This weekend, the most wicked structure in professional wrestling will touch down in the Chicagoland area with legacies and titles at stake.
The 14th edition of Hell in a Cell will take place Sunday at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois (8 p.m. ET on Peacock). Two title fights are scheduled on the card, along with a main event trilogy match between two icons in the sport.
Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins will be the only combatants to go inside Hell in a Cell this weekend. The duo has faced off at the past two pay-per-views, with Rhodes claiming wins at WrestleMania and WrestleMania Backlash. Will Rhodes make it three straight against Rollins?
Two belts will be on the line as Bianca Belair's WWE Raw women's championship and Theory's WWE U.S. championship could be in new hands. Belair will face former Raw champions Asuka and Becky Lynch in a triple-threat match, while Theory will take on the high-flying Mustafa Ali.
Other matches include a 2-on-1 handicap match with Bobby Lashley taking on Omos and MVP, a singles match between Ezekiel and Kevin Owens and a six-person mixed tag-team match with Finn Balor, AJ Styles, and Liv Morgan facing off against The Judgment Day (Edge, Damian Priest and Rhea Ripley).
Let's break down each match, predict the victors and offer up what could come next for the wrestlers.
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2022 WWE Hell in a Cell predictions
Hell in a Cell: Cody Rhodes vs. Seth Rollins
There's no way Rollins loses three straight to Rhodes... right?
The trick to this match is how the promotion will keep Rhodes running red hot going into Money in the Bank and SummerSlam while not squashing one of the top stars at WWE in Rollins.
For Rollins, his claim that Rhodes was a surprise challenger at WrestleMania made it difficult for him to prepare and win. It seemed like Rollins was destined to win in the second match as he countered nearly every significant Rhodes attack. Rhodes' securing victory over Rollins by roll-up and tight grabbing can't sit well with "The Visionary." In some ways, Rollins should be in a prime position to get a win finally, but instincts and history say that WWE will keep the train rolling with Rhodes.
Prediction: Cody Rhodes vs. Seth Rollins ends in a no-contest
Raw women's championship: Bianca Belair (c) vs. Becky Lynch vs. Asuka in a triple-threat match
What an interesting rivalry between Belair and Lynch. Last summer, Lynch made her triumphant return to the ring and dethroned Belair in just 26 seconds, which led to "The EST" on a long quest to reclaim the title at WrestleMania. Belair and Lynch put on arguably the best match of the weekend at WrestleMania 38, so it's no surprise WWE will see how much more juice it can squeeze from the duo. Belair's two-month reign now faces a rematch with Lynch and an added variable in two-time Raw women's champion Asuka.
Asuka's return has added life to the women's slate, and while she makes for a worthy champ, this feels a bit premature for "The Empress of Tomorrow." Tomorrow could likely be SummerSlam for Asuka, with enough time for a feud to build with Belair to create real stakes by the end of July. As for today, the title will stay with the lady from Knoxville.
Prediction: Bianca Belair def. Asuka and Becky Lynch
2-on-1 match: Bobby Lashley vs. Omos and MVP
Yes, this is tailor-made for Lashley to lose a handicap match against Omos and MVP. Yes, WWE seems hell-bent on making us watch Omos, which is fine. However, if a win for Omos means another notch in the belt for MVP to grow as a valet/manager/heel personality, I'm all-in. All hail Montel Vontavious Porter.
Prediction: Omos and MVP def. Bobby Lashley
Kevin Owens vs. Ezekiel
OK, I'll admit it -- I wasn't a fan of Owens and Ezekiel at first. But the more I've observed, the more I find myself smiling and appreciating the hard sell.
Owens has been a joy to watch as he rages about to prove that Ezekiel is just Elias without the egregious beard. Owens has been on a bender to expose Ezekiel with little show for his efforts, from absurd DNA testing and lie detector tests to teaming up with Alpha Academy. It feels like Owens hasn't had a big win in ages, but few stars are as good as K.O. as he can stand toe-to-toe with anyone in the business.
And yet, nothing would infuriate Owens more than to take another loss to Ezekiel. A mad Owens makes for a happy WWE universe.
Prediction: Ezekiel def. Kevin Owens
United States Championship: Austin Theory (c) vs. Mustafa Ali
It would be impossible to fathom Ali being a win away from WWE gold when he has publicly feuded with the company and made a request to be released earlier this year. That request was denied and now Ali finds himself across Austin Theory -- excuse me, just Theory -- who claimed the title from Finn Balor on April 18.
I would love to see Ali find a way to win the biggest match of his career in front of his hometown of Chicago. However, we've watched this sport for far too long, and we know that storylines often result in outcomes opposite of what fans desire most.
Prediction: (Austin) Theory def. Mustafa Ali
Six-person mixed tag-team match: Finn Balor, AJ Styles and Liv Morgan vs. Edge, Damian Priest and Rhea Ripley
This is really The Club vs. Judgment Day in a faction vs. faction match, as the additions of Morgan and Ripley add interesting wrinkles to this song and dance.
My guess is more wrinkles will show themselves during the match by way of new members joining the fray (Will Edge reel in Tommaso Ciampa?) or possibly a teammate turning on a fellow faction member (could Balor turn on Styles?).
This is also another case of a superstar being 0-2 against his rival -- see Rollins vs. Rhodes -- going into Hell in a Cell. While Rhodes going up three on Rollins would be in line with building back up a former WWE star, it doesn't feel nearly as deserving for Edge to do the same for Styles. The Club solidifies itself as an equal faction to Judgment Day, and maybe some cross-match opportunities (Balor vs. Priest, Morgan vs. Ripley) can develop for Money in the Bank and SummerSlam.
Prediction: The Club def. Judgment Day