WWE Hell in a Cell 2016: Top Takeaways from Latest PPV Event
WWE presented its eighth annual Hell in a Cell pay-per-view on Sunday night and created conversation among fans with everything that occurred. From a championship changing hands to three Hell in a Cell matches, it was nothing short of a newsworthy night for WWE Raw.
Not only was it an entertaining event, but seeds were also planted for future developments. There were several storylines that culminated and others that began to take shape as Survivor Series looms large.
Charlotte and Sasha Banks took their ruthless rivalry to new heights when they clashed for the Raw Women's Championship inside Hell in a Cell. Their history-making main event has had fans buzzing for days, not to mention the controversial conclusion that saw Charlotte take home the title.
Meanwhile, Kevin Owens and Seth Rollins fought an exceptional match for the WWE Universal Championship, though Chris Jericho's interference allowed Owens to eke out another successful title defense. Roman Reigns and Rusev also went to war inside Satan's Structure over the United States Championship.
Let's look at the biggest takeaways from the annual October event and how each of them could play a factor going forward.
Roman Reigns Remains as Unstoppable as Ever
1 of 5
When he lost the WWE World Championship in decisive fashion to Seth Rollins at Money in the Bank earlier this year, Roman Reigns looked vulnerable for the first time since arriving in WWE. In the month that followed, he was pinned by Dean Ambrose at Battleground and lost to Finn Balor the next night on Raw.
Almost immediately, speculation ran rampant among fans that Reigns was on the verge of being “de-pushed,” meaning he would no longer be as big of a focal point on Raw. While he has since been removed from the WWE Universal Championship picture, he remains as prominent of a fixture on the flagship show as ever before.
The Big Dog defeated Rusev for the United States Championship at Clash of Champions, kicking off his first stint with the star-spangled prize. But as a result of his loss to Reigns, Rusev was even more of a threat since he had nothing to lose and everything to gain.
Their Hell in a Cell match on Sunday night was a brutal war, with both men going to the extreme and doing whatever it took to win. Tables, steel steps and a chain were introduced, but nothing could keep Reigns down.
Once Reigns powered out of the Accolade from Rusev, he hit him with a Spear off the top of the steel steps for the victory. It was reminiscent of how John Cena would once win matches, showing that, despite his shortcomings a few months back, Reigns is still a force to be reckoned with on Raw.
The Cruiserweights Are Not Yet Clicking
2 of 5
There was plenty of excitement surrounding the impending return of the cruiserweights when it was announced the division was being brought back to Raw in mid-September. With the Cruiserweight Classic featuring some of the best wrestling of the year, fans were looking forward to seeing that exciting action every Monday night.
While the wrestling has been solid, it is far from what it was during the Cruiserweight Classic. This is due to WWE toning down their fast-paced style and not giving viewers much of a reason to get invested in any of the athletes.
That was the case at Hell in a Cell, as the fans sat on their hands for the Cruiserweight Championship match between T.J. Perkins and Brian Kendrick. Having been in attendance for the event, I can say that it was the most uninterested the audience had been all night, with the exception being the Bayley vs. Dana Brooke match.
They put forth a good effort, but fans couldn't have been more disengaged. It was evident of a larger problem with the division—it isn't clicking at this point in time for a variety of reasons.
As WWE moves forward with the Perkins vs. Kendrick program, it needs to do all it can to salvage the division before fans lose faith in it completely. It has all the proper components—from a unique presentation to an excellent array of workers—but it has yet to meet the lofty expectations of fans who had been hoping for something more.
Chris Jericho Is Raw's Most Popular Star
3 of 5
Aside from Sasha Banks, there wasn't anyone on the entire show that elicited a bigger reaction from the Boston crowd than Chris Jericho. Interestingly enough, he wasn't scheduled to compete on the show, but he did interfere in the WWE Universal Championship match between Kevin Owens and Seth Rollins.
Even before the bout, Jericho received a raucous reaction from the audience when he initially surfaced in a backstage segment with Mick Foley and Stephanie McMahon. It became apparent at that moment that he was more popular than both Rollins and Owens, yet he was not officially involved in the title match.
Thankfully, Jericho did appear in front of the live crowd and made his presence felt by enduring a ton of punishment at the hands of Rollins. Once Owens pinned Rollins for the three-count, Jericho added insult to injury by hitting Rollins with a Codebreaker.
Needless to say, Jericho has done some of the best work of his career since returning at the onset of 2016 and continues to find new ways to reinvent himself. He was every bit as important to the success of that championship clash as Rollins and Owens were.
As superb as the Hell in a Cell match was, Jericho walked away as the biggest star. It would be wise of WWE to reward him for his efforts in the form of a championship before he takes another hiatus from programming.
The New Day's Days as Raw Tag Team Champions Are Numbered
4 of 5
Every time fans bet against The New Day, it always seem to find a way to come out on top with its titles intact. Big E, Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods have been the reigning Raw tag team champions since SummerSlam 2015, and they don't plan on passing the torch anytime soon.
That said, Cesaro and Sheamus came close to snapping that streak on Sunday night. Although they are established rivals, they can be quite an awesome unit when they are on the same page, and it seemed New Day underestimated their abilities heading into Hell in a Cell.
Unfortunately, the match ended on a disappointing disqualification, as Kingston attacked Sheamus on the outside. Although Cesaro and Sheamus were awarded the victory, championships can only change hands on a pinfall or submission.
The New Day has largely dominated the tag team ranks throughout 2016, but Cesaro and Sheamus were perhaps more of a threat to the titles than anyone else New Day has faced before. And the non-finish left the door open for a rematch down the road, and the makeshift duo could well take the titles.
A mere month remains until New Day breaks the record-setting reign of Demolition as tag team champions, but if Sheamus and Cesaro can continue to build momentum as a tandem, New Day may not be in possession of the twin titles for much longer.
Women Are Fully Capable of Headlining a WWE PPV
5 of 5
There was a heated debate among fans in the weeks preceding Hell in a Cell as to what match should headline. Prior to the event, a women's match had never closed out a WWE pay-per-view, but this was the perfect time to pull the trigger with Sasha Banks and Charlotte Flair clashing inside Hell in a Cell for the first time ever.
It wasn't until halfway through the night that it was confirmed Banks vs. Flair would main event the show. Granted, WWE spent the better part of the last few weeks focusing on the history-making aspect of the bout and not the bad blood between them, but it was an amazing honor, nevertheless.
As soon as both women made their respective entrances, there was zero question that they deserved that coveted spot on the card. Banks and Flair came across like total stars, and in no way did they feel out of place going on last.
Before the bell even rang, the rabid crowd was on their feet, giving the bout a big-fight feel. It was an incredible atmosphere to be part of in person, with the NXT graduates delivering a match worthy of the main event slot.
The finish with Charlotte winning back the belt was heavily criticized by a majority of fans who wanted to see Banks reign supreme in her backyard of Boston, but it didn't take away from the strong performances each of them had. The women worked for decades to arrive at that point, but it likely won't be long before we witness another women's main event on pay-per-view.
Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, is a digital journalism major at Endicott College. Visit his website, Next Era Wrestling, and "like" his official Facebook page to continue the conversation on all things wrestling.
.jpg?w=600 "WWE Raw Results & Grades 🔠")
