Match Predictions and Heat Index Anticipation Levels
Temperature Scale = Scorching > Hot > Lukewarm > Temperate > Chilly > Cold > Freezing
Heat Index is my assessment of how interesting the segment is, including how excited I am for the match and how intriguing the feud has been. The hotter, the better. Scorching translates to not being able to wait to see it, while Freezing means I couldn’t possibly care less and think it will be awful.
WWE CHAMPIONSHIP HELL IN A CELL MATCH:
Bobby Lashley (c) vs. Drew McIntyre
Heat Index = Lukewarm
Prediction: Bobby Lashley wins.
Thoughts: If WWE wanted McIntyre to hold the title again, wouldn’t he have won it at WrestleMania? Or, wouldn’t he win it at Money in the Bank in front of a crowd? The fact that he isn’t, plus this is the last time he’d get a title shot while Lashley is champion, means the logic is that he won’t win. Of course, WWE hasn’t always used logic, so keep that in mind. The match should be good, but I highly doubt it will be a memorable Hell in a Cell match in the grand scheme of things.
RAW WOMEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH:
Rhea Ripley (c) vs. Charlotte Flair
Heat Index = Lukewarm
Prediction: Rhea Ripley wins.
Thoughts: When the only thing I have to say about a match are “Ripley BETTER retain and I’m afraid she won’t” and “Why isn’t this inside Hell in a Cell instead of Mysterio vs. Reigns?”, it’s not exactly something I’m beyond hyped about. The match will be fine, if not great, but there’s no hook to get me excited about watching another rerun.
SMACKDOWN WOMEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP HELL IN A CELL MATCH:
Bianca Belair (c) vs. Bayley
Heat Index = Lukewarm
Prediction: Bianca Belair wins.
Thoughts: Speaking of “another rerun.” This is the same match we’ve seen what, 4 times in the past year? At least they’re putting it in the cage, which has bumped this from Temperate up to Lukewarm—not that that justifies the low effort put into this, mind you. The feud’s been about Bayley laughing. That’s it. Wow. Took a long time to think that one up and plan that out for the next 4 weeks, didn’t it? This is as bland and low-effort as you can get and just because Belair and Bayley are great doesn’t mean we should let WWE off the hook for being so lazy.
SINGLES MATCH:
Cesaro vs. Seth Rollins
Heat Index = Temperate
Prediction: Seth Rollins wins.
Thoughts: Repeat. Why isn’t this inside the cage? And why is a generic rematch happening? Of course the match will be good, but the feud isn’t as hot as it once was and we JUST saw it. The last WWE could have done was to put this inside Hell in a Cell to add some extra flavor to it. Flip a coin on who wins, as it doesn’t matter. They’ll probably do a fourth and a fourteenth and all anyway. Let’s just go with Rollins since Cesaro won the last one.
SINGLES MATCH:
Alexa Bliss vs. Shayna Baszler
Heat Index = Freezing
Prediction: Alexa Bliss wins.
Thoughts: Whoooooooo caaaaaaaaaares? Someone in WWE absolutely loves this gimmick even at the expense of a lack of logic, no direction and looking foolish. This doesn’t exist to do anything for Baszler or Bliss. It exists because they want to play around with the ThunderDome stuff a little bit more before they go back on the road and can’t do it anymore. None of this matters and it will likely be very embarrassing to watch.
SINGLES MATCH:
Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn
Heat Index = Chilly
Prediction: Kevin Owens wins.
Thoughts: I’m repeating myself so much, but hey, that’s what happens when WWE repeats itself. So here we go again, with me saying “we know Owens and Zayn are great and they’ll put on a fine enough match, but why isn’t this inside the cage and why is it happening again after having so many matches?” Remember when they had their so-called final match years ago just to keep having matches? Again, don’t excuse WWE’s lack of effort just because the 2 performers here will make the best out of a bad situation by having a worthwhile wrestling match for 10 minutes. That’s not okay.
OVERALL PPV:
How excited am I for the event as a whole?
Heat Index = Chilly
Thoughts: A bunch of rematches and everything was thrown together at the last minute, at that. This is disjointed and its very clear WWE flat out does not care about this event. Why would anyone be super pumped about it, seeing how transparent that is? Some of the matches will be entertaining, but I can’t imagine I’ll finish watching this and feel like it was the best event of the year. At the very least, it’s not giving me that hype going into it, so that’s why it ranks so low on the Heat Index. If WWE’s job was to sell me on this being must-see television, they failed. Basically, if I were a casual fan or someone who didn’t cover this for work purposes, this would be the type of show I’d skip out on and then find out the results after.
What do you think is going to happen at WWE Hell in a Cell? Which matches are you most excited to see? Keep the discussion going in the comments below!
