WWE Hell in a Cell 2016 Preview and Predictions

    • WWE Hell in a Cell 2016 Preview and Predictions

      It’s a cell full of hell.

      Giving their thoughts and predictions on what to expect from the PPV are members of the site @JoeyOnEarth, @TimWelcomed and @TomBlargh.

       

      Cedric Alexander, Lince Dorado and Sin Cara vs. Tony Nese, Drew Gulak and Ariya Daivari on the kick off show

      Joey:

      The cruiserweight division has been okay. Cedric Alexander and Rich Swann have been the most exciting stars. Tony Nese, Drew Gulak and Ariya Daivari feel like the jobber unit of the division. Cedric’s team is pretty cool here. Sin Cara and Lince Dorado looked good in that tag match a few weeks ago. Good choice for a pre-show match, but I wish Swann was involved.

      Interest Level: 7/10
      Prediction: Team Cedric wins.

      Tim:

      For a division that gets different ring ropes every time they wrestle and came fresh off one of the best tournaments I’ve ever seen, the Cruiserweight Division has been pretty underwhelming. Cedric Alexander is a top-tier wrestler so I’m always excited to see him do his thing. Tony Nese looks alright once every six months or so. Gulak can either be really boring or really good but he will always wear that garbage jacket to the ring, so I don’t know what to think. This should be a fun pre-show match but we’ll just have to see. There have been numerous cruiserweight matches on Raw that I would have put money on being good beforehand only to lose that money and my big ass boat.

      Interest Level: 4/10
      Prediction: Alexander and The Lucha Cats win and then form a band.

      Tom:

      I made a face when I saw this match and I’m not sure why! Like, I GUESS this is why we have the cruiserweight lads, to have fun, meaningless matches with flips and Drew Gulak’s terrible jacket? I just wish we could do a little better. Also, where’s Rich Swann? People actually seem to like him.

      Interest Level: 6/10
      Prediction: Cedric and pals win.

      Bayley vs. Dana Brooke

      Joey:

      Dana Brooke may very well be the worst wrestler in the world but in a good way. Bayley clearly needs the win here. The Survivor Series team match will help prolong her eventual build to the WrestleMania title shot against Sasha Banks and/or Charlotte.

      Interest Level: 3/10 (Sorry, Bayley.)
      Prediction: Bayley wins.

      Tim:

      I get a big kick out of watching Dana Brooke do anything but I’d rather watch Bayley wrestle anyone else on a big event. We like to have fun here but I prefer good matches to having a laugh. Heck, I like good matches that make me laugh a lot too but those don’t happen often at all. Bayley has to go over here. It has been a rough month for everyone on Raw but especially Bayley. She took a clean L from Brooke when she messed up the cheating finish and then got “boring” chants thrown at the segment she was in the next week. That is wild stuff to happen to one of the best and none of it should really fall on her shoulders. Hopefully she gets into a good feud next month. This one was a huge miscalculation.

      Interest Level: 1/10
      Prediction: Bayley wins.

      Tom:

      HELL YEAH, DANA BROOKE. I wish Dana had the “I’m not like most girls” theme song, except it should be expanded to be “I’m not like most people” because I don’t think there’s anyone else on the planet like Brookesy. Almost everything she does makes me laugh and I am excited to see what she does.

      P.S. Yes, I feel bad for Bayley too, but at least we get to see Dana being crazy.

      Interest Level: 5/10
      Prediction: Bayley wins.

       

      Enzo Amore and Big Cass vs. Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows

      Joey:

      This is the best thing to happen to both teams on the main roster this year. It’s a nice midcard feud and there seems to be more intensity involved. Big Cass and Enzo need legitimate opponents. Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson need a purpose.

      Personally I don’t know how to feel about Enzo and Cass. They are super annoying but in a charming way.

      Interest Level: 7/10
      Prediction: Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson wins.

      Tim:

      I get why some do not like Anderson and Gallows. I’m not the biggest fan but I think they do what they do well when it comes to wrestling like their characters. WWE has yet to really use them to their potential but this whole deal has been solid. Enzo and Cass can bring an intensity to the ring in the right feuds which is something I feel has been missing from Gallows and Anderson since they made their debut. They got put into a very bad comedy role against The New Day. I’m hoping this officially gets them out of that funk. I am pretty interested in watching how this one plays out. I think Anderson and Gallows need the win more at this point so I’m going to predict that.

      Interest Level: 6/10
      Prediction: Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson win.

      Tom:

      I feel like I’ve barely seen these two interact on Raw but, in my defence, I do get very tired during Raw so that makes it hard to pay attention. Anderson and Gallows have been doing Daffy Duck hijinks which doesn’t do much for me, but I think Enzo and Cass are still ridiculously over in a way that makes things fun. I understand people wanting Gallows and Anderson to get a win but… man, I’m kind of ready to give up on them. Sorry guys!

      Interest Level: 5/10
      Prediction: Enzo and Cass win.

      TJ Perkins vs. Brian Kendrick for the Cruiserweight Championship

      Joey:

      TJ Perkins has been very disappointing as cruiserweight champion. There’s a reason EVOLVE booked him with a manager. The lack of presence really stands out with the bland babyface character. Random video game references do not help.

      Brian Kendrick losing to Rich Swann on Monday convinced me. He’s taking the championship here. I have Kendrick winning and holding the title for a couple of months to help add credibility to the division as it gets going.

      Interest Level: 8/10
      Prediction: Brian Kendrick wins.

      Tim:

      Well, TJP is really one note on the main roster so far. Forced and corny video game references is pretty much who he is now as a person. I wish Raw’s writing was good enough to really get Kendrick back to where he was during the CWC. He hits on it but it’s hard to evoke the levity when the other guy is too busy saying things like “game on!” or whatever. I’m hoping this match will be good. Their first go around was a wee bit messy but I know these two have it in them to deliver. I would prefer a Kendrick win here but I can see them sticking with TJP a bit longer.

      Interest Level: 8/10
      Prediction: TJ Perkins wins.

      Tom:

      I still don’t like TJP, enjoy his matches or think he’s a champion worth paying attention to, though his entrance music and video remains very good. In contrast, Kendrick as champion would be very interesting – having a rabid, old champion full of desperation is very appealing and something they haven’t done for a long time. The build for this has been all over the place, but Kendrick apparently hitting rock bottom and begging TJP to let him win has me hopeful that nutty ol’ Brian takes one home! GUESS WE’LL HAVE TO WAIT AND SEE????

      Interest Level: 7/10
      Prediction: Brian Kendrick wins.

      The New Day vs. Cesaro and Sheamus for the Raw Tag Team Championship

      Joey:

      Thank goodness I skipped the long tag match between these two teams on Raw. It will be somewhat new to me. I’m not too fond of the Cesaro and Sheamus tag team but it at least gives them something to do. I really hope they don’t win the tag titles here. The team to beat New Day has to benefit from it. Cesaro and Sheamus will be finished teaming together by WrestleMania. Don’t waste the moment here.

      Interest Level: 7/10
      Prediction: New Day wins.

      Tim:

      The New Day continue to grow stale and I’ve never really cared for their matches. The Cesaro/Sheamus pairing does nothing for me. The “they don’t like each other” thing doesn’t help it at all either. They seem like just another team for New Day to beat until WWE is ready to finally put the belts on another team. Enzo and Big Cass? Anyway, the only interest I have here is seeing Cesaro do what he does best: wrestle.

      Interest Level: 3/10
      Prediction: New Day wins.

      Tom:

      I think Sheamus and Cesaro can do fun stuff as a team, but there’s something so arbitrary and temporary about them that it’s hard to care too much. I wish there was a stronger team to go against New Day, but that doesn’t seem like it’s in the works right now! I still like New Day but it does feel like they badly need to hit phase three of their characters and shake things up some. Maybe another heel turn? I just don’t know, man.

      Interest Level: 7/10
      Prediction: The New Day wins.

      Roman Reigns vs. Rusev for the United States Championship inside Hell in a Cell

      Joey:

      I can see them surprising us but all of their long matches are always boring as fuck. Lana slapping Roman Reigns in the god damn face is the highlight of this feud. The annoying cage will prevent this. What’s the point?

      Interest Level: 4/10
      Prediction: Roman Reigns wins.

      Tim:

      NO THANKS. I feel like I’ve talked about these two way too many times now. It’s only gotten worse and somehow even more boring. Roman Reigns is the least likable character on the Raw roster right now.

      Interest Level: 0/10
      Prediction: Roman Reigns wins.

      Tom:

      I can’t imagine sitting through this. These two are generally boring, and Hell in a Cell matches have a tendency to amplify a feud’s dullness, especially in a case like this where I’d guess the other two matches will take priority in terms of action and fun spots.

      Interest Level: 2/10
      Prediction: Roman Reigns wins.

      Kevin Owens vs. Seth Rollins for the WWE Universal Championship inside Hell in a Cell

      Joey:

      The final segment in the post-match of Raw’s main event added excitement towards this match for me. TazzMan is right. Chris Jericho is highly entertaining but it’s time to split him and Kevin Owens. They are great together but it’s not helping establish Owens as a noteworthy world champion. This match is huge for both Owens for his title reign and Seth Rollins for his progression as a top face. Last month’s match was inconsistent but I think they’ll have a better chance to deliver something special here.

      Interest Level: 9/10
      Prediction: Kevin Owens wins.

      Tim:

      I think Kevin Owens is the best possible Universal Champion for Raw right now and the crazy part is they haven’t even scratched the surface with what his character can be as champ. I normally don’t care for Hell In A Cell matches but if I had to pick one person to be in one Owens would be the guy. I think these two will go all out for this. I didn’t really care for their last match looking back at it now but I know they can make up for it. I’m also looking forward to Owens and Jericho finally splitting up!

      Interest Level: 10/10
      Prediction: Kevin Owens wins.

      Tom:

      Owens has been the strongest part of the segments building to this match in recent weeks, as Rollins still seems to be adjusting to his face role and Jericho wavers between being fun and frustrating. I think we’ve hit the tipping point of how much benefit there is to Jericho’s deal as KO’s “best friend” – there definitely seem to be moments where Owens wants nothing to do with Jericho’s shtick, so hopefully they’ll transition into a feud after this.

      Anyway, this match! I have high hopes, even with two other HIAC matches on the show. Owens seems like a guy who would have a lot of ideas for how to use the cell in fun ways that actually lend to the match, so I believe that this should be match of the night.

      Interest Level: 9/10
      Prediction: Kevin Owens wins.

      Sasha Banks vs. Charlotte for the Raw Women’s Championship inside Hell in a Cell

      Joey:

      If you remove all Mick Foley moments, I’ve enjoyed the build here. This is the right match to make history. I think everyone is getting a bit too preoccupied with the whole “main event” thing. Personally, it’s on the same level as Kevin Owens vs. Seth Rollins to me. I can see either main eventing the show. This is all meant as a compliment towards Sasha Banks and Charlotte. I am stoked to watch it and I think it will live up to the expectations.

      Interest Level: 10/10
      Prediction: Sasha Banks wins.

      Tim:

      I think the build involving solely Sasha Banks and Charlotte Flair has been fine. I don’t find Banks to be as bad of a talker as most people do. She’s not the best but she’s definitely not even close to the worst. I will say last week’s segment wouldn’t back up my claim as both her and Charlotte were very off on “the stick.” Mick Foley was a huge problem and it seemed like two different promos were going on. I could give hundreds of thoughts on how bad Mick Foley was for what they were trying to accomplish.

      As I’m typing this I see the news that as of right now Charlotte and Sasha Banks are scheduled to be going on last. WWE is doing the right thing. I think this specific instance really warranted the final match spot. I would venture to guess that most fans believe WWE usually puts the match they deem most important on last and people needed to see them get behind a match they were rightfully playing up as historical. These two women go out and bust their asses for us every time they are in the ring together. You may not like them. You may not like their matches. You can’t deny that they don’t deserve this. It’s a shame it took this long for WWE to get here but we are here now and I can’t wait to see what these two do with such a big spotlight on them

      Interest Level: 10/10
      Prediction: Sasha Banks wins.

      Tom:

      I haven’t particularly enjoyed the build (THANKS MICK MATE) but I’m interested to see what this match is like – there’s been so much talk about it making history and being important but I’m still not exactly sure what it’s going to be.

      Now that it’s been announced that this match will be main eventing the show, I wish there was more to justify it being sold as such a monumental thing by WWE. I’m not saying there are are any Raw feuds which are any better right now, but the Sasha/Charlotte feud feels kinda weak right now, especially compared to how strong other women’s feuds have been in the past couple of years. However, there’s nothing unusual about a match not matching WWE’s hype levels and it’s cool that they’re setting the precedent with this one, so hopefully the door is left open for more worthwhile women’s matches main eventing in the future.

      In short, Charlotte had better moonsault off the cell.

      Interest Level: 8/10
      Prediction: Charlotte moonsaults off the cell.

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