WWE Hell In A Cell 2017: Assessing The Potential Quality Of All 8 Matches
5. Natalya Vs. Charlotte - WWE SmackDown Women's Title Match
There is no doubt whatsoever that Charlotte and Natalya are capable of crafting something magical together.
Their classic match at the first NXT TakeOver, in May 2014, was the first true step in the Women's Revolution. An hermetic masterclass of submission-based storytelling, it was a sensational heel performance from Charlotte, who gradually dialled up the viciousness - and consequently, the heat - with the pacing of an expert. She'd only been wrestling for two years. She has improved considerably since then. Natalya, meanwhile, has grown as both an in-ring talent and a performer on the blue brand. Based solely on potential and the respective ability levels of the two performers involved, this could reach minor classic territory.
There is also no doubt whatsoever that main roster creative is only nominally creative, more often than not; that's why, at Payback 2016, WWE rehashed the Montreal Screwjob finish a good 19 years after everybody stopped caring about it. Which is all a roundabout way of proposing that this match, bluntly, will be as good as WWE wants it to be. That it's their first PPV meeting for the SmackDown Women's title triggers some concerns of an inconclusive result - WWE's preferred method of dragging out any and all programmes, which in and of themselves are rarely one-and-done affairs.
Pessimistically, expect Natalya to intentionally count herself out after 11 minutes.
Maximum Star Rating Ceiling: ***3/4