The 2017 Hell in a Cell pay-per-view is scheduled for this upcoming Sunday night and it appears as though the card has been finalized outside of any last-minute additions, which means it’s time for another look at the superstars on the roster who have been skipped over.
For whatever reason, these men and women from the brand weren’t deemed important enough to find a spot for at the event—at least as far as it’s currently being advertised. Some of those omissions might be justified, while others below are a bit more questionable. Let’s take a look at who will be sitting this show out.
Tye Dillinger
As a fan of The Perfect 10, I’m loving how he’s received a bit of a push recently as the third wheel in the United States Championship feud between AJ Styles and Baron Corbin.
Ideally, I wish he could be in that match itself to make it a triple threat instead, but he got a win over Corbin this week and I’ll take what I can get.
Here’s hoping his absence at Hell in a Cell means we’ll see him get something decent to do on the Tuesday following the pay-per-view.
Sami Zayn
Everyone’s favorite underdog was written out of the mix with Kevin Owens powerbombing him on the ring apron—the second time Zayn’s had this scenario happen to him during his WWE career.
I wouldn’t be surprised at all to see him still take a few more weeks off, as to really sell being out of commission from that attack. However, it would be strange if he weren’t one of the members of Team SmackDown at Survivor Series, assuming they’re doing a brand vs. brand scenario again.
Aiden English
We’ve had more Aiden English in recent memory than in a long time, but he’s basically been a random stepping stone for Randy Orton to overcome while keeping him away from wrestling Rusev again.
I wouldn’t have been too shocked had WWE announced English in a pre-show match, but really, who would it have been against?
There’s a chance we see him try to interfere on Rusev’s behalf or singing Rusev’s entrance theme or something along those lines.
From the Women’s Division
Nikki Bella is far too busy on Dancing with the Stars to make her return here. She’s not coming back for a while.
Lana and Tamina are more likely to appear on WWE’s YouTube channel than they are the actual television episodes these days, so they probably won’t be given a match on the card at the last minute.
If they do, they’ll have to be paired up with either Naomi and/or Becky Lynch, as those are the two babyfaces left with nothing to do after taking a backseat to Charlotte Flair.
Then there’s Carmella, who is always in a state of flux as her Money in the Bank contract makes her a possibility, but not a guarantee. The longer she holds onto the briefcase, the more likely she is to cash in, and it could very well happen here, but you can’t call it a certainty.
From the Tag Team Division
We should naturally be seeing The Singh Brothers ringside for Jinder Mahal’s WWE Championship match, but they surprisingly still have not wrestled a single match on SmackDown after all these months. Crazy, isn’t it?
Since The Fashion Files will return at Hell in a Cell and the kickoff match is between The Hype Bros and the team of Shelton Benjamin and Chad Gable, that leaves two other tag teams out in the cold: The Colons and The Ascension.
Both have a chance at making an appearance during the Fashion Files segment—particularly The Ascension, as Konnor and Viktor have been regulars on those skits—but that’s not something to really write home about.
The Leftovers:
Kane and Chris Jericho, as always, are off doing other things and will be continuing that trend for some time. Nothing new on that front.
Erick Rowan and Luke Harper haven’t been seen in months, so it should be no surprise that they aren’t factored into the plans here. Until they reemerge in whatever capacity they’ll be brought back to the roster, this should be the expectation going forward.
When’s the last time you remember Sin Cara doing anything at all, let alone anything of note? ‘Nuff said.
Mike Kanellis has been only making sporadic appearances on SmackDown and hasn’t quite been able to gain much momentum at all since his debut. He was able to pop up on TV this week, but he was quickly dispatched by Bobby Roode. Since there’s no real room left other than the pre-show adding a second match, which they rarely do, and he’d probably lose anyway, Kanellis is better off not being at Hell in a Cell.
Lastly, there’s James Ellsworth, who hasn’t wrestled in a considerable amount of time and will only be showing up if Carmella cashes in her Money in the Bank contract.
Do you think these men and women or any others not on this list should have been booked on the card in some fashion? How would you have utilized them if given the opportunity? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below!
