Hell in a Cell Predictions!

  

Hey, happy Sunday! It's another pay per premium live event weekend! We've got Hell in a Cell tonight, so I wanted to put up some predictions. There are seven announced matches for the show, but only one will actually *Vince voice* take place inside the demonic structure known as HELL...IN A CELL!!! *coughs, wheezes*

Enough of that silliness. Let's get into the serious business of guessing who will win in our favorite predetermined sport!

Madcap Moss vs Happy Corbin in a No Holds Barred match

This was just added on SmackDown to mark Madcap Moss’s return from the medical facility. I assume he was there the entire time he’s been off TV because on the show, an ambulance returned him to a different arena than the one he was taken from weeks ago?

But I digress. Moss, due for a name change now, has a more serious edge. He has black trunks and no suspenders! He will absolutely win, but I think the rivalry creeps on a while longer.

My guess: Moss wins, but in a competitive match

Finn Balor, AJ Styles, and Liv Morgan vs The Judgment Day (Edge, Damian Priest, and Rhea Ripley)

This feud has been running since before Wrestlemania in one form or another, and now has blossomed into a good old faction battle. I really like Team Nu Bullet Club! Good to see Finn involved in a storyline, and I adore Liv’s acting in and out of the ring. Speaking of which, did you see she's gonna be in a horror movie? Good for her, I had heard she’s big into scary movies and I’m glad she’s out here living her best life.

As for THE Judgment Day, they’re still rolling along. I don’t hate it by any stretch, it just has felt like they’re going through the motions the last couple weeks getting to this point. But we ARE at this point, so I think we get that fourth member Edge keeps alluding to. I had many, many guesses before, but now that Ciampa is involved with the Ali/ Theory storyline, I think I’ve settled on someone turning on the good guys tonight, maybe Finn. I think the match itself will be fun; they’ve done well in their previous outings. It feels to me like the bads take it here and continue to grow The Judgment Day

My guess: The Judgment Day via Finn-terference (™)

Ezekiel vs Kevin Owens

I’ve really enjoyed this stupid, stupid story! Owens, as I’ve said before, is a gift for WWE and they are lucky to have him. I can’t think of too many other guys who could take this material and make it work for as long as KO has. Ezekiel and the Alpha Academy have played their parts well too, making for a good time every week.

I think Ezekiel wins and maybe moves on to something else, but not before messing with Owens some more. I imagine a distraction finish, either via Elias guitar riff or something on the Titantron or a body double. Then Ezekiel finds another rival and Kevin Owens starts a series of vignettes where he’s in a mental health facility or something.

My guess: Ezekiel, with some Elias shenanigans

Bobby Lashley vs MVP and Olmos in a handicap match

This one is probably the first match I’m a little conflicted on. I don’t love this whole story and it does feel like they’ve stretched it far longer than is necessary, but I also wouldn’t know what else to do with these guys. WWE likes to keep Lashley strong so he’s a constant threat to take any championship when they need a filler feud between big shows. WWE also loves a giant, and they’ll want to keep Olmos looking strong. 

There’s also the issue of Cedric Alexander. He’s been getting involved in this rivalry for weeks, and I’m sure he’ll come into play here as well. Can Bob overcome three on one odds, or is that too much even for him?

I think the move is to keep Lashley looking strong by having him pin MVP, who is really the source of all his problems lately anyway. Olmos is the muscle but it’s not like he’s going after Bob - it’s all MVP feeling slighted and wanting revenge. 

That being said, I also believe WWE values Olmos more than Bobby, and I don’t know where any of these guys go after this thing wraps up! I’m very conflicted considering I’m not terribly interested in this whole story.

My guess: Eh, let’s say…let’s go with Lashley. Yeah.

Mustafa Ali vs Theory © for the United States Championship

Theory has only had the US championship a few weeks, and I don’t think he’s defended it outside of Monday’s match against a beat up Ali. He’s also the storyline protégé of one Vince McMahon, AND he’s going up against a guy who dared to ask to be released when he wasn’t being used. I would love to be wrong here because I really like Ali, but I’m also realistic. 

I do think they’ll put on a good match, but it won’t go too long or anything. It’s had a decent build, and The Miz and Ciampa are both kinda involved in the story so they might be tapped to help the champ keep his strap. One way or another, Theory will keep the championship.

My guess: Theory retains

Asuka vs Becky Lynch vs Bianca Belair © for the Raw Women’s Championship

As far as “replacement matches” for the whole Sasha and Naomi thing, this triple threat is fantastic. Becky has been leaning into the funnier side of her heel persona, and Asuka has had some silly stuff with her BAYBAY insults to Lynch. Oddly, the least involved person in this feud is the one currently holding the gold: Bianca Belair.

On paper, the match will be amazing and the champ retains. Given the current women’s division in the WWE, and the upcoming tag team tournament (disclaimer: they didn’t mention the tag straps on either show last week and they may just drop the whole thing) maybe they decide they need to shake things up here.

Any one of these three could go on to have a nice title run, but Belair has only held the championship since ‘Mania. I think people, WWE included, put a lot of focus on title reign length as a show of faith in the champ. Taking the belt off her, especially since her last run ended with a returning Lynch stealing the belt in less than a minute, would certainly be a bad look. 

I am going to be boring and go with the thing that makes sense, but I’ll be pleasantly surprised if they switch it up.

My guess: Bianca Belair beats both Becky n Asuka. (backup guess - Asuka steals the win and Becky and Bianca have a more focused rivalry)

Cody Rhodes vs Seth Rollins in a Hell in a Cell match

Speaking of rivalries that have gone on for a while! This will be Seth and Cody’s third match in as many pay per premium live events, after a great surprise return at Wrestlemania for Cody and a fantastic second match where Rollins really seemed to have Rhodes’s number at every turn.

This is one of the few times a feud has happened to organically come to a head at the same time as a fitting themed show has come up on the calendar. Rollins has escalated things to the point where a Hell in a Cell match just feels right. While I do miss using the Cell specifically for these out of control style battles, I think this whole thing has been timed really well. 

As for the match, I think Cody goes over once again. His only other action, aside from the standard WWE everybody-talks-and-gets-put-in-a-big-tag-match, has been a sloppy short match with the Miz that Rollins interfered in. I think Rhodes has to move forward, especially with Money in the Bank coming up. Cody feels like an obvious front runner to challenge Roman Reigns for the championships sooner rather than later. I also imagine Cody is very excited to get a little messy here; maybe he "accidentally on purpose" gets the crimson mask he relied on in AEW a bit too often.

My guess: Cody goes three for three on Rollins, has his hand raised and is a bloody mess

That’s it! I hope you have fun watching, and maybe drop a line or shoot a tweet with your predictions! I’ll be back here tomorrow with a recap of the show and maybe some leftover hot wings. No promises though. 

I appreciate you stopping by, and would love it if you drop your thoughts in the comments section below. You can also follow me on Twitter @ElOsoPequeno, where I try to remember to post whenever I update the blog. I recap Raw, Dynamite, and Rampage weekly, and recap anything else I happen to watch. There’s also a weekly wrap up on Fridays, and I’ll do predictions before any big AEW or WWE pay per premium live events. 

Have a Good One!