7 Things WWE Killed Forever At Hell In A Cell 2019

by Andy H Murray

1. Storytelling

Bayley Hell In A Cell
WWE.com

WWE pride themselves on their supposedly superior storytelling. Vince McMahon has been telling us this for years. Yeah, other companies might have these 200lb guys flipping all over the place, accumulating star-ratings galore, but if you want a good story, you come to WWE, pal.

This is, of course, complete and utter bullsh*t, and it only takes a quick scan of HIAC 2019 to realise it.

Lacey Evans vs. Natalya existed because Nattie got sad about ‘The Sassy Southern Belle’ using her finisher. Natalya, a supposed babyface, attacked Lacey after tapping her out. Randy Orton vs. Ali had literally zero build. Bayley and The Kabuki Warriors swapped alignments without explanation. Charlotte Flair became a 10-time main roster Women’s Champion for no reason. Chad Gable’s gimmick is now “Shorty.” The company’s most naturally over act, The Fiend, is now an ineffective, hokey husk of a character.

… and yet WWE is the storytelling promotion. Seriously?

Rather than their strong suit, these stories are WWE’s biggest weakness. They are so inexplicably awful at this that it’s hard to think of a modern promotion that does a worse job, with everyone from NJPW to Beyond leaving them in the dust, despite the constant parroting.

Creatively, this is 2000 WCW. These are the dying days of the AWA.

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Andy has been with WhatCulture for six years and is currently WhatCulture's Senior Wrestling Reporter. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.