10 Mistakes WWE Can't Afford To Make With Hell In A Cell 2016
8. Play It Safe
Hell In A Cell isn’t special any more. Overexposure to the gimmick has completely sapped its attractiveness, and the PG format has rendered it redundant. Shane McMahon may have dived from the cell at WrestleMania, but his actions were a one-off in the modern era, and as a whole, his match with The Undertaker was a plodding, insomnia-curing affair.
The PG rating prevents WWE from taking major risks in the cell. You’re not going to see any of those old Mick Foley spots anymore, and while that’s definitely good for the wrestlers’ health (which is the most important thing), it has reduced HIAC to “just another match.” Most of WWE’s PG Era HIAC matches play out like standard exhibition contests, and the cell isn’t even a factor.
Rusev vs. Reigns, Owens vs. Rollins, and Sasha vs. Charlotte are three potentially tremendous matches that don’t deserve such a flat conclusion. Nobody, in 2016, should be bleeding bucket loads or crashing through the roof, and we definitely don’t need another Mankind vs. Undertaker, but HIAC desperately needs an edge. If WWE won’t allow their wrestlers to loosen their shackles and up the stakes on Sunday, the may as well scrap the Hell In A Cell concept all together.