WWE Hell in a Cell: 5 Things That Must Happen

The 14th annual Hell in a Cell premium live event takes place this Sunday. While details of the card are still being sorted out, we do know at least one match will take place in the structure. The Hell in a Cell event this season feels more of a stopgap to what should be a major Money in the Bank show.

These 5 Things Must Happen at Hell in a Cell

Whether or not that is true, Hell in a Cell presents an opportunity to close some loose ties and birth new rivalries. Since Wrestlemania, there’s a bleak focus on multiple titles. This show can solve that issue as we head into the summer season. Here are five things the company should nail on Sunday.

Cody versus Seth is done after HIAC

It’s time to put an end to what’s been a nice debut rivalry for the American Nightmare. This is currently the only match that is being billed to take place inside Hell in a Cell. While this rivalry has been exciting for programming, it’s being overdone at this point. When you include dark matches along with house shows, Rhodes has worked with Rollins more than any other superstar.

Another glaring fact is Rhodes is on the winning end in all of those matches. As far as televised events, Rhodes is up 2-0 after wins at Wrestlemania and Wrestlemania Backlash. It’s no secret that Cody is being booked as the biggest babyface in the company, but three losses in a row for Rollins is steep. Rollins should get a win with having more experience with this type of match. However, even with another loss, this feud needs to be over with to move Rhodes along his journey to title contention.

Ronda gets a meaningful opponent

Something has to give with the Smackdown Women’s Champion. After defeating Charlotte at Wrestlemania Backlash it’s hard to see the draw many think she is. Rousey needs viable competition to stay relevant, hence it’s time for new stars in the Women’s division to be built. The original plan backfired when creative mishandled the former Women’s Tag Team champions, another issue that needs to be resolved rapidly.

Whatever side of the fence you’re on with that, Rousey should be able to carry a program on her own if she has this “great” drawing power. Sasha Banks as a current champion should not be tasked with the burden of getting Ronda over as champion. In recent weeks, Raquel Rodriguez has stood toe to toe with Ronda with an impressive showing. With a division starving for opportunities, the locker room should all get a chance to showcase in a series of open challenges Friday nights or a number one contender match at Hell in a Cell. If healthy, this would be a great time for a returning Bayley to challenge Rousey, or it’s time to put friendships aside and have Shayna Baszler turn on Rousey for a chance to sit atop the division.

A new member emerges

The Judgement Day faction may be the best thing happening in the entire company at present moment. Edge being allowed to influence younger stars of tomorrow to help them reach their full potential has a lot of legs to flourish. At Hell in a Cell a six-man tag between the faction versus Finn Balor, AJ, Styles, and Liv Morgan.

For the past few weeks, Edge has tweeted out teasers of potential opponents, including his Hell in a Cell opponent. It would be too easy to pluck a Balor away and give Judgement Day the keys to the Demon at this point. This faction is here to elevate superstars that need it most. The smart money is on Ciampa, who is still in need of direction after being called up. The options are endless and can include T-Bar, Robert Roode, The Grizzled Young Veterans, or an interesting wrinkle would be the current NXT UK champion Ilja Dragunov. In a similar fashion to Rhea Ripley’s reveal, a new member of Edge’s cult must cost Balor, Styles, and Liv their match and align themselves with The Judgment Day.

Summer of Cena part 2

Let’s run it back once again, this time without waiting for Money in the Bank to commence.  Last year John Cena made a shocking return to confront Roman Reigns and kick off what was coined the “Summer of Cena.” This would include Cena being on weekly television and participating in live shows. Now in 2022, John Cena will be celebrating his 20th anniversary as a WWE superstar, and June is being coined “Cena Month.”

In recent interviews, Cena has maintained his return is imminent. While the current Hell in a Cell event is lacking star power, a returning Cena is a surefire way for the event to trend on social media. Cena doesn’t need to chase the record-breaking 17th world title run this summer either, rather his return should bring prominence back to the mid-card scene. With Theory versus Ali slated for a United States Championship match, Cena could return to give the Chairman’s favorite an “attitude adjustment.” Then begin an effort to bring relevance back to a title he made famous and ultimately put Theory over during the process.

A worthy foe for Roman

Since unifying both world titles the main event scene has been sorely lacking. Initially, there was a concern about Reigns sustaining an injury versus Lesnar. That would later be put to rest during Wrestlemania Backlash. However, who are the challengers left to oppose the Tribal Chief? There is a lot of time to fill between now and Wrestlemania 39 and a likely scenario against the Rock. It’s not ideal to keep the belts unified for another year, and it’s on record Reigns will begin working a lighter schedule.

It seemed that Drew Mcintyre would finally get his shot at Roman having been featured in the six-man tag against the Bloodline. It remains to be seen if those plans were completely scrapped. Programs versus Mcintyre and Randy Orton absolutely need to happen during this epic run by Reigns. In the meantime, a challenger should emerge from the Raw brand to attempt to bring the Universal title back to Monday Nights. Once done with their respective matches Sunday, Bobby Lashley, AJ Styles, Seth Rollins, or Cody Rhodes should venture to the island of relevancy.