Tonight is WWE Hell in a Cell 2017, here is the Pulse Wrestling crew’s full preview and predictions!
Falls Count Anywhere Hell in a Cell match
Shane McMahon vs. Kevin Owens
Spain: While I’m sure that this will be a hard-hitting, emotional match with some stand-out moments, I’m sticking with what I’ve been saying for the last couple of weeks: Kevin Owens is going to leave Shane laying, because that’s the only way it could logically be.
Winner: Kevin Owens
Harrak: This is easily one of the most entertaining programs in all of WWE at the moment, thanks largely to Kevin Owens. The performances he’s been putting in this past year as Universal Champion have proved to decision makers that he’s a top guy to build around, no matter what he looks like. And that fact is solidified with him being in a feud with Shane McMahon. If you look at this match on paper it has every handicap that could make it a terrible match. You have a non-wrestler past him prime working in a Hell in a Cell match against a man who does his best work when he works a stiff match against a stiff opponent. And then you realize it’s Shane McMahon, a person who has shattered expectations since the Attitude Era and will do everything in his power to put on an incredible match. With that being said, I must agree with the oddsmakers and say Kevin Owens comes out with the “W” after a BRUTAL match.
Prediction: Kevin Owens
JT: In some ways, it seems a little sad that a 47 year old businessman in line to inherit millions of dollars feels the need to put his health at risk by falling off things, and even sadder to suggest that WWE think it’s believable that a wrecking ball like Kevin Owens would be afraid of said businessman. This match is all about Shane taking a big bump and not dying, but it doesn’t really do much for KO…
Winner: Keven Owens
Michael – Falls Count Anywhere makes the stipulation of the cell totally purposeless. That annoys me. Does Sami Zayn interfere and turn on Shane McMahon? Part of me hopes so, but part of me doesn’t want Zayn straddled with a Shane O’Mac program either. Also, all of the matches on this card appear to have clear favorites in my mind, so since the WWE likes to screw with its fans, I will choose the opposite of who I think is going to win. It’s Opposite Day!
Winner: Shane McMahon (Maybe Shane actually hits a stupid dive onto Owens and gets the pin)
Jake Ziegler: Surely WWE wouldn’t take their hottest heel and job him out to the boss’s kid would they?
Winner: Kevin Owens
Widro – I think Sami Zayn turns on Shane and reunites with Owens to help him win.
Winner: Owens
WWE Championship
Jinder Mahal (c) (with The Singh Brothers) vs. Shinsuke Nakamura
Spain: The Jinder Experiment has limped on to the point where we needed actual racism to make it interesting, and it still isn’t interesting. Nakamura needs to take the belt, for the future of SmackDown and my own sanity. I don’t care if he has to kill the Singhs to do it, just get it done.
Winner (and new WWE Champion): Shinsuke Nakamura
Harrak: The ship has sailed on the Maharaja and it’s very nearly has set on Shinsuke main event run. Mahal has proven he could be at the top, if he has a strong opponent to do the heavy lifting. Shinsuke works the best against a cocky, well-spoken heel and Mahal just isn’t over enough to fall into that category. The pairing of these two men was a mistake from the beginning and this feud should have been blown off at SummerSlam. Well that didn’t happen and here we are stuck between a rock and a hard place. I want to say Nakamura but with WWE’s recent announcement of a new India tour touting Mahal headlining seems to make business sense if Mahal is still champion. So, I’m going to go with Mahal here with possibly AJ Styles challenging him next throughout the fall.
Prediction: Jinder Mahal
JT: As the wildly racist storyline continues, the cunning Mahal and his well-dressed lackeys continue to outwit the charismatic Nakamura, as the audience shift nervously in their seats and wait for a white man to show up and save the day. Hopefully WWE are done with this nonsense and will put the title on someone talented.
Winner: Shinsuke Nakamura
Michael – I heard a rumor that they are going to keep the belt on Mahal for a while until John Cena comes back and takes it. Plus, Mahal is apparently good for business in India. But if Nakamura can’t beat Jinder Mahal, he will look just as weak as Randy Orton. But everything makes me think Mahal will win, so…
Winner: Shinsuke Nakamura (new champion because not even the WWE can screw up Nakamura that bad, right?)
Jake Ziegler: If Nakamura doesn’t win the title this time, he’s totally dead in the water.
Winner: Shinsuke Nakamaura
Widro – Nakamura can’t lose here, so I think something wacky will happen where the Singh Brothers interfere, are banned, the cage lowers, and Nakamura wins.
Winner: Nakamura
Hell in a Cell match for the WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship
The New Day (Big E and Kofi Kingston) (with Xavier Woods) (c) vs. The Usos (Jey and Jimmy Uso)
Spain: I’ve loved this feud, but it needs to come to a stopping point here. A Hell in a Cell match is the best way to finish it, and I feel like whoever takes the belts is going to be holding them for a while. All in all, the New Day seems like the best option judging the future feuds they can have.
Winners (and still WWE SmackDown Tag Team Champions): The Usos.
Harrak: These five men have shown a whole new audience how exciting a tag team match can be. Long ago, the idea of a tag team match was developed because bookers thought four guys in a match could be twice as exciting as two. For years that mantra has fallen to the way side as tag team wrestling was almost considered a dirty word, filled with teams of men who couldn’t cut it as singles wrestlers. The New Day and especially the Usos have made it their life’s ambition to revitalize the art of tag team wrestling and this feud has done just that. Their matches have been incredibly breath-taking and Hell in a Cell will be no different. Don’t be surprised if this match headlines the show has these men absolutely deserve it and have proved they can main event any show they’re paired on.
Prediction: The New Day
JT: I haven’t really cared about the New Day/Usos battle for a while now, but I’m vaguely interested to see what they can do in the Cell. If someone doesn’t do a big splash off the top I’ll be very disappointed.
Winner: The Usos
Michael – The face-to-face between these two teams last week seemed more respectful than heated. That is not a bad thing though. These two teams have been tearing it up, and I expect them to have the best match on the card again. Everyone loves The New Day, so…
Winner: The Usos (new champions and deserving champions.)
Jake Ziegler: This feud and the matches have been awesome, and it’s the match I’m most looking forward to. They’re basically promising this is the end of the feud, and they’ve hot-shotted the belts a bunch of times so I don’t see that happening again.
Winner: The New Day
Widro – They have had a good run but the storyline should end with this match, I think the Usos win.
Winners: Usos
WWE SmackDown Women’s Championship
Natalya (c) vs. Charlotte Flair
Spain: I’ve never been particularly enamoured with Natalya as the Champion; she just lacks the personality of most of the other competitors. That being said, it seems like it’s too early to take the belt off her after so long without it. I can see her cheating to retain and us doing this again a little down the line.
Winner (and still WWE SmackDown Women’s Champion): Natalya
Harrak: Natalya has done a pretty good job holding down the struggling SmackDown women’s division. Don’t get me wrong, they’re not struggling for talent but for stories and depth. A major plot right now is James Ellsworth on a dog leash. That doesn’t look to good for the “revolutionary” women’s division. While it would seem like a Charlotte victory would be obvious, there are heavy rumors circulating a 4 Horsewomen of WWE vs 4 Horsewomen of MMA match at Survivor Series. So, the real question we should be asking is if the WWE wants the Women’s title (and the built in Money in the Bank storyline that comes with it) as a part of the mainstream build Ronda Rousey’s debut would receive.
Prediction: Charlotte Flair
JT: Natalya has only had the belt for about five minutes, and she probably has better potential to put on good matches with people like Asuka and Bayley, so fingers crossed that they don’t just hand the belt back to Charlotte. But hey, I guess she could just go back to that farting gimmick…
Winner: Natalya
Michael – I will be honest, I am not sure what is going on with this division. I guess Carmella still has the MITB briefcase, but is afraid to cash it in? I know Natalya and Charlotte have had some very good matches in NXT, so this shouldn’t suck. Charlotte has a new book out with her Hall of Fame father who has been in poor health lately. I would expect a feel-good victory. Therefore …
Winner: Natalya (Maybe Vince is trying to push Ric over the edge)
Jake Ziegler: I think this feud will continue, so I’m betting Charlotte wins by countout or DQ.
Winner: Charlotte Flair
Widro – Doesn’t feel like time for a title change.
Winner: Natalya
WWE United States Championship
AJ Styles (c) vs. Baron Corbin
Spain: It really does seem like Baron Corbin’s being buried, and fairly long-term. That doesn’t inspire one with confidence re. him taking on AJ Styles. There’s always the chance that he digs deep and pulls something from up his sleeve, thus freeing AJ to hunt the big belt, but it doesn’t seem all that likely as things stand.
Winner (and still WWE United States Champion): AJ Styles
Harrak: On NXT, I thought we were seeing something unique in Baron Corbin. On SmackDown, we’re seeing a tough looking dude who just tends to whine and cry a lot. The mystique surrounding this tattooed brute has been broken and I don’t think anyone in their right mind would think AJ Styles would lose to a performer at Baron Corbin’s level. So, I must not be in my right mind when I say I believe we’ll see Corbin go over here for the US Championship. It’s not because I see money in Corbin but I think Styles needs to be moved back up the card. He’s held down the mid-card while stars like Corbin, Bobby Roode and Tye Dillinger were getting settled on SmackDown Live but it’s time for AJ’s talents be used on a larger stage.
Prediction: Baron Corbin
JT: I know some people like Baron Corbin, but as far as I’m concerned he has always been a massive charisma black hole. I don’t want to see him lose, I don’t want to see him win. I don’t want to see him at all. Baron Corbin represents everything wrong with the WWE – a lumbering big guy getting a push just because of his size, Which means he’ll probably beat the much more talented but slightly smaller AJ Styles in the end…
Winner: AJ Styles
Michael – Corbin seems to have fallen faster than anyone I can remember recently. Is this program an attempt to rehabilitate him? Or is it more of some punishment he needs to suffer through? Chances are it is the latter, as AJ is still insanely over and the definite face of the Smackdown brand. So…
Winner: Baron Corbin (new champion because screw you, WWE fans)
Jake Ziegler: I can’t keep track of if they’re still mad at Corbin or not, but either way I don’t see him dethroning AJ yet.
Winner: AJ Styles
Widro – Corbin sucks, hopefully takes the L.
Winner: Styles
Bobby Roode vs. Dolph Ziggler
Spain: Ziggler’s role will be the same here as it was with Nakamura: give the newcomer a great match and do the job. Should make for a good opener with these two.
Winner: Bobby Roode
Harrak: Dolph Ziggler is trying so hard to make something work that just isn’t working. I know he’s at the point in his career where something needs to click or he’s better off perusing another line of work but this isn’t it. It’s a horrible situation because Ziggler truly is one of the best in-ring performers of this generation. That said, this is former NXT Champion Bobby Roode’s first feud on the main roster. Look for him to come away with a clean win after a stellar match.
Prediction: Bobby Roode
JT: Holy crap, I’m actually excited to watch a Dolph Ziggler match! One of the best in-ring workers in the WWE has been booked horrendously for the past few years, so hopefully a feud with the Glorious one will set him on a better path.
Winner: Bobby Roode
Michael – Dolph Ziggler is just going through the motions until his contract runs out. Bobby Roode is the new guy in town that they hope will be a huge star. You give your new guy a big victory on PPV as he starts out. That’s the way the script works. So…
Winner: Dolph Ziggler (After a hugely boring match)
Jake Ziegler: Ziggler’s new gimmick has been absolute death. Roode is awesome.
Winner: Bobby Roode
Widro – Hard to imagine Dolph winning here.
Winner: Roode
Randy Orton vs. Rusev
Spain: This has not been a fun feud, like, at all. At least we’ll finally get an actual match out of these two, but it’s really not going to be worth the wait. Orton seems like he’s got a better chance of winning; I’m just over this by now.
Winner: Randy Orton
Harrak: Here is the prototypical situation of two star who have nothing else to do. The only reasonable result to the “feud” is Rusev picking up a win and gaining a modicum of momentum.
Prediction: Rusev
JT: Oh, is this a match as well? A good opportunity to get a start on my tax return…
Winner: Randy Orton
Michael – Oh good Lord, they are actually having this match? Was this program of total domination over Rusev enough to soothe Orton’s fragile ego after looking like the total loser he is against Jinder Mahal? Probably, and as such we should expect Orton to win another match in less than 30 seconds. So…
Winner: Rusev (possibly in under a minute)
Jake Ziegler: Poor Rusev.
Winner: Randy Orton
Widro – Hopefully a real match this time.
Winner: Orton
Chad Gable and Shelton Benjamin vs. The Hype Bros (Mojo Rawley and Zack Ryder)
Spain: Gable and Benjamin are building their rep, whilst the Hype Bros are having problems. It doesn’t take a genius to work out how this might go.
Winners: Gable and Benjamin
JT: Oh, Hype Bros. Can we count the ways in which you suck? No, we don’t have that long, and almost all of them are Mojo Rawley’s fault. The pairing of Gable and Benjamin is a strange one, as if the WWE figured that they could replace one athletic black guy with another and nobody would notice. Has the potential to be a good match if the hype can be kept to a minimum.
Winners: Gable and Benjamin
Michael – They have been teasing a split between the Hype Bros for months and everyone expects it to happen here. They don’t seem to know what to do with Benjamin and Gable, but both men are extremely talented and the brass knows it. Therefore …
Winner: The Hype Bros (after Shelton Benjamin turns on Chad Gable)
Jake Ziegler: This is a fun little preshow match. Gable and Benjamin are on the upswing, Hype Bros have been breaking up for what feels like forever.
Winner:Chad Gable & Shelton Benjamin
Widro – Could see a Hype Bros turn and/or split.
Winner: Benjamin/Gable
