WWE Hell In A Cell 2017: Assessing The Potential Quality Of All 8 Matches

1. Kevin Owens Vs. Shane McMahon - Hell In A Cell Match

Shane McMahon Kevin Owens
WWE.com

This all depends on your tolerance for the Shane McMahon character.

Enjoy Shane for how he is presented - as a valiant daredevil bada**, who wrestles only when pushed to his storyline limit - and this becomes a potentially awesome spot of pure sports entertainment.

Resent Shane for the plot holes and the disproportionate booking treatment, and this becomes a senseless spot-fest. Even a well-executed match, like his WrestleMania 33 opener opposite AJ Styles, becomes a perplexing exercise in anti-logic. If he can take AJ Styles to the limit, hasn't this man missed his calling in life? Isn't it sort of bullsh*t that this heroic babyface gets to train and rest for weeks, while his heel opponents must sweat through the bruising house show circuit?

Both camps cannot deny the admittedly awesome thrill that is Shane McMahon f*cking himself up for our entertainment. With Kevin Owens in the opposite corner, a specimen in his physical prime, there should be no repeat of his ponderous MMA tribute festival with the Undertaker at 'Mania 32. This should be a chaotic, heated, violent stunt festival. Here's hoping that the latter set are rewarded with something that also makes some sort of in-universe sense, and isn't Kevin Owens trembling at the might of Shane's awful worked punches. The build doesn't really bode well.

The glass is half empty.

Maximum Star Rating Ceiling: ***1/2

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!