Who Was Behind Last Night's WWE Hell In A Cell 2019 Disaster?

Aw, son of a bitch.

by Michael Sidgwick
Seth Rollins The Fiend
WWE.com
"It was me, Bray Wyatt! It was me all along, Bray Wyatt!"

- Vince McMahon probably.

Yes, as exclusively revealed by on-fire scoops whizz Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful.com, the unanimously rejected finish to the Universal Title Hell In A Cell match was "a Vince McMahon call". According to backstage sources, McMahon's "sight and vision played out how he wanted it."

A thoroughly expected development, perhaps Vince McMahon has finally watched a horror movie, and decided it would make for gripping sports entertainment content. Really, the Fiend's gigantic mallet was a giveaway. Vince McMahon famously loves a comedy, oversized prop, which he often imposes on the wrestlers you'd like to take seriously as main event propositions.

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Virtually everybody hated the inconclusive nature of the finish, and how it reflects on the new Fiend character, who couldn't get it done, again, in spite of his supernatural powers. We've been here before, but this feels particularly raw: we were encouraged to believe, cruelly, because WWE A) needed very much not to mess the character up and B) went all in on the immediate big push.

Went.

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Past tense.

McMahon, hopefully, isn't aware that these new horror film things he's learned of have sequels, because knowing him, at Fastlane 2020, the Fiend will be vanquished once and for all after Seth Rollins traps him under the Spanish announce table.

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What a shambolic, disheartening night - a sentiment, per Sapp, shared by many backstage.

Bet Vince gets cheered the next time he comes out on RAW.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and surefire Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!