WWE Hell in a Cell 2012: 5 Matches We Do Not Need to See

The WWE is about to go to hell.

Not literally, of course. The company is just a handful of days away from its next pay-per-view, Hell in a Cell.

The gimmick PPV comes at a time when interest in the WWE is generally down and when the TV competition is stiff, so the company is going to have to really deliver the goods this Sunday night.

Can that happen, though? I’m not sure.

Though Hell in a Cell is a B-level PPV and therefore, we shouldn’t expect to see a WrestleMania-caliber card for the show, HIAC is shaping up to be a PPV that I really don’t have a ton of interest in and am not expecting a whole lot out of.

Why? Quite simply, it’s because there are several matches on the card that I just don’t think we need to see.

Please, allow me to explain what I mean.

5. Intercontinental Championship: The Miz vs. Kofi Kingston

The Miz and Kofi Kingston had two really good showings last week, culminating with Kingston winning the Intercontinental Championship in a fantastic match on Main Event.

But that’s the problem.

For some reason or another, the WWE is rushing this feud big time by having The Miz use his rematch at Hell in a Cell, which means it will be the third match between the two in less than two weeks

I’m all for building up a midcard rivalry, and I think the one between The Miz and Kingston has been better than most other recent ones. But I don’t see the benefit of jam-packing this feud into such a short span.

Rivalries need time to develop, and this one won’t be able to do that if Kingston wins at Hell in a Cell, which is exactly what I would expect to happen after the way The Miz was dominated by Ryback on this week’s Raw.

The Miz, who looked like a chump, has now lost three big matches in a row and is likely to lose again on Sunday. Perhaps if he held off on his rematch a bit, we might be able to buy into him more than we currently can.

I’m all for seeing Miz vs. Kingston again. Just not yet.

4. Divas Championship: Eve vs. Layla or Eve vs. Layla vs. Kaitlyn

Neither of these matches is confirmed yet, but based on recent happenings, one of them seems likely.

Layla’s rematch against Eve on last week’s Raw ended in somewhat controversial fashion, which all but ensures that Layla will take on Eve for the Divas Championship again at some point. That was pretty much confirmed on this week’s Raw when Layla and Kaitlyn both attacked Eve backstage.

The basis of this feud is, of course, the “who done it?” angle, with Eve looking like the prime suspect in the attack on Kaitlyn that cost her a shot at the Divas title—a shot that Eve got, which led her to Divas title win.

This whole angle has gotten to be a bit too ridiculous (even by the WWE’s standards), with iPads and cell phones involved in this “Sherlock Holmes-like” mystery that hasn’t exactly resulted in riveting TV.

Eve has been the best performer in this angle, but both Layla and Kaitlyn leave a lot to be desired as both actors and wrestlers. When you’ve got a lame angle that involves average performers, do you really expect us to be entertained?

I like that the Divas are at least getting some TV time, but I don’t think there’s any real benefit to having either Eve vs. Layla or a Triple Threat also involving Kaitlyn at Hell in a Cell.

The match likely wouldn’t get more than three or four minutes, and the outcome (Eve winning) seems rather obvious because neither of the other two are ready to be the face of the Divas division.

3. Random Filler Match…That Makes No Sense

Only five matches have officially been announced for Hell in a Cell so far, which means that we’re destined to get some sort of filler on the pay-per-view.

There are realistic options to round out the PPV card that make sense and that I wouldn’t mind seeing, such as Sin Cara and Rey Mysterio vs. The Prime Time Players, which has at least had some build in recent weeks.

But going into every PPV, I always fear that we’re going to get some unannounced/unadvertised match on the show that is randomly thrown together and has absolutely no build whatsoever.

With guys like Dolph Ziggler and Wade Barrett left completely off the HIAC card, I wouldn’t be shocked if we got a random match involving either guy, with a Barrett squash seeming very possible.

I don’t want to see any random match that’s happening just for the sake of happening, though.

If we’re going to get an unadvertised match on Sunday, all I ask of the WWE is to make it matter—the PTPers vs. Sin Cara and Mysterio or even Antonio Cesario vs. Justin Gabriel might do that.

2. World Heavyweight Championship: Sheamus vs. Big Show

So, how does the WWE follow up the bore-fest that was Alberto Del Rio vs. Sheamus?

By putting Sheamus in another rather lackluster feud, this time against Big Show.

I’m not hating on Big Show as a performer because I actually think he’s been doing a good job recently. It’s just that he’s been booked so badly over the years that I can’t take him seriously as a dominant main-event-level heel. At all.

Quite simply, Show’s undergone too many character changes (and lost too many big matches) for me to buy into it, and in the back of my mind, I don’t see him as anything but a placeholder feud for Sheamus or perhaps even someone for Dolph Ziggler to cash in on.

To top it off, Big Show tends to really struggle when he has matches with bigger guys, and even though Sheamus has performed really well in the ring lately, I’m not sure he’s going to carry Show to a great match.

Chances are this will be a slow-paced bout with Big Show working the ribs (his favorite thing to do now, apparently), and it likely won’t have that big PPV match feel that it should.

I’d really like someone to explain to me why Wade Barrett isn’t in this spot instead.

1. WWE Championship: CM Punk vs. Ryback

At least on paper, I like the idea of CM Punk taking on Ryback for the WWE Championship.

It gives the WWE the opportunity to help Ryback become one of its top babyfaces, and it also gives Punk a fresh challenger because he’s already faced a majority of the company’s top stars over the last few years.

The problem, though, is that this match isn’t taking place on paper. It’s taking place on PPV, and the WWE has clearly booked itself into a corner here.

The basis of Ryback’s gimmick is that he’s an unstoppable, undefeated monster. He can’t afford to lose inside Hell in a Cell, whether that’s cleanly or with some sort of dirty finish, because it would destroy much of his appeal.

On the flip side, a Punk loss causes just as many problems. It puts the WWE title on a guy who isn’t ready for it, prematurely ends Punk’s title reign and puts a potential dream match between The Rock and Punk (at the 2013 Royal Rumble) in serious jeopardy.

This wouldn’t even be a problem if this match didn’t take place inside the cell because the WWE could then just book a DQ finish. But barring something unforeseen happening, the HIAC stipulation means that there must be a winner on Sunday.

Either Punk or Ryback will walk away with the W, but no matter what happens, I don’t think it will be the right move.

Drake Oz is a WWE Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter!