4 Ups And 7 Downs From WWE Hell In A Cell 2018

6. Why A Cell Match?

One of the biggest criticisms about these gimmick-themed PPVs is that oftentimes, matches get shoehorned into the gimmick match rather than it being a natural progression. You would imagine a Hell in a Cell match would be designed to settle a longstanding feud, and the cell would factor heavily into the match.

But the Jeff Hardy/Randy Orton cell match was anything but. The feud has been simmering for a bit on SmackDown, but this was only their second match in the past four months. So clearly, this wasn’t a blood feud that needed to be decided inside Hell in a Cell. It just happened to be September and Hardy had never competed in the cell before.

On top of that, the cell barely factored into the match. Both men threw their opponent into the cell a few times, but until Hardy swung from the top of it, the cell wasn’t a major component. This easily could have been a TLC match considering all the tables, ladders and chairs involved.

But that’s December’s gimmick-themed PPV. Can’t jump the line.