Levin: Hell in a Cell Another Missed Opportunity For WWE

Am I the only one who is slightly annoyed at the fact WWE is moving right past the recent Hell in a Cell pay-per-view to concentrate on Survivor Series, doing absolutely nothing to promote the success of the most recent Sunday show?

After watching what I believe to be the greatest pay-per-view of the year, I find it hard to fathom that Raw isn’t excited about what just happened. Some of my friends who write and blog for a living feel the same way. We understand the importance of Survivor Series and what is at stake for the winning side, but there are too many great things being tabled. Sooner than later, they’ll lose their impact.

It’s just another example of how WWE continues to duck potential success due to a lack of forward thinking. I had a conversation with a friend the other night where she went on a 10-minute rant about how the success of Sunday night didn’t carry over to Monday. In her own words, it drove her nuts.

After Sunday night, I was a believer in professional wrestling again. I was excited. I was happy. I was jumping out of my skin. I saw three different Hell in a Cell matches that told great stories – all of them unique. I saw the brilliance of a storyline being told in the cruiserweight division. I saw the build of a solid feud between Bayley and Dana Brooke. But these things are being pushed to the back burner because enemies make strange bed fellows. How is WWE going to revert to former storylines once Survivor Series and its team battles are over?

Survivor Series is important for the growth of both brands, but there are too many questions left unanswered from this past weekend. What happens with Seth Rollins? How does WWE book him so he escapes the purgatory he’s constantly standing in? What happens with Kevin Owens and Chris Jericho and the feud that needs to happen? And most of all, what happens with the reunion of the Roman Empire and Rollins in their attempt to claim Universal supremacy?

If WWE was smart, it would create a little bit more drama between now and Survivor Series. Maybe a title change, maybe something completely off the wall. The fact that the company wants to promote Goldberg and Brock Lesnar above everything else tells me it doesn’t give a damn about what happened Sunday night.

History was made as two women fought in the Cell. A mighty Bulgarian was once again defeated. Those things are part of a great set up for 2017. Anybody who knows anything about telling a story and writing a script should also know that you can’t allow these types of things to have a shelf life. You must act swiftly in your approach. Strike while the iron is hot.

Now comes the hard part of finding a way for Rollins, Reigns, Owens, and Jericho to coexist and fight the good fight. There has to be a way the tag teams come together. There has to be a way that the women of both Raw and SmackDown coexist, but still have an edge to them so their feuds have some meaning.

The original concept of Survivor Series is being lived out again, which is great for fans who may not have seen what the traditional matches are like. I applaud the company for once again going back to its roots to find success. But I do not applaud it for taking something that was so good and so meaningful and discrediting it. The fans and the wrestlers deserve better.

If WWE wants to continue to promote this new era, it’s going to have to stop cutting off its nose to spite its face. These feuds should be played out. It looks like the company wants Reigns to challenge for the Universal Heavyweight Title. Where that places Rollins is anybody’s guess. At some point WWE is going to have to decide what to do with Bailey. And at some point, we’re going to have to find out whether Sasha Banks will regain the women’s title.

There are still questions left unanswered with the blue brand. Are AJ Styles and Dean Ambrose the only men worthy of the WWE World title? What happens with The Miz and Dolph Ziggler and other wrestlers like Baron Corbin?

I almost wish there was another pay-per-view event before Survivor Series for both brands. That isn’t going to happen, which leaves me pissed to say the least. WWE is going to have to figure out how to make everything stick and everything meaningful because for 30 days it’s not going to matter.

And once again I and other fans are wondering if the creative team and the McMahons really know what they’re doing.

Right now, I don’t think so.