The B/R Wrestling Staff Predictions for 2022 WWE Hell in a Cell Match Card

Sunday's Hell in a Cell event is one of the many match-themed pay-per-views on the WWE calendar, but as of Friday morning, only one bout is scheduled to take place inside the giant cage. 

Here is the lineup as it stands, according to WWE.com:

• Cody Rhodes vs. Seth Rollins (Hell in a Cell match)
• Bianca Belair vs. Asuka vs. Becky Lynch (Raw Women's Championship)
• Bobby Lashley vs. Omos and MVP
• Ezekiel vs. Kevin Owens
• Theory vs. Mustafa Ali (United States Championship)
• Finn Balor, AJ Styles and Liv Morgan vs. Edge, Damian Priest and Rhea Ripley

Here's our lineup of contributors:

• Chris Mueller (CM) (@BR_Doctor)
• Kevin Berge (KB) (@KevinBerge)
• Erik Beaston (EB) (@ErikBeaston)
• Jeff J (JJ) (@JeffJSays)
• Donald Wood (DW) (@Donald_Wood)
• Graham Matthews (GM) (@WrestleRant)
• Anthony Mango (AM) (@ToeKneeMango)

Cody Rhodes vs. Seth Rollins

Do you think Rhodes should beat Rollins for the third time, or should The Visionary get a win here to extend the feud one more month? 

I understand booking Rhodes to beat Rollins at Hell in a Cell, as it would certainly make the former look strong, but he has already earned two victories over his challenger. With Rollins' expertise in the steel structure and his desire to win at all costs, it should be Rhodes who takes the loss Sunday, keeping the feud alive for the road to Money in the Bank.

Both men are likely in the MITB men's ladder match, so letting them continue their storyline heading into the July pay-per-view would make WWE programming more interesting over the next month.

Balor, Styles and Morgan vs. The Judgment Day

What is your overall opinion of The Judgment Day so far? 

Stables in wrestling work. While they haven't worked as well in WWE over the last several years, other companies have found great success with groups like Bullet Club and The Elite. The Judgment Day have been built well thanks to the leadership of Edge, but they lack the overall impact needed to become a dominant faction.

If Finn Balor turns on AJ Styles and Liv Morgan on Sunday, the stable will grow and so will its credibility. If The Judgment Day want to become iconic, they need to start dominating all divisions, just as New World Order did in WCW. 

Bianca Belair vs. Asuka vs. Becky Lynch

How do you think this match should end to provide the most satisfying conclusion? Who gets the pin and who takes it? 

Bianca Belair is only beginning her run atop Raw, and it is important she does not lose steam. However, both Asuka and Becky Lynch are future singles challengers for The EST of WWE. It would be best to not have the titleholder completely dominate but never look ready to lose, either.

She should pin Big Time Becks but only after Asuka knocks out the former champion. The Empress of Tomorrow would have a legitimate claim for a rematch right away while Lynch will blame Asuka, fueling a memorable end to their rivalry. 

Theory vs. Mustafa Ali

Most fans would like to see Ali win the United States title in this match. Offer an argument for why Theory should retain. 

Theory has impressed with every opportunity lately, yet he has not gotten any chance to run with the U.S. Championship. If he loses now, his reign was completely unnecessary. He does not deserve that no matter how likable his opponent is.

Bobby Lashley vs. Omos and MVP

At this point, who gains more from a win in the long run?

Given the fact that Omos won at WrestleMania Backlash and was really no better or worse off for it, Bobby Lashley has to be the choice here. A loss and his credibility as a top-tier babyface on Raw will take a hit; he wins and things remains as they are.

What started as an intriguing feud, and added the MVP turn to make it even more so, is limping into Hell in a Cell for a handicap match no one is overly excited for. 

Ezekiel vs. Kevin Owens

Would you rather see Ezekiel admit he is Elias or would it be better to keep the gimmick going? 

The Ezekiel gimmick is one that will inevitably burn out once the joke runs its course and fans grow tired of the shtick. Admitting he is Elias, and WWE Creative exploring what that means for the character, is far more interesting than 17 more weeks of repetitive segments in which every heel attempts to prove the newcomer is actually Elias. 

Ezekiel vs. Kevin Owens

If you were running WWE, how would you put this match together? What would happen and who would win? 

This story is one of those soap-opera deals where it doesn't translate to in-ring action. Nothing about Kevin Owens believing Ezekiel is Elias can be told between the ropes with them punching and kicking each other.

The only way to have some fun with it would be to slap a video together with Ezekiel wearing a fake beard and an Elias outfit, and have it appear on the titantron with Elias playing a song to hype up his brother, and for that to distract KO. That at least calls into question the identity, instead of this just being Owens fighting Ezekiel until a winner is crowned. 

Bobby Lashley vs. Omos and MVP

If this is the end of this feud, what would you like to see next from Lashley and Omos? 

Ideally, Lashley wins this and gets a shot at Roman Reigns for Money in the Bank. Before those belts were unified, it was obvious WWE would have a problem with two world titles on one person. Having that one guy sit out weeks is painful.

Since WWE seems to want to hold off on Drew McIntyre vs. Reigns for Clash at the Castle in September, The All Mighty is the best option to fill the void in the meantime. Beating Omos and MVP together gives him momentum to make that challenge, and it would help with Money in the Bank ticket sales to have The Tribal Chief on the card. 

Theory vs. Mustafa Ali

If Ali wins the title, who should be his first rival after Theory?

Ciampa and Ali have yet to have a truly competitive match on Raw due to the constant interference. From the little we've seen of them against each other, they have great chemistry and are capable of a quality contest.

Having Ciampa challenge Ali would make for a really fun defense on Raw, assuming it's given more than a few minutes. 

Bianca Belair vs. Asuka vs. Becky Lynch

Forget who you think will win. Who do you want to see win this match and why? 

Belair is still early into her reign as Raw women's champion, so not only is she my pick to win, but she's also who I want to walk out with the title.

Lynch was champion on and off for almost three years and could use a break from the belt, while Asuka's current character just isn't interesting enough to hold the title again at this point.

Belair vs. Rhea Ripley needs to be the endgame, ideally at SummerSlam.

Cody Rhodes vs. Seth Rollins

Should WWE push Rhodes right into the championship hunt after this feud or should he have at least one more non-title storyline before chasing gold? 

I think Rhodes should work his way up to the world title match. WWE is telling a six-plus year story with The American Nightmare, and it would do well to continue building this saga with worthy young competitors and seasoned veterans.

Some of the veterans such as Owens, Styles and Edge may see Rhodes as encroaching on the territory that he and All Elite Wrestling tried to destroy, while new stars like Ricochet, Ciampa and Ali would clamor for a shot to defeat him.

If and when Rhodes does contend for the WWE title, it's going to be on a major stage and well worth the wait. Since he's a significant focal point of Raw, use his spotlight to build other wrestlers and add more intrigue to his American Nightmare mystique. 

Bonus Question

If you were going to add another match to the card, what would it be and why?

The Street Profits vs Alpha Academy to start the show because anytime I can watch Chad Gable "shoooosh" the crowd is a great time. Plus, they've put on solid bangers over the last few months, so fans would get to see two awesome teams compete on the mic and in the ring. Not to mention, we'd get to witness the best Frog Splash in wrestling history when Montez goes off the top rope. It's a win-win.

Balor, Styles and Morgan vs. The Judgment Day

What is your overall opinion of The Judgment Day so far? 

I like all three people in the group, but the concept itself isn't clicking for me. I'm not sure if it's the presentation or the way Edge has been giving promos, but something about it just isn't working.

I hope they can turn this around and make me a fan, but they need to change something to make it more original. 

Bonus Question

If you were going to add another match to the card, what would it be?

I would put Ricochet vs. Gunther for the Intercontinental Championship on the card, and I would have it open the show.

The One and Only's high-flying ability combined with The Ring General's brute force would make a fun combination that would get the crowd excited for a night of action. 

All respondents' predictions are represented by their initials next to their choices.

• Rhodes (EB, KB, AM, GM, CM, JJ) vs. Rollins (DW)
• Belair (EB, KB, AM, GM, CM, JJ, DW) vs. Asuka vs. Lynch 
• Lashley (EB, AM, GM, CM, JJ) vs. Omos and MVP (DW, KB)
• Ezekiel (EB, KB, AM, CM, JJ, DW) vs. Owens (GM)
• Theory (EB, AM, GM, DW) vs. Ali (JJ, KB, CM)
• Balor, Styles and Morgan (EB) vs. Edge, Priest and Ripley (KB, AM, GM, CM, JJ, DW)

We also made some additional predictions.

• Who will take the pin in the six-person tag match? Priest (EB), Styles (JJ, KB), Morgan (AM, EB, GM, CM)
• How many matches will include outside interference? One (DW), two (EB, KB, JJ), three (GM, CM, AM)
• Will anyone climb the cell and who will do it first? No (AM, GM, KB), Rhodes (DW, JJ), Rollins (EB, CM)