It is the brawl to hopefully end it all as Seth Rollins and Cody Rhodes enter the Hell in a Cell. Here are our predictions and prognostications for tonight’s event.
Cody Rhodes vs. Seth Rollins – Hell In a Cell Match
| Name | Prediction | Winner |
|---|---|---|
| Matthew Byer | While the matches between Rhodes and Rollins have been very good this Hell in the Cell bout should be the last one. Otherwise WWE runs the risk of overdoing this feud and having the audience turn on both wrestlers. The logical ending is for Cody Rhodes to win in order to continue his build towards the main event picture and a future challenge for the WWE Unified World/Universal Title. The only question is who will Rhodes face after this program. | Cody Rhodes |
| John Powell | It will be the match of the night but I have already grown tired of this feud and there is only so much I can take of Rollins’ goofy laughter and his strange, odd character that still makes no sense to me. I don’t get him at all. | Cody Rhodes |
| Bob Kapur | According to the PW Database, since returning to WWE, Cody Rhodes has faced – and beaten – Seth Rollins 15 times in singles matches. Will #16 be lucky for Seth? Nope. | Cody Rhodes |
| Betonline | Cody Rhodes: -250. Seth Rollins: +170. | Cody Rhodes |
|
Jonathan Schwartz |
Typical WWE booking would suggest Rollins wins underhandedly but they need Rhodes to be strong if he’s going to be a credible title threat. I’m going with Rhodes (and an eventual Rollins face turn following a breakdown). | Seth Rollins |
Bianca Belair (c) vs. Asuka vs. Becky Lynch – Triple Threat, WWE Raw Women’s Championship Match
| Name | Prediction | Winner |
|---|---|---|
| Matthew Byer | Honestly my preference would have been match just between Belair and Asuka as that was far more intriguing because The EST of WWE has never beaten The Empress of Tomorrow. While the addition of Lynch won’t hurt the match quality it is almost certain she will be the one that Belair pins to retain her championship. | Bianca Belair |
| John Powell | This match was fine as it was. We didn’t need Becky Lynch, her weird facial expressions and her awkward Shawn Michaels level of over-acting. And while we are on the topic why is WWE portraying Asuka, one of the best wrestlers in the world, as an absolute clown? She speaks great English on her YouTube channel. Why are they dumbing her down on WWE TV? In any case, it seems too early to end Bianca’s reign but Asuka versus Becky Lynch, based on their backstory, could make a great SummerSlam feud. | Bianca Belair |
| Bob Kapur | Remember when Becky Lynch was being so under-utilized it was borderline criminal? No fear of that happening again – indeed, she’s becoming almost over-used, as in this case, where they crowbarred her into this match for no reason. With the big show in Wales coming up, I could see them putting the title on her, just to have a UK star walk in with the title. | Becky Lynch |
| Betonline | Bianca Belair: -200. Becky Lynch: +225. Asuka: +300. | Bianca Belair |
| Jonathan Schwartz | Belair and Lynch are horrifically miscast, which has squandered the promise of the women’s revolution. I imagine Belair will retain to look strong, since Lynch and Asuka would be retreads. | Bianca Belair |
Bobby Lashley vs. Omos and MVP
| Name | Prediction | Winner |
|---|---|---|
| Matthew Byer | Bobby Lashley deserves so much better. WWE should be building up Lashley as a future challenger for Roman Reigns. Instead he is stuck in this unending program against Omos that just won’t end. As much as it would be best for Lashley to win instead Omos and MVP will pickup the victory and sadly this feud will continue. | Omos and MVP |
| John Powell | Here is another feud that ran its course some time ago but the WWE’s roster is so diluted that they give us the same matches, the same faces, the same feuds for months on end now. Lashley overcoming the odds would seemingly be the way to go to build him back up, put him back into the title picture sooner rather than later. | Bobby Lashley |
| Bob Kapur | Even though he won their recent steel cage match, Bobby Lashley was easily manhandled by Omos throughout and only squeaked a win through a fluke. He needs a convincing, definitive win here to get back his mojo. Unfortunately, that won’t happen – he’ll get the win, but it will be over MVP and not Omos. | Bobby Lashley |
| Betonline | Bobby Lashley: -180. Omos and MVP: +140. | Bobby Lashley |
| Jonathan Schwartz | Omos and MVP win to end this feud and cast Lashley back to purgatory. | Omos and MVP |
Ezekiel vs. Kevin Owens
| Name | Prediction | Winners |
|---|---|---|
| Matthew Byer | So let me see if I have this correct. This entire program is based on Owens believing Elias is actually Ezekiel and failing to be able to prove it. Does anyone actually care? Could WWE waste a talented performer such as KO anymore than this? Ezekiel wins and WWE continues to run this program into the ground. | Ezekiel |
| John Powell | This angle is so moronic that it defies description. The WWE is making Owens look like a buffoon but unlike Sami Zayn you can tell he is in on the joke and is making the best of things. Zayn seemingly doesn’t care if he is a complete joke as long as he doing the ‘funnies’. Things would be better for everyone if Zayn just left WWE and joined the cast of Jackass. I honestly just don’t care about any of this stupidity. | Ezekiel |
| Bob Kapur | What is the point of this match? If Ezekiel wins, does that mean Owens will accept that he’s Elias’ brother? So what if he does? If Owens wins, does Ezekiel have to revert to Elias? This is pointless booking at its finest. | Ezekiel |
| Betonline | Ezekiel: -150. Kevin Owens: +110. | Ezekiel |
| Jonathan Schwartz | Owens went from main-eventing WrestleMania versus a bone fide legend to this. Shades of Bam Bam Bigelow and Lawrence Taylor, all that followed. Ezekiel wins. | Ezekiel |
Theory (c) vs. Mustafa Ali – WWE United States Championship Match
| Name | Prediction | Winner |
|---|---|---|
| Matthew Byer |
Given enough time this could steal the show. Theory will retain the US Championship, but this will be very back and forth until the end. |
Theory |
| John Powell | So very glad to see the talented Ali back in action, even if he wasn’t granted his wish. Let’s just hope this isn’t the end of a high profile run and return for him. He does deserve better and has so much to bring to the WWE on and off television. | Theory |
| Bob Kapur | In terms of in-ring, this should be match of the night, but in the end, I have a theory that Ali won’t win. | Theory |
| Betonline | Theory: -450. Mustafa Ali: +275. | Theory |
| Jonathan Schwartz | Too early to take the belt off Theory and I feel like Ali is just waiting out his contract now. Theory retains. | Theory |
Finn Bálor, AJ Styles and Liv Morgan vs. The Judgment Day
| Name | Prediction | Winner |
|---|---|---|
| Matthew Byer |
Hopefully Finn Bálor betrays his team and joins The Judgement Day as he has been booked so poorly over the last year or so. However, look for another wrestler to interfere and join Edge’s faction and help them to a victory. Who might it be? Well if the rumours about Bray Wyatt returning to WWE are true this would be a great place to do so. |
The Judgement Day |
| John Powell | The Judgment Day is victorious due to their new member: Tommaso Ciampa or Robert Roode. | The Judgment Day |
| Bob Kapur | I’m not a big fan of intergender matches because the rule that requires mandatory tags when someone from the opposite gender enters the ring can interrupt the flow of the match. They’ve been teasing a new member of Judgment Day, but I think it may be too early to bring one in now. Instead, I think they cheat their way to a win. | The Judgment Day |
| Betonline | The Judgment Day: -350. AJ Styles, Finn Balor and Liv Morgan: +225. | The Judgment Day |
| Jonathan Schwartz | Is Liv Morgan supposed to be a member of Bullet Club? Is this like when Booker T joined WWE’s version of the nWo or when scaredy cat Eric Young joined TNA’s version? Balor and Styles are legit main eventers. Balor’s been in a slump. Judgment Day wins otherwise they turn into Retribution. I hope Dijak joins them in a gimp mask. | The Judgment Day |