Reaction: Hell in a Cell Finish Was a Success

“Dean should have won! I’m cancelling network.”

This was an actual tweet from an actual person following Sunday’s Hell in a Cell PPV on the WWE Network. Fan reaction is to a point that is beyond comical; at times, it can only be compared to children yelling at their parents in Toys R Us for not being able to buy everything they want. So, Dean Ambrose (a guy you’re supposed to root for) didn’t win? Did Bray Wyatt (a guy you’re not supposed to root for) ruin it? Newsflash: you are supposed to be upset at Bray Wyatt for ruining the match. That’s what villains do. I apologize for not being able to track down that tweeter’s handle, but in this guy or gal’s mind, I’d imagine the HIAC finish would have gone something like this: Dean Ambrose gets a clean pinfall on Seth Rollins, ending their feud in a triumphant “good defeats evil” type of moment. Ambrose grabs a mic and thanks his loyal fans, flexes his biceps and moves onto the next biggest villain in the company….wait….there aren’t any big villains in the company. Rollins is it right now. (If you just said Lesnar – attendance counts). Believe it or not, WWE hit a home run with this finish, and here’s why.

Remember that Seth Rollins is carrying that little briefcase? I wouldn’t blame you if you had forgotten, because it hasn’t been a major part of TV over the past few weeks with Brock Lesnar missing in action. At some point, WWE has to craft up a way for Rollins to get into the title picture as Mr. Money in the Bank. He might even hold the title in the somewhat near future. With Sunday’s finish, it is clear that we are not done with Ambrose and Rollins (to some’s disappointment, I guess). Would you rather have the triumphant Ambrose victory at HIAC, and be done with it, or have Ambrose battle Rollins for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at some point down the road? WWE left that door open.

Say you don’t believe that Rollins will hold the title, or you just don’t want to see this feud be put on pause. Fine. I’d guess that many fans disappointed with Bray’s interference are the same ones who have been screaming that he’s being buried (everyone’s favorite term). Guess what? Bray Wyatt was just involived in the main event at a PPV. The Eater of Worlds is likely headed for an amazing feud with the awesome Lunatic Fringe, Dean Ambrose. The Rollins thing aside, could you hand-pick a better opponent for Ambrose? What about Seth Rollins, you say? For starters, he has that briefcase, so at some point he’ll have a title match. Second, they’ve been hinting at a rift with Randy Orton, so what better time than now? Orton is one of the best workers on the planet, so a matchup with Rollins (who’s getting there) is a dream come true; it should be, at least. If the Twitter-verse loved Ziggler vs. Cesaro so much, they should expect much of the same from a Rollins/Orton bout.

It’s just natural to be unsatisfied with wrestling these days. We’re harder to please. We’ve seen a lot. Surprising us is a tall order. With Twitter loaded in our hand, ready to fire, we often forget that we are just watching wrestling. After all, it’s entertainment with heroes, villains, attractive women, mean bosses, steel cages, mascots, and Vladimir Putin jokes. In defense, the fact that fans do get this upset speaks to how connected wrestling fans are. You never hear fans of The Simpsons threatening to end their viewership because Matt Groening isn’t using Homer correctly. Wrestling fans are a different breed; we care. The future in WWE might be brighter than most think. Orton and Rollins will be solid, and Ambrose vs. Wyatt could be epic. It’s just too bad so many people are cancelling the WWE Network and will miss it.

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