Report: Backstage Drama Over Finish to Women's Hell in a Cell Match
History was made at WWE's recent Hell in a Cell pay-per-view, with two women main eventing a major [...]
History was made at WWE's recent Hell in a Cell pay-per-view, with two women main eventing a major pay-per-view since Trish and Lita did it during the Attitude era's heyday. As great as it was, a sudden change in direction caused some issues, and surprise surprise, it had to do with Vince McMahon.
It's already known that Vince decided at the lat minute to have Charlotte come out on top and that sudden change in direction seemed to cause a few issues with the match's planned finish. In the newest issue of the Wrestling Observer (subscription required but recommended), Dave Meltzer unearthed a few more details regarding where the blame lies, and how the match was supposed to play out.
"Apparently the Banks vs. Charlotte finish not getting over was blamed by Vince not on that the wrong person won, but that the finish was messed up, which was blamed on Banks, as opposed to Charlotte, at least according to one person in the creative mix when asked about Vince's reaction to the match. Banks was supposed to go through the table and get pinned with natural selection, and Charlotte tried twice and Banks didn't go through the table either time.
Meltzer points out that the tables not breaking isn't something you can really blame someone for, but that doesn't seem to matter.
"I didn't see that was Banks' fault and it was more the table not breaking which wasn't anyone's fault other than Banks didn't weigh enough to break the table like a 200-pound guy would taking the same bump. There were people sympathetic to Banks, noting she'd have risked super heat if she kicked out as an impromptu if the table didn't break, plus there's the question of how the two of them would have covered for it instinctively going from there. One person noted that the ref should have told Charlotte to at least use the tights or directed them in some way.
The issues don't just reside in the match itself, but also with how things played out after. Either way, it seems Vince's support was mostly behind Charlotte taking the belt back, and thoughts are that she will enter into a new program with Bayley.
"There was also the feeling Charlotte should have been more celebratory that she won the title. But Vince was 100 percent behind the changing of the finish to Charlotte winning the match and regaining the title and there's been no regret after the fact that anyone could see. But that makes his decision at the end to also put them on last even weirder, because if that match was on in the middle, at least people wouldn't have gone home with Banks losing as the last thing they'd see."
As for The Boss, she could very well move into a feud with Nia Jax or the returning Emmalina, but it is odd that she won't be in the title picture for the foreseeable future.