WWE’s October PPV this year is Hell in a Cell 2014. Here are the staff predictions!
Hell in a Cell – WWE World Heavyweight Title Shot
John Cena vs. Randy Orton
CB: Cena wins with help from Seth Rollins, and Orton’s path to a face turn clears up.
Winner: John Cena
Matt Harrak: So even though John Cena failed to defeat the WWE World Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar in the last two pay-per-views and then lost a contract match for the match he REALLY wanted against Seth Rollins, his consolation prize is a shot at the number 1 contendership… What. The. Hell. Honestly, I’m all for a Randy Orton/Brock Lesnar match since we’ve never seen it before. Plus I absolutely loved it when Orton and Heyman started talking about OVW and how they all debuted the same year. Randy Orton would easily have the crowd behind him & that’s a tough task against Lesnar. It appears as if even the common fan is getting a little annoyed with the absentee WWE Champion and it’ll be interesting if the WWE tries to address that. Back to the match, I can’t see either guy winning cleanly but with all of the past being brought up, I’m guessing we get a triple threat match between Lesnar, Orton and Cena soon.
Winner: NO CONTEST
David Spain: This entirely depends on whether WWE will risk putting the Viper against the Beast? Personally, the promise of that match would sell me on the next PPV utterly. Orton vs. Lesnar is hugely intriguing in terms of what a psychological competitor and unhinged individual could do against the sheer force of Brock Lesnar. Thing is, John Cena hasn’t managed to gain redemption yet and, unfortunately, has a decent reason to have a rematch. Personally, I hope that the WWE can resist, for a while longer, the urge to suckle at the John Cena teat, but I have to admit that it seems very likely that John Cena is getting his hand raised.
Winner (and number one contender until his victory or the end of time): John Cena
Widro: It’s sad to see this match in a probable headline position, but the twist of Randy’s possible face turn makes this a tad more interesting. If Brock isn’t wrestling until Royal Rumble, I could see Cena winning, but if he is wrestling at Survivor Series, it could be against a freshly turned Randy Orton. To be safe, I’ll still pick:
Winner: John Cena
Hell in a Cell
Dean Ambrose vs. Seth Rollins
CB: Rollins wins in a career-making singles match for both men.
Winner: Seth Rollins
Matt Harrak: In what clearly should be the last match of the night, Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins have been waiting for this night their whole careers. If they don’t go on last because Brock Lesnar shows up or something else big happens in the Cena/Orton match, I think that’ll just motivate Rollins and Ambrose even more to upstage everyone else on the show. There’s no doubt in my mind that these two men are walking into Hell In A Cell without fear and are looking at the Cell not as a monstrous metal structure but as a playground where they begin to carve out their legacy. It’s going to be a damn fun match, what I like to call a “shut it down” match. It’s where I put away the computer, exit out of Twitter on my phone, throw my feet up and watch what will hopefully be an instant classic. As for the winner, it could go either way. Seth Rollins is without a doubt the “golden boy” right now are rightfully so. He was given the chance to run as a heel and act completely different from anything he did in FCW, NXT or on the main roster and he surpassed expectations. While I still don’t know how or when he’ll ever get a chance to cash in his briefcase, I believe Rollins is the right man to be carrying the golden ticket. Dean Ambrose has blown into the #2 babyface spot and hasn’t looked back. I have a feeling all the nerves that flared up when Roman Reigns went down while Daniel Bryan is out are probably settled by now. Ambrose came straight from a movie set to the WWE handing him the Holy Grail; a microphone. Suddenly he was allowed to cut promos, his OWN promos, in his own style, wrestle his own/different way and the WWE Universe saw the new anti-authority, anti-hero born before their very eyes. Ambrose’s stock has skyrocketed & everyone is happy about it. Now put these two men who are at the height of their careers right now in a main event inside Hell In A Cell. It’s going to be special.
Winner: IT DOESN’T MATTER TO ME SINCE THE MATCH WILL BE AWESOME BUT I’LL SAY DEAN AMBROSE
David Spain: Tough choice. I think either man getting the victory would be the end of it: this is what Hell in a Cell is all about. They’ve done so much to each other, and both men are going to go up from this, so the result of the match is almost a formality compared to the match itself. Going off a gut reaction, I have to guess (and it really is a guess) that Rollins takes it. They’ve done an excellent job keeping a briefcase holder prominent, and I think they’ll want him forever standing by. Ambrose, like Ziggler, can well-afford the loss.
Winner: Seth Rollins
Widro: A great feud that should shine in the Cell. The in ring will be top notch and hopefully they can do something truly memorable.
Winner: Dean Ambrose
Rusev w/Lana vs. The Big Show
CB: Big Show CRUSH!
Winner: The Big Show
Matt Harrak: I can’t say enough good things about The Big Show and how he’s carried this feud & rebooted Rusev’s career. The Bulgarian Russian was floundering after his lackluster feud with Mark Henry and somehow the Big Show came along & made people CARE again. And Rusev is an athletic monster! You know the new “superkick” he’s been using lately? That’s just the tip of the Rusev iceberg. Once he loses & starts wrestling a wider variety of wrestlers then maybe, juuuust maybe, he’ll avoid the Vladimir Kozlov path for a little while longer.?
Winner: Rusev
David Spain: I’m torn on this feud. I think the choice of the Big Show as Rusev’s opponent is really good; the element of uncertainty for most of Rusev’s feuds has been great, actually, and I always love seeing an underdog heel match. I hate the way the feud’s played out with the white-hot intensity of a thousand blazing suns, but I’m willing to slog through that for the eventual match, so well done, WWE. I think Rusev’s streak is going to continue; I hope he wins totally clean, but it’s far more likely that shenanigans (possibly Mark Henry-shaped shenanigans) may play their part.
Winner (and still sorta kinda undefeated): Rusev
Widro: This should be a big man’s match, if that’s your cup of tea. I think they have telegraphed a Mark Henry turn here and I can’t see Rusev losing even if there is no turn.
Winner: Rusev
Loser Becomes Winner’s Bitch
Brie Bella vs. Nikki Bella
CB: Nikki Bella wins and the month of spite begins.
Winner: Nikki Bella
Matt Harrak: This feud has had more coverage on Total Divas than RAW, Main Event or SmackDown. Its been a slow burn on the reality show compared to the quick turn and random tag matches that we’ve seen on RAW. Either way, only the people who watch TD are somewhat curious as to the outcome and how they’ll use it on Total Divas. Oh and Nikki Bella is winning this because why would a babyface win with this stipulation. Also, these two may surprise a lot of people with what the match quality could turn out to be.
Winner: Nikki Bella
David Spain: I feel like this feud really started with a bang and we’re now at the whimper stage. And don’t get me wrong: I’m glad I’m seeing less of the Bellas, but as in all things, they’ve dragged this out too long. If Brie wins, that’s comeuppance for the villain and the feud’s over. If Nikki wins, then Brie will find some way out, because heaven forbid someone we like has to be a personal assistant. I think we’re going to see the continuation of this feud, and Brie (ironically enough) John Cena-ing her way out of an iron-clad, vaguely-worded verbal agreement. Like a hero.
Winner (and employer of a new personal assistant): Nikki Bella
Widro: This feud has pretty much disappeared from TV in the last couple weeks, which is nice, but it should be a truly awful match.
Winner: Nikki Bella
2 out of 3 Falls for Intercontinental Title
Dolph Ziggler (c) vs. Cesaro
CB: Cesaro wins in what will be a show-stealing effort by he and Dolph
Winner: Cesaro
Matt Harrak: I love that this match had a pretty decent build going into this PPV. Dolph Ziggler is the perfect Intercontinental Champion and Cesaro is the perfect threat to that belt. In the glory days of the IC title, I could absolutely see Ziggler and Cesaro wrestling each other every night across the country and the matches just getting better and better. Of course that’s not the way it is anymore but yet these two men have wrestled numerous times on TV & people are STILL looking forward to their match on Sunday. As far as a winner goes, I wouldn’t be surprised if Cesaro won since the WWE appears to be inching the spotlight closer and closer to him. On the other hand, where does Ziggler go if he loses the belt? Like I said before, he’s the perfect IC Champion and makes anyone who steps in the ring with him look like a main eventer. That’s why I’m going with Ziggler. I won’t be upset or shocked if Cesaro leaves with the belt; I just see more avenues for Cesaro to explore compared to a titleless Ziggler.
Winner: Dolph Ziggler
David Spain: Dolph won a title match in convincing fashion on Friday night, but I think that if they go ahead with this match, Cesaro may walk away holding the gold. It’s a smart choice; both in terms of the man carrying the belt and the feud which could come out of it. Given the quality of Friday’s match, I think Ziggler would still have plenty of momentum and promise, so he wouldn’t be so badly hurt.
Winner (and new Intercontintental Champion): Cesaro
Widro: This has a chance of stealing the card. Both of these guys are hunrgy mid carders who need to be elevated, and are both motivated to tear the house down.
Winner: Ziggler
WWE Diva’s Title
AJ Lee (c) vs. Paige
CB: AJ retains
Winner: AJ Lee
Matt Harrak: AJ wins & retains and Paige begins feuding with someone else – but they HAVE to be a cast member of Total Divas since Paige is the new addition to the reality show.
Winner: AJ Lee
David Spain: This thing, I believe, has run its course, unless they have some other weird twist to add to it. We need some life breathed into this title scene, and that means some new form of feud. I think AJ’s going to take this one for the definitive second win.
Winner (and still Divas Champion): AJ Lee
Widro: Compared with the insipid Bella storyline, AJ vs Paige has been a masterpiece. It’s been the best diva’s program in years. It’s tough to say who will win
Winner: Paige
WWE US Title
Sheamus (c) vs. The Miz
CB: Sheamus retains.
Winner: Sheamus
Matt Harrak: It’s hard to look at this match on paper and not be annoyed that The Miz has another chance to be a secondary champion. The truth is, without Damien Sandow, I don’t believe The Miz would have any momentum going into this match. Let me clarify something though – I’m not saying that Damien Sandow is the only thing getting The Miz over right now. What I am saying is that The Miz character (& the performer) works better with a sidekick. The different times he was truly over was with Big Show as “Show-Miz”, with Alex Riley where he won his only WWE Championship and now with “Mizdow”. I say this because I believe Sandow will play a HUGE part in the finish. I’m going to say that The Miz somehow sneaks Sandow into the match & Sandow accidentally ends up getting the pin on Sheamus. Don’t ask me how (I’m guessing it will entail a lot of “suspending our disbelief”) but this would be a great way to get to The Miz versus Damien Sandow (as a babyface) without putting another championship on Miz and elevating Sandow with the US title. Poor Sheamus will just have move on to a feud with Rusev.
Winner: Damien Mizdow
David Spain: At least we’ve managed to isolate two of my least-favourite elements into one match I can just ignore. I’d actually be almost, potentially, nearly intrigued by a Miz win, but I think the string of wins that grinning bastard has over Sheamus, plus the Irishman’s absurd win-loss record in general, means Sheamus is going to place boot against face.
Winner (and still United States Champion): Sheamus
Widro: Damien Mizdow has stolen the show so far in the feud, including a memorable turn mimicking Sheamus a few weeks back.
Winner: The Miz
WWE Tag Team Titles
Gold & Stardust (c) vs. The Usos
CB: Gold and Stardust keep the titles.
Winner: Gold & Stardust
Matt Harrak: Oh where oh where have our tag teams gone? There are these two teams that have been putting on stellar matches for the last 6 months but where’s the variety? There’s Los Matadores and…. and….. um…… Slater-Gator? What happened?! There once was a time where credible tag teams ruled the ring with organized chaos that delighted the WWE Universe. We were talking a “revival” and instead we received Hornswoggle in an alligator costume to deal with the Bull. The division is on life support and may truly need an Ascension to save it. As far as this match, I don’t really care. I’m still waiting for when Stardust turns on Goldust & that doesn’t seem to happening on Sunday so I’m sticking with them retaining.
Winner: Gold & Stardust
David Spain: I think either result would actually work pretty well. If the Usos lost and had to then fight their way back into contention, then that’s more teams for them to fight and different contenders for the champs to face. But at the same time, what other teams are there right now? Is that an option? I think we’re going to see an AJ/Paige scenario in play, and this will be another in a set of belt-trades.
Winners (and new Tag Team Champions): The Usos
Widro: These teams seemingly have been feuding forever, but the matches are always solid. Seems like a bad time for a title change
Winner: Gold & Stardust
