Hell in a Cell 2020 could be WWE’s Show of the Year

Hell in a Cell 2020 could be WWE’s Show of the Year.

Hell in a Cell is upcoming this Sunday, and three of the titular matches are on the card this year. Usually, Hell in a Cell feels like a lesser PPV compared to the Big 4 and Money in the Bank, and it is an annual event cheapens the stipulation and often forces a square peg into a round hole. Recent years have not been kind to the event either, with nonsense finishes in the 2018 and 2019 main events.

This year, however, promises to be different. Each story has been good enough, with enough time spent and enough violence and vitriol involved, to justify using WWE’s most prestigious and infamous stipulation for that match. These matches also have enough stakes that the whole direction of WWE could change in one night.

Let’s take a look at why each feud fits with the Hell in a Cell match, and why these matches can contribute to an excellent PPV, and a positive future for WWE.

Randy Orton v. Drew McIntyre(c)- Hell in a Cell match for the WWE Championship

Say what you will about this feud- it tends to keep you on your toes.

Flash finishes, backstage attacks, returning legends interfering, night vision goggles and the debuting Keith Lee defeating Orton decisively in the midst of all this has contributed to a storyline that has regularly defied expectations.

The obvious story here is that McIntyre, after winning via roll-up at SummerSlam and being significantly assisted by legends at Clash of Champions, proves he’s the better man by finally decisively defeating Orton inside Hell in a Cell. If that’s the case, the predictable outcome would be a good one- this has been McIntyre’s signature feud and will have helped solidify his main eventer status going forward.

But what if the unpredictable happens, and after the excellent year he’s had, WWE rewards Orton with his 14th world championship? While this outcome might damage McIntyre, it’s certainly not out of the question, particularly if Orton is to serve as a transitional champion to a returning Edge or the newcomer Keith Lee.

Regardless of the outcome, there’s a lot at stake in the match, and the violence of the feud so far, as well as the involvement of outside forces, means that Hell in a Cell is the only logical stipulation for McIntyre and Orton to settle their score.

Sasha Banks v. Bayley(c)- Hell in a Cell match for the SmackDown Women’s Championship 

While most of WWE (and wrestling as a whole) have floundered without crowds, Sasha Banks and Bayley have excelled, being among the very best performers for WWE in the quarantine era. And this Sunday is their chance to solidify themselves as the very best the company has to offer.

Their first match on a big stage, at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn, is arguably the greatest women’s match ever under the WWE umbrella. Their second, another excellent bout at NXT TakeOver: Respect, was the first-ever Iron Woman match for WWE. There’s little reason to doubt that Bayley and Sasha can do it again, and maybe become the best match of the quarantine era.

The build to this storyline has been really good; tensions built slowly over the course of several months before Bayley turned on Sasha and tried to end her career. And it’s impossible to call a winner- Banks winning the belt at some point feels inevitable, but they could have Bayley retain in the first match for Banks to win later, or have Banks win now to pursue her first successful title defense.

Either way, Banks vs. Bayley promises to be an excellent match, befitting of two of WWE’s best wrestlers of 2020.

Jey Uso v. Roman Reigns(c)- I Quit Hell in a Cell match for the Universal Championship

WWE took two massive gambles with its Universal Championship scene over the past couple of months. First, it turned the returning Roman Reigns heel and had him win the Universal Championship immediately. Then, it made Reigns’ cousin, longtime tag team wrestler Jey Uso, the No. 1 contender, thrusting him into the world title scene in his first singles run of note.

Both bets have paid off immensely. Uso has been an excellent underdog babyface with a chip on his shoulder, while Reigns is simultaneously nuanced (motivated to provide for his family rather than evil for evil’s sake) and genuinely despicable, thrashing Uso brutally at Clash of Champions even after the match ended.

While Uso has been excellent in his role, the result of this match is not in doubt: Reigns will retain. What’s exciting, and going to have the largest impact, is what Reigns will have to do to win.

Not only is this a Hell in a Cell match, but it also has the “I Quit” stipulation attached to it. It will doubtlessly take something extremely and depraved to make Jey Uso quit, given his refusal to do so at Clash of Champions. And that action will help establish Roman Reigns as the best heel the company has had to offer in quite some time.