WWE Hell in a Cell 2016 Matches: Full Card Breakdown, Bold Predictions and More

WWE Hell in a Cell has become a yearly tradition in pain, as rivals clash inside perhaps the most fearsome structure ever conceived in professional wrestling. Many times, neither wrestler comes out the other side the same.

This year, six more Superstars step inside the structure, including the first two women to ever do so. Sunday will be a night of championship fights and physical showdowns, though this year only between members of the Monday Night Raw roster.

This is how the card stands:

• Kickoff: Cedric Alexander, Lince Dorado and Sin Cara vs. Tony Nese, Drew Gulak and Ariya Daivari
• Bayley vs. Dana Brooke
• Enzo and Big Cass vs. Gallows and Anderson
• WWE cruiserweight champion T.J. Perkins vs. Brian Kendrick
• Raw tag team champions The New Day vs. Cesaro and Sheamus
• WWE United States champion Roman Reigns vs. Rusev in a Hell in a Cell match
• WWE universal champion Kevin Owens vs. Seth Rollins in a Hell in a Cell match
• Raw women's champion Sasha Banks vs. Charlotte in a Hell in a Cell match

Beyond the trio of top matches, the card has quite the variety of showdowns between major performers. Each division is represented twice, and every contest has real stakes and heat.

The following is a breakdown of every match on the WWE Hell in a Cell 2016 card with a look at the rivalries, bold predictions and future possibilities for the wrestlers going into the homestretch of 2016.

Kickoff: Alexander, Dorado and Cara vs. Nese, Gulak and Daivari

Credit: WWE.com

Overview

Over the summer, WWE brought back the cruiserweight division for the Cruiserweight Classic—a fun, alternative wrestling product that gained major praise. When it ended, several performers moved up to the main roster, but they have not yet found the same consistent success.

The primary problem for most of the cruiserweights has been their lack of character development. This Six-Man Tag Team match shows off most of the roster, but it is similar to what we see on Raw every week. There is no reason to root for either team when there is no reason why they are fighting.

Story

Tony Nese and Drew Gulak are bad guys because they like to hurt people and brag about it, while Ariya Daivari is only bad because he doesn't show off much with his offense. Sin Cara and Lince Dorado are exciting luchadores, which makes them teammates, and Cedric Alexander is excitingly explosive in everything he does.

None of this tells us who these six are and why they compete. The CWC gave them a purpose. Now they are not fighting for anything at all. Hopefully the match will be entertaining enough to excite the crowd, but it has no chance of changing the fortunes of the division yet.

Predicted Result: The result here does not matter too much because of the lack of story. It could indicate who might be in line for a future title opportunity, but even that is too far off. The faces seem more favored by WWE Creative, so they'll sneak out a victory. Alexander, Dorado and Cara win by pinfall.

Bold Prediction: No one in this match will fight for the Cruiserweight Championship until after WrestleMania.

Bayley vs. Dana Brooke

Credit: WWE.com

Overview

WWE's revolution in the women's division was driven by many different women, but it would have been impossible without Bayley's contributions. She single-handedly carried NXT for months. By the end of her NXT run, she was being held back just to save the depth in developmental.

When she debuted in the summer, it looked like she was ready to take over, but she was again held back, coming in as a stopgap in the Banks vs. Charlotte feud. The two have moved past Bayley, and she must wait for an opening in the championship scene. As such, she has been left playing a veteran role, helping Dana Brooke.

Brooke came up to the main roster far sooner than Bayley but should have been left developing longer. This slowly built feud has given Brooke time to develop under the guidance of one of the best performers in WWE.

Story

Brooke has grown increasingly insecure thanks to Charlotte's badgering, and she has attempted to prove her worth by bullying Bayley. Despite Bayley's naivety, she is far too tough to ever lie back and take on all of Sunday's opponent's insecurities.

Brooke injured Bayley's right shoulder in their recent match together on Raw, causing the latter to lose. Bayley must now fight her again with a taped-up arm Brooke may have further aggravated when she attacked her again on the go-home Raw.

Predicted Result: Brooke is gaining momentum from this feud but doesn't come off as a real threat to Bayley. If WWE wants to make her into more of a threat than a lackey, she will have to take a victory here. Bayley would then be forced to take her seriously and could rally back. Brooke wins by pinfall through targeting Bayley's bad shoulder.

Bold Prediction: Brooke will get a title shot against Banks before the end of 2016, while WWE will hold Bayley out of the title scene until WrestleMania.

Enzo and Big Cass vs. Gallows and Anderson

Credit: WWE.com

Overview

Raw did not slouch on drafting the top end for its tag team division, but several of the brand's best tandems have seemingly been underutilized. Enzo and Big Cass are the most popular WWE tag team—and perhaps the most popular wrestlers in the promotion as a whole. Gallows and Anderson are proven heavyweights who can put on a great showing against anyone.

Somehow, both have floundered a bit, waiting for a real shot. While Gallows and Anderson had title opportunities against The New Day, they were never truly allowed to stand out, putting over the champs at every turn. Meanwhile, Enzo and Cass were losing matches to The Shining Stars not long ago.

This feud between two of the WWE's best tag teams should do them both good if they can both get victories to sell equal sides of this story.

Story

After losing to The New Day, Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson made a promise to end the fun and games in WWE. Their first targets were Enzo and Big Cass, assaulting them before a scheduled match. While they were just trying to make a statement, they may have angered the wrong duo.

The Realest Guys in the Room came back focused and aggressive, with both men defeating Anderson in singles action. Now they get a chance to truly avenge themselves by defeating Gallows and Anderson, who will be looking to make another statement by putting down WWE's most popular duo.

Predicted Result: Since the feud began, Enzo and Cass have dominated Gallows and Anderson with committed anger. The heavyweights need a victory to stay relevant in this feud and on Raw. Gallows and Anderson win by pinfall.

Bold Prediction: Enzo and Cass will end The New Day's title reign at WWE Roadblock, just after The New Day surpass Demolition's record-setting reign.

T.J. Perkins (c) vs. Brian Kendrick (Cruiserweight Championship)

Credit: WWE.com

Overview

While the cruiserweights have floundered as a whole, T.J. Perkins and Brian Kendrick have far more easily acclimated to the roster with a stronger story and much better-defined characters. The rivalry has carried the division, especially via strong backstage segments.

However, they have yet to have the great match they are capable of. Whether they were nervous or hampered by time, Perkins and Kendrick still need to prove themselves as performers at Hell in a Cell. If they can do that, they may help the cruiserweight division become a bigger part of Raw.

Story

Kendrick and Perkins grew up training together, both attempting to make it in pro wrestling. The one difference between the two was Kendrick started later than Perkins, which is now starting to creep up on Kendrick. Both men got a new opportunity with WWE through the CWC, which Perkins won to pick up the WWE Cruiserweight Championship.

No one will question Kendrick's ability, which earned him a shot at Perkins' championship. However, people can doubt his honor. Instead of trusting his ability, Kendrick relied on cheap tricks in order to win and attempt to gain the championship. He has grown desperate and aggressive as he feels himself growing old and chances are slipping away from him.

Nothing is more frightening than a desperate man, and Perkins may not be ready to face a Kendrick who feels a loss at Hell in a Cell could put an end to his hopes in WWE.

Predicted Result: Kendrick has already admitted he will be unable to defeat Perkins. While this was likely mind games from the veteran, it also seemed like a sign of what is to come. WWE has no reason to move away from Perkins as champion. Perkins retains by submission.

Bold Prediction: Kendrick will continue his downward spiral by going after other championships on Raw, starting with Reigns' U.S. title.

The New Day (c) vs. Cesaro and Sheamus (Raw Tag Team Championships)

Credit: WWE.com

Overview

It is difficult to say whether this match is proof the Raw tag team division is too shallow or WWE has no idea what to do with its midcard performers. Either way, the company seems to have stumbled onto something special with the pairing of Cesaro and Sheamus, who have been hilarious together.

This pairing of personalities has made for a unique match that could surprise many people, even if it is a bit of a one-off. With The New Day on track to break every tag team record, WWE would have to be wholly invested in Cesaro and Sheamus as a team to have them overcome the trio, but it is hard to tell anything about the plans for the duo.

Story

Raw drafted quite the talented roster, and it left many people feeling under-appreciated. Two men who made their frustrations known were Sheamus and Cesaro, whom Mick Foley forced to face one another to prove who was physically superior. After a full best-of-seven series, neither man walked out victorious.

This gave Foley an idea: put the two together in a tag team to get a title shot at The New Day, who have been champions for over 430 days. While the two have failed to find anything in common, they are so powerful individually that they have been able to pick up wins, even taking a non-title victory over the champs.

Still, it will take these rivals finding true common ground to be able to stop the record-setting run of The New Day, which may just be impossible.

Predicted Result: WWE has The New Day heading toward history, and there is little reason to believe they will fail. Cesaro and Sheamus are a makeshift team whose story is still developing. The New Day retain by pinfall.

Bold Prediction: Cesaro and Sheamus will be co-captains for Team Raw at Survivor Series.

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

Credit: WWE.com

Overview

It is not often that WWE places the wrestlers they consider main eventers in feuds for midcard championships, but Roman Reigns had been floundering over the last few months with no real rival. Pairing the brawler with an equally aggressive competitor in Rusev made too much sense.

The two have extremely strong chemistry together, putting on compelling brawls around the ring. However, the story has not been nearly as effective, with too much time spent on inane jokes that often make out Reigns as the bad guy in the feud, with his insistence on aggressively ruining Rusev and Lana's happy marriage.

It is important they make their final clash stick, making the most of the Cell around them. These two are best when they just fight and do not have to talk.

Story

After suffering a string of losses, Reigns found himself in need of a major victory, so he targeted United States champion Rusev, hoping to get a title shot. He got what he wanted, but only after embarrassing the Bulgarian during his wedding celebration on Raw. What started as mind games and a bit of embarrassment quickly turned personal.

These two have brawled, and they have warred to a point it was growing difficult to contain them, especially after Reigns took the U.S. Championship from Rusev at September's Clash of Champions. Now they fight what is likely to be their final battle inside Hell in a Cell, in which both men will not have to be held back from a fight that will grow brutal and perhaps even bloody before it is over.

Predicted Result: This feud has reached its final stage, so the winner of this match will be the victor of the entire conflict. Rusev was never meant to stand above Reigns, and that will be made clear in this final competitive contest. Reigns wins by pinfall.

Bold Prediction: Despite being called one of the three main events, this match will open Hell in a Cell.

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

Credit: WWE.com

Overview

Few wrestlers are as talented as Kevin Owens and Seth Rollins. When creating a brand, they would be among the top five wrestlers you would want at the head. For some reason, though, perhaps because of the story they have been stuck with, the two have not clicked together.

Now they are both stepping inside Hell in a Cell, and it feels unearned. Two of the best fighting for the Universal Championship should feel like a bigger deal than this does. Instead, the biggest star in this angle is Chris Jericho. While this will still likely be a great match, it is hard to be excited for the clash.

Story

Rollins had it all. He was WWE champion, had The Authority's support and had everyone talking him up. Then he got injured last November. In his time away, WWE changed. Stars rose up, while others fell. The Authority disappeared, leaving Stephanie McMahon and Triple H playing a new, more balanced game of power in WWE.

Owens was one of the main beneficiaries of Rollins' time off, putting in great performances and gaining favor to the point he found his way into a title opportunity. No one had realized Owens had grown so much in Triple H's good graces until The Game returned to Raw just in time to screw Rollins out of the Universal Championship in August, basically handing it over to Owens.

Rollins was forced to face the new reality in WWE, one where Owens is the new chosen one and he is left fending for himself. He had to combat that reality by promising to take down the machine, starting with KO inside Hell in a Cell. He will just have to make sure The Game and Jericho don't get in his way.

Predicted Result: Owens' title reigns has not gotten off the ground, and Rollins' face turn may be part of the problem. The Architect has not seemed as comfortable in this role and will need time before gaining the Universal Championship. For now, it only makes sense to keep the belt on Owens. Owens wins by pinfall thanks to multiple distractions.

Bold Prediction: Raw remains the Kevin Owens Show only until the Royal Rumble, when Finn Balor returns to take the Universal Championship back.

Sasha Banks (c) vs. Charlotte (Raw Women's Championship) in Hell in a Cell

Credit: WWE.com

Overview

Have we finally reached a new era for women in WWE? For years, it has seemed more likely that the women would get five minutes than threaten any of the men for match of the night. Now they are putting on contests on par with the men, particularly Charlotte and Sasha Banks, who have impeccable chemistry.

They have told the best story going into Hell in a Cell and may just put on the best match—as long as they don't go too far to make a statement rather than tell a complete story in the ring. While Charlotte and Banks have proved themselves more than enough, this could be the match to solidify this rivalry as perhaps the best of the entire year.

Story

The story of WWE's women's revolution begins with two women: Charlotte and Banks. The two openly sought to prove themselves as more than just filler with great matches on repeat. The two former friends are now on opposite ends, as Charlotte rose to the top far quicker than Banks.

They both want the Raw Women's Championship more than anything. Banks will hope to retain her championship, while Charlotte will try to hold the title for a third time and continue an impressive undefeated streak on PPV that goes all the way back to when she first became champion in September 2015.

Both are so convinced champion status is what they need, they will be the first women to ever step inside Hell in a Cell for that gold.

Predicted Result: The series of title matches between Banks and Charlotte is tied 2-2, which makes this the decider as well as the chance for Banks to prove she can defeat Charlotte on PPV rather than just Raw. Since she will likely hold the Raw Women's Championship into WrestleMania, she can't lose the gold again so soon. Banks wins by submission.

Bold Prediction: The women will not only end this show but also have the best match of the night.