6 Ups & 3 Downs From WWE Hell In A Cell 2022

2. Barnburner Opener

Becky Lynch Asuka Bianca Belair
WWE.com

See, this is the problem with WWE booking. When you see the match graphic, you know you’re going to get a really good match at the PLE. But you have to endure middling to downright terrible TV angles most of the time to get to that banger.

Case in point, the Raw Women’s Championship match between Asuka, Becky Lynch and Bianca Belair. The three all-stars went all-in with their match, hitting each other with everything in their arsenal at high speed, countering each other, weaving in three-way spots, and escaping pinfalls galore.

Asuka’s lethal strikes were on display, as was Becky’s cunning and Bianca’s athleticism. But in the end, it was Belair stealing a page from Lynch, tossing Big Time Becks after she nailed the Manhandle Slam on Asuka and pinning the Empress to retain the title.

It’s worth noting that this match itself wasn’t the original plan for Hell in a Cell, as Naomi was scheduled to win a six-pack challenge to become #1 contender before… well, you know what happened.

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Contributor

Scott is a former journalist and longtime wrestling fan who was smart enough to abandon WCW during the Monday Night Wars the same time as the Radicalz. He fondly remembers watching WrestleMania III, IV, V and VI and Saturday Night's Main Event, came back to wrestling during the Attitude Era, and has been a consumer of sports entertainment since then. He's written for WhatCulture for more than a decade, establishing the Ups and Downs articles for WWE Raw and WWE PPVs/PLEs and composing pieces on a variety of topics.