5 Biggest Winners & Losers From WWE Raw (Oct 17)

1. Loser: Hell In A Cell’s Mystique

Hell In A Cell has suffered greatly through the PG Era. Once WWE’s most dangerous and foreboding match gimmick, the change in rating has reduced it to a watered down shell of its former self. Sure, Shane McMahon leapt from the cell at WrestleMania, but WWE’s PG HIAC matches are largely safe, sanitized affairs where the structure is little more than a prop, and the participants would be just as well wrestling without it.

The past couple of weeks have only hammered this point home. Sasha Banks and Charlotte will make history as the first women to ever step foot in the structure, but therein lies the problem: the focus has been on “making history,” and not their immense dislike for one another. This completely drains away the match’s heat, and yes, it’s empowering for them to have this opportunity, but the build is completely devoid of menace.

The Kevin Owens/Seth Rollins build has benefitted from KO’s references to Mick Foley shortening his career by competing in such matches, but the US Title feud has descended into name-calling. Six competitors will step into the once-demonic cell at the PPV, but only one appears to be taking it seriously. Instead of building a sense of dread, five HIAC participants are gleefully skipping towards a match that once guaranteed utter devastation.

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