WWE Hell in a Cell 2014: Most Intriguing Storylines to Track on Road to PPV

Author’s Note: This article contains SmackDown Spoilers for the episode set to air Friday, September 26.

WWE Hell in a Cell 2014 will see several climactic finishes to long-term feuds while simultaneously featuring new rivalries.

WWE’s premier longstanding rivalry features Brock Lesnar and John Cena. Nothing was done to advance this feud on Raw, but given how their match ended at Night of Champions it would be surprising if there was no follow-up at Hell in a Cell. Lesnar and Cena have captured lightning in a bottle together, and every match has a tense, magnetic feel to it.

A Hell in a Cell main event would mark their third consecutive pay-per-view match. If and when it occurs, expect it to mark the end of this feud.

The Dolph Ziggler-Miz feud seems to have ended, and at Tuesday’s SmackDown tapings Cesaro stepped in as the new No. 1 contender after winning a Battle Royal. Cesaro’s subsequent title match on SmackDown ended in controversy, indicating this feud will indeed continue.

While Cesaro can safely be considered a downgrade from The Miz in entertainment value, a feud with Ziggler has potential to produce some of  the better wrestling matches of the year. Unlike his feud with Sheamus, where winning a nearly meaningless United States Championship would have diminished his own value, Cesaro’s stock would grow should he win the Intercontinental Championship.

Between the focus the title received when Bad News Barrett was champion and the back-and-forth feud between Ziggler and The Miz, the Intercontinental Championship has gone through somewhat of a revival of late.

Cody Rhodes has also gone through a revival as the Stardust character. Rhodes now finds himself as a tag team champion alongside his brother Goldust, and their feud against The Usos could escalate at Hell in a Cell. There’s already a strong possibility of two Hell in a Cell matches, and if that’s the case, three would be overkill.

But if for some reason either Brock Lesnar vs. John Cena or Seth Rollins vs. Dean Ambrose does not take place inside the Cell, WWE will have the opportunity to book a rare Tag Team Hell in a Cell match. If this tag team feud continues to gain momentum, Hell in a Cell offers a potentially memorable match for these two talented teams.

Mark Henry’s tag team partner, Big Show, has recently begun a feud with Rusev. Show will likely be the next sacrificial lamb to put Rusev over as a monster heel. If this is the case, it would be Rusev’s most meaningful win to date. After beating Big Show, few non-title victories will carry as much weight—both figuratively and literally—than a win over Big Show. The next step will be for Rusev to carry a championship.

Championships hardly matter in the ongoing feud between Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose, which is what makes it so good. Ambrose is as popular with fans as he has ever been. In fact, a few more standout matches could result in WWE brass potentially changing course from the injured Roman Reigns to the surging Ambrose as the promotion's next top babyface.

If given the chance to compete in the Hell in Cell match, it would be the biggest match of both Rollins' and Ambrose's young singles careers. The added incentive makes this potential showdown a late dark-horse match-of-the-year candidate.

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