WWE Hell In A Cell 2017: Assessing The Potential Quality Of All 8 Matches
Ominous signs for the "ominous structure".
SmackDown has suffered a sharp fall from grace in 2017.
The worst thing about following WWE closely is that the company habitually welcomes pessimism by living down to its reputation. Pessimists thought that Enzo and Big Cass weren't long for the main roster world because Vince McMahon doesn't care for tag team wrestling, and he loves big men. The glass is half empty. Pessimists thought WWE would sacrifice the awesome momentum generated by Braun Strowman come No Mercy, purely to safeguard a mooted WrestleMania main event at risk of mass rejection. The glass is half empty. Pessimists thought WWE would botch Bayley on the main roster because a character like hers requires the sort of patient, long-term build incompatible with WWE's philosophy, which, outside of the elite talents, is a mess of often damaging short-term decisions. The glass is half empty.
Pessimists also hold the belief that Vince McMahon doesn't perceive SmackDown with the same importance as he does RAW. With the show suffering in comparison to the flagship in the wake of the Superstar Shake-Up, and subject to failed experiments in terms of writing (Road Dogg) and performance (Jinder Mahal) personnel, those pessimists were proven right. The glass is half empty; appropriately, the card has only half a chance of transcending WWE's disappointing pay-per-view record in 2017.
An even sharper, literal fall might not save Hell In A Cell on Sunday...
8. KICKOFF PRESHOW: Shelton Benjamin & Chad Gable Vs. The Hype Bros
It's hard to anticipate an afterthought, which this match very much is.
There is a degree of interest in the ongoing tension within the latter team, but not enough to warrant a great deal of excitement. It will probably be fine, nothing more, with the presence of the awesome Chad Gable going some way to equalise the apathy. The very existence of a pre-show match in the post-PPV age is a curiosity in and of itself. We've already bought the show. What's the point? Isn't there enough WWE content to consume? It's a match for the sake of a match, contested between two teams we've been given no real reason to invest in.
Maximum Star Rating Ceiling: **
A further segment has been announced, presumably for the main card proper: Breezango are scheduled to "bring back" the Fashion Files. Whether or not this is a platform on which to finally answer the backstage assailant mystery, if that's still even going, is up for debate. What isn't is that Fandango and Tyler Breeze are stupidly entertaining, and thus this segment should provide an involuntary laugh or two.