10 Things WWE Wants You To Forget About WrestleMania 39

5. The Cursed Hell In A Cell Match

John Cena WrestleMania
WWE.com

The Hell In A Cell match between Edge (sorry, Brood Edge) and Finn Bálor was something of a disaster. Finn in particular worked very hard to rescue it in the moment, but it will only ever be remembered after the fact for the blood stoppage. In Hell.

And the silly colour-coded weaponry.

WWE will never recover the mystique of the old Cell matches. With no blood and no stunts without a crash pad, and the fact that half the roster has emerged from working several completely unscathed, that is impossible.

If this particular Cell match however was an attempt to embrace the cornball shlock of the gimmick match - and make it feel like a preposterous, tongue-in-cheek blockbuster instead of a hate-fuelled brawl - it failed on that level, too. It was too dumb for its own good. A traditional match against GUNTHER, with no plunder involved whatsoever, seemed far more painful to endure than a weapons-filled Cell match (and far more intense).

This particular Cell match died, but in tone and significance, the decision to abandon the annual Hell In A Cell pay-per-view has made no difference.

The gimmick just... is what it is now, irrespective of how infrequently it returns.

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 current Undisputed WWE 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!