Tag: hell in a cell

WWE Hell in a Cell comes to you this Sunday night at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. Unlike a lot of the B-shows this year, the theme for this show seems to be wrapping up big feuds that have dominated WWE programing over the summer. Brock Lesnar and Undertaker will wrap up their trilogy, and Roman Reigns and Bray Wyatt will also finish what they started, with both matches being held inside the confines of Hell in a Cell. Meanwhile, John Cena continues his popular United States championship open challenge as he’s due to face an unnamed opponent. Will he overcome the odds, or will his challenger do a number on him, freeing him for the next couple of months? Our F4W/Wrestling Observer.com staff have weighed in, giving their thoughts on the full card. Check them out below.

WWE Intercontinental Championship: Kevin Owens © vs. Ryback

Bryan Rose: It’s too early to take off Owens. Ryback is in this weird flux where WWE obviously likes the guy, but not too much, plus he’s not really that great of a wrestler so he’s constantly in these kind of matches but isn’t ever that effective in them. I think with Owens in the match this won’t be too bad, but I think it’ll be a notch below of what we usually see with him. He retains, and hopefully moves on to a more promising program.

Prediction – Kevin Owens

Jeremy Peeples: Owens’s previously-stalled push has regained some momentum with the IC Title so far. His win on Raw was one of the most impressive and memorable things on the show even if it wasn’t positioned as important. He should win this and continue his reign, but Ryback’s loss on Raw could be a slight indicator of a win for the Big Guy.

Prediction – Kevin Owens

Kyle S. Johnson: It would seem somehow anticlimactic for Owens to turn around and drop the Intercontinental Championship so soon after winning it. Still, using WWE logic, Owens beating Mark Henry cleanly (and in impressive fashion) on the same Raw where Ryback lost clean to Seth Rollins suggests the Big Guy will regain his championship on Sunday. The story of the feud has been Owens winning by less-than-scrupulous means, and I look for him to get another underhanded victory to retain his title. I would expect that this leads to either another rematch or a traditional Survivor Series match next month, the latter of which would hopefully result in Owens pairing off with someone else in a new feud.

Prediction – Kevin Owens

Zach Dominello: I want to say Owens over Ryback is a sure thing because dropping the belt this early in his run as IC champ would be incredibly deflating for everyone (except Ryback), but the the rule of opposite momentum has me worried. Owens looks strong coming into the match with a win over Mark Henry in one of the most enjoyable matches on Monday’s go-home show, while Ryback lost cleanly to Seth Rollins. l I say nuts to opposite momentum, and the rest of physics. I expect Ryback’s “injured ribs” will come into play and allow Owens to get the win. Plus with Owens getting some positive mainstream media attention in Quebec, it makes sense to keep the title on him.

Prediction – Kevin Owens

James Cox: After a smash and grab last month at Night of Champions, Kevin Owens should retain here, but I fear that this feud must continue. If you haven’t already, check out Ryback on Table for 3 with Daniel Bryan and Dolph Ziggler on the Network, it might change your views on him. Might. But there’s a ceiling on how good a match between these two can be in reality.

Prediction: Kevin Owens

Steve Khan: It feels like they’re going to drag out as many feuds as they can, but this shouldn’t be one of those feuds. Unlike Seth Rollins, Owens has a lot of potential challengers and will probably win here.

Prediction – Kevin Owens

Adam Stephen Kelly: Their match at Night of Champions was fine, if unremarkable. I enjoyed the psychology of Kevin Owens focusing on Ryback’s arm throughout. In fact, working over particular body parts seemed to be a theme of that show. I don’t mind Ryback at all, I think he’s decent for the role he plays on the roster, but this feud really doesn’t have anything going for it. Now is definitely not the time for Owens to drop the title, so hopefully he’ll retain in a more physical and hard-hitting match than their last, and the champ can move on to a more fitting opponent for his style.

Prediction – Kevin Owens

Paul Fontaine: These two are a really good pairing in my opinion and I think this program has a bit more life so I’m going to go against the grain here. Ryback is going to be more valuable going forward with Cena and Orton both out and I look for Owens to score the upset win and keep this program going through Survivor Series.

Prediction – Ryback

WWE Tag Team Championship: The New Day © vs. The Dudley Boyz

Bryan Rose: I’m guessing this is where the Dudleyz will finally win the tag titles. They really should have at the MSG show a few weeks ago, and it seemed like a lock, so in typical WWE fashion it didn’t happen and ended up being a lame DQ. They’ve been teasing on Smackdown that Xavier is gone, but I don’t see that happening long so I expect that to play a part in the match. I’m guessing Dudleyz win the titles, and the other two members of the New Day are put through tables as well.

Prediction – Dudley Boyz

Jeremy Peeples: The Dudleys probably should have won the titles in MSG if they were going to win this for this run. They’ve got far less momentum now, while the New Day is one of the company’s most over acts – and thus shouldn’t lose here. The New Day should win, but the Dudleys probably will to get the babyface pop and maybe start the show off hot.

Prediction – Dudley Boys

Adam Stephen Kelly: Let’s face it, the honeymoon period is over for the Dudleyz. It’s been terrific to see them back in WWE after nearly a decade “in obscurity”, but now the fanfare is over and they’re just another duo in an incredibly weak tag division. There was a glimmer of hope for tag team wrestling a couple of years ago with something of a renaissance in the division, but sadly it was short-lived, so it’s no surprise that one of the most successful tandems in history were immediately put into a feud with today’s hottest trio in the New Day. But where do you go from there? Where are the other credible teams? I think it’s safe to say that this rivalry has been dragged out long enough, and with the Dudleyz being screwed out of victories left, right and centre in the last couple of months, it’s time for them to win the titles. What I don’t understand is why this isn’t a Tables match. Surely with the sheer abundance of plunder we’ve seen since in this feud – and the fact that we’ve already seen this match on numerous occasions – it makes perfect sense, but I guess that will be the stipulation in the eventual rematch with the role reversal of the New Day hunting the gold.

Prediction – The Dudley Boyz

Kyle S. Johnson: That this is another championship match without a stipulation involving tables boggles my mind. Perhaps as mind-boggling: the decision to keep the belts on The New Day at the MSG special. The nostalgia buzz behind the Dudleys has been diminished through two months of chasing and consecutive DQ victories in title matches, and WWE not taking the opportunity of a match in front of a hot New York crowd to make the switch happen seems like a mistake. The New Day remains the most entertaining aspect of WWE programming on a weekly basis, enough so that they will survive just fine without the belts for a bit if need be. Since The Dudleys really have to win this match to stay relevant, they probably will, even if it’s about a month too late.

Prediction – The Dudley Boyz

Zach Dominello: As much as it saddens me, and despite the timing being off, I’m expecting the Dudleys to go over here. Of course, it would’ve made more sense for New Day to drop the titles to the Dudleys at MSG when the Dudleys still hot from their return, but making sense is not one of WWE’s top priorities. Fortunately, the New Day are talented and entertaining enough that dropping the titles won’t hurt them. Besides, if I’m thinking what WWE’s thinking, they won’t be completely titleless by the end of the night.

Prediction – The Dudley Boyz

James Cox: As great as The New Day are, it’s time for a title change here. The tug of war for the title can go on into Survivor Series but a tenth tag team title for The Dudley Boyz is the way to go here. If you don’t put the title on them here, you have to wonder where you go with them. Xavier Woods has been so great – if you’re at all interested, check out his color commentary work on Superstars, he’s clearly enjoying himself so much right now.

Prediction: The Dudley Boyz

Steve Khan: There are two ways to look at this. New Day can retain to keep them looking strong, or you can put the titles on the Dudleys to save their comeback run. Protecting a hot act is important, but New Day aren’t exactly the Shield and can afford to lose to keep this feud going. I can see the Dudleys having a short run leading up to a gimmick match, potentially at TLC in December, where New Day can defeat the tables/TLC experts and regain the titles. Also, they can be involved in a big 10-man match at Survivor Series to save us from seeing this match on a third straight PPV.

Prediction – The Dudley Boyz

Paul Fontaine – I picked the Dudley Boyz last month and obviously the prevailing opinion is that they win the titles here. I don’t know about that. The act has lost a ton of steam due to the popularity of the champs. If the Dudleys don’t win, it pretty much kills them but there aren’t really heel teams for the Dudleys to face. For that reason, I’m calling for the New Day to retain.

Prediction – The New Day

WWE Divas Championship: Charlotte © vs. Nikki Bella

Bryan Rose: The divas title situation has been deflated big time in the last month. They get plenty of ring time, but they’re still being presented in the same way where they can’t possibly get over. This title program has been overshadowed by Paige turning heel and doing the crazy shtick that, in fact, did not get her over at all last year, so only makes sense to go back at it. This whole situation with Paige, plus the complete lack of build feels like it just doesn’t matter and to be it doesn’t matter who wins. Taking the title off Charlotte feels premature though, so I’m guessing she retains.

Prediction – Charlotte

Jeremy Peeples: They’ve done very little to build this up, so the result really doesn’t seem important. Charlotte has no reason to lose the title so soon, so I’ll go with her to win.

Prediction – Charlotte

Kyle S. Johnson: Incredibly, the Divas division is in complete disarray. The Nikki Bella vs. Charlotte feud seems to be an afterthought against the backdrop of the feud between Team Bella and Team BAD and Paige’s deal with Charlotte/Becky/Natty. With any luck, Charlotte will just win this match clean and convincingly, the team dynamic will continue to dissolve in the weeks thereafter, and the direction will eventually shift to Charlotte/Sasha/Becky feuding with one another for the title.

Prediction – Charlotte

Zach Dominello: Similarly to Kevin Owens, Charlotte dropping the title now would simply be the worst thing. So, that’ll probably happen. Preferably, Charlotte will retain and Team Bella will move away from the title picture allowing Charlotte to start a fresh program.

Prediction – Charlotte

James Cox: I see this as a grueling win for Charlotte, the blow off to segue into the next couple of contenders. Paige and Sasha Banks are lining up for their shot. I assume we see Paige come out at the end to show her intent. Let’s hope it’s half decent.

Prediction: Charlotte

Steve Khan: Nikki has been built up as a strong challenger, and even though the reasoning may be questionable, it’ll work out in the end if Charlotte wins. Charlotte feels cold as champion as the focus has been split too many different ways. They haven’t paid off the Natalya story yet, so Paige screwing Charlotte here doesn’t make sense and Nikki shouldn’t be champion. Charlotte should win and go over strong, and she probably will.

Prediction – Charlotte

Paul Fontaine – I’ll go with the gang here. It’s amazing that on an NXT show, I care most about the Women’s title but I couldn’t care less about this title at the moment. That’s what the main roster booking has done to both the title and Charlotte in particular. If Charlotte does retain, it wouldn’t surprise me at all to have her lose it on RAW in the next couple of weeks. The title will probably eventually end up on Sasha as a face but right now it sure seems like the champ retains.

Prediction – Charlotte

WWE United States Championship Open Challenge: John Cena © vs. ???

Bryan Rose: This’ll be interesting for two reasons. One, the mystery guy aspect. Whoever it is, they’d need to take John Cena out long enough that it’d make sense storyline wise why he’d be out until late December. Two, I wonder if John Cena will even lose the United States championship. It makes all the sense in the world for Cena to drop it here if he’s taking a couple of months off, but then again titles mean so little nowadays it doesn’t really matter. I say whoever Cena faces will win, take the title, and put Cena on the shelf for the next couple of months. If you really want me to be bold when it comes to a guess, I’ll say Braun Strowman. Hey, he fits the bill!

Winner – Mystery dude

Jeremy Peeples: They’ve hinted at nothing for this, but haven’t had Kofi challenge and he’s in kind of a mini-program with New Day. I can see Kofi accepting this challenge after a tag title loss and then winning if Cena’s leaving for a bit.

Prediction – Challenger

Kyle S. Johnson: Will Cena’s opponent be a new face on the main roster? Will it be Dean Ambrose, the man who first accepted Cena’s U.S. Championship Open Challenge on the night after WrestleMania? Will it be Kofi Kingston, the lone member of The New Day not the challenge Cena in recent weeks? Whoever WWE has in mind, they’ll likely wind up taking the belt off of Cena to set him on his way for his sabbatical. This should be a cathartic moment in the half-year program of Cena’s Open Challenge, but a complete lack of build heading into this match could certainly hurt the effect.

Prediction – ???

Zach Dominello: I love a good mystery! The possibilities of who Cena’s challenger might be are endless. On top of that, Cena is reportedly taking some time off after Hell in a Cell which means the chances of him dropping the title are very good. It would great to see a returning star like Daniel Bryan accept the challenge, or perhaps Sami Zayn, who has had one of the best Open Challenge matches with Cena. We could see an Evolve name like Johnny Gargano, or a new face from NXT. Maybe Chris Jericho could make his 1000th surprise return. As I alluded to earlier, what I’m actually hoping for is one of the New Day takes on Cena. Big. E feels like the best fit against Cena, and the rest of the New Day could interfere so Cena doesn’t have to drop the title completely cleanly. The New Day incorporating Freebird Rules with the US title could make for some very entertaining programming.

Prediction – ??? (??? = New Day)

James Cox: Short of this being a ‘surprise’, whether that be an NXT graduate or a return, I would have to assume that this match is against Dean Ambrose after his match was ruined by Randy Orton’s shoulder injury. With Cena taking time off, the title ought to be vacated and they’re short of babyfaces. Ambrose with a title might be a good move. Mind you, has anyone seen Daniel Bryan of later…?

Prediction: Dean Ambrose

Steve Khan: They’ve known for weeks that Cena would be leaving at Hell in a Cell but didn’t bother building up an opponent. Dolph Ziggler seemed like a decent idea, but that’s out the window. It says something that there’s a pre-show match with six guys and five of them have taken this challenge and lost. They could debut somebody new to beat Cena and make an impact, but that seems unlikely.

Prediction – John Cena

Adam Stephen Kelly: The US Title Open Challenge has been a highlight of RAW during John Cena’s two recent tenures as champion. He’s been putting on great matches on a consistent basis at a level we haven’t seen from him in forever. I think WWE has succeeded in its objective to elevate the title in terms of its prestige, at least to a certain degree. While some say the obvious opponent is Kofi Kingston given Cena’s recent bouts with both Big E and Xavier Woods, I don’t think we’ll be seeing any repeat performances on Sunday night, and I’m sure that Woods’ place during the Tag Team Championship match will be ringside, trombone and all. Thinking out of the box, I’m torn between two picks: Daniel Bryan and Sami Zayn. While both have been on the injured list for quite some time, Zayn noted back in August that he’d be back on the road in a couple of months, and as far as Bryan goes, it’s always possible he could’ve been cleared by the doctor WWE wanted him to visit for the final word. It’d be poetic for either wrestler to make their return and emerge victorious.

Prediction – Daniel Bryan or Sami Zayn (new champion)

Paul Fontaine: So I think we have two predictions here. Who is the mystery challenger and who wins the match? In my opinion, the answer is the same. Tyler Breeze. How I see this going down is that they have the typical Cena 3.5 to 4 star match, with Cena doing everything he can to make Breeze into something. At some point, we get outside interference from whomever is going to be Cena’s next program when he comes back…maybe Sheamus. Breeze takes advantage of that and goes on to feud with Dolph Ziggler for the US belt.

Prediction – Tyler Breeze

Hell in a Cell: Roman Reigns vs. Bray Wyatt

Bryan Rose: I’m just kind of glad we’re finally seeing an end to this boring, meaningless feud that I’m pretty sure will rack up some votes as the worst of the year. Five months of back and forth feuding and trading wins and losses is just too much in this day and age, and I don’t think it’s helped Roman Reigns at all in becoming what WWE wants him to be. The verbiage between these two have been really bad at some points. The match…I don’t know. It’ll be either pretty decent, or completely uninteresting. If WWE has even a modicum of an inkling of how to get people over (and I question this) then Reigns should win.

Prediction – Roman Reigns

Jeremy Peeples: Roman’s clearly the guy they want to be the man, while Bray has spent the better part of his time since WrestleMania 30 mired in mid-card Hell. Roman should win this, and a Bray win wouldn’t really accomplish much unless they decide to redo the Kane debut with Braun and give Bray a tainted win that way.

Prediction – Roman Reigns

Kyle S. Johnson: The feud that never ends rolls into yet another pay-per-view. These two and their various seconds and thirds have traded wins for the last four months, and the stipulation of this match makes it feel as if this will be the blow-off. However, we’re still several months away from WrestleMania, and Reigns is still presumably being groomed for the main event. Keeping him in the feud with Wyatt lets him quietly build some momentum without thrusting him into the main event, and it keeps Wyatt and his crew occupied for the foreseeable future. I’d expect Reigns to get a conclusive win over Wyatt that will stand as a sort of watershed moment in his road to WrestleMania, but don’t be surprised if the feud continues for a month or two longer, possibly with a traditional Survivor Series match.

Prediction – Roman Reigns

Zach Dominello: What’s most important here is that this match is the end of the Bray Wyatt/Roman Reigns program regardless of who wins or loses. Please just let the be the end. If my dream comes true and that is the case, I expect Reigns to defeat Wyatt. If this program is destined to continue, which is all too possible, Wyatt wins.

Prediction – Roman Reigns.   

James Cox: The day that they get Bray Wyatt up against someone where it doesn’t just end up being a weird rivalry, will be a good day. Having said that, in a cell this could be a good match and a win for Reigns where he comes out looking strong could do his path towards WrestleMania some good. We hope for no interference, but the cell doesn’t even guarantee that anymore. I’m ready to see the back of this feud.

Prediction – Roman Reigns

Steve Khan: The big benefit these two have is that their Cell match will go on before the other one, so all the little Hell in a Cell tricks will work in their favour. These two can brawl, but the feud has really sucked, so the crowd should be interesting. Reigns needs a win badly. I can see the Wyatts taking out Ambrose early, leaving Reigns on his own and battling to get the win. Whatever happens, a multi-man match at Survivor Series seems likely.

Prediction – Roman Reigns

Adam Stephen Kelly: I’m looking forward to seeing the back of this feud, but at least we know that Hell in a Cell will be the blow-off. The stipulation makes for a fitting end to the madness, but I’d have preferred the match to be Last Man Standing or something so that the cell was exclusive to the Brock Lesnar vs. The Undertaker main event. There’s no way that Roman Reigns isn’t coming out on top. He’ll look very strong in the finish, while Bray Wyatt will move on to another opponent he can specifically target and then lose to.

Prediction – Roman Reigns

Paul Fontaine: I think this might actually be a good match but I suspect they’ll be playing to crickets. Tons of interference, despite the Cell, is almost a lock. Reigns almost has to  win since he’s going to inevitably be challenging for the big belt at Mania unless Vince comes to his senses. Thankfully this feud will be over. There’s an outside chance that Ambrose turns on Reigns and costs him the match but that scenario would make more sense if the top 2 faces weren’t on hiatus for the next 2 months.

Prediction – Roman Reigns

WWE World Heavyweight Championship: Seth Rollins © vs. Demon Kane (If Demon Kane loses, Corporate Kane loses his Director of Operations position)

Jeremy Peeples: Unless they decide to have Sheamus cash in on Kane and then find a way to keep Kane as Corporate Kane without having him leave as champion, Seth is going to win this. They seem to be giving the WWE Champion some wins, so they know he needs to be protected and a loss to Kane isn’t the way to do it.

Prediction – Seth Rollins

Bryan Rose: I kind of want to see Kane win here. Seth Rollins, while not at a Rey Mysterio or Magnus level when it comes to worst world champions of all time, is pretty high on the list. He’s lost so many matches between August and now it’s baffling. Yes, Flair lost all the time, but that was in the eighties. This is today, and that can’t fly here. Kane is WWE’s constant band aid when it comes to looking for a main event title program and this one’s no different. Rollins is such a great main event level worker that the match itself I feel will be pretty decent. I’m just expecting a really screwy finish here that gives Rollins the victory for two reasons. One, it’s WWE in the year 2015 so no one can look too strong. Two, they need a way to continue this into next month. I really feel this is a feud that’ll last through at least TLC so they’ll need to find reasons to feud. I mean, I hope I’m wrong, but would you be surprised if that were actually the case?

Prediction – Seth Rollins via wacky finish

Adam Stephen Kelly: I’m surprised that Seth Rollins has lasted as long as he has as WWE World Heavyweight Champion. Given his size and style, many had predicted long before The Shield broke up that Rollins would be the one most likely to be misused by the company and end up lost in the midcard. Of course, that theory was put to rest at the climax of WrestleMania, and we’re now six months into his title reign. He’s very much an interesting champion for interesting times, and was booked incredibly well in the beginning. But now? Hmm, not so much. Could the shock value of Kane winning the title be WWE’s answer to RAW’s ratings slump? Nothing would surprise me at this stage, only I hope that isn’t the reality come Sunday night.

Prediction – Seth Rollins

Kyle S. Johnson: WWE cannot be so ridiculous as to go with Kane as their World Heavyweight Champion in the middle of a historic ratings slump, can they? Almost certainly not. Seth Rollins, oddly enough, has built up a head of steam for himself with two(!!) consecutive wins on television. This shouldn’t be an incredible feat, but it somehow is. Kane was nowhere to be seen on television this week, so this match feels incredibly flat heading into Sunday. I expect Seth to win by hook or crook, and then let the chips fall where they may in terms of the Corporate/Demon Kane job dynamic.

Prediction – Seth Rollins

Zach Dominello: I’ll miss you most of all, Happy Go Lucky Director of Operations Corporate Kane. You were too good for this world.

Prediction – Seth Rollins

James Cox: This would provide the suitable out for Kane to leave The Authority. That story has well and truly run its course. Seth doesn’t need to drop the title yet and Kane certainly isn’t the man to take it. I just wonder if they can make this a good match – Kane is rarely very good in matches, let alone semi-main event spots. Seth is a remarkable performer but is losing and has been facing old guys who can just about still go in the last two months on ppv. We need to see him up against quality opposition and, no, that’s not Sheamus. How they solve that little issue is anyone’s guess.

Prediction – Seth Rollins

Steve Khan: Rollins should win and move on from this dreadful storyline immediately. We know this. But, again, I can see them wanting this keep this going as Rollins has nothing else lined up. Kane could win via DQ, which would protect him, keep the feud going, and keep him as director of operations. It’s the lamest possible finish, so that’s my prediction.

Prediction: Kane via DQ

Paul Fontaine: In the whacky world of WWE booking, the guy that wins on TV loses on PPV. Rollins has been on a mini streak since losing every match for over a month. Demon Kane lost on Monday night. That logic says all signs point to a Kane win. So that’s what’s going to happen and then Sheamus cashes in. This will mean his post-Christmas program with Cena means even more.

Prediction: Kane, but Sheamus leaves as champ

Hell in a Cell: Brock Lesnar vs. The Undertaker

Bryan Rose: This is another one of these trilogies that WWE love to book, but I find myself having little interest. I will admit their last match was really good, but the finish was so bad I can’t get myself excited for the third. Them being in a cell I think will hurt things more than anything. But I’m pretty sure it’ll at least be better than their Wrestlemania match, which was solid at best and I’m being kind of generous there. I think Lesnar needs to win, given the amount of money they pay him, plus he’s such a fascinating commodity, something WWE has little of right now, and having the 50+ year old Undertaker win this series really does no one any favors.

Prediction – Brock Lesnar

Adam Stephen Kelly: In theory, this is one of the most epic rivalries of the last decade. The fact that Brock Lesnar broke The Undertaker’s WrestleMania streak back in 2014 is still shocking to this day. With hindsight, there’s no denying that such an unforgettable moment was the perfect excuse to carry on the feud. It may have taken over a year to continue, but the SummerSlam rematch did not disappoint, blowing their WrestleMania encounter out of the water. Not only did the match deliver but the build-up was fantastic. It felt like must-see television and deserved its place as the main event. Hell in a Cell is a fitting stage for the conclusion of this story, and yet their final battle feels insignificant; fuelled by two months of extremely underwhelming hype. In the wake of Night of Champions, WWE seemed more concerned with promoting Lesnar’s match against The Big Show at the Live from Madison Square Garden special than his upcoming pay-per-view bout. The teased brawl in the opening segment of this week’s RAW felt like the kind of angle you would see two or three weeks prior to a pay-per-view, not on the go-home show, and with diminishing ratings, it made no sense to utilise both Lesnar and The Undertaker in the first segment when you already had Steve Austin kicking off the show. Why they didn’t advertise them for the second or third hour when RAW was up against an especially hot edition of Monday Night Football featuring the new Star Wars trailer premiere is beyond me. Lesnar should emerge from the cell victorious since he’s the most bankable star going forward. With this feud in the rearview mirror, it’ll certainly be interesting to see what WWE has in store for both wrestlers come WrestleMania 32.

Prediction – Brock Lesnar

Jeremy Peeples: The hype for Summerslam’s match was fantastic, while this one has largely been built on the fumes of that. Taker redeemed himself this year with WM 30 and Summerslam, so it should be pretty good as a match. Brock should win this thing since he has more time left in the ring than the Undertaker probably does.

Kyle S. Johnson: What happened here? WWE managed to make the Summerslam rematch feel like the hottest thing in the company with one single brawl; for the Hell in a Cell rematch, there was an announcement out of nowhere during Night of Champions, and then almost nothing up until the go-home show. The build to this match seems incredibly paltry compared to Summerslam, and it pales even in comparison to some of the weaker builds of the past year. Still, despite an inexplicable lack of promotion, this should make for an enjoyable little bit of ultra-violence to send the audience home happy. Lesnar should win this one to help build toward his likely return to the title picture, and one has to wonder what the result will do in terms of setting up both men for their respective WrestleMania matchups.

Prediction – Brock Lesnar

Zach Dominello: Uninspired build-up aside, this is a huge match. With one win a piece, this has been booked as the blow off match, and there’s no apparent reason to doubt it won’t be the final match of the series. So who ends this epic rivalry on top? Both men are expected to be at WrestleMania next year in Dallas, so ideally you want them both looking strong coming out of this match. That leads me to believe that we won’t get a clean finish. Whoever wins will likely do so in less than honourable fashion, possibly with some outside help, wanted or otherwise. That may also plant the seeds for at least one these two’s WrestleMania match next year. If that is the case, it’s not really about who wins or loses, but what the match sets up for their respective futures. Now having said all that, Brock Lesnar is currently WWE’s biggest star attraction, so if we do get a straightforward winner, I’d go with him.

Prediction – Brock Lesnar

James Cox: So a clean finish here to end this feud is all we’re after. Well, that and a good match after such a meager and mediocre build this month. Lesnar’s the best things they’ve got and Undertaker can still ride off into the sunset at WrestleMania in Texas. It would be a courageous man to call this match any other way and I’m not that man, but I do think that this will a really good match. I hope we get some of the old Undertaker. In theory, this could be his penultimate WWE match, so I think he throws everything at it without being too wild or dangerous. The cell at least means that they can avoid to many suplexes, bumps and F-5s for Undertaker in his condition.

Prediction – Brock Lesnar

Steve Khan: There’s no argument to be made for Undertaker winning. Their match at SummerSlam was great and this should be good too. Lesnar will likely beat him clean and they can even shake hands to keep Lesnar as a babyface moving forward.

Prediction – Brock Lesnar

Paul Fontaine: Lesnar has to  win. I still have no idea why this match was booked for right now but perhaps we’ll find out during or right after this match. There must be a long-term idea here that this match plays into. Right? They can’t possibly just be hot-shotting for network buys. Regardless, the Cell should add something to this match as Undertaker Cell matches are usually pretty great. Hopefully Taker comes out of this match ok. I don’t have the slightest idea where either guy goes from here at this point.

Prediction – Brock Lesnar