WWE Hell in a Cell 2016: Preview

Hell in a Cell, Source: WWE.com

Hell in a Cell is the most unforgiving structure in WWE. This Sunday, a triple main event headlines the annual pay per view named for the cage.

On Sunday, October 30, WWE and Monday Night Raw present Hell in a Cell. Emanating from the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts, this year’s event will feature a triple main event. Each of the main event matches is a championship match, and each will take place inside the Hell in a Cell structure.

WWE introduced the Hell in a Cell match nearly 20 years ago. The first match to take place inside the giant, roofed cage was on October 5, 1997, at Badd Blood. Shawn Michaels became the number one contender for the WWE Championship by defeating the Undertaker – thanks in part to interference by the debuting Kane.

Since 2009, Hell in a Cell has been the centerpiece of its own pay per view special. Each October, the demonic structure hangs above the ring, lowering to change the lives of each superstar brave enough to step inside. To date, 33 matches have taken place inside the cell. And 35 different superstars have survived the horrors of competition inside the giant cage – some just barely.

This year, four more superstars will set foot in the cell for the first time. And, for the first time in history, two women will compete inside the cell. The trio of matches in the cell prove to be intense, as there’s no love lost between any of the competitors involved.

In addition to the main event matches, Raw will present a card with four other matches, plus one on the Kickoff Show. Two of those matches are championship contests, so the intensity should be high all night.

Please continue reading for our preview of WWE Hell in a Cell 2016.

Source: WWE.com

Sin Cara, Lince Dorado, & Cedric Alexander vs. Drew Gulak, Tony Nese, & Ariya Daivari (Kickoff Show)

Since the end of the CWC, the only cruiserweights to appear on pay per view have been in a Cruiserweight Championship match. That changes on Sunday, if you count the Kickoff Show as part of Hell in a Cell.

To get the action started in Boston, six of the top cruiserweights in WWE right now will compete in a trios match. Drew Gulak and Tony Nese have been teaming together with some regularity in recent weeks. They’ll be joined by Ariya Daivari, who quietly turned some heads with his CWC work, both as part of the tournament and in exhibition matches.

Their opponents will be Sin Cara, Lince Dorado, and Cedric Alexander. Dorado and Sin Cara were paired up on October 10, and scored a victory over Gulak and Nese. Adding Alexander to the fold only ups the excitement factor.

The cruiserweights getting a spot to shine is a great way to set the tone for the rest of the show. It’s been said that you should put your best foot forward. What better way to get the crowd excited for what’s coming next than high-flying, lucha libre styled action?

Bonus points for anyone who watches Superstars on a regular basis: this is a rematch from this week’s episode. On Superstars, Alexander, Dorado, and Sin Cara pulled down a victory. Will Gulak, Nese, and Daivari even the score at Hell in a Cell?

Source: WWE.com

Bayley vs. Dana Brooke

Since making her Raw debut months ago, Bayley has been pestered by Dana Brooke. The blonde powerhouse has been a thorn in the side of the Huggable One from Day One.

Whether working on her own accord, or in cahoots with her mentor Charlotte, Brooke has been the master of the sneak attack. Time and time again, she’s found Bayley at her most vulnerable and struck. Sometimes it’s been successful, sometimes it hasn’t. But each time, it’s struck a nerve with Bayley.

Worse than the sneak attacks, Brooke managed to score an upset victory over Bayley on October 17. Of course, Dana didn’t think it was an upset, but most members of the WWE Universe would likely disagree. Worse still, Bayley suffered a shoulder injury in that defeat.

This past week on Raw, Dana issued a challenge to Bayley for a rematch – in an arm wrestling contest. Using it as a ruse to further attack Bayley’s shoulder, Dana looks like she has the advantage going into Hell in a Cell.

Will Bayley be able to overcome the injury and knock Dana down a peg? Or will the powerhouse Brooke continue to find ways to make Bayley’s life miserable for the foreseeable future?

Source: WWE.com

Enzo Amore & Big Cass vs. Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson

There aren’t two more different tag teams in all of WWE than these two. Whatever you have with Enzo and Cass, you get the complete opposite with Gallows and Anderson.

On one side of the ring, you have the fun loving duo of Enzo and Cass. Before each match, the two hop on the mic and basically have singalong time. Enzo dances around the ring like a goofball, and Cass is one of the funniest non-comedians there is. Perhaps surprisingly to some, the Realest Guys in the Room can back it up in the ring when push comes to shove.

In the other corner, you have the all business, no jocularity Gallows and Anderson. Sure, they gave the whole goofball thing a whirl when they dressed up like doctors and made sophomoric jokes. But after an ill-advised “Old Day” parody, they abandoned humor in favor of pain.

So far, it hasn’t really worked out for them. Arguably the top two tag teams on Raw are the New Day and Enzo & Cass, who have more fun than anyone. Meanwhile, Gallows and Anderson have gone the serious route to little success. Ask yourself: When was the last time Gallows and Anderson won a match?

At Hell in a Cell, will Gallows and Anderson be able to finally stamp out some of the fun clouding the tag division? Or will Enzo and Cass continue to do things their way and roll to another victory?

Source: WWE.com

Raw Tag Team Championship Match: The New Day (c) vs. Cesaro & Sheamus

After spending weeks locked in a Best of Seven series of matches, Cesaro and Sheamus fought to a draw in the deciding seventh match. With no clear-cut winner, there would be no bragging rights. But more importantly, no winner meant no one earned a championship opportunity.

Or did it? When Mick Foley promised the winner of the series a title shot, he kept his word even after no one won. Foley decided that Cesaro and Sheamus would still get that opportunity for gold – as a team, working towards the Raw Tag Team Championship.

The alliance got off to a rocky start, since Cesaro and Sheamus can’t stand each other. In recent weeks, they’ve shown flashes of teamwork, but they’re still not always on the same page. In fact, often times they don’t look like they’re in the same book.

Meanwhile, the New Day have been WWE/Raw Tag Team Champions longer than anyone. When Big E, Kofi Kingston, and Xavier Woods walk into TD Garden, they will have held the titles for 434 days. Only Demolition’s reign as World Tag Team Champions is longer than New Day’s current reign, and the gap is narrowing.

You don’t hold tag team championships for well over a year if you don’t get along. Camaraderie and chemistry are crucial to success in a team setting, and Cesaro and Sheamus are severely lacking in those aspects.

But on any given Sunday, anything can happen. It may not be the longest reign in history, but if Cesaro and Sheamus get on the same page, they could end a historic title reign at Hell in a Cell.

Source: WWE.com

WWE Cruiserweight Championship Match: TJ Perkins (c) vs. Brian Kendrick

In a rematch from Clash of Champions last month, TJ Perkins will defend the Cruiserweight Championship against his friend and mentor Brian Kendrick. At this point, however, Kendrick may be more of a former friend to Perkins.

Perkins successfully defended his title against Kendrick the first time around. Kendrick has been alternately devious and despondent in recent weeks. Determined to prove that he still has something left in the tank, the wily veteran Kendrick is out for blood.

Following his defeat at Clash of Champions, Kendrick attacked Perkins after the bell. Several weeks later, he attempted another sneak attack in the locker room – but Perkins was ready and struck first.

Bigger than the sneak attacks, Kendrick scored a submission win over Perkins several weeks ago in a nontitle match. Knowing that he can defeat the champ should give Kendrick confidence heading into Hell in a Cell, but he seems down again.

A loss to Rich Swann on Raw this week led to Kendrick approaching Perkins in the locker room again. This time, though, Kendrick asked Perkins to lay down for him on Sunday. Another loss and Kendrick feels like his career renaissance will end abruptly, and he needs more time.

Not one to lie down for anyone, Perkins will be sure to bring the fight on Sunday. Will Kendrick follow suit?

Source: WWE.com

WWE United States Championship Hell in a Cell Match: Roman Reigns (c) vs. Rusev

At Clash of Champions, Roman Reigns defeated Rusev to capture the United States Championship for the first time. However, the war between these two heavyweights is far from over.

Rusev failed to regain the title in his first rematch opportunity, so his wife and manager Lana challenged Reigns to one more match. As is his tendency, Reigns responded by not taking the matter seriously and making jokes. Lana screamed at him to “Go to hell!” as Rusev launched a sneak attack on The Big Dog.

While The Super Athlete was celebrating his treachery, Reigns recovered enough to carry out his own sneak attack. He then declared that he would take Rusev to hell with him – by granting the rematch inside Hell in a Cell.

For Reigns, it will be his second trip inside the monstrous steel edifice, as he defeated Bray Wyatt at last year’s event. Rusev is entering the cell for the first time, although his personal hatred for Reigns likely counters any disadvantage of experience.

With two heavy hitters like Rusev and Reigns entering the cell, brutality is almost guaranteed. These two have been vicious in standard singles matches, so what will being enclosed in a cage do to them?

Can Reigns successfully defend the United States Championship? Or will Rusev resume his quest to be the greatest US Champ of all time?

Source: WWE.com

WWE Universal Championship Hell in a Cell Match: Kevin Owens (c) vs. Seth Rollins

Seth Rollins refers to himself as “The Man,” but in recent weeks he’s been more of a man possessed.

With the notion that he deserves to be the Universal Champion ingrained in his mind, Rollins has been hell bent on capturing the gold. After losing to Finn Balor at SummerSlam, Rollins thought he was in line to be handed the title when Balor relinquished it due to injury.

Instead, Rollins was the last man eliminated in a fatal four way won by Kevin Owens – thanks to the interference of Triple H. Having been a protege of The Game, Rollins was stunned – and has spent the last month working to win the title legitimately.

One of the roadblocks to his “destiny” has been not only Owens, but Chris Jericho. Jericho and Owens claim to be best friends, and they have worked together to ensure Owens hangs onto the Universal Championship. The only way to remove any controversy and have a fair fight is to hold this rematch inside Hell in a Cell.

Rollins is 1-0 in Hell in a Cell matches in his career, defeating Dean Ambrose in 2014. Owens has never set foot inside the cell, and his penchant for avoiding danger and living to see another day will be put to the test. Inside the cell, there is no hiding.

Will Rollins get his fair fight inside Hell in a Cell, and if so can he capitalize on the opportunity and win the gold? Or will Owens find a way to win again?

Source: WWE.com

Raw Women’s Championship Hell in a Cell Match: Sasha Banks (c) vs. Charlotte Flair

At the first NXT show held outside of Florida, the main event was Sasha Banks vs. Charlotte.

The first women’s match to main event Monday Night Raw in several years? Sasha Banks vs. Charlotte.