Views From The Turnbuckle: Hell In A Cell Preview
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Hell in a Cell marks one of the lowest marks in WWE history. That isn't a shot at the product, but rather at the complete lack of star power that they have available right now. WWE's over-reliance on part time wrestlers to drive the main storylines for their PPVs has once again come back to haunt them. While having Wrestlemania filled with a bunch of big names is cool at the moment, it is less cool when all those stars are nowhere to be found in October, and WWE is forced to put together a show relying on mostly guys who worked the undercard for their biggest shows of the year.
In addition, two of WWE's biggest names, Daniel Bryan and Roman Reigns are currently on the shelf with injuries, adding to the lack of star power. Even worse, WWE cut out the one thing that should always be on a PPV no matter what, the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, by putting it on someone who they knew wasn't going to be at every PPV. So WWE is currently without a bevy of top names that carried Wrestlemania, two rising stars, and their most important marketing tool. And with that, we get Hell in a Cell 2014.
There are two main-events for HIAC, which is a ridiculous statement because there cannot be two main events by the very definition of the phrase. The actual main event, whether it goes on last or not, is going to be Seth Rollins vs Dean Ambrose. One of WWE's biggest mistakes from a marketing perspective was to have a whole PPV dedicated to the Hell in a Cell match. Instead of only using the Cell when a feud called for it, they have rolled out the Cell for any feud that just happens to be taking place in October.
Dean Ambrose vs Seth Rollins is a breath of fresh air for the HIAC PPV, because this is a feud that should actually be held inside the Cell. The matches and confrontations between the two men have broken down into wild brawls that end up with multiple authority figures and security getting involved. It is an extremely personal feud between two former cohorts, with one smugly turning his back on his friend. It is an old-school storyline, and with the exception of a few hiccups, has been pretty strongly executed.
If the wild brawls that The Shield had taught us anything, it was that both Rollins and Ambrose were extremely innovative and willing to try exciting things in the ring. For a match as wild as HIAC, that seems perfect. I'm expecting anything to happen, which is nice because some HIAC matches in the past have just been glorified cage matches, with guys having a relatively normal match with the occasional toss into the cage to fulfill the definition of the match. Not only is the feud that Rollins and Ambrose are having deserving of the Cell, but the match they will have will be so as well.
On a side note, if anyone is willing to go off the top of the Cell, it is Seth Rollins, who has been the biggest bump taker in the company since his debut. I could envision a bump taking place in an untraditional way (like Rikishi falling into the truck, which obviously softened the landing). I'm not expecting it to happen, but I also wouldn't be that surprised if it did.
The other "main event" is John Cena vs Randy Orton, also to be inside the Cell. Everything that makes Ambrose and Rollins worthy of a Cell match goes pretty much against Orton and Cena. The feud pretty much picked up two weeks ago, and both men will probably have a pretty normal match with a few Cell stuff being thrown in just because they have too.
In a very scandalous move on Raw, Triple H decided that that this match was also going to be a number one contenders match. Why was this done? One answer could be that WWE feels that fans don't care that much about the match, which is probably correct. Despite the fact that it features the two biggest names in WWE over the last decade, and it is going to take place inside the Cell, there isn't an overwhelming sense of excitement for this match. That is pretty telling, and a sure sign that maybe, just maybe, Cena and Orton have been exposed just a little too much for a little too long.
Another answer is that WWE feels lost without the world title being on the show, and if they are not going to have it defended, they have to at least have a match with some implication towards it. If the title and the champion are not present, the next best thing is to have a number one contenders match. The likely answer for this match being tabbed as such is a combination of the two factors.
One thing I would like to point out is that this match was made official when Dean Ambrose defeated John Cena in a match where the winner would face Rollins and the loser (don't use that word though) would face Orton. So, Cena, who lost the match, was rewarded by getting a chance to get another crack at the world title, while Ambrose, the victor of the match, is essentially fighting for nothing. Without Brock Lesnar, WWE has seemed lost with what to do with John Cena, and the fallacy in logic that has taken place is a perfect example of that.
Dolph Ziggler will face Cesaro in what should be an exciting match between two excellent workers, and might add some more excitement to the forever dull Intercontinental Championship. Ziggler and Cesaro have both worked hard to get over without any real assistance from management, but still, this match is like the extremely resistible force meeting the easily moved object. Both Ziggler and Cesaro are seen within WWE management as very good jobbers to more "promising" talent, so it will be strange to see them face each other on a PPV. The good news is that the match is going to be 2 out of 3 falls, which is just phenomenal, considering both guys have wide move-sets and should have some interesting falls and near-falls. Cesaro knocked Ziggler out with a straight European Uppercut on Monday, so who knows what could be the deciding factor?
Last night I watched the episode of "The Monday Night Wars" that was about the WCW Cruiserweights. Daniel Bryan spoke on the show and talked about how WCW neglected to push certain cruiserweights beyond the division, despite the fact that they were becoming pretty popular with the fans. WCW, for whatever reason, ignored these potential rising stars, and when they were looking around for star power in their waning years, they had no one to blame but themselves. The irony of the WWE produced piece is that if WWE faces a very similar problem right now, in that they have a lack of stars, and two men, Ziggler and Cesaro, who have done pretty much everything asked of them and gotten over on their own, are continually overlooked by management. Hell in a Cell might look a little bit bigger if Ziggler and Cesaro had gotten stronger pushes over the last few months.
The Big Show will take on Rusev in what is becoming a cheesy feud. For the sixth straight month, Rusev will face someone trying to stand up for America. Big Show, despite a reasonable amount of talent, has failed to be entertaining in several years, thanks to aimless booking and extended periods of time sitting on the sidelines. The Rusev storyline, despite lasting half a calendar year, hasn't evolved one iota, and a match against Big Show isn't really going to solve any of those problems.
The Miz is in great danger of being overshadowed by Damien Sandow, who is certainly earing his paycheck. Sandow is another very talented performer who has never really gotten a great chance to become a star. Sandow and Miz have worked extremely well together, but they are going to have to really work to get something out of Sheamus. Sheamus has never been better in the ring, but his character is beyond stale. For at least the past two years, Sheamus has been aimlessly beating up random bad guys without any real gripping storyline. There will be a lot of effort from all three men in this match, but it is unlikely they achieve anything beyond mediocrity.
On a brighter note, The Usos will take a shot at regaining their tag titles from Gold and Stardust (why do we call them that? Is Dust their last name?). The Usos have quietly become two of the steadiest in-ring performers for WWE in 2014, and Gold and Stardust have really done a good job playing into their perverse characters. Everyone in the match is a good worker, and there is some substance of a rivalry here, so this should be an ideal match to open the show on a good note.
Paige and AJ Lee had a tremendous opportunity to do something for legitimate women's wrestling in WWE, but unfortunately things haven't panned out. Management did its part by convoluting the feud with too many different personalities, and both women disappointed by having matches that were below expectations. They will fight again at HIAC, but at the moment, the point of the storyline and the interest in the match has been pretty much lost.
Lastly, the Bella twins will wrestle each other in a match where the loser will have to be the winner's personal assistant. This is a match that should have taken place eight weeks ago, and it is a painful sign that this feud isn't ending any time soon. It also marks a change in the content of the feud. Instead of Nikki telling Brie she wished her twin died in the womb, WWE is going ahead with a storyline that will most likely lead to comedy. On one hand, it is a blessing, since it saves us all from bearing any poorly acted "dramatic" segments. On the other hand, it doesn't make a whole lot of sense, since feuds typically get darker and more intense as they progress, not the other way around.
Hell in a Cell has the potential to be a pretty solid PPV. There are matches on the card without a lot of potential, and Rollins and Ambrose might be the most anticipated match between two full-time talents in years. One thing WWE really shouldn't do is have Orton and Cena go on last. Politically, it makes sense to have the two veterans go on last. But there is a very small chance they will be able to top what Ambrose and Rollins are going to do, and to be frank, a majority of fans could care less about their feud. If WWE makes the right move with the order of the card, they could have a very good night.