Sunday will feature a total of five matches. Look, I’m a former Smackdown and RAW GM (of WWE Smackdown vs. RAW 2006), so I understand how difficult it is to book a pay-per-view with only four weeks on the calendar.
However, I can’t keep waiting for the company to announce the full card so I’m putting up the predictions list despite knowing the fact that the show won’t be only five matches. I will not add onto the predictions when WWE decides to flesh out the card.
As always, these are just my predictions with no insider knowledge. Let’s get started with the first match:
Hell in a Cell match for the Smackdown Women’s Championship: Bayley (c) vs. Sasha Banks
This match feels too early for this feud. Bayley has kept the title for over a year so it’s possible that officials will give Banks the belt here, but this feels like the beginning of a long rivalry. There are several ways that WWE can go with this match-up. A) Bayley puts Banks on the injury list by taking her out before the show and “The Boss” makes her grand return at The Royal Rumble, wins it, and these two lock up again at WrestleMania. B) Bayley beats Banks thanks to some heel shenanigans. C) This HELL IN A CELL match ends in a no contest.
I’m crossing scenario A off the list due to the fact that an injury angle was already done and the company failed to show any patience by having Banks return a week later. Scenario C is a strong possibility. Officials may not want Banks or Bayley to take a loss this early so they may come up with some type of bulls**t that causes a no contest in a no disqualification/no countout match. I like to think that the company learned from the backlash of the last two years, so Bayley winning thanks to heel antics is my pick.
Again, Banks winning is also a good possibility. The former multi-time women’s champion has that first title defense curse and officials may have Bayley win the belt back in a rematch. Either way, this feud is just beginning, so Bayley winning should be the only result.
Winner: Bayley
Hell in a Cell match for the WWE Championship: Drew McIntyre (c) vs. Randy Orton
I’ve been saying for months that Randy Orton was going to win the WWE Championship; however, with the recent draft I no longer think the veteran will come out of this feud as a 14-time champion. With talents such as AJ Styles, “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt, and Braun Strowman (who I think is a heel now) jumping ship to the flagship brand, then the RAW main event scene has gotten a much-needed boost. The climax of this rivalry will see Drew McIntyre stand tall after a clean win.
Winner: Drew McIntyre
I Quit match inside Hell in a Cell for the WWE Universal Championship: Roman Reigns (c) vs. Jey Uso
As great as this story is, there is no way in hell that Roman Reigns is saying “I Quit”. The Tribal Chief will win here and go on to fight either Rey Mysterio, Daniel Bryan, or Kevin Owens, which should be great no matter the choice.
Winner: Roman Reigns
Jeff Hardy vs. Elias
This one is the hardest to pick. While I don’t see Jeff Hardy entering the WWE title picture soon, Bobby Lashley is in need of fresh challengers and the former Intercontinental Champion can easily slide into that title picture.
As for Elias, I can’t see him entering either the US or World title picture anytime soon, though I do get the feeling that officials want to keep him strong. However, Hardy is coming off big losses against Lars Sullivan and Sami Zayn, so I’m choosing the “Charismatic Enigma” here.
Winner: Jeff Hardy
Money in the Bank Contract on the Line: Otis vs. The Miz
Let’s get something straight, neither man will successfully cash-in the Money in the Bank briefcase. Roman Reigns is not dropping the WWE Universal title anytime soon. McIntyre has had the belt since WrestleMania, so he’s more than likely to lose it; however, I don’t believe that officials are 100% behind Otis being the top guy, let alone of their flagship brand. As for The Miz, the former WWE Champion has been treated like a joke since dropping the WWE Tag Team titles earlier this year. I just don’t see him being the man to finally beat Drew McIntyre.
This non-sense with the MITB briefcase has mainly seen Otis defeat Miz and Morrison at every turn. While there’s been rumors that the company is looking to get the briefcase off of Otis, had this been someone like Lars Sullivan or The Fiend then I’ve would’ve put my full stock behind Otis losing his contract. This feud is here to remind people about the MITB briefcase and I don’t see it changing hands on Sunday. However, if The Miz did end up winning then that result wouldn’t surprise me as well.
Winner: Otis
That’s it! Thanks for reading and feel free to put your predictions in the comment section.