WWE Hell In a Cell: The Perfect Storm Of Del Rio, Cena, And Punk.

"At 29 degrees, the sky will burn.

A cataclysm as the War of Three begins.

Children awash in horror, captivated

at the carnage born of pain and tears. 

A great one is born, two others will perish.

The Messiah, the Desert Lord, and the King."

Hell In A Cell. 

The WWE portrays this match as the most dangerous environment for it's talent to compete in. A machination of evil imagination over 20 feet tall and coming in a bit over 10,000 lbs. of steel and pain, it is easy to see why. 

Prior to 2008, it was reserved for special occasions as the blow off to epic feuds, which then fed into rather epic moments and memories.  In other words, it's designed to be the perfect storm.

Looking at the recent history of the WWE in how they've been booking their talent, this isn't much to dissuade from this argument with the latest reincarnation.  In less then two weeks, a perfect storm will hit the New Orleans Arena.  

Why?  Let's see....

The Devil's Playground

"In times of war, the law falls silent.

The great playground of Satan himself,

and his favorite demon, the one

who claims the souls of the fallen as his own.

The Three claimants of the throne must play

under the red light of dusk as Shaitan smiles."

Hell in a Cell got it's birth as the culmination of the Shawn Michaels/Undertaker feud in 1997, debuting at WWF Badd Blood in St. Louis, Missouri. 

Since then, and prior to the PPV debut of the same name in 2009, there had been only 16 matches of it's type in a 12 year span. 

The WWE has a fetish for saying "bones have been broken and careers have been ended" in environments like this.  In truth, it's a claim that is easy to believe.

Such legendary stars as The Undertaker and Triple H have had some of their best matches inside this evil playpen. 

Such moments as Mick Foley taking a flying leap through the announcer's table and Edge being, literally, chokeslammed to Hell created those "moments" we seek as fans.  Such matches are held in reserve to create an environment where we watch them happen. 

Next Sunday should be no different.

The Battle of the Champ and the Second City Savior

"The challenger of the throne,

the 'Messiah' of the Second City,

battled the reigning King of the masses.

War was their lives before, and again.

The trail of shadows is their path,

The people split between their wake."

Over the course of the summer, CM Punk and John Cena created a storyline that set the wrestling world on fire.  Beginning after the rather lackluster Capital Punishment PPV, Punk shook the WWE to it's foundation by opening up on subjects that were long considered taboo. 

Since then, Punk has defeated the nearly unbeatable (in a straight fight) John Cena on two separate occasions at Money In The Bank (arguably the best match and PPV of the 2011) and Summerslam (a nice followup), with Cena returning the favor on a Raw a few weeks later.

Over the course of the "Summer of Punk" with Cena and Triple H, we saw a fan induced face turn, a dramatic return, two possible Match of the Year contenders (Punk and Cena at Money in the Bank and Summerslam), some incredibly well done promos and segments, and the emergence of a new top star for the WWE. 

Even John "Fruity Pebble" Cena delivered some very well done spots on the mic, and the mighty Triple H return to the ring in a match which could not be considered anything less then wild, hearkening reminders of the bygone Attitude Era.

The wrestling business is all about cycles, with the previous generation of wrestlers "putting over" the younger generation, who will in turn do the same when their time comes. 

Ratings will come and go, angles will grow hot to cold and back to hot at the drop of a well done promo or match.  That's the nature of the business.  In the end, for all the drama and brilliancy of the "Punk Saga" thus far, we have returned right to the beginning of it all.

Punk is chasing Cena for the title.  Sometimes, it's best just to start over.

The WWE made the build to Money in the Bank emotional and build to Summerslam a simple contention wrapped in a unique situation.  In both circumstances, the resulting payoff for the storyline was nothing short of brilliant.  Next Sunday should be no different.

The Audacious Aristocrat

"From the southlands

came the Lord from the Desert.

Audacious, Daring, Regal.

A master of breaking bodies and minds,

taking the land by storm, a tyrant like none.

The lands trembled with his passing.

For all of Punk and Cena's beautiful history, it would be unwise to forget about he opportunistic Mexican Aristocrat.   In a way, Cena and Punk's fates intertwine as much with Del Rio as with each other.  

Let me take you back to Money in the Bank.

It was widely expected that Del Rio would win the Raw Ladder match for the Money in the Bank contract, but when he would cash it in was a matter of varied speculation.  Would it be that same night? 

Well, he tried (with some prodding for Vince McMahon), but the bell never rang before his bell got rang by Punk.  The rest is history.  At that point, the question wasn't so much if he would cash it in on Punk or Cena, it was a matter of when. 

Fast forward to Summerslam, after Nash texted himself to "stick the winner" and proceeded to lay Punk low, Del Rio was smart enough to cash in his briefcase when the moment presented itself.  After hitting an step up enzaguri on Punk, the Audacious one gained the title.  

Going forward, after Cena defeated Punk to become the Number One contender to Del Rio's title, Alberto lost it at Night of Champions after submitting via an STF.  As we see, Alberto is as much involved with the Cena and Punk as much as they are with each other. 

He has just as much claim to a title match opportunity as The Second City Savior.

For all of my recent bashing of Alberto Del Rio and his lack of a solid character, I cannot deny he is talented, both in and out of the ring, and does have a certain charm that makes him easy to hate. 

He is very capable in the ring, possesses a believable finisher, and could see a solidification of character as a result of the build towards Hell in a Cell, for example with his defeat of John Morrison in under a minute on Raw.  Will he receive that needed tweak? 

Time only knows, but the rub he could get from a strong performance with Punk and Cena could go a long, long way towards establishing him as the top heel that the Raw brand sorely needs.

The Wildcards.

"In times of war, the law falls silent.

Upon a battlefield strewn with the regrets

of the lost, not a single being knows

what hides within the shadows.

The War of Three must fight here,

but chaos takes every man."

Give the WWE some credit with trying to restore the "unexpected" factor to their programming.  As demonstrated over the past few months, on Raw and on their PPVs, they've tried to create an atmosphere of suspense and surprise. 

Some times it's worked well, and others not so much.  But you do have to give them credit for the effort.

What we've learned since Money in the Bank is that they are apt to do two things.  

The first is to use the main event to create drama of some sort, either with an emotional pull of the hometown hero retaining his newly won belt against all odds, or the unexpected termination of a rising Tag Team. 

Overall, they've tried to create more drama in the past few years, and they do deserve some kudos for that.

The second being is to use that unexpected drama to further storylines and create new ones. 

For example, with Summerslam, Kevin Nash came back rather unexpectedly to start a new angle with Punk, and then was subsequently "terminated" for Punk to segway into a heated, albeit brief, feud with Triple H. 

What can we expect this Sunday?  Who knows.  But if Night of Champions is any indication, it should be interesting.

The Conclusion of the Punk Saga?

"And the Savior thus spoke to the folk,

promising a voice to those silent by force.

A call to war and a time to shine.

Legions followed with a ravenous will.

The strike against fell upon the fortress

of those manned that were willing deaf."

After a rather lackluster Capital Punishment PPV, CM Punk began a journey that took him to the top of the wrestling world. 

After ensuring that the current champ, John Cena, ate a table courtesy of a spear from R-Truth, he got a microphone and marched defiantly to the top of the stage. 

Sitting down with crossed legs as he is apt to do, he launched into a tirade that shook up the status quo.

He spoke of things that old school fans long held at truth, thus making himself a "Voice of the Voiceless". 

After a subsequent fan induced babyface turn in Cena's backyard of Boston (call a spade a spade folks), he started a journey over these past few months that a lot of wrestlers would call a Career.  

Is it just the beginning though for the Second City Saint?

Since the start, it is quite apparent the WWE has a lot wrapped up in their new top star.  He defeated Cena twice and got a wild match with Triple H at Night of Champions. 

Granted, he was pinned, but it took three Pedigrees, a Jacknife Powerbomb, and a Lie Detector to keep him down for three seconds.  He lost nothing in that match, while the rub of his performance with Triple H in a match that "favored him" should pay dividends down the line. 

 Will they crown a new champ in the form of "Voice of the Voiceless" or not?  Guess we shall see.

Legacy of the Title.

"The Lord of the Desert and the Savior

marched toward the King, but he would

never bend, never bow to any man.

Quickness and stealth were his allies.

Respect and character his traits.

Perfect Will his rallying cry."

John Cena is a 10 time World Champion.  Of course, two of those reigns were in the past three months. 

Looking back over the recent WWE title history of the past three months, it has changed hands seven times in that span by my count. 

It would be a bad situation for any title, mid card or otherwise, but for the most prestigious title in the organization, it's almost inexcusable.

A large part of our gripe with the WWE is how the title has changed hands so many times, to the point where it is a stage prop rather then symbol of the best the WWE has to offer.  

I suspect that we might the WWE solidify the prestige situation of the title by having the winner of next Sunday's main event hold the title for a good long while.  What direction they go with that, however, I do not know. 

No matter what happens, Hell in a Cell in New Orleans promises to be a perfect storm of circumstance, storytelling, and drama that should make for a rather epic showdown we will not forget.

Thank you for reading.  What do you think?  A perfect storm or a simple cloud burst?  Who wins next Sunday?