WWE Tag Team Champions Gold & Stardust def. The Usos

DALLAS — The Usos nearly recaptured the WWE Tag Team Championship at WWE Hell in a Cell after an epic double-superplex. However, a distracted referee and a timely kick enabled Gold & Stardust to escape the pay-per-view event with the  “Cosmic Key” still firmly in their possession.

Jimmy & Jey Uso came to Dallas’ AmericanAirlines Center ready to exercise a month’s worth of frustration against Gold & Stardust, the interstellar duo that ended The Usos’ six-month tag title reign at Night of Champions in September.

The challengers set the tone early with a series of physical shots and takedowns, but their fiery nature ultimately got the better of them as Gold & Stardust waited for The Usos to make a critical mistake. When Goldust whipped Jimmy toward the turnbuckle, Jimmy tried to counter by sliding on the mat. Instead, the attempted reversal allowed Stardust to smash the Uso brother’s knee off the turnbuckle. Gold & Stardust controlled the pace of the match after the attack, wearing out Jimmy while staying fresh with quick tags.

See photos of this hard-hitting title matchup

Gold & Stardust couldn’t keep The Usos down for long, though, as a beaten Jimmy launched Goldust to the outside floor and tagged in Jey, who re-entered the bout in a fury by hitting a pair of crossbodies on the bizarre duo. The mounted comeback was  then punctuated with a double-superplex that  floored the champions, but did its share of damage on the challengers, too.

The Usos’ powerful style kept the titleholders reeling, but Gold & Stardust’s cunning ultimately prevailed. Jey mustered enough strength to hit a big splash on Goldust after the risky double-superplex, but Stardust broke up the pinfall, causing Jimmy to rush back into the ring. While the referee tried to regain order, Stardust kicked Jey’s leg out from under him, enabling Goldust to hit the Final Cut for the victory and leave The Usos stunned and title-less for a second consecutive month.

Watch: Gold & Stardust on retaining