‘Making History’ is Hurting Sasha Banks, Charlotte for WWE Hell in a Cell

Sasha Banks and Charlotte’s Hell in a Cell match has been labeled, marketed, and shoved down everyone’s throat, a well-known trend in WWE.

If Sunday’s Hell in a Cell pay-per-view is an indication of anything, it certainly isn’t your father’s Attitude Era anymore where women had bra and panties matches, became pawns to Vince McMahon on TV, or had bathroom break matches. Sasha Banks and Charlotte will have the opportunity to make the latest change to get away from this time period, but even they may not be able to overcome the odds that have been placed in front of them for Sunday.

A goal of this women’s revolution has been equality, something that hasn’t been apparent in any version of WWE. Men have always ruled the square circle, but the past 15 months have changed that perception. Now, we see women receiving 15-20 minutes in the ring for matches instead of a bathroom break. They’re being taken more seriously instead of being stared at by drooling men. Hell in a Cell matches are even being used to close a storyline instead of a bra and panties match. WWE and even fans may think this is fine and enough for getting the women as close to the men’s level as possible.

There’s still an issue, though—the storyline or lack thereof.

“Making history” has become the tagline for Banks and Charlotte’s match. Sure, it’s historic and something that has never been done before. There’s little reason for WWE not to bring this up when talking about the first-ever women’s Hell in a Cell match. The problem is that “making history” seems to be the only reason why these two are even wrestling on Sunday.

A normal WWE feud never centers around history-making performances, that usually gets discussed in the aftermath of a match. Rarely, if ever, will you hear a men’s match billed as “making history” with the exception of Roman Reigns defending the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at Royal Rumble. It’s just not a storyline plot to invest fans in a match. Yet, WWE has chosen to use this tactic, one that could be called a marketing ploy, to overwhelm this feud between two of the top female wrestlers.

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This match’s tagline has been forced on the fans to the point where hearing about Sasha and Charlotte’s match has become insufferable. It’s a shame because of all the work put into this feud by these two talented wrestlers, but WWE’s way of going about selling this match has failed. A common trend nowadays, right?

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Mick Foley’s promo on the October 24 episode of Raw spoke volumes and was a clear reminder of WWE’s intentions. While Banks and Charlotte stood there trying to talk about their match, The Hardcore Legend screamed and yelled about his days inside the cell. He spoke like a war veteran that had been through hell and back. His words could have meant so much more, though, if they didn’t sound so  forced, similar to “making history”. Foley stood there speaking when Banks and Charlotte tried selling their angst toward each other, which he interupted over and over. Again, similar to how WWE’s history label has come between the two competitors. It took away from what should have been a significant moment on Raw, and turned it into a lot of loud noises to add to a disappointing go-home show.

So, what happened to the actual storyline between Sasha and Charlotte? Remember how this story began way back in January? What about all the matches that have taken place to get to Hell in a Cell? None of this is being touched on, and it’s crushing this feud into little pieces.

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“Making history” is seemingly what Sasha Banks vs. Charlotte is all about. It’s not their wrestling ability. It’s not the feud that has lasted for nine months. It’s all about WWE and their out of touch strategy on selling this match to the fans. Given the failed build of so many programs in 2016, though, should we have expected anything different?