In what was one of the weirdest endings to a WWE pay-per-view, the crowds at WWE's Hell in a Cell event resorted to chants of AEW (All Elite Wrestling) when the climax of the evening turned out to be an unsatisfactory and meaningless mess.
The pay-per-view, overall, was average and was salvaged by the first televised match – Becky Lynch vs Sasha Banks – and the contest between Charlotte Flair and Bayley. While the ladies turned out to be the best performers, the contests involving the men were underwhelming.
The most disappointing experience, though, was reserved for the concluding part of the show. The main event contest – a Hell in a Cell match for the Universal Championship – between Seth Rollins and 'The Fiend' Bray Wyatt was supposed to be an exciting and unorthodox contest.
But the ending left everyone disappointed and confused. Seth Rollins retained the title, but not by defeating Wyatt. Instead, the referee stopped the match after the champion used the sledgehammer on his opponent. But then, after the match, as the WWE medical team were about to take Wyatt away on a stretcher, he attacked Rollins with the Mandible Claw and left him spitting blood from the mouth.
Now the reason why this main event made no sense to anyone and earned such a negative response is because of its utter meaninglessness. To begin with, Rollins hit innumerable Stomps along with a Pedigree and used all sorts of weapons but was still not able to pin Wyatt. This suggests the latter is almost superhuman in a way Undertaker was at one time.
But Wyatt is not The Undertaker, and is unlikely to ever be. Even the Deadman wasn't shown to be as impervious to pain as The Fiend has been. So, what are WWE's plans regarding him? Do they want to push him as the most powerful supernaturally-endowed man in the company? If they do, then why didn't they let him win the title?
If they want Rollins to remain the champion and one of the leading faces of their brand, why did they make his finishing moves appear so weak? It all makes no sense! No wonder the crowds started barracking for WWE's rival brand.
AEW is already making waves. The very first edition of its weekly show – All Elite Wrestling: Dynamite – aired on October 2 and was able to beat WWE's NXT – telecasted at the same time and day – in the ratings by a big margin.
The reaction of the crowd, along with the emerging popularity of AEW, sends a strong message to WWE leaders like Vince McMahon. They need to take some drastic and brave steps to ensure that people don't lose their patience with WWE's storylines.
