“I’m on the way to the promised land…”
WWE’s Hell in a Cell pay-per-view will take place on October 26, 2014 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. Will this highly anticipated event see the crowning of new champions, or will it turn out to be yet another show where the status quo remains woefully intact?
In this week’s installment of Best for Business, I predict the outcomes of every match and speculate on potential storylines and feuds leading into November’s Survivor Series and beyond.
The Usos Vs. Goldust and Stardust
The WWE Tag Team Championship will be determined in a pre-show match between The Usos and defending champions Goldust and Stardust. While we’ve seen these two teams face each other countless times over the past two months, their match at Hell in a Cell should settle the score for good. I look for the Dust Bros. to retain the titles and focus their attention on a new challenger.
The tag division is practically nonexistent at the moment, and with Luke Harper and Erick Rowan going their separate ways, there aren’t many teams left for the Usos and the Dust Bros. to square off with. RybAxel should be back on television in the next month, and teams like Los Matadores and Slater Gator are still out there – but I’m hoping NXT’s former tag champions, The Ascension, move up to the main roster to mix things up.
There’s also been a rumor of The Dudley Boyz returning to WWE, in which case I would love to see a triple threat tag-team match at this year’s TLC with the Usos, the Dudleys, and the Dust Bros. – an opportunity for the WWE to showcase their tag talent in a match that could rival those amazing bouts between the Dudleys, the Hardys, and Edge and Christian.
AJ Lee vs. Paige
AJ Lee and Paige have been feuding for what feels like an eternity. Luckily, they’ve had some pretty entertaining matches – but like the WWE’s tag team circuit, there just isn’t much variety within the Diva’s division. I suspect AJ Lee will retain her title and go on to feud with Nikki Bella, leading to some AJ/Brie vs. Nikki/Paige tag matches before an epic Survivor Series showdown with Brie and Nikki as team captains.
Brie Bella vs. Nikki Bella
Speaking of the Bellas, let’s go ahead and get this one out of the way. Nikki Bella will win this match, and – as the stipulation dictates – her sister Brie must serve as her personal assistant for 30 days. Essentially, the only way to keep this abysmal feud going is to keep the heat on Nikki and generate sympathy for Brie. Think of it as a Walt Disney storyline, with Brie as Cinderella – forced to clean up after her wretched sister until Survivor Series, where I assume the two will face off yet again.
Big Show vs. Rusev
On this week’s Monday Night Raw, a US Army veteran stormed the ring when Rusev flirted with the idea of tearing the American flag down. The Bulgarian Brute dismantled the American Hero™ with a super kick to the face before exiting the ring to a deafening chorus of boos. The whole thing was a work of course, but it added yet another dimension to the feud between Big Show and Rusev, which hasn’t been as interesting as Rusev’s previous rivalries with Jack Swagger and Mark Henry.
WWE is grooming Rusev as a mega-heel and will keep him undefeated until WrestleMania, where he’ll finally lose to a big babyface. With that being said, Big Show will be crushed by the Big Russian, leaving Rusev to set his sights on Sheamus and the United States Championship.
Sheamus vs. The Miz
Which brings us to Sheamus vs. The Miz for the United States Championship. I think it’s safe to assume that Sheamus wins here (so he can drop the title to Rusev at Survivor Series) but the real story is what happens with Miz. On the one hand, The Miz and Damien “Mizdow” could move over to the tag division, or Miz could become jealous of Mizdow’s popularity and we could get a singles feud where Damien Sandow comes out on top as a babyface.
Dolph Ziggler vs. Cesaro
Hell in a Cell won’t see many titles changes, but one major change I’m banking on is Cesaro beating Ziggler. The WWE has squandered the Swiss Superman’s potential since WrestleMania, where he won the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal.
Ziggler and Cesaro have had some great matches, and I’m sure after Cesaro wins on Sunday night, we’ll see this feud continue into Survivor Series where Cesaro wins the rematch and the two superstars move on to programs with fresh faces like NXT’s Sami Zayn, Tyler Breeze, or Adrian Neville.
Dean Ambrose vs. Seth Rollins
For Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins, Hell in a Cell isn’t about a championship – it’s personal. Ever since Rollins turned his back on The Shield and betrayed Ambrose and Roman Reigns (remember him?!), we’ve been dying to see that no-good sellout Rollins get what he deserves.
While I’m sure we haven’t seen the end of Ambrose vs. Rollins, this Hell in a Cell match will serve as an epic finale between the two where Ambrose finally gets his hands on Rollins and beats him to a bloody pulp. After Mick Foley’s surprise appearance on Monday Night Raw this week, WWE is really setting up Ambrose vs. Rollins to steal the show – hopefully they’re allowed to cut loose and show us what they’re capable of in the ring.
After Ambrose defeats Rollins, there’s a very real possibility Triple H steps in and we see an updated take on the Austin/McMahon feud from the Attitude Era, with Ambrose raising hell and causing serious problems for The Authority. As for Rollins, it looks like we’re headed to some sort of rivalry between him and Randy Orton or John Cena.
John Cena vs. Randy Orton
Speaking of Orton, he’s being set up for a face turn. With Reigns and Bryan out, the WWE is in desperate need of babyfaces to challenge Brock Lesnar for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. With the announcement that the winner of the Cena vs. Orton Hell in a Cell match would earn a shot at Lesnar, it seems like Orton could win and be Lesnar’s next opponent before an inevitable final match between Cena and Lesnar (at January’s Royal Rumble event, perhaps?).
It’s Coming… But When?
The wild card here, believe it or not, is Bray Wyatt. Recent vignettes would have us believe that Erick Rowan and Luke Harper have been set free and will be pursuing singles match-ups. This could mean faces like Cena and Ambrose feud with the former Wyatt Family members while Bray Wyatt returns as a neutral, Undertaker-esque character who fights darkness with darkness. Will Wyatt, Harper or Rowan make an appearance at Hell in a Cell? Or are they saving their return for next week’s Monday Night Raw? I guess we’ll just have to wait and see…
Images: wwe.com
