Hell in a Cell 2018 Thoughts

Ryan of Cincy Fan Zone shares his thoughts on WWE Hell in a Cell 2018.

KO vs. HHH?

Kevin Owens is the latest wrestler to enter a feud with a McMahon as he is set to do battle against Shane McMahon at the Hell in a Cell event in October. While Owens currently has his sights set on Shane O’Mac, is a future match with the Game on the horizon?

If I’m not mistaken, the last two times an attack on Vince McMahon was a major factor in a WWE storyline Triple H got involved. When Randy Orton targeted the entire McMahon family, Triple H defeated him at Wrestlemania 25. When Brock Lesnar dropped Vince with an F5, Triple H pinned the beast at Wrestlemania 29. Kevin Owens just Vince’s head open and squashed him with a frog splash on SmackDown after which Stephanie McMahon came to the ring to both help her father and show her anger toward Owens.

While the feud could end at Hell in a Cell between Owens and Shane McMahon, there is the possibility that it will continue and evolve in to Owens vs. the McMahons as opposed to Ownes vs Shane. Should it turn into a family affair Triple H will likely get involved, and the story would seemingly make no sense. Here’s why.

When Shane returned in 2016, Vince was not happy and had him face the Undertaker at Wrestlemania 32 in a hell in a cell match. So why is Vince all of a sudden on Shane’s side? Stephanie and Shane also feuded for control of WWE with Shane being granted control of SmackDown and Stephanie being granted control of Raw. So why was Stephanie at SmackDown when Vince was hurt? The last time Stephanie was on television, she was a heel. By going up against Owens, does that make her a face?

Perhaps I am looking to far into the storyline, but it does not make sense form a logical standpoint. Things will be even more illogical if Triple H gets involved as he essentially handed Owens the Universal Championship last year. Are fans supposed to forget that happened? Also, Owens and Samoa Joe teamed up for a little bit during Wrestlemania 33 season to do some of Triple H’s dirty work making a possible Owens vs. Triple H feud is a head scratcher.

Hopefully Owens just sticks to Shane O’Mac. The storyline would be simpler, less contradicting and a win over the SmackDown general manger at Hell in a Cell could cement Owens as the biggest heel on the blue brand. A battle with Triple H would not be needed in order to establish that. I understand that wrestling is fake, but I do not want my intelligence insulted when I watch it. A Kevin Owens vs. Triple H feud would do just that.

Plight of the Cruiserweights

When WWE announced that they were bringing back the cruiserweight division, I was excited. The Cruiserweight Classic on the WWE Networks was producing unbelievable matches, and it was arguably the best cruiserweight action on television since the days of WCW Monday Nitro. The cruiserweight division that WCW had during the Monday Night Wars featured some of the finest wrestling on television at the time and helped propel guys like Eddie Guerrero, Rey Mysterio, Dean Malenko, and Chris Jericho into superstardom. The bouts were often fast paced and filled with high flying action. People were tuning into WCW for the big name wrestlers and New World Order storyline, but they were staying because of the action that the cruiserweights brought to the ring.

I thought a similar style would be replicated on WWE television. I was wrong. The cruiserweight division is struggling. Instead of being presented as an athletic showcase for wrestlers who meet the 205 pound weight limit, the division barely gets any television time on Monday Night Raw, and the 205 Live show on the WWE network generally features two matches with an in ring segment in between. The action is not as quick or as dazzling despite the fact that many of the cruiserweights are some of the most athletically gifted on the roster. Cedric Alexander is a perfect example of this. He is arguably the most athletic wrestler in the division but was involved in a horrendous storyline with Noam Dar and Alicia Fox and really has no direction that enables him to show off his wrestling skill.

If WWE stripped the division down, gave the wrestlers more television time, and focused more on the actual wrestling, I think it would improve. The Cruiserweight Classic proved that fans were invested in matches because of the action in the ring. Short video packages highlighted each wrestler before the match, but the wrestlers did not cut promos or have an in ring segment to get over with the fans. They let their abilities do the talking, and it spoke volumes. If WWE can make the cruiserweight division more like the cruiserweight classic, I think the plight of the cruiserweights will finally come to an end.

SummerSlam 2017 Thoughts

Ryan of Cincy Fan Zone shares his thoughts on WWE SummerSlam 2017.

Who Will Walk Out as Champ?

SummerSlam 2017 will boast a huge main event as Brock Lesnar will defend his WWE Universal Championship in a Fatal 4 Way match against Braun Strowman, Samoa Joe, and Roman Reigns. The match should be a war as four of WWE’s most over wrestlers battle it out to determine who is the top guy on Monday Night Raw. So will a new champ be crowned?

Nope. Not at SummerSlam 2017 at least. I predict Brock Lesnar will walk into SummerSlam as champion and walk out as champion. That is not to say he won’t have a tough match ahead of him. Strowman has become the resident monster for the red brand, Samoa Joe was seconds away from choking out the landlord of Suplex City at Great Balls of Fire, and Reigns is the only other guy aside from Lesnar to defeat the Undertaker at Wrestlemania.

Despite the threat that each of the challengers pose to the champ, they will not take the Universal Championship for themselves. I think that Lesnar will win and hold onto the title until Wrestlemania 34 before dropping the belt to Reigns. The seeds for that match will be planted at SummerSlam as Lesnar successfully retains his title.

WWE GBOF 2017 Thoughts

Ryan of Cincy Fan Zone shares his thoughts on WWE GBOF 2017.

WWE Extreme Rules 2017 Thoughts

Ryan of Cincy Fan Zone shares his thoughts on WWE Extreme Rules 2017.

WWE Payback 2017 Thoughts

Ryan of Cincy Fan Zone shares his thoughts on WWE Payback 2017.