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

Prediction

Usually, it’s incredibly difficult to pick against Charlotte, but now that her pay per view streak is a thing of the past, it’s far easier to pick against her on pay per views. She could win the match by disqualification but miss out on obtaining the title, but it might be best for the WWE to avoid a finish that is too unclean.

I can see the WWE getting behind Natalya as SmackDown Women’s Champion for a couple of more months, since they’ve given all of their women reasonably long runs with the championship. Becky Lynch had a couple of months at the top, Alexa Bliss had her run, and Naomi held the title over the summer despite losing it briefly due to a sudden injury.

Natalya deserves the same opportunity, so it’s likely too early to pull the title off of her. Maybe she’s meant to be more of a transitional champion, but she’s been excellent in every role asked of her since November. Remember her feud with Nikki Bella earlier this year? Yeah, Natalya’s put in some work.

I bet the WWE milks Carmella’s time with the Money in the Bank briefcase for all its worth. The women’s scene is crowded as it is, and they can count on her to cut great promos as the arrogant briefcase holder. With Paige on the way to SmackDown, they could choose to sit on Carmella’s briefcase run until they have all the pieces in the right place.

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As such, I believe Natalya will retain, but it will not be a clean win. Charlotte didn’t even lose cleanly to Bayley at Fastlane when she lost her streak and the title, so I wouldn’t expect a decisive loss tonight at Hell in a Cell.