Ronny’s WWE Hell in a Cell Preview

With the WWE already in hype mode for the final Big Four pay per view of the year, the Survivor Series, the RAW roster still has one more major event to produce before they concentrate solely on their biggest pay per view of the fall. Hell in a Cell takes place this Sunday. Leading into most pay per views, the biggest questions is what the outcomes will be. While that is still true with Hell in a Cell, there is another outcome that have people curious. That question is, “which match is closing out the show?” With the Hell in a Cell featuring the first ever women’s Hell in a Cell cage match in WWE history, combined with the fact that the WWE has legitimate female athletes in the match, it makes one think that this may be the perfect time for the women’s division to headline their very first WWE pay per view. Let’s take a look at what the crystal ball tells us.

ENZO AMORE and BIG CASS vs. KARL ANDERSON and LUKE GALLOWS

My, how the mighty have fallen. When Anderson and Gallows first arrived into the WWE, I thought it was only a matter of weeks before they showed their dominance over the WWE tag team division, and capture the division’s top prize. If the WWE wasn’t going to have the New Day lose the straps to the New Japan imports, the WWE should have put Gallows and Anderson on SmackDown where the Bullet Club could have reigned as the WWE World Champion with AJ Styles, and the new SmackDown tag team champions in Gallows and Anderson. Instead, Anderson and Gallows, especially Anderson, seem to be jobbing out on a routinely basis. Anderson has jobbed two weeks in a row to Big Cass and then Enzo Amore. Using WWE logic, this means that Anderson and Gallows should defeat Enzo Amore and Big Cass at Hell in a Cell. It will be interesting to see what the direction that the WWE takes with the two pairs. Do they try to rehab Anderson and Gallows since the New Day needs strong heel contenders, or do they give the popular Enzo and Cass the win to set them up for a baby face confrontation with the New Day. I think that the WWE will use their 50/50 booking powers to give Anderson and Gallows a win by some form of rule breaking in order to prolong this feud into the late fall. WINNERS: KARL ANDERSON and LUKE GALLOWS

TJ PERKINS vs. BRIAN KENDRICK: WWE CRUISERWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP

Going into the Cruiserweight Classic, I had very high hopes for the cruiserweight division in the WWE. I had visions of Chris Jericho, Eddie Guerrero, Dean Malenko, and Rey Mysterio dancing in my head. Instead, the WWE is giving us a lackluster division that seems like it’s used just to fill some air time then it is to become an integral part of the fabric of the WWE. Because of the way the WWE has presented the cruiserweights, I really haven’t been interested in the TJ Perkins vs. Brian Kendricks program. Their program seems like a program for the new champion to get his feet wet before the WWE puts him in a feud with a serious contender. However, after watching the cruiserweights on RAW, I can’t tell you would that “man I can’t wait to see Perkins feud with x wrestler” is. Even though the WWE botched the Divas Revolution in the beginning, you still couldn’t wait to see matches involving Charlotte, Becky Lynch, and Sasha Banks. I can’t say the same about the cruiserweight division. Even though Perkins was just crowned the champion, I’m going to go against my usual philosophy. I think that the storyline of this being Kendrick’s shot at a final WWE run will put Brian over the top in this match. A title win, after losing to Perkins last month, will continue the feud into the winter. WINNER: BRIAN KENDRICK- NEW CHAMPION

THE NEW DAY vs. CESARO and SHEAMUS: WWE TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS

Here we go again. It’s been a running joke of this column for about a year. Whenever the New Day has to defend their tag team titles on a pay per view event, I have been predicting the crowning of new tag team champions. The countdown clock is now at over 420 days, and the New Day are still proudly wearing the WWE Tag Team championship belts. Before the end of the year, they are on pace to break Demolition’s 478 consecutive day record for single tag team championship run. With the record clearly in sight, there is no way I’m picking against the New Day now. I’ll save that for the Royal Rumble or the RAW pay per view in February. Besides an obvious New Day victory, I think that the biggest thing to come out of the match will be a Cesaro heel turn, not that he will get booed. However, since the WWE paired up Cesaro with Sheamus, the two have made a really good duo in the ring together. They should keep them together as a team. I can’t see Sheamus turning into a baby face, because I believe the fans will crap all over it. However, I can see Cesaro turning heel. Sure, he won’t get booed, but what heel in the WWE gets booed these days anyways? WINNER: THE NEW DAY

ROMAN REIGNS vs. RUSEV: UNITED STATES CHAMPIONSHIP in HELL in a CELL

And then the WWE wonders why they can’t get Roman Reigns over as a baby face, never mind the face of the company. If you go through the major story arcs in this feud, Rusev, and not Reigns, has been positioned as the baby face in this rivalry. First, Reigns confronted Rusev to begin the feud. Then on the August 8th RAW episode, Roman interrupted Rusev and Lana’s wedding reenactment. This led to Lana falling into the wedding cake, and ruining her dress. Since then, Rusev has been on a quest to defend his wife’s honor. A couple of weeks ago on RAW, while discussing how proud Rusev was of his family, Roman Reigns interrupted the segment, and insulted Rusev. This past week, Rusev talked about having sleepless nights since he lost the United States championship, but now sleeps like a baby, because he knows that Reigns hold on the United States championship is coming to an end. Sorry WWE creative team, but that is a baby face promo. Roman Reigns promo, and this is no fault of his own, actually recycled lines from other people’s promos. First, he told he was going to hell, and taking Rusev with him. Triple H used the same line leading up to his Hell in a Cell match against Batista. Reigns then mentioned that Rusev doesn’t know what it’s like to fight inside a Hell in a Cell, or win one, which is the same line Seth Rollins gave earlier in the night. This is a major red flag as to why the WWE needs to allow their talent to cut their own promos. Maybe that why every WWE wrestler wouldn’t be cookie cutters of one another. As for the match itself, I don’t think Roman Reigns time is up as the United States champion. I wish it was, because Rusev has been doing a tremendous job of late. With Kevin Owens as the Universal champion, I can’t see him feuding with Rusev over the main RAW title. In the meantime, Rusev should be the secondary champion of the brand. Unfortunately, I feel that the United States championship is being used as a stepping stone to try to get Roman Reigns over with the audience. The WWE’s attitude with Reigns as the top face has been like the little engine that could “I think I can. I think I can. I think I can.” That thought process should continue at Hell in a Cell. WINNER: ROMAN REIGNS

KEVIN OWENS vs. SETH ROLLINS: WWE UNIVERSAL CHAMPIONSHIP in HELL in a CELL

The original plans for the Universal championship match at Hell in a Cell was to have the champion Finn Balor defend the title in a Triple Threat match against the Canadian best friends, Chris Jericho and Kevin Owens. Unfortunately, an injury to Finn Balor put a monkey wrench in the WWE’s plans. Instead, Kevin Owens won the upheld championship, and is defending the title against #1 contender Seth Rollins. With the storyline playing out over the past few weeks, I was expecting Chris Jericho to be thrown into the mix, either by making the match a Triple Threat like what was originally intended, or by giving him the role of special guest referee. Instead, neither happened. This leaves us to ask how the WWE will book this match. Since returning from injury, Seth Rollins should have been brought back as the returning hero ala Triple H following his quad tear injury. Instead, the WWE had him remain a heel until they finally pulled the trigger on a baby face turn. While the fans are cheering Rollins, his reception should be so much bigger. Unfortunately, that’s the story once again with the WWE of not knowing how to book baby faces. If the WWE wanted to give Rollins baby face run some momentum, they would put the title on him to complete his return from injury storyline. However, Kevin Owens has been doing a tremendous job as the Universal champion. He is a refreshing change from the Seth Rollins/Roman Reigns/Dean Ambrose trifecta that has monopolized RAW for over a year. It’s too soon to beat Owens. It’s also too soon to beat Rollins in his baby face run. That’s why Jericho should have been in the match, so that he can take the fall. The WWE has two options. Either have Chris Jericho get into the cage, and cost Seth Rollins the match, or have Jericho get involved and accidentally cost Owens the title to set up a program between Jericho and Kevin Owens. I’m thinking the former will happen. WINNER: KEVIN OWENS

SASHA BANKS vs. CHARLOTTE: WWE WOMEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP in HELL in a CELL

I believe the WWE will decide to put Sasha Banks vs. Charlotte on as the main event to close the Hell in a Cell pay per view. Out of all of the matches, Banks vs. Charlotte has the longest rivalry. Both can put on a tremendous match. The Sasha Banks vs. Charlotte feud has enough of a back story that it makes sense to put their match, not only inside of the Hell in a Cell, but also to put them on last. Whether the women open the show or close it, the duo is going to pull out all of the stops to prove that they deserve to have a Hell in a Cell match. Vince would probably blow a gasket backstage, but if Banks and Charlotte really wanted to make a lasting impression as the first women to have a Hell in a Cell match, they should blade and get color. It could do for the women’s division what blood did for the Steve Austin/Bret Hart WrestleMania 13 match. The image of these two women battling with blood pouring out of their head will be an image shown in every Hell in a Cell highlight reel for years to come. As for who will win, I think it’s too soon to take the belt off of Sasha Banks, but I said that at SummerSlam as well. Plus, they are in Sasha’s hometown, where the WWE usually jobs the hometown hero. However, like I said earlier with my cruiserweight pick, I think the WWE goes against their hometown loser philosophy. WINNER: SASHA BANKS