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WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns vs. Braun Strowman: Hell in the Cell with Mick Foley as the special guest referee.
Dave: Well, this is one of those times where WWE not planning long term will probably produce a bad finish. Strowman has been built up as the next guy, as a babyface. But Vince wants Roman in that role, so he flipped Braun heel. Uh, OK. So now, what does he do? Keep his chosen one at the top, after a long, LONG ascension? Or does he have him get screwed here somehow and lose the belt? I think he will find a way to keep Roman with the Title, probably with some out of the ordinary finishing sequence. Maybe Mick interjects when Braun is killing Roman and that leads to Braun losing. Whatever the case, it's too soon to take the belt off of Roman, especially at a throwaway event (and isn't it sad that HIAC has become just another event?).
Mike: The addition of Mick Foley leaves a lot of questions: is this just a nostalgia deal? Is he going to be returning to the company on a regular basis? Could they have him side with Braun? Is Foley actually going to be taking bumps? Of course, the most important question is whether the unstoppable Braun Strowman wins the title or if they have Roman come off looking like the super hero? If it was me, I'd have The Shield and company all get involved but in the end, it comes down to Braun and Roman with Braun winning the title, complete with Foley perhaps counting the pinfall with some hesitation. Strowman as the champion with Roman chasing makes a lot more sense to me long term than WWE continuing to try to swim upstream with Roman.
Richard: I think with the addition of Mick Foley into the role of guest referee, it makes the result of the match all about Foley instead of the wrestlers. Since Mick said that Stephanie wanted him to be the guest referee in the match, does this mean that he was given instructions on how to screw over Roman to allow Braun to win the title or will Mick take those instructions and shove them in a sock and ‘do the right thing’? I would almost consider giving the title to Braun if they are going to switch the Raw Tag Titles and then, depending on Dolph’s contract status, start the build to Drew and Braun as the dominant forces on Raw. I think Braun’s character has been neutered too much to make his victory a crowning moment for him and the reaction will be more people who dislike Roman happy that he is no longer the champion. However, the belt around Drew’s waist would be better. But the important question is will Mick ask Braun or Roman for their pick in the HHH/Undertaker match.
WWE Champion AJ Styles vs. Samoa Joe.
Dave: I will repeat what I said last PPV, Joe should go over here. After all he has done to AJ and the family, he really needs to pay it off with a win. Plus, AJ chasing to get his Title back is a compelling storyline. The way to go here is to flip the Title. And I am with Rich (who did the sheet first), why the hell isn't this in the Cell? It's crazy that it's not.
Mike: The most logical thing here, especially after Samoa Joe Story Time on Smackdown, is Joe taking advantage of Styles losing his cool and catching him in the choke to win the title. It's way too soon to blow this off and to me, Styles vs. Joe blowing things off at Survivor Series seems to be the most logical idea. Joe has been doing some of the best mic and character work that he's put together in years and Styles is absolutely a putting in the work. I suspect this will steal the show.
Richard: I would almost rather see Samoa Joe tell stories than see this match because the build has been so great in this feud without getting too corny (maybe that is why this is a Smackdown match). AJ saying that he will not stoop to Joe’s levels makes me think we will see him do it again since it allowed him to keep the title at SummerSlam. I think this match gives us the finish that some were hoping for in Brooklyn. AJ has been a great champion but to see to what levels he would go to in order to win the title back after Joe made it so personal could be a good build for the end of the year (and then they can settle it at TLC in a non-gimmick match since Apollo Crews versus Titus O’Neil will have to be the TLC match) If Joe is going to become the new ‘daddy’ for AJ’s kids, can we get some My Two Dads skits going on future episodes of Smackdown? A more serious question is, based on the way this feud has developed, WHY ISN’T THIS MATCH INSIDE THE CELL?
Jeff Hardy vs. Randy Orton: Hell in A Cell
Dave: And yet this IS in a Cell. Why? Beats me. Joe and AJ should be here. I see Jeff doing a crazy spot and probably missing, allowing Orton to get the RKO and the win.
Mike: I still don't know why this is inside Hell in A Cell, but I do know this. I don't see Randy Orton losing. I suspect we are going to see Jeff trying to do some insane bumps, possibly causing his loss. I just don't see Orton losing here since they have been trying to build him up since his return from injury.
Richard: Hardy versus Orton belongs in the cell as much as Sasha and Bayley needed to go to therapy (talk about another feud that could work inside the cell if they booked it properly). Why did Orton not want this match to be for the US Title by attacking Jeff on Smackdown? What is next for these two men after this match since I cannot see the feud going much longer after Sunday? Cannot wait to see how the cell enhances Orton’s reverse chin locks.
WWE Raw Women's Champion Ronda Rousey vs. Alexa Bliss.
Dave: Ronda will win, of course. The question is will they let Bliss get in anything. The way they booked her at SummerSlam was terrible. That needs to be rectified this time and it probably will be since she is facing Trish Stratus next month. But no way I see a Title change here.
Mike: There is no way Bliss is regaining the belt a month before the Evolution PPV, which will be built all around Rousey. After Rousey went way too long on Raw and looked exposed as a talent, this needs to be short and to the point. I suspect they'll do a superhuman spot where Rousey breaks out of Bliss' armbar, throws her around and wipes her out with an armbar of her own.
Richard: Ronda retains because we need to see what happens when Ronda gets tired of the Bellas stealing her spotlight on Raw. Ronda as champ gives WWE more mainstream coverage and Alexa doesn’t need the title. This should be about 5 to 7 minutes with Ronda dominating after Alexa gets a few chances to put her away.
WWE Raw Tag Team Champions Drew McIntyre & Dolph Ziggler vs. WWE Intercontinental Champion Seth Rollins & Dean Ambrose.
Dave: If they keep the Title on Roman I could see a Title change here. It would make sense to have gold on both sides of the feud. Conversely, if Braun is going to win, the belts stay with the champs.
Mike: Way too soon to switch the belts again. Ziggler and McIntyre will have a hell of a match here with Ambrose and Rollins and I suspect this will be the best tag title bout we've seen on TV since the days of The Usos vs. New Day as all of these names are likely to get TV time here to let the match really develop. My guess is we'll see Drew pin Seth, possibly to set up some IC title bouts for down the line. Unless everyone involved is having one of the worst days of their career at the same time, this should be one of the better matches on the show.
Richard: If Braun wins the Universal Title, you can have all three members of Braun’s Hand Grabbers with titles and that would give them the same status as the Undisputed Era. I am looking forward to this match because if they are finding a way to make me care about a match involving Ziggler considering the way he was pushed (off the top of Titan Towers) is a good thing for the Raw brand (and there isn’t too much good coming out of Raw). I don’t see them giving Seth two titles so that is why I think they keep the belts on Dolph and Drew. Then they can start the slow burn to Drew and Braun getting fed up with Dolph and the Barber Shop moment for this triumvirate.
WWE Smackdown Women's Champion Charlotte vs. Becky Lynch.
Dave: The way this has been booked has been so bizarre. They book Becky as the babyface and then try to make the fans think she is a heel. If they want to cement the heel turn, the way to do it is to have here REALLY go heel here and use every dirty trick in the book to beat Charlotte and win the Title. I don't know that they will, but they should.
Mike: I am really looking forward to this. It will be interesting to see how WWE books the story of the match since the crowd has pretty much been behind the idea that Lynch deserves the title and Flair blocked her out of it, making Becky the babyface when in actuality, she's been playing a hell of a heel in recent weeks. This should be a lot of fun. In my heart, I'd want to see a title change here, but perhaps a better idea would be to have everything get out of hand to set up a big stipulation bout for the Evolution PPV next month. This should be some of the most intense action on the show.
Richard: Becky has been the best character in the women’s division on Raw or Smackdown over the last few months and the heel turn (is it really a heel turn?) has worked since it makes sense that she is frustrated that Charlotte would take advantage of their friendship to get into a match that Becky could have prevented and then win the title. With the hatred they have shown over the last month, including the heinous attack by Becky when Charlotte was trying to pose for a photo with fans, it is a shame that there isn’t a type of match that would allow them to take out all of their frustrations on each other without any means of escape. I think Becky should win the title on Sunday, but I like Mike’s idea of doing the title change at Evolution.
Daniel Bryan & Brie Bella vs. The Miz & Maryse.
Dave: If it's me, I have Miz do something heinous (with WWE standards) to Brie to cost the babyfaces the match. This feud should go on for a while so it makes more sense to give the heels heat here and have the faces fight back.
Mike: This should be very fun as well as everyone involved has done a hell of a job during the build. The fact Maryse is doing this five months after giving birth makes her a warrior in my mind. Bryan and Miz had a really entertaining match at Summerslam and I expect more of the same here. Add in Brie and Maryse and if they lay this out the right way, it could be a fun back and forth battle.
Richard: This is the next chapter in what I am hoping is the Bryan/Miz match at Wrestlemania and I think it will be a decent match. Miz and Bryan will be the focus but we will get something from Maryse and Brie, to potentially set up more at Evolution? I think Miz and Maryse win since the big story will be Daniel being so frustrated with all of his loses that he gets the biggest win of his WWE career (that is going to be WWE’s spin) on the biggest stage of them all in a battle for Reality Television Supremacy. Brie . . . NO DIVES please.
WWE Smackdown Tag Team Champions The New Day vs. Rusev & Aiden English.
Dave: If it were me, I would put the gold on Rusev and English. But, I would have put them over already and WWE hasn't gone all the way with them so they probably won't do it here either.
Mike: Will this be the crowning moment for Rusev Day or will this be the moment where it all finally falls apart between English and Rusev? On paper, this could be a really good match and I suspect it will be entertaining. I don't, however, see a title change. WWE didn't just move the belts to do a tournament and switch the belt again. I just don't see it. There's a lot of juice left in New Day and I suspect they will walk out with the titles.
Richard: I like that they didn’t go with The Bar versus New Day since the story of the redemption of Aiden English has been compelling over the last few weeks. Aiden and Rusev would be a good team to hold the titles if they are going to give Sanity, Gallows and Anderson, or the Usos shots at the title without having to be secondary to the shenanigans of the New Day’s Pancake pursuits. New Day will retain because they are going to let Rusev get over on his own and win a title.
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