Aside from the main event match at this year’s Hell in a Cell, the annual WWE pay-per-view featuring an enclosed steel cage has a lackluster card. The matches for the event are mostly underdeveloped and feature bouts more suited for “RAW” or “SmackDown.”

Ryback fighting WWE Champion CM Punk for the title is all the draw for this event, singularly making the event one of the year’s most important pay-per-views.

World Heavyweight Championship

Sheamus vs. Big Show

Big Show challenging World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus for the “SmackDown” World Title is the secondary main event, with far less of a draw. There’s nothing instantly attractive about this bout, except to Sheamus fans that look to see the Celtic Warrior find a way to beat the Giant.

Sheamus has held the World Championship since April when he beat Daniel Bryan in 16 seconds at WrestleMania 28, and since then most of his matches have played out in a similar fashion. Not as short, Sheamus’s matches could be one sided or back-and-forth, but it doesn’t matter because out of nowhere he can hit the Brogue Kick and win, making it all feel pointless.

When performers have a one hit and done style move, it takes away from the buildup of the match; Why doesn’t Sheamus just do what he did at WrestleMania in every match and just win immediately if that’s all it takes?

Prediction: Dolph Ziggler wins

It seems out of nowhere unless you’ve been watching WWE, but Dolph Ziggler has outright stated that he’ll be cashing in his contract at Hell in a Cell. After Show and Sheamus wear each other down, the Showoff will pick up the scraps and become the new World Heavyweight Champion.

Randy Orton vs. Alberto Del Rio

It’s hard to say why this match exists, but it does. Randy Orton will face Alberto del Rio for some reason in a match with virtually no build up.

Even though the two men involved are above average talents, the Viper and the Mexican Aristocrat weren’t given the motivation to feud. This throwaway match has the potential to be a surprise hit, but with no drama to get audiences hooked on the performance, that’s not likely.

Prediction: Alberto del Rio wins

Who knows, maybe Orton will win. It just seems better for Del Rio’s character to gain a victory, and with it some credibility after losing to Sheamus for months on end. Orton is a developed star and doesn’t need the help and will likely be turning heel and essentially hitting a reset button on his recent record.

Tag Team Championship

Kane and Daniel Bryan vs. Rhodes Scholars

The unlikely couple of Kane and Daniel Bryan have brought the tag team division back to the forefront of the WWE, and Cody Rhodes and Damien Sandow hope to continue the trend with the belts around their wastes. The Rhodes Scholars won a tag team tournament to get the title shot, and both have something to prove.

Cody Rhodes was on the rise as Intercontinental Champion in late 2011 into earlier this year, but since his title reign ended, he has become an afterthought. Sandow is a rookie with abundant promise, and winning his first title is what he needs to bring him closer to stardom.

Prediction: Rhodes Scholars win

Kane and Bryan are a big draw for their comedic antics, but the team can’t stay together forever, and if no one could defeat the duo while they were bickering it would make the rest of the tag division look bad. To really rebuild a quality tag division, WWE has to move the belts to a cohesive team, like Sandow and Rhodes have proven themselves to be.

Intercontinental Championship

Kofi Kingston vs. The Miz

Intercontinental Champion Kofi Kingston is a main event caliber superstar and regardless of if he gets to that level, his matches with The Miz are show stealers. The two men have all the potential in the world, and will make the IC Title match one of the highlights of Hell in a Cell.

Prediction: Kofi Kingston wins

The Miz could get the IC Championship back eventually, but not just yet. Kofi won the title last Wednesday on “Main Event” and it would be odd for WWE officials to switch it back so quickly.

Divas Championship

Eve Torres vs. Layla vs. Kaitlyn

Even though the Divas don’t get all the attention their division deserves, a triple threat for the title is a change of pace from the usual one-on-one matches the women of WWE get. There’s also a decent angle to the match, with Eve supposedly sabotaging Kaitlyn’s title shot at Night of Champions.

Prediction: Eve wins

The match will be the shortest of the night with Eve prevailing as champion. The three women involved are some of the better Divas on the roster, and Eve is the best of the three. She has legitimate star power that hasn’t been shown by a woman in WWE for some time, and could hold onto the butterfly belt for long time.

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