The Superstars of WWE’s Monday Night Raw returns to the Sunday night spectacle of a huge event showcasing three “Hell in a Cell” contests. This will be a hellish night during which history will be made, no matter the outcome, as Sasha Banks will defend her Raw Women’s Championship against Charlotte in the first time a female performer has ever competed in a Hell in a Cell match.
Kevin Owens is also in the fight of his life as he puts his WWE Universal Championship up for grabs against the ravenous architect Seth Rollins, who is starving for another chance to hold the gold (or in this case, the big red strap). For a night of firsts, this is also the very first time the United States Championship will be defended inside the devil’s playground, as Roman Reigns puts his newly won championship on the line against the former champion “The Bulgarian Brute” Rusev. Hell in a Cell is sure to deliver spine-chilling stunts on a night right before Halloween. The kickoff show begins at 7:00 P.M. (EST) and can be accessed for free on YouTube, while the pay-per-view starts an hour later. WWE welcomes you to a night of utter mayhem with a triple-header main event.
Here’s a full preview of the hellish event, with predictions and in-depth analysis.
WWE Hell in a Cell 2016 Viewing Details
Date: Sunday, October 30, 2016
Time: 7:00 P.M. EST/ 4:00 P.M. PST
TV Channel: WWE Network / Pay-Per-View
Location: TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts
Triple Main Event: Sasha Banks (c) vs. Charlotte; Kevin Owens (c) vs. Seth Rollins; Roman Reigns (c) vs. Rusev
Sasha Banks (c) vs. Charlotte for the WWE Raw Women’s Championship inside Hell in a Cell
The ladies get top billing tonight! Sasha Banks vs. Charlotte is rumored to close Sunday night’s event, which is completely huge for both women wrestling and WWE’s Women’s Revolution, which picked up steam in the summer of 2015 with the arrival of these two powerful technicians of the squared circle looking to change the game of women’s wrestling forever. And tonight will be the next chapter in this saga, not just for each lady in the cell, but for their entire division across both brands. But who will make it out on top this round?
Charlotte is one of the most dominant wrestlers of the New Era. At first, people doubted her because she relied too much on her father’s name and presence at ringside, but since she turned her back on “The Nature Boy,” she’s broke out on her own and became the absolute powerhouse of the Raw championship scene all alone. But Sasha just won’t let Charlotte hog all the spotlight. “The Boss” Sasha has really shown why she is The Rock to Charlotte’s Stone Cold Steve Austin; they are rivals of epic proportions facing off under the bright lights. But Rock and Austin never faced in a Hell in a Cell, but Charlotte and Sasha will!
But if I were to choose who is more likely to come out on top, I’d have to go with “The Boss” Sasha Banks. She has the presence of an in-ring veteran, both in charisma and in-ring performance. Both competitors are already on their way to a Hall of Fame quality career. But Charlotte really shined the most in 2015 and much of 2016. Now, it’s Sasha’s time to shine, as she needs to build herself up further to reach her full potential, to become legendary. And on this night, both will go down in professional wrestling history!
Prediction: Sasha Banks retains the Raw Women’s Championship after defeating Charlotte
Kevin Owens (c) vs. Seth Rollins for the WWE Universal Championship inside Hell in a Cell
“This is the Kevin Owens Show, haven’t ya heard?!” Yeah, well, you’re forgetting Seth Rollins, a performer who has forcefully retired an icon, who broke John Cena’s nose, who has been standing atop the WWE’s main event scene for almost two years. Sorry, Big Kev, but it’s not all about you. I hope Y2J doesn’t put me on the list for saying this. But Kevin Owens will be taken to the limit inside this tall, steel structure of hell and pain. And Seth Rollins knows more than anybody on the WWE roster how to dish out the destruction. But who will win between the universal titans of the New Era?
Kevin Owens is an in-ring general, a juggernaut in the squared circle, with an intense offensive style that leaves his opponents shaken and sometimes broken. Owens certainly has “it.” Hopefully, Chris Jericho can take me off the list by now. I don’t belong there!
But Seth Rollins has been there; inside the devil’s playground, inside the demonic structure that is Hell in a Cell. Rollins defeated his former Shield brethren Dean Ambrose in the 2014 edition of Hell in a Cell. By the very skin of his teeth, Rollins can pick up a victory and he may pick one up this Sunday against Kevin Owens. But will he really? I don’t think so. Owens hasn’t been a champion for long and losing so soon to Seth Rollins will only hurt his credibility and Raw’s main event scene (which would be hurt the most). Raw needs a dominant bad guy that has a crossover appeal that makes people both cheer and boo. And his interactions with Y2J are just golden. WWE needs to keep the title on him for as long as possible, plus a potential feud between him and his best friend Chris Jericho wouldn’t have the appeal or drama without the big red belt on the line (along with their friendship). Don’t be surprised to see Jericho interfere in tonight’s contest in some fashion (with or without his $750 yak hair scarf). Without a doubt, Big Kev will make it out of this one as the top dog on the Raw brand
Prediction: Kevin Owens retains the WWE Universal Championship after defeating Seth Rollins
Roman Reigns (c) vs. Rusev for the WWE United States Championship inside Hell in a Cell
Hey, WWE smarks, remember when people online were complaining about how WWE’s poor booking of the mid card division has made the U.S. Championship irrelevant? Well, look now, that same irrelevant championship is up for grabs inside a Hell in a Cell match. What do you have to say about that, smarty pants? Looks like the mid card scene has rebounded, not just on Raw, but on SmackDown too with The Miz and Dolph Ziggler. WWE is trying to build up their brands after the WWE Draft, and they know the glue that keeps each brand together is a solid mid card scene with performers chomping at the bit to reach main event status. So now, we have reluctant anti-hero Roman Reigns putting up his newly won U.S. Championship against the likes of “The Bulgarian Brute” Rusev in what is sure to be a hellish showdown.
Who will make it out of this one with the U.S. gold? This will be a close contest with several near falls and expect Lana to interfere by throwing Rusev a weapon. But Rusev’s brute strength should be enough to subdue Reigns for much of the match. But Reigns won’t be pushed around for too long in the match and is sure to make a dominating comeback in the middle and towards the end. Though will that be enough to conquer the Bulgarian strongman?
Raw needs to keep a strong mid card, and if they get the title off of Reigns this early, it’ll hurt the division. There isn’t much depth to the mid card division, but those at the top are stars who are fingertips away from the main event scene. Reigns seems to be an obvious choice as a challenger for Kevin Owens’ Universal Championship in the future, but in the present, he belongs in the mid card scene. Rusev also looks primed to a main event quality feud, and can pull off a feud with Seth Rollins and could potentially turn into a beloved baby-face (good guy) against the cunning Kevin Owens.
Prediction: Roman Reigns retains the WWE United States Championship after defeating Rusev inside Hell in a Cell
T.J. Perkins (c) vs. Brian Kendrick for the WWE Cruiserweight Championship
Now, it’s time to take a peek at the high-flying action of WWE’s cruiserweight division! Expect a showcase of aerial magnificence and in-ring drama. Brian Kendrick is a desperate man, and desperate times often call for desperate measures (I know I heard that saying somewhere). But will the younger T.J. Perkins be able to stop the wily veteran in Brian Kendrick? Or will Kendrick show that experience trumps flash, as a lifetime in the ring bests a lifetime trying to fly?
But who will walk away with the Cruiserweight gold? Who will walk away with the big purple strap? T.J. Perkins has just been champion for six weeks, so wouldn’t him losing the belt so soon hurt both him and the division? My answer is no. The cruiserweight division is awesome and all, but it’s starting to become an afterthought compared with the other divisions on the Raw brand. And Brian Kendrick is loaded with charisma and you can just feel how much this guy wants to win. Expect Kendrick and Perkins to trade title wins before the end of the year. This will help keep people interested with the cruiserweight concept and give them more of a reason to be invested in those matches.
Prediction: Brian Kendrick defeats T.J. Perkins to win the WWE Crusierweight Championship
Other Predictions
– The New Day defeats Cesaro and Sheamus to retain the WWE Raw Tag Team Championship
– Bayley defeats Dana Brooks
– Enzo Amore and Big Cass defeats Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson
