Becky Lynch vs Charlotte Flair Was More Bark Than Bite At Hell In A Cell

In a vacuum Becky Lynch vs Charlotte Flair at WWE Hell In A Cell was a great match. Unfortunately, the match did not really resonate with the story that had been told in the build up to it.

I’m not really sure what happened last night in San Antonio, Texas. Becky Lynch challenged Charlotte Flair for the SmackDown Women’s Championship in a back and forth affair. The match started with some technical wrestling exchanges, and as the bout progressed so did the intensity.

Becky Lynch had worked over the arm of Charlotte Flair; similarly, Flair worked the leg of Lynch, but not to the same extent. The finish of the match was a slick counter from Lynch to the signature Spear of Flair that resulted in a pin fall. The condition of Flair’s arm though seemed a bit of a non-factor by the end.

Also a non-factor was the supposedly bitter rivalry between the two women. This was meant to be a classic grudge match after Becky Lynch turned on Charlotte Flair for ‘stealing’ her victory at SummerSlam just under a month earlier.

On the SmackDown following SummerSlam Lynch shared her anger and frustration over the  opportunist she saw in Flair, where once she was her closest ally. The segment escalated when the then champion came down to the ring, triggering a brawl that spilled outside and into the crowd before General Manager Paige beckoned the women’s locker room to pull the two combatants apart.

Where was this ferocity last night? It’s not like this embittered feud had purposely cooled; if anything in the days and weeks that followed this scuffle, Lynch – who had been booked as the antagonist for this story – kept upping the ante in her apparent hatred for her former best friend.

Proof of this was in the sneak attack Lynch perpetrated on Flair the following episode.

All signs indicated this conflict could not be settled in any ordinary encounter. The build for their showdown at Hell In A Cell had been kicked up a gear.

WWE even asked their Universe of fans via social media if Flair should accept Lynch’s challenge.

Both Lynch and Flair masterfully used the popular platform Twitter to build this story and continue the hype for their match. There were many signs pointing to the cell itself as their arena of battle.

Yet for all the talk, for all the blind sided attacks – even ones that included the use of a disguise – we ended up with a straight wrestling match. There was not a ‘No Disqualification’ stipulation. The Cell remained suspended above their heads as fought inside the ring. They did not attempt to rip each other’s head off when that bell rang – something Samoa Joe and AJ Styles were allowed to do in their own grudge match.

The only real indication there was bad blood between the two women was the commentary team reminding us of the fact.

I don’t think Flair or Lynch can be blamed for how this match panned out. There wasn’t really anything wrong with it from a technical standpoint. What does seem clear is that the powers that be decided their match, despite the work both Flair and Lynch had put into building it, would not be contested within those four red walls of wire and steel.

Lynch got the clean pin in a surprise ending, and the fans who never really bought into WWE painting her as a villain post-SummerSlam finally got to see her recognised as champion. True to how she has been booked thus far, Flair maintained the integrity of her character by offering an olive branch to the new title holder, only to have it rejected by a still resentful Rebecca Lynch. Unfortunately, there was no character development beyond that.

WWE had the opportunity to create a new angle and keep this rivalry going, elevating it to new heights, but somebody, somewhere made the call over the type of match and outcome we got to watch last night. To their credit, Flair and Lynch worked that type of match excellently.

I just can’t help but feel that decision was ultimately a disservice to both women, and the fans who are invested in them.