This match was like a flawed, but favorite movie one has on the Blu–ray shelf. There may be a couple nagging plot holes, some visual flubs or special effects shots here and there that didn't quite work. Perhaps there were some narrative bumps in the road, but the action was compelling, the casting right on and the characters resonated with the viewer. The ending may have been unconventional, abrupt and not the happy resolution the audience was looking for. Despite of that, the tale sticks in the mind after the ending credits roll. That was Charlotte's victory over Sasha Banks in Hell in a Cell.
(Source: WWE.com)
In my preview I cited the lack of a compelling personal grudge to warrant Sasha's need for their rematch to go down in WWE's most violent structure. The fodder was there, but creative didn't run with it enough. The competitors made up for lost time, however as the cage lowered. Hype and pressure grew exponentially throughout the week. Not only were they the first women ever in the Devil's Playground, they also were the first women to headline a WWE main roster pay-per-view. After the traditional pomp and circumstance of their entrances, the look in their eyes as the cell lowered around them set the tone. It finally hit Sasha Banks and Charlotte what they got into. Then the challenger attacked and Sasha hit the floor before the steel links from above did.
(Source: WWE.com)
They scored points for the pre–match tussle, going into the crowd slugging out with anger worthy of the match. The back-and-forth culminated in Charlotte power bombing The Boss into the announce table the champ set up herself for dishing out some pain.
(Did Sasha leap to her feet compelled to retain her title, or was it the realization she was about to leave with the worst EMT's in the history of the profession? Source: WWE.com)
The clever beginning was almost derailed when the fake EMT's somehow managed to get cables enmeshed in a hard collar around Sasha's neck. They were already treading a thin line with putting Sasha on the stretcher, emulating Mick Foley's condition after his infamous tumble from the Cell roof in 1998.
Luckily a knack for the details from Sasha, who got up at the last second before forfeiting her title due to injury, made the crowd and most viewers forget this god-awful flub as she painfully got into the ring, radiating a win-or-die attitude and the match finally began.
(Sasha Banks let the people see her agony--and her will to win as Charlotte relentlessly brought the pain. Source: WWE.com)
They used the cage, the ring posts, chairs. For every bit of fight Sasha had, Charlotte countered. Reminiscent of the Nature Boy, Charlotte shifted gears from cowardice begging for the cage to be unlocked to her trademark sadism, mercilessly attacking Sasha's lower back, twisting her around a ring post. Yet the champion valiantly fought back. Both showed no fear in using the chain link walls.
Occasionally the bumps appeared mistimed, but both sold the other's offense well. Sasha in particular got the crowd deeper into the palm of her hand, snapping like a ragdoll and arching in pain as Charlotte's explosive attacks continued. Also, in recent memory, I can't recall two wrestlers getting so much mileage out of one steel chair. The dents in it after Sasha came down on her back yet again lent the required amount of seriousness to the proceedings. Then The Boss was able to fight out of a figure eight leg lock folding the chair up and hitting Charlotte with it, before the tables came out.
(If that chair could talk, it would have said "dear god make it stop!" Source: WWE.com)
At the start, the announce table that Sasha was power bombed through from the cage wall seemed to collapse as most do in WWE's high spots outside the ring. The other two didn't break, although Charlotte sold her agony well enough getting dumped on one outside the ring. Had the attention to the little details and storytelling been not up to par this could have been highly embarrassing, but this kept the match from being as great as other contests either woman had in the past.
(Charlotte's eyes gave the impression she knew it was then or maybe never, getting the opportunistic victory. Source: WWE Network)
In the end, after The Boss's back couldn't take lifting Charlotte for a power bomb, The Queen seized the opportunity and stunned the crowd, earning her third crown hitting Natural Selection for the win. This was a bold move for WWE booking, as they have tended to go for happy, if predictable baby face resolutions to close story arcs much of this decade in World Title matches – especially in a superstar's listed hometown.
Speculation comes to mind about how much Vince McMahon trusts Sasha's back, or if the safe choice of the Flair name was the reason. If one looks a little deeper, this coda took a page from a great past rivalry.
(Ricky Steamboat took the NWA world title from Ric Flair to kick off a trilogy of matches that many--including this author--consider the best of all time. Source: Pro Wrestling Illustrated)
With the exception of the title change at Summerslam, their feud's arc mirrors that of Ric Flair vs. Ricky Steamboat in 1989. Steamboat won the title, fought off the Nature Boy in a rematch, before losing to Flair in the last bout. This trilogy has always been considered must watch viewing for the expert storytelling, technical wrestling, personal heat, and the relentless will to win from both men. Charlotte and Sasha aren't up to this level of expertise yet, as they haven't been wrestling each other for over a decade like Steamboat and Flair had when their feud played out.
The chemistry is there and in time it is not unreasonable to expect timing and skill will catch up to their ability to spin the compelling narrative. In the end, like Ricky Steamboat, Sasha Banks was elevated to a whole new level even in defeat, and Charlotte's legacy as the grand supervillain champion continues to build. From here, as always, more challenges await the Cell's participants as well as WWE’s booking and the rest of the women's division.
(An uncharacteristic downer by WWE standards, Charlotte holding the title may be the best option for the foreseeable future. Source: WWE.com)
Since the brand split Raw has a dearth of solid heels for Sasha to go against. Paige is out after another wellness policy violation and neck surgery. Nia Jax is still exceedingly green and given the skittishness the company has over Sasha's back ailments, one wonders how safe a feud between the monster heel and Raw's top baby face could be.
Summer Rae is sidelined with back and elbow injuries and Tamina is still recovering from knee surgery.
Emma is healthy again, but her comeback appears to be a baby face run. That leaves Alicia Fox, who has not been seen, let alone built up, on Monday nights.
Dana Brooke is relevant as Charlotte's answer to Ted DiBiase's bodyguard Virgil and was brought up to the main roster before she could develop the skills to meet the bar set in WWE's women's division. She isn't ready for a major feud with Sasha, or a title shot, yet and may not be for a long time to come.
Bayley remains as the only other baby face option – and poised to become a mega–baby face – she's the alternative to Sasha down the line for a feud with the heel champion Charlotte. In fact, taking the long view, having Bayley as the one to finally bring down the sadistic Queen at WrestleMania may be the smart business move.
Reaching one summit almost always brings new challenges and they are indeed there for a thin women's roster on Raw with injuries and underdevelopment for some, but Hell in a Cell accomplished its mission. The women prove they belong there, that they can main event a smaller pay-per-view on occasion and sometimes there can be real beauty in violence.
(It is a tough way to go out for The Boss, but due to a thin roster, challengers for Raw's beloved baby face would probably make for lackluster feuds leading into WrestleMania. Source: WWE.com)
Next time, Glitter and Slam will take a look at Survivor Series and how some of the roster issues in the wake of Hell in a Cell for both brands will affect the first ever women's Survivor Series match between Teams Raw and Smackdown Live.
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