WWE Hinting at a Fatal 4-Way Main Event at Hell in a Cell

The Hell in a Cell main event promises to be a crowded one.

Many WWE fans assumed that the upcoming pay-per-view would offer another chance for Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose to tear at each other's throats, but things have since gotten complicated. Monday's Raw pointed to that grudge match turning into a Fatal 4-Way.

The timing seemed perfect to pit Ambrose and Rollins against each other in the Hell in a Cell.

Their rivalry was already plenty intense and personal when Rollins crushed his former partner's head against a stack of cinder blocks. A surprise return at Night of Champions a month later had their hatred boiling over once more.

The Hell in a Cell structure offered an arena for those gladiators to have one last battle. 

It looks, though, as if John Cena and Randy Orton are set to share their spotlight. Their overlapping rivalries continued inside Chicago's Allstate Arena on Monday's Raw.

Enter Cena, Enter Orton

Raw opened with The Authority and a furious Rollins demanding that Ambrose return the Money in the Bank briefcase he stole from him on Friday's SmackDown.

The narrative soon welcomed another enraged man—Cena. The former world champ burst out of the backstage area, flinging Rollins into the ring. The villain slipped from his grasp and darted into the crowd, a scene we have watched play out several times with Ambrose as the pursuer. 

It's clear now that Rollins ruining Cena's title chances at Night of Champions was not just a way for WWE to book itself out of a corner—it was the beginning of the path to Hell in a Cell.

In Chicago, Cena continued his tenuous alliance with Ambrose from last week. He teamed with The Lunatic Fringe against Orton and Kane.

Toward the end of that bout, WWE hinted that the hunt for Rollins' head would have Ambrose and Cena become foes as well. As Ambrose stomped on Rollins in the corner, Cena grabbed him by the hips and tossed him aside.

Ambrose responded by sending WWE's golden boy hurtling out of the ring.

That marks the second week in a row where Cena has been more focused on The Architect than the WWE title or Lesnar. It's also the second straight Raw where Ambrose and Cena were at odds. On last week's Raw, those men seemed ready to throw down before Rollins' presence had them divert their focus to their common enemy.

Should Ambrose get a match with Rollins, Cena looks as if he'll demand to fight Mr. Money in the Bank and have no issues with trading blows with Ambrose as well. They won't be alone, though.

The end of that tag match provided another glimpse of the future. Orton floored Ambrose with an RKO before joining in as The Authority assaulted both babyfaces.

Credit: WWE.com

Orton's motivations to enter this war are plentiful.

His issues with Cena go back to their days at WWE developmental. He and Ambrose have battled several times this year on opposite teams in the rivalry between The Shield and Evolution. As for Rollins, The Viper has been increasingly irritated about having to put out fires that Rollins starts.

Should the No. 1 contender spot be on the line in this potential Fatal 4-Way, Orton will bark about still not getting a rematch for the title he lost to Daniel Bryan at WrestleMania.

The story of The Shield disintegrating has bled into a tale of The Authority taking out its enemies. The ideal Hell in a Cell clash with brother-in-arms against brother-in-arms is in danger of being usurped by two big stars.

That's especially true considering WWE's options.

Nowhere Else to Go

After losing out on his chance to dethrone Lesnar, it seemed a safe bet that Cena would get a rematch against The Beast Incarnate. That may still happen but likely not at Hell in a Cell.

According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (subscription required) (h/t Wrestling Inc), Lesnar is not scheduled for the Hell in a Cell pay-per-view.

Couple that with the fact that Lesnar has not shown up to the last two episodes of Raw and has barely been mentioned, and it appears that Cena vs. Lesnar is not on the table for Oct. 26. With no championship shot coming to him and no enemies in his path other than The Authority and possibly Ambrose, it's hard to imagine sticking Cena elsewhere.

Credit: WWE.com

Where else would Orton go?

His last pay-per-view opponent, Chris Jericho, is gone. Y2J hasn't been seen in a WWE ring since Night of Champions, as he's back to being a frontman.

The possible foes for him beyond Jericho are limited. Big Show is engaged in a feud with Rusev. Reigns is recovering from surgery. Taking on Sheamus for the United States Championship makes little sense, as Orton should, in theory, accept nothing less than a world title shot for his next championship opportunity.

Why not just keep Orton or Cena off the card this time, then?

WWE has leaned on those men plenty. It isn't likely to lose out on the possible revenue of having one or both be a part of the show.

Credit: WWE.com

Per The History of WWE, Cena and/or Orton have been in a title match or the main event of eight of nine pay-per-views in 2014. You don't go from being on that tier to taking on some random opponent at the bottom of the card or not wrestling at the event entirely.

The company is going to be seeking a high-profile spot for those men. A Fatal 4-Way involving Ambrose and Rollins with the right to next face Lesnar is the most probable scenario, even if it's not the most fun.

Ambrose vs. Rollins could have been one of the greatest Hell in a Cell matches in recent memory. That potential classic is about to be turned into something messier and less focused.

WWE is headed in a direction with more moving parts, as the present and future converge at Hell in a Cell.