Hell in a Cell Predictions and Pressing Questions

WWE’s annual Hell in a Cell pay-per-view takes place this Sunday inside the WWE ThunderDome. And while only four matches have been confirmed for the show as of now, we know three of them will take place inside the titular metal structure and promise to be violent encounters. Roman Reigns will take on Jey Uso again with an I Quit stipulation added in, Sasha Banks and Bayley will finally clash for the SmackDown Women’s Championship and Drew McIntyre will look to complete his trilogy of title defenses over Randy Orton.

We’ve once again assembled ComicBook’s team of wrestling writers to break down the biggest questions heading into Sunday, as well as speculate where the WWE goes from here. Check out their predictions in the list below!

We All Know Roman Is Winning, But Where Does He Go From Here?

Connor Casey: Survivor Series is up next and while I love the idea of Reigns and Drew McIntyre clashing after the year they’ve had, my guess is WWE will try to hold off on that for a bit. Like it or not, Goldberg is probably on deck. 

Ryan Droste: I am still hoping we get a feud with Big E heading into WrestleMania rather than a match with Goldberg that won’t really benefit anybody, so I’m hopeful this talk of a possible Goldberg match means it happens at Survivor Series. However, everything seems in flux and is really anyone’s guess, but what I do know is that Roman will make it work. This Jey Uso feud was kind of thrown together and has been easily the best thing on the show for weeks now. 

Evan Valentine: Clearly he’s going to continue to “wreck everything and leave”. Honestly, this new path for Roman is working exceptionally well, perhaps better than any other path for the character we’ve seen so far. I think that this “family squabble” is only going to build from here, with perhaps a handicap match between Roman and the Usos. After that, I think we’ll be seeing a Roman/Goldberg rivalry continue to ramp up for a WrestleMania match. 

Nick Valdez: Roman vs Drew! Assuming Drew keeps the title I’d like to see what would happen in a champion vs. champion match, but that’s short term. Long term, I’d like for Big E to get the first run against Roman’s tribe with Jey potentially beaten into submission and now working alongside Roman and Heyman. 

Matt Aguilar: I agree that a Roman vs Drew feud would be fantastic, but I also agree that WWE might want to hold that one off just a bit longer to really maximize it. You don’t tease Goldberg like that and not stick him in the picture, so guessing we’ll get a Reigns Goldberg feud next.

Does McIntyre Complete the Hat Trick Against Orton?

Connor: Please do. All this talk of “building new stars” means nothing if they’re still building towards Orton vs. Edge for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 37.

Ryan: It seems likely that Orton is going to win, otherwise why even do this match? The Ambulance Match was a natural blow-off. I think having Orton defeat McIntyre is the wrong move, but if I’m pressed to pick I’d have to go with Orton here. 

Evan: I can’t believe this is a real match that is happening. The ambulance match seemed like a suitable enough crescendo to the rivalry between Drew and Randy, but let’s be honest, this is just another win to add to McIntyre’s reign as champion. 

Nick: I’m completely over it, but want Drew to win it clean. He’s already won both clean and dirty, so I really don’t understand the point for him to lose at his point. Neither would look good with that outcome.

Matt: FOR THE LOVE OF LORD PLEASE AND MAKE IT STOP. That is all.

We’ve Wanted Sasha vs. Bayley Forever, But How Do You Feel About the Actual Build These Past Few Weeks?

Connor: I’m going to play contrarian here and say I’m not a fan of the build. Bayley’s turn and her follow-up promo were great, but something about Banks’ promos just isn’t clicking with me. Lines like “My name is bigger than your title” makes her sound like she’s still very much a heel, which in turn makes Bayley sound right when she says she just beat Banks to the punch when it came to turning on one another. I also can’t help but shake the feeling that Banks’ upcoming Mandalorian role might have something to do with why WWE is finally pulling the trigger on this now. 

Basically, at this point, I’m plugging my ears until Sunday. Because while the build might just be okay, I know the match will be outstanding regardless.

Ryan: I don’t have any issues with the build. I would have kept Sasha away for a little while longer personally, but that’s modern WWE and how they book. I’m looking forward to the match quite a bit. 

Evan: I’ve been digging it! Maybe they could have held off on the fallout of their friendship a bit sooner to Hell In A Cell’s date, but there’s a reason why this is considered to be the main event of the night. Sasha and Bayley’s friendship fallout is definitely a high point of 2020 for the WWE. 

Nick: It still feels like this was way too soon, and we should have seen them be double champions for a little longer. It’s really only made Bayley look better in comparison because she’s not only kept her title this long, but Sasha still doesn’t feel like a complete and credible threat. Bayley’s peaking right now, and it’s overshadowing everything else.

Matt: Yeah I’ve had no issues with the build, and in fact, I feel like over the past month Sasha is delivering some of the best promos of her career. In this feud, they’ve done a good job of having Bayley go so over the top to maintain the heel position here that it offsets Sasha’s at times heelish antics and keeps her in the babyface role. I’m actually surprised they let it all build to Hell in a Cell instead of WrestleMania, but then again they will probably have several matches after this initial one so you can still have a big WrestleMania moment between the two.

It’s Been a Year — Have Your Thoughts on The Fiend vs. Seth Rollins From Last Year’s HIAC Changed At All?

Connor: No. It was a mistake then, and it’s still a mistake now. The only credit I can give WWE is that they recognized fans had soured on Rollins and turned him a couple of months later.

Ryan: Nope. A terribly booked match and The Fiend hasn’t been the same since. They’re doing the best that they can to recover him a little with this Alexa Bliss angle (following a terrible feud with Braun Strowman), but we are still quite a ways off the height of the character. And truth be told, it was always going to be hard for this character to maintain its momentum. 

Evan: I mean the pain has dulled certainly, but it’s not winning any awards when it comes to that match in the history books. 

Nick: Nope. The Fiend has definitely worn out its welcome following that match, and this Alexa Bliss incarnation feels like a short lived novelty so far (capping with Bliss getting her own mask at Rumble or Mania, even).

Matt: My feelings haven’t changed on it, though as Evan said, my frustration because of it has dulled. It halted Fiend and Rollins’ momentum and caused Rollins’ heel turn because of the sour taste in fan’s mouths. Rollins has made the most of it, and I personally love the Fiend Bliss angle, so I’m amazed we’ve gotten as much positive from it as we have, but still, it was the wrong move at the time.

Should WWE Keep the Red Hell in a Cell Look or Go Back to Metal?

Connor: It’s weird, but the red paint makes the cage look like it’s candy-coated. Bring back the metal, there was literally nothing wrong with it. 

Ryan: The red doesn’t bother me as much as some, but it does feel a little gimmicky and I like the more traditional silver look. 

Evan: Maybe a combination of the two? Hell In A Cell should be more brutal than “spooky” so sticking to metal works best I think. 

Nick: I honestly hadn’t even considered metal, and had just gotten used to the red. I don’t mind either way.

Matt: I kinda dig the red, though to be honest I never really pay attention to how the cell looks haha so understand if many like the metal.

Name Three Matches You Want to See at Survivor Series Next Month

Connor: We’ll get the usually brand supremacy matches just like last year, but unlike last year I want the matches to have some storylines behind them beyond “we three teams all have tag belts so let’s fight.” I’ll say Drew McIntyre vs. Finn Balor, The New Day vs. Undisputed Era and Asuka vs. Io Shirai. 

Ryan: We’ve talked about this before, but the lack of an obvious long-term direction in this company is a problem. Survivor Series doesn’t have to abide by booking per say since they can do the matches between brands. On television they seem to be building Seth Rollins vs. Daniel Bryan, so if they do an all SmackDown match, I’d like to see that one ASAP. Sami Zayn versus just about anybody because Sami is terrific. If he were to face the U.S. Champion, that’s Lashley right now and the heel/heel dynamic is a problem. Big E has to face somebody from Raw of significance to keep his push intact – likely someone who has heat with the New Day on that brand over the next few weeks. 

Evan: A Sasha/Bayley rematch for sure as there’s still plenty of ground work there. McIntyre not fighting Randy Orton would be a welcome change. Hope against hope, I’d love for a brief Undertaker/Fiend tussle since there are rumors that Survivor Series will have a focus on the “Dead Man”. 

Nick: Agreed on a Sasha/Bayley runback. Sami Zayn vs. Otis was only teased, and there’s so much potential in the promos for it alone. Seth Rollins vs. Daniel Bryan too please.

Matt: Agree with Evan and Nick that we need Sasha and Bayley the sequel for sure. Also love the idea of a Drew Balor match, so if Balor is fully recovered by then please make that happen. As for others would like to see a Fiend vs Undertaker vs Dexter Lumis match because good Lord that could be amazing. If not, then give me a mixed tag team match between Fiend/Alexa Bliss, Bianca/Montez Ford, and Candice/Johnny. That would be money.

Favorite Hell in a Cell Match?

Connor: The Undertaker vs. Brock Lesnar — the first one. Runner-ups are Triple H vs. Batista and The New Day vs. The Usos.

Ryan: Shawn Michaels vs. The Undertaker from Badd Blood 1997, the first-ever Hell In A Cell match, is still the best one in history by a good margin. 

Evan: Is there even an answer to this one that isn’t “1998’s Undertaker Vs Mankind” match? It’s the stuff of legends. 

Nick: The New Day vs. The Usos! So much fun! 

Matt: When I think of Hell in a Cell matches, I instantly think of Undertaker vs Mankind, so still have to go with that.