In this edition of the rechristened Glitter and Slam we examine why Sasha Banks and Charlotte need to have the match of both their careers – and what is working against them since they became the first women ever to step into Hell In A Cell. A mélange of booking, marketing and the wrestlers themselves factor into why their match must be more than great.
Hell In A Cell is WWE's most brutal stipulation match. No disqualifications, no count-outs and the ring is enclosed within a steel cage. It is regarded as WWE's most violent, most personal, way to settle the most heated rivalries. In contradiction to the match, its structure and history, WWE made it a pay-per-view themed event in 2009.
As in the past, we have feuds that haven't had the buildup to justify getting into Hell rounding out this year's edition of the pay-per-view, simply because this is the event on the schedule. This doesn't mean the Banks/Flair rivalry doesn't have potential to culminate in Hell In A Cell. In fact, it has more going for it than Reigns/Rusev or even Owens/Rollins. WWE just hasn't turned up the intensity enough.
Once Teammates in the BFFs, Charlotte and Sasha Banks have a personal rivalry dating back to NXT, involving burned bridges, championships and at times anger boiling over into a raw need to just pummel one another. WWE has capitalized on this by incorporating Sasha's real-life back injury – and even a botched spot – into the feud.
We were introduced to an even darker, more brutal side of Charlotte as a crippler who wanted to be certain she not only defeated Banks, but also caused her injury. This angle played out well when Charlotte's second title reign ended on Raw as The Boss stood triumphant, fighting through the pain for victory.
Inexplicably, the personal element that made the feud up to this point compelling has been muted leading up to their forthcoming showdown.
Beyond the notion of giving women a fair shake in terms of ring time, and more complex storylines, was that the desire to be the best took priority over soap opera tropes as the driving force in women's division feuds.
The road to Hell is one time that the personal issues need to override dreams of championship glory, yet that has not been explored since Banks regained her title. There is fertile ground to make this the ultimate grudge in the women's division. Their friendship, then rivalry dating back to NXT, Banks winning the developmental brand's title from Charlotte and confrontations on the main roster. Then there is the recent tug-of-war with the RAW title as Charlotte crossed the line into wanting to not only beat Sasha, but put her away for the long term.
This could have been the bedrock for Sasha's promo lobbying for their rematch to take place in the structure known as The Devil's Playground. She could have said this was personal, about not only the belt but so much more. If Charlotte wanted to put her away, then she could come get it inside the Cell.
The focus, however was still on the belt and has been as of this writing leading into the October 30th show. This doesn't mean the women come off weak or that we're not going to be treated to a breathtaking experience when the bell rings. It simply means if it was about who's the best and nothing more, another stipulation match would have been a better coda to this chapter in Charlotte's and Sasha's epic rivalry. 2 out of 3 falls, a ladder match, even falls count anywhere would be excellent given the buildup as presented.
Instead, we're in Mick Foley's corner, left to wonder if within story context the combatants know what they're getting into. If you want to see a championship rivalry that is playing the personal angle well in WWE right now you'll have to follow the yellow line to Smackdown and Becky Lynch vs. Alexa Bliss.
That said, outside of the buildup, Charlotte and Sasha are two of WWE's best pressure performers right now and they have made fans take pause as they continue to push the envelope with each big match they have. Technically speaking they have always been solid and even recently we've seen them fix botches midstream so the in-ring narrative still flows smoothly. We will get that in Hell In A Cell as long as they can incorporate it into the match as the great ones before them have. Hopefully we will see them exceed expectations once again, and make the clunky buildup a mere afterthought.
Finally, my prediction: The Boss retains. In the next edition of Glitter and Slam, we'll examine where the women of Raw will go after Hell In A Cell and more insight on the women of WWE's programming.
- Wes Kozalla
patricia@mail.postmanllc.net
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