie Guerrero gave him a title shot against US Champion Dean Ambrose after both were jawing with each other. Langston had the match well in control, spearing Ambrose as he was standing on the apron, sending him flying into the barricade. Ambrose, having enough of the impromptu match, took the 10-count count-out to lose the match but retain the title.
CM Punk took on Ryback and Paul Heyman in a 2-on-1 Hell In A Cell cage match, with Punk seeking to get his hands on Heyman after months of torment. Heyman decided to not get into the cage, climbing the top of the cage on an electronic lift. Punk used a Singapore cane and the surrounding environment against his much bigger rival, but Ryback used his size and weapons to his advantage, as well. Ryback attempted to put CM Punk through a table but Punk went for a low-blow and put Ryback on the table. Punk went for the Macho Man Elbow, putting Ryback through the table to score the pin. Punk then climbed to the top of the cage, after the match, smashing Heyman with the Singapore cane several times before hoisting his former mentor up and hitting him with the GTS at top of the cage to finally gain his vengeance against Heyman after months of chasing him down.
Los Matadores (with El Torito) faced off against the Real Americans (with Zeb Colter) in the next match. The Real Americans had control throughout the match, with Antonio Cesaro putting Diego in the Cesaro Swing. Swagger continued the attack, clamping on the Patriot Lock on Fernando as Cesaro pulled the ropes away from him. But Fernando managed to fling Swagger onto Cesaro, allowing him to make the hot-tag to Diego and helping him nail Swagger with a double-team move for the pin. After the match El Torito hit Cesaro with a Hurricanrana as he tried to rescue Zeb Colter, then gored Colter before hitting a crossbody Swagger outside the ring.
Alberto Del Rio defended his Heavyweight title against John Cena, who was returning from elbow surgery after months off rehabilitating the injury. Del Rio worked Cena's injured arm throughout the match. Cena held his own, getting Del Rio in the STF and eventually nailing ADR with Attitude Adjustment despite Del Rio's best efforts to reverse the move into a Cross Armbreaker to become the new World Heavyweight champion.
Brie Bella went up against WWE Divas champion AJ Lee, with Lee hellbent on taking down the Total Diva once and for all. With Tamina watching the champion's back and Nikki protecting her sister, AJ and Bella had an entertaining back and forth match in which Tamina tried to interfere as Bella had AJ in a one-legged Boston Crab. Nikki Bella knocked Tamina off the apron, but got knocked out herself as Brie tried to knee the champion. AJ took advantage of the confusion to cinch the Black Widow to force Brie to tap, the unstable Diva retaining her title via submission.
In the main event, Randy Orton battled Daniel Bryan in a HIAC cage match to determine who would win the vacant WWE Title. Stephanie McMahon barred The Big Show from being within 100 feet of the American Airlines Arena, during the Kick-off Show, with instructions for his arrest if he breaks the order. Bryan took control early, using the cage and the metal steps to inflict damage on Orton. But "The Viper" took advantage of Bryan's missed Suicide Dive, hitting the cage head-first. Daniel regained momentum and hit Orton with a chair, buying time to find every single chair under the ring and toss them inside the squared circle. Orton poked Bryan in the eyes and attempted a suplex off the top rope onto the chairs before Triple H came down to ringside. Triple H distracted Michaels as Bryan shoved Orton into the guest referee, knocking him out. Triple H entered the cage, yelling at Michaels before the WWE COO caught a knee to the face from Bryan. As Bryan was leading a "Yes" chant, Michaels' Superkicked Bryan for the swerve, making the three-count as Orton went for the pin cover, giving the victory and WWE Title to "The Apex Predator" to end the show.