Hell in a Cell Matches Lack the Appeal They Once Demanded

Photo Source: WWE.com

With WWE’s annual Hell in a Cell pay-per-view less than a week away, has it’s namesake match already seen it’s best days?

Since its inception in 1997, the Hell in a Cell stipulation has helped produce some of the most violent encounters in WWE history. From the inaugural match between Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker to Cactus Jack’s “retirement” match against Triple H, Hell in a Cell has always been defined by the brutality administered inside its confines and the finality it brought to lengthy, epic feuds.

Sadly, the match doesn’t carry that same gravitas in 2018.

For the past few years, the company has slowly chipped away at the prestige of one of their hallmark gimmick matches. Now, instead of serving as the grand finale for bitter rivals, Hell in a Cell now feels no different than any other specialty match that the company uses to add some zest to an otherwise flavorless clash.

The issues began when WWE decided to build a monthly pay-per-view around the match concept starting in 2009. This change all but eliminated the possibility of organically building up contentious storylines to meet their conclusion inside oversized steel structure. It was also a virtual admission that WWE knew that their booking wasn’t compelling enough to convince fans to spend $60 to watch three more hours of their product on a monthly basis.

Since WWE started running Hell in a Cell pay-per-views nine years ago, how many of those matches have truly deserved that billing? You could easily count them on one hand. These days, WWE uses Hell in a Cell the same way that they use all their other gimmick bouts: as a crutch to prop up their lazy storytelling.

In addition to shoehorning matches inside the cell, WWE’s decade-long disregard for one of their most treasured gimmick matches has also forced the writers to come up with disputed finishes to justify continuing certain feuds. Remember Shawn Michaels costing Daniel Bryan the WWE Title? What about the Bray Wyatt hologram? Or the Sasha Banks stretcher job?

In almost all of those cases, WWE put themselves into a corner by forcing themselves to book around a pay-per-view concept that does nothing but water down the very match it strives to promote. While they have always done wacky finishes within the unforgiving enclosure (the very first HIAC had Kane rip the cell door off its hinges to interfere in the Taker vs. HBK bout), the decision to book all the Hell in a Cell matches at the same time of the year forces WWE to go into their bag of tricks way more than they need to.

In fairness, other gimmick matches and PPV’s suffer from this issue too (Extreme Rules immediately springs to mind), but WWE has never given any of those match types the same level of reverence that they do Hell in a Cell. Above all the others, Hell in a Cell is seen as the ultimate climactic stipulation and it has recently fallen short of that standard. Hence why the inconsistent use of the match has hurt it more than the others.

These booking and promotional missteps are why the Hell in a Cell match isn’t special anymore. Sure, there have been plenty of good (and historic) Cell matches over the past couple of years, and there will be plenty more in the future. But those matches won’t carry the same level of importance that past HIAC matches have unless WWE changes their creative direction.

This year, WWE has somewhat gotten it right with their two Hell in a Cell matches. While the Jeff Hardy vs. Randy Orton match would probably work better under falls count anywhere rules given the tenor of their rivalry, Braun Strowman vs. Roman Reigns is perfect for the big cage considering the past levels of brutality both men have inflicted on one another over the past two years. It’s encouraging, but given WWE’s track record, it feels more accidental than intentional.

Like any other match or trope, Hell in a Cell is a tool that should be used judiciously. It shouldn’t get pulled out of the toolbox just because the calendar flips to October and the company feels the need to add something to otherwise mundane matches. However, if WWE insists on scheduling future Hell in a Cell matches this way, the least they can do is build feuds around it since they know in advance when they are going to take place.

Again, you could say that about plenty of WWE’s specialty bouts. But if WWE treats a match that is such an important part of their history as another cheap advertising tool, what makes you think they won’t continue to do the same for their other matches?