WWE Hell in a Cell: Finding the Silver Lining of the Finger to a Generation

I usually start off articles with a quote that sum up the article's focus, direction, and meaning.

However, as I meticulously searched the Google machine for something with heart, meaning, and intelligence related to this weekends upcoming pay-per-view; the only thing I kept thinking about was this "quote" from my friend.

As we sat there watching the end of Night of Champions I turned to him and said: "Well, now we only have to wait two more weeks until Hell in a Cell. Can you believe that?

After staring blankly at me for what seemed like an eternity, he simply replied with this...

"

 

(shaking head) "I'm going to bed"

~ My friend, Mike

"

Yup, does that not sum up how the vast majority of us feel?

While I feel that the WWE does nothing positive for their product by continuously shoving pay-per-views down our throats; there is a silver lining (more on this later), but first let's do some math:

The WWE has 13 scheduled pay-per-views this year...13!!

13 events x $55 (the HD price for a pay-per-view) = $715

I've gone to three Live events this year (2 Raws, and the Royal Rumble) = $200

1 "Awesome #40" Miz baseball tee = $40

Grand total = $955, that's a good chunk of change for the average blue collar, working class Joe.

Think about the other sports teams, or sports you're currently a fan of... Does it cost that much per year to be a fan?

Unless you own season tickets to a team, it's probably much more then you currently spend...While it's almost impossible to have season tickets to WWE events; if you do... I'll gladly be your best friend. 

Side Note: With the WWE Network coming to life soon, wouldn't this be a fantastic deal for all involved? You get all 12, 13, or 52 Pay-per-views (whatever number they do next year), two decent tickets to a live event in your area, and a $30 gift card to WWEshop.com for a one-time fee of $550?

Here's another question...

Is Hell in a Cell, and other lackluster events, really needed to fuel profits?

If we try really hard and break down the worth of each pay-per-view we've seen this year,we'll probably find that the WWE could have gotten rid of at least four of the less than stellar events: Elimination Chamber, Capitol Punishment, Over the Limit, and Extreme Rules.

Could the WWE survive without these shows, opting instead for main-event TV "Super shows" where television ad money, and high viewership could potentially make up the difference?

Your guess is as good as mine, but there's no way in hell the WWE is ever going down this road. Pay-per-views are their bread and butter, and nothing I say, or you do is ever going to change this fact. We might as well enjoy the ride, and learn to love the product as it is, and will always be....

Unless you want to start a mass boycott... Let me know how that goes. 

 With this weekend's "Slightly above average temperature in a Cell"... sorry, I meant Hell in a Cell; We are going to witness everything that is currently right and wrong with the current product of the WWE.

The Wrong

It's no secret that the "PG" rating has tamed the "wrestling" product down, and with Hell in a Cell we will see this epitomized.

There will be no blood, no face shots with any weapons, and certainty no one will plummet from the top of the cell structure through anything...

Summed up: There will be no moments that will live on in wrestling lore, and highlight reels.The event will happen, and then we will continue to impatiently wait for Survivor Series and the return of the Rock.   

Having the main events take place within the confines of the Hell in a Cell is probably the only saving grace the WWE planned on when they scheduled this event. How bad would the buys be if we had the same matches, but without the ominous structure taking center stage? 

The WWE, in what is surely a last-ditch effort to sell the "brutality" the structure once stood for, is trying to garner cheap buys for an event that looks about as thrown together as a two year old who just discovered the magic of paste, paper, and a wall.

This in essence will destroy what the Cell structure meant to fans of the WWE over the last two decades. While it will always live on in infamy with the older generations; reminiscing of Mick Foley's fall from the sky, Cactus Jack plummeting through the cage and ring, and the blood bath between Triple H and Batista.  

It will now be remembered for the "better" times in wrestling when men were men, the dangerous and unknown were part of every match, and no one was running a dead-end campaign for senate.

It's truly amazing, but if you watch every Hell in a Cell match in order you can spot every change, direction, era, and image fix the WWE has tried in the past 20 years...

Hell in a Cell simply does not work with a "PG" label stamped on to it. The pessimist in me sees this as the WWE sticking their middle finger up to the "Attitude" generation, while placating to advertisers, moms, and kids who have no knowledge of the past.

If you're going to fully commit to "PG," why ruin and degrade something of meaning to your loyal, hardcore fan base just for the sake of "throwing it in"?

While Hell in a Cell will try to continue the streak of above-average pay-per-view offerings; it will likely leave all of us feeling like Red Sox fans right now... a complete waste of time and opportunity, disappointed, and used.

The Silver Lining & Everything Right

With all that being said... we really can't complain. How excited are you when Sunday rolls around and the WWE has a scheduled pay-per-view event? I know I get excited... no matter how bad, unnecessary, not to mention costly to my budget it is.

The WWE to those who truly appreciate it, and all the spectacle, grandeur, and entertainment it brings will watch with bated breath as the Cell structure is lowered on Sunday night. They will all be excited to see the next step in the ever evolving, changing story arch of the WWE and the athletes that tell its story.

It's why we're fans, it's why we watch, and it's why we voice our opinions; good or bad. We all have opinions on how the product could be, should be better, but it would suit us all better to just go along with the ride, and enjoy the product we have grown to love...

They invented Advil for a reason....

I, for one, will wake up Sunday and enjoy what the sports gods will offer me. A full slate of Football (or what you probably call "soccer" for those reading overseas), followed by a night capper of WWE action. It doesn't get any better then that!

After an exhausting week of work, traffic, errands, appointments, bills to be paid, and the general everyday ass-kicking that the real world usually presents; I will inevitably be thankful that the WWE decided to stick another pay-per-view in.

I will gladly sit back and enjoy a couple "diet Cokes" and watch, hope, and pray that someone gets a chair to the face, someone tries to scale the cell structure, and patiently wait for these questions to be answered....   

Will Mark Henry gain another clean win over Randy Orton? Or will the WWE, once again, slaughter the only relative contender to the "Super" beings of the WWE?

Will John Cena retain the WWE championship against Alberto Del Rio, and CM Punk? What does the future hold for Punk, and his rebellion? What is the agenda of Triple H?

Will Sheamus and Christian put on the five-star match we all know they're capable of? Will Dolph Ziggler appear? Will Air-Boom continue to wear ridiculous matching outfits? Will Kelly Kelly defeat Beth Phoenix three times in a row?

Will there be blood?

I'll see you all here on Monday when inevitably everyone will be voicing their disappointment after they realize John Cena is not only still alive...but still WWE Champion.

Disclaimer: The silver lining mentioned above ceases to exist if Mark Henry loses cleanly to Randy Orton. Then all bets are off, and I'm rioting... Who's coming with me!?