Welcome to another edition of eWN Ring Position, where we gather some of the most active writers here on eWrestlingNews and share the platform to answer some questions surrounding a centralized topic, upcoming event, etc.
This is meant to showcase the potential for both a wide range of perspectives as well as how sometimes, there can be a group consensus no matter what your viewpoint is, so we also invite all of you to join in on the discussion by answering these questions yourself in the comments section below.
For this particular volume, we’ll be focusing on the WWE Hell in a Cell 2018 pay-per-view.
Participants for this round = Anthony Mango, Richard Staple, Kyle Dunning, Ethan Absler and Yiannis Bouranis.
1) “Which heel turn is working better right now for what WWE is trying to accomplish: Braun Strowman or Becky Lynch?”
MANGO: Braun Strowman’s, for sure. Even though I’m completely against both of them, at least the Strowman one has been met with a mixed reaction and some form of an upgrade of cheers for Roman Reigns. On the other hand, Charlotte Flair continues to get booed while Becky Lynch continues to get cheered. That heel turn is dead with Becky, but with Strowman, it’s still going, even if it isn’t as strong as they likely hoped.
STAPLE: I’d probably say Braun Strowman for what they’re going for, but that’s only because Becky has a noble cause. Think about it. Lynch has been busting her ass for months to try and get back into the title scene and she finally got the one on one bout against Carmella that she earned at Summerslam. And she got that title match by beating the champion, so she knew she could do it again. Then Charlotte comes back from out of nowhere after losing to Carmella twice, sneaks her way into the title match, visibly steals the win and leaves Becky with nothing to show for her all of her efforts. Becky is basically someone doing the right thing the wrong way, according to WWE narrative anyway.
Braun is just a guy that has to be on the opposite end of Roman Reigns because the two have a history together and Braun being the heel has always been the dynamic they worked with. Funny, though, because I don’t necessarily think Braun did anything that was really heelish. All he did was even up the playing field against The Shield, and he was the one that was attacked without provocation to start with anyway. I was thinking they were actually setting up a Roman Reigns heel turn which would make more sense considering how they started the feud.
DUNNING: A difficult question as you could say neither are getting the full heel treatment from the audience. They’re being booked like heels, but the faces (Roman, Charlotte) are way more unlikable for a good portion of the audience. I believe it’s more to do with their opponents being difficult to cheer for over anything they’re doing. If I had to give an answer I’ll probably say Strowman is working better as he’s got the support of most of the heels on Raw, while Becky is fighting for the “common man/woman” against the entitled and privileged daughter of Ric Flair.Charlotte is naturally amazing as a heel, and the fans want to boo her and cheer Becky in this situation. So Strowman is doing better .. but not by much. The reason he was turned face, to begin with, was due to his feud with Roman getting him over. Many fans loved to see him savagely (& regularly) beat Reigns, and the feeling hasn’t changed. At this point, I’d say Becky & Strowman are heels to some of the audience, and faces to the rest, much like Charlotte and Roman in vice versa. They’re all tweeners.
ABSLER: There is no doubt in my mind that Becky Lynch’s heel turn is working way better than Braun’s. This is not a knock on Braun, but Becky’s turn is more believable, emotional, warranted. One of the things that fans loved about Braun was that he was a face, but an absolute symbol of destruction at the same time. Now that Braun is aligned with the RAW Tag Champs, he’s destroying guys that the WWE Universe is fond of as well: The Shield. This turn in my opinion backfired and made me less excited for Reigns vs Strowman at HIAC this Sunday.
BOURANIS: I think we have to wait to see the outcome of the Hell in a Cell pay-per-view. I believe the heel turn of Becky Lynch is working better right now and I am of the opinion that the WWE should have Lynch win the title on Sunday.
On the other hand, Roman Reigns continues to receive a big “push” by the company, so I am not sure the WWE will let the Big Dog drop his title so soon. Moreover, the addition of Mick Foley to the match as the special guest referee is part of the storyline and I am sure Fowley will interfere in the match.
2) “Which superstar do you feel is the biggest omission from this card, and how would you add that person to the lineup if you could?”
MANGO: Shinsuke Nakamura and the complete absence of the United States Championship. How has WWE dropped the ball so much not just with him, but with the title itself? If they had no plans for him whatsoever, why didn’t they give the title to The Miz or Daniel Bryan to just keep that in the spotlight? At this point, it would be just a mercy match and not a real feud, but if I were to book Nakamura onto this card, I’d probably put him up against R-Truth in the pre-show and just play into the idea of Truth wanting that title shot with Carmella.
STAPLE: Easily Shinsuke Nakamura. The guy just isn’t being treated as a big deal. I’ve personally enjoyed watching Smackdown for the past month or so, but the lack of featuring your brand’s secondary champion is quite disturbing. The United States Championship especially has been treated like a joke for all of this year and that trend has continued with the absence of Nakamrua’s presence. How can the guy who won this year’s Royal Rumble and challenged for your company’s 2nd most important title at WrestleMania not find screen time on Smackdown. The easiest way I would have remedied this was to have a comedy backstage segment with Nakmaura and R-Truth and set up something like that. R-Truth has been magnificent in his role and it’s just something for Shinsuke to do.
DUNNING: I don’t usually think about who isn’t on a card, so I’ll have to look at the rosters to check on who isn’t being used. I see there’s a lot of singles matches and two tag matches, so I’d like some form of multi-man/woman match, like a battle royal with all those not being used from both brands. Give the winner #1 contender for the IC/US/Woman’s title depending on the show they’re on. They need to take advantage of the fact it’s a dual-branded show .. or what’s the point?
ABSLER: Now that The Bar has no place on the card, I would like to see them in at least a kickoff match.In addition, Andrade Almas doesn’t have a spot on the card either so adding him would be beneficial to the show.
BOURANIS: I would say Finn Balor. Maybe a match with Baron Corbin would be ideal, especially with Corbin’s status as the acting GM of RAW being on the line as the stipulation.
3) “Do you feel like Hell in a Cell is getting lost in the shuffle with Super Show-Down’s promotion, vice versa, or are both shows doing okay in their build so far?”
MANGO: I can’t help but feel like only half of Hell in a Cell matters, or Super Show-Down is just rematches of Hell in a Cell, and it’s almost as if WWE booked one card and then realized they had two events coming up to fill, and figured “meh, let’s split it in half, and with the other half, throw in some filler tag team fights and do some rematches and that’ll be good enough.”
STAPLE: They’ve really only been pushing the HHH/Taker match for Super Showdown, so I don’t think the booking for both shows have conflated with each other. If there are any issues with the individual shows, they aren’t the product of being promoted at similar intervals.
DUNNING: I’m a little irked they’ve put so much hype into The Undertaker vs. Triple H when they need to focus on the next generation. Neither of ’em are going to be around next decade (in the ring), and it’s more important than ever for WWE not to do a WCW by relying too much on their aging talent. They’ve struggled to sell Hell in a Cell in recent times (how can you when there’s no blood or actual carnage?), and as much as I love him and have read two of his books, Foley doesn’t make me want to see Strowman vs. Reigns anymore than I already do. I am looking forward to it, but I’m yet to figure out how Foley can add to this match, other than being an emotional figure between two men who show very little.
ABSLER: I think both shows are doing okay in their build so far, but with that being said, I think some of the Women’s division is getting lost in the buildup for Evolution.
BOURANIS: I think both shows are doing okay, but what I would want to see is a face-to-face confrontation between Triple H and the Undertaker. But, I am not sure the creative team has any plans to do so until the final week before the Super Show-Down.
4) “What match are you most excited to see on this pay-per-view?”
MANGO: In terms of in-ring action, I think the best will probably be the Raw tag title match. However, factoring in every element, I’m more excited about Joe/Styles or Lynch/Flair due to the potential title changes. More on all of this in my Heat Index post, per usual.
STAPLE: I wouldn’t necessarily say there’s a match that I am excited to see that’s been announced so far, simply because the matches haven’t been booked the best or that there’s not enough heat behind the matches. I am interested to see the heel Becky in action back in the ring again, and whoever The New Day is facing this Sunday should make for a competitive back and forth affair. But I’m not necessarily foaming at the mouth for any one particular match. It’s simple because with WWE, you’re essentially getting a box of chocolates. You don’t know what you are going to get. Theoretically, this should be a great show. But booking can always ruin the enjoyment that comes along with the experience. If AJ and Joe work an actual finish with the same intensity they had at Summerslam, sign me up for that.
DUNNING: I’ve been a fan of TNA/Impact for a decade now, and had someone told me in 2008 we’d see AJ Styles vs. Samoa Joe for the WWE title in 2018 I’d have been shocked .. in a good way. I still think we see only a fraction of what they’re capable of, but their chemistry and history is enough to make it a pairing I never tire of seeing in any setting. I’m hoping Joe wins to validate his career.
ABSLER: I’m most excited for AJ Styles vs Samoa Joe. Even though it isn’t inside of the Cell, I think these guys will put on a clinic that will be equally as intense as their very personal rivalry.
BOURANIS: Charlotte Flair vs Becky Lynch, not only because they are former best friends, but because Lynch has done a decent job as a heel so far and I think she deserves to become champion. Moreover, a title change in this match would help the storyline further evolve.
5) “Agree or disagree: Samoa Joe must win the WWE Championship here.”
MANGO: 100%. If he doesn’t, their match at Super Show-Down will be completely stupid, as that means Styles has two feuds where his challenger keeps getting title shots despite failing. Plus, Joe hasn’t done anything at all since joining the main roster. He attacked Rollins, missed WrestleMania, bounced around a few feuds that he predominantly lost, missed another WrestleMania, bounced around again, and he’s not won a single title or important fight that really makes him look like a threat. Winning this title cements him as someone worth that top spot, and if he doesn’t win it at Hell in a Cell, he’ll have lost too much momentum by the time Super Show-Down happens, to be able to head into Survivor Series with any real steam behind him. On top of this, if he faces Roman Reigns in a champion vs. champion affair and loses, he’ll look like a weak champion by December.
STAPLE: I wouldn’t necessarily say “MUST”, but if there was any time to pull the trigger on WWE Champion Samoa Joe, now is the damn time. It just makes too much sense to not do it. I thought WWE should have taken a gamble with him going over Brock in the summer of last year but that obviously didn’t happen. I love AJ Styles just as much as the next guy, but is it wrong for me to see somebody different holding WWE’s top title, just to shake things up a bit? Joe has all the heel mannerisms in the world, can go in the ring, can cut promos and has a unique look about him. There’s no time like the present to take advantage of one of your best pure heels, and that’s by putting WWE’s top championship around his waist and give him what he’s long deserved.
DUNNING: Disagree. While I do think it would validate his career and be an amazing moment, the feud could be extended beyond Hell in a Cell. This is a personal rivalry which needs to escalate to another level to give Smackdown a selling point. AJ needs to snap and do something to Joe which makes the fans question his face status (like Gargano in NXT).
ABSLER: Staying on the subject, I disagree that Samoa Joe needs to win the title here. If he does, good for him, but Joe is one of the most intense and talented performers WWE has seen in a long time. He will work himself back up to a title contention again should he fail this Sunday.
BOURANIS: That would be a good idea, however I don’t believe it will happen, as AJ Styles is doing great as babyface. If the WWE wants to have Samoa Joe win the title that could happen in one of the company’s biggest pay-per-views, Survivor Series. I think that would be the perfect time for Joe to become the WWE Champion.
6) “If you had to pick another match on this card (not one that you’ve added) to be contested inside the Hell in a Cell cage, which one do you think would be the best option?”
MANGO: It would have to be the WWE Championship match. Ronda Rousey and Alexa Bliss doesn’t seem like a Hell in a Cell type feud to me, and I don’t know if I’d throw Rousey into that type of match just yet. The mixed tag team match would be horrendous inside the cage, and I think we’ll see all four participants of the Raw tag title match getting involved in the main event regardless, so that’s already done. Then again, Becky and Charlotte….
STAPLE: AJ/Joe makes too much sense to not be a HIAC match and I can’t understand for the lfie of me why it isn’t (at least as of now it isn’t). But I will say if I had a choice, it’d probably be the RAW Tag Title match between The Shield and the “Dogs of War”. Just for the sake of consistency and since both teams have been a part of the main event match at Summerslam, why not confine the other four men in the six way feud to tear each other apart as well?
DUNNING: I’m a bit confused Jeff Hardy and Randy Orton are in the cell .. other than to give Jeff another crazy spot moment. Aj & Joe would’ve been nice to see, but I’d much rather see Bryan vs. Miz in a singles contest, as their rivalry has the history and heat to pull it off. Instead .. we get a mixed tag which I’m sure most don’t care for. I guess they’ll settle their differences further down the road. And to round this up, thanks for having me for Ring Position again!
ABSLER: Hands down, Charlotte Flair vs Becky Lynch should be inside the Cell. That rivalry has gotten so personal and is so deeply rooted in history, (the four horsewomen) that the demonic structure known as Hell In A Cell is a justifiable place for the women to settle their beef and move the Women’s Evolution further forward.
BOURANIS: I would say the winner of the match between Jeff Hardy and Randy Orton challenging Shinsuke Nakamura for the U.S title.
Big thanks to everyone who took part in this edition!
Those are our thoughts, but what do you have to say about these issues? Keep the discussion going by chiming in via the comments section below!
