The final WWE pay-per-view event in front of the ThunderDome takes place on Sunday. One of WWE’s most violent shows, Hell in a Cell offers up three women’s matches to look forward to.
Two of the three matches are championship bouts. The first sees Charlotte Flair challenge Rhea Ripley for the RAW Women’s Championship. The second Bianca Belair defends her SmackDown Women’s Championship against Bayley inside the demonic structure. Last but not least, Shayna Baszler finally gets her hands on Alexa Bliss.
Alexa Bliss vs Shayna Baszler
“Twisted” Bliss and the “Queen of Spades” have been on a collision course ever since Lilly set her sights on Baszler. Bliss’ haunted doll has played a major factor on the path to Hell in a Cell after terrorizing Baszler.
The controversial ending to last week’s RAW, saw Baszler flee in fear of Lily’s supernatural powers. The attack led Nia Jax to confront Bliss this week to inform her that Baszler will get her revenge.
Prediction
Despite WWE not knowing which direction to take with Alexa Bliss they are heavily investing in her. Bliss is a focal point on every episode of RAW while Baszler ‘s as women’s tag team champ saw her used across both WWE shows.
Despite Baszler’s superior in-ring skill, this match isn’t about that. Its all about the spooky elements surrounding Alexa Bliss. Therefore, expect to see Bliss win the match via Lily shenanigans and possibly turn Baszler into her tranced out zombie bodyguard.
Rhea Ripley vs Charlotte – RAW Women’s Championship
Rhea Ripley and Charlotte go one-on-one for the first time since WrestleMania 36. The match for the NXT Women’s Championship was the best in-ring match of the two-night event. This time around the stakes are higher and feud much more intense.
Ripley and Charlotte have been locked in for months. They fought in an excellent Triple Threat match with Asuka at WrestleMania Backlash and have been involved in shenanigans with Nikki Cross.
Then of course there was the obligatory ‘can they co-exist?’ team-up, which shock/horror they couldn’t.
Charlotte ran interference in after Ripley’s match with Asuka on the ‘go home’ edition RAW and a brawl broke out between the two long-time rivals.
The build hasn’t been great but once Ripley and Charlotte are in the ring, then it’s go time. If the match is half as good as the last time they met, then we are in for a treat.
Predictions
Heel Charlotte is the best Charlotte. The ‘Queen’ has been great since her turn and really found her groove after months of uncharacteristic performances. Ripley is the defacto babyface, a role, which doesn’t really suit her, and is yet to find her footing on the main roster.
Although it is far too early for Ripley to lose the title fully expect to see Charlotte win to become the 14-time champion. Setting up a fully-fledged redemption story for Ripley to beat Charlotte for the title at SummerSlam.
Bianca Belair vs Bayley – SmackDown Women’s Championship
Bianca Belair and Bayley are two of the best performers in WWE. A feud between the two should about Belair’s superior athleticism against Bayley’s conniving and experience.
Instead their rivalry revolves around Bayley laughing. A lot.
The feud hasn’t made either look great or allow them to showcase their talents. Bayley hasn’t looked like a serious contender and Belair hasn’t been elevated by feuding with the longest-reigning SmackDown Women’s Champion.
The ‘EST’ of WWE upped the ante when she made the match inside Hell in a Cell. Bayley accepted the challenge by attacking Belair and raising the title above her head.
While the feud doesn’t warrant the added stipulation it certainly adds more intrigue to the match.
The last time these two met at WrestleMania Backlash they put on a solid match with entertaining action and good storytelling. So it will be great to see what they can do in the cell.
Predictions
Belair is an excellent champion. Since winning the title she has grown in confidence. Her swagger is at its zenith and her promos are brilliant. Bayley is great in everything she does. Her obnoxious style is always backed up by her actions.
The match will allow Belair and Bayley to tear it up inside the unforgiving structure. Bayley holds the advantage as she has fought in the cell but Bianca Belair successfully retains the championship in her first match inside the cell to further establish her title run.
What are your predictions for the matches going down at Hell in a Cell? Let us know in the comments below.
