WWE Hell in a Cell 2017: Natalya vs. Charlotte Flair Preview, Predictions

The Story So Far

Ever since winning the SmackDown Women’s Championship at SummerSlam, Natalya has been the paranoid champion, constantly looking over her shoulder to see what shenanigans Carmella is planning next. Although both women are heels, the threat of a cash-in hasn’t been mitigated by “The Princess of Staten Island”, who has been busy putting James Ellsworth on a leash as part of some master plan to successfully win her first title in WWE.

Meanwhile, Carmella has been busy antagonizing the babyfaces in the division, which includes Charlotte. Both women were seen arguing in a backstage segment before Charlotte easily disposed of her, striking her down to pin her with a mere “Big Boot”. This match painted Carmella as no real threat to Charlotte, which could make for an interesting dynamic if Charlotte wins tonight, only for Carmella to cash in successfully.

As for Natalya and Charlotte, the story between them has just started to emerge, so the rivalry has some more mileage, making it more likely for Natalya to retain tonight.

There’s plenty for these two to bicker about, but their first real confrontation came when Natalya interrupted Charlotte’s speech about her father upon her return to SmackDown Live. Natalya jumped right in and took some time to honor herself, to which Charlotte notified “The Queen of Hearts” that she would be going after her title.

Tonight’s match will be a continuation of the encounters we’ve seen between these two, and who can forget their four-star match in NXT? That match helped legitimize Charlotte as one of the best women’s wrestlers on the planet, and she’s only surpassed that threshold since.