WWE Hell in a Cell takeaways: What’s next for Bobby Lashley and Drew McIntyre?
By Ryan Satin
FOX Sports WWE Analyst
With the program between Bobby Lashley and Drew McIntyre seemingly coming to an end Sunday, let’s examine what could be next for the two Superstars.
First, a quick rundown of the Hell in a Cell results for those who need a reminder:
Back to the main event.
Just as you’d expect from these two behemoths, Sunday night's WWE Championship match was absolute brutality from bell to bell. Both performers used the cage to their advantage, slammed their opponent through tables and whacked the you-know-what out of each other with kendo sticks.
Check out McIntyre’s battle scars for proof:
Honestly, if it hadn’t been for the finish, I would’ve had nothing but good things to say about this match. The barbarity they went through alone made it so you couldn’t take your eyes off the screen.
Until the closing minutes, it was exactly what a Hell in a Cell match is supposed to be: WWE’s most-brutal gimmick match being used to bring finality to a feud.
Alas, the finish did happen, and I can’t praise a roll-up victory occurring in a Hell in a Cell match. That has to be the most lackluster ending imaginable outside of a disqualification (which isn’t even possible in this kind of a match).
I understand most fans expected Drew to lose Sunday anyway, but having him do it in such a simple manner doesn’t really protect his character like old-school minds might think. Instead, it kind of made him look weak.
There are other ways WWE could’ve gotten the same result, too, without diminishing the value of the Hell in a Cell concept or McIntyre's credibility.
If MVP were going to get involved anyway, why not have him and Lashley beat Drew senseless with chairs at the end to put him out of commission? That would’ve at least given McIntyre a better excuse when someone asked about his loss and, in theory, protected his character by giving him a worthy excuse.
I even think using cinematic stunt work here to have an awesome-looking, pre-recorded ending would’ve made for a more memorable finish than what we got – and this is coming from someone who asked WWE to move away from that stuff last week in an article.
Back to the topic at hand: Where do Lashley and McIntyre go from here?
The path of "The All Mighty" seems easiest to predict, as the groundwork for a title match against Kofi Kingston has already been laid, and Money in the Bank is just a few weeks away.
The WWE Universe loves Kofi, so having him in a title match at the first pay-per-view with a live audience again would be a smart decision, especially given that he has been out of the title picture since he was destroyed by Brock Lesnar during the premiere of Friday Night SmackDown on FOX.
Lashley can then go on to SummerSlam and hopefully wrestle against a big name to make his mark on the event as champion.
As for Drew, that’s a little more difficult to predict.
The former WWE Champion could always feud with Sheamus again, this time over the United States title, and eventually beat his longtime friend for the belt to get some sort of title run in front of fans.
That could ultimately be perceived as a demotion, however, and possibly hurt his long-term value as a world champion again.
WWE could also turn Drew heel to give him a fresh slate of opponents, but I’m not sure that would help him much either. McIntyre got himself over by acting similar to his true self. Going back to the serious version of his character would feel like a regression rather than a progression.
In my opinion, the answer is much simpler.
Absence makes the heart grow fonder, as the saying goes, and I think that would apply with Drew McIntyre as well if he took some time away from TV to regroup.
Fans will be back in the stands in just a few weeks, and as difficult as it might be to hold off on having him there for it, not being able to cheer the guy who was the face of Raw throughout the pandemic will make audiences yearn for his return.
That way, when he does come back to the show, it’ll be treated as a big deal, and he’ll hopefully get a hero's welcome from the audience. Drew can then go in whatever direction they want with him at that point, instead of fans possibly turning on him as soon as they’re back in the audience – giving WWE no choice.
Additional thoughts on Hell in a Cell:
Bianca Belair and Bayley had the match of the night.
Bayley continually trying to outsmart her opponent only to get one-upped by Bianca was done to perfection. I was particularly impressed by the creativity that went into tying Belair’s hair in various ways for offense/defense from both.
Two impressive spots in the match that deserve praise were the Sunset Flip Powerbomb into the cage from Bayley, which looked amazing, and Bianca landing a KOD on a ladder to end the match.
Being inventive inside the Cell, where you are confined to a smaller area than usual, doesn’t seem to be an easy feat – so these two deserve a lot of credit.
This was the title defense Bianca has needed since she won the SmackDown Women’s Championship at WrestleMania.
Throughout the entirety of the match, Belair looked powerful, intelligent and confident. Most importantly, though, she looked like a true world champion who is undoubtedly at the top of her game.
Props to Bayley, too. She got a ton of heat for their match going into it, and during the Hell in a Cell itself, she focused on making her opponent look as strong as possible coming out of it.
That’s the sign of a true professional.
Shayna Baszler vs. Alexa Bliss was likely entertaining to the fans who are currently enjoying the horror-based stories surrounding her character, but the rest probably didn't feel the same way.
Don’t get me wrong. Alexa is doing a fantastic job with the material given to her, and it was great to see her looking like a total badass in the ring, but the story just isn’t clicking for this viewer.
I don’t want to be a full-on hater, though – since some people do seem to be digging this stuff – so I’ll just say that it’s not my cup of tea and move on.
Did you have different opinions on Hell in a Cell? Hit me up on Twitter @RyanSatin and tell me what you thought of the show!
Ryan Satin is a WWE analyst for FOX Sports. Satin previously appeared on FS1's "WWE Backstage" and founded Pro Wrestling Sheet, where he broke countless news stories as editor-in-chief.
