Here's your wrestling news for June 6th 2022
We’re focusing today on WWE Hell in a Cell 2022, which proved to be a unique night for fans, even before the show got started.
Going in to the show, the big topic of discussion wasn’t who was there but who wasn’t, as several prominent names weren’t scheduled to appear.
Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns, Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions The Usos, Intercontinental Champion Ricochet and Riddle were all big names who weren’t booked for the night.
Despite this, WWE held a surprisingly gripping event conside ring that it wasn’t one of their major shows, and here’s some things WWE subtly revealed during last night’s Premium Live Event
5: Bianca Belair’s next challenger may have been revealed
WWE Hell in a Cell 2022 kicked off with an incredible opener, as Raw Women’s Champion Bianca Belair defended against Becky Lynch and Asuka.
Perhaps the three most talented and popular women in WWE today, it was only fair that the trio opened the show, even if Belair’s retention of the Raw Women’s Title was never in question.
The only question was who would be taking the pinfall, the recently dethroned former Champion Lynch, or the recently returned Empress of Tomorrow Asuka.
In the end, it was Asuka who took the loss, and the finish gave a big clue as to what’s next for the EST of WWE.
Lynch seemed to have the match won after finishing off Asuka, but Belair gave the Irish Superstar a taste of her own medicine, throwing Lynch outside the ring to steal the pin.
It was a good finish, that unfortunately for Asuka, was used to write her out of the Raw Women’s title picture for the time being.
Lynch not taking the loss and the manner of which the pinfall happened gives Big Time Becks a reason to continue the feud which fans can expect to see happen tonight on Raw.
With WWE’s next three Premium Live Events, Money in the Bank , Summerslam and Clash at the Castle, all big shows, expect Lynch and Belair to tear the house down at at least one of these events.
4: WWE is all in on Madcap Moss
We’ll be the first to admit that the idea of Madcap Moss facing Happy Corbin, even in a No Holds Barred match, didn’t exactly have the team here at Slat Rock bouncing in our seats.
The pair’s turn on each other had been clear for months, and seemed to be a chore when it happened, but to both men’s credit, last night was the right match for the night.
Moss has gotten over with the crowd, thanks in part to his own skills but we can’t count out just how unlikable and effective Corbin is.
The No Holds Barred match got a great reaction from the crowd, and while reports have said that Vince McMahon sees reigning U.S. Champion Theory as the next John Cena, it was this match
that reminded us of Big Match John.
Moss spent most of the match getting beaten down before having an epic comeback to brutalize Corbin and send him packing on a stretcher at Hell in a Cell 2022.
With Corbin stretchered out, this seemingly ends the feud between the former tag team partners, and expect WWE to change Madcap Moss’ name into something more appropriate in his post-Corbin era.
WWE is all In on pushing Moss, at least at this time being, but the real test is whether they can keep up his momentum now that Happy Corbin is on the shelf.
3: The Judgement Day target their next member
WWE Hell in a Cell 2022 marked the Judgement Day’s first match as a unit, and the group delivered.
After an incredible entrance fitting of the hellish tone of the show, the trio of Edge, Damian Priest and Rhea Ripley united to defeat Finn Balor, AJ Styles and Rhea Ripley in a chaotic six person tag.
It should be noted that the babyfaces are likely to be fine despite their constant losses to the Judgement Day, as this revamped Bullet Club have proven to be popular with crowds despite
coming up short on multiple occasions.
AJ Styles getting busted open gave the match some extra oomph which excited the fans, but it was what happened after the bell that really got the audience talking.
Post-match, The Judgement Day stood over Balor, and a momentary glance at the former Universal Champion indicated that he could be next to join the trio.
Reports have come out stating that Balor is expected to join the group, despite Edge making pleas for AJ Styles to become a member of his faction.
After an underwhelming return to the main roster, a heel turn and joining The Judgement Day could be exactly what Balor needs, and expect WWE to pull the trigger over the course of this Summer.
2: Bobby Lashley babyface turn is working
Since returning to WWE in 2018, Bobby Lashley’s best work has been as a heel, and it was embracing his nastier side that earned the All Mighty two reigns as WWE Champion.
When Lashley turned face shortly before WrestleMania, fans didn’t know what to make of it, but his feud with Omos and MVP has proven that the turn is working.
Last night’s handicap match saw Lashley fell both his former mana ger and the colossal Omos, ending this feud with the All Mighty having two Premium Live Events over the rookie Superstar.
The two-on-one disadvantage only made Lashley seem more like a babyface, and it was the right call for him to get the win this time.
Lashley received an incredible crowd reaction, and post match, signaled at wanting a shot at world title gold, even grabbing a fan’s replica title to make his intentions clear.
This puts WWE in an interesting position, as all reports and book ing had stated that Riddle is next in line for a shot against Roman Reigns, with a match expected at Money in the Bank next month.
WWE could always hold off on the Lashley match, but with those same reports saying Reigns will face Randy Orton at Summerslam and Drew McIntyre at Clash at the Castle, it could be until October
that the All Mighty gets his title shot.
Of course, plans could always change, and with the reaction Lashley got last night, Vince McMahon would be foolish to not at least consider Lashley as the Tribal Chief’s next opponent.
1: Cody Rhodes gave the performance of a lifetime
Mere hours before WWE Hell in a Cell, news broke that Rhodes was injured, and it was later clarified that he had suffered a torn pectoral muscle while lifting weights earlier in the day.
A torn pec has taken several top names out, including John Cena in 2007 and Triple H in 2018, and there was a ton of speculation about what the plan was.
Fans naturally assumed that Cody’s match with Rollins would be postponed, and slipped into an episode of Raw when he was back from recovery, a process that can take as long as a year.
Instead, Rhodes stunned everyone by competing inside Hell in a Cell, and the reveal of the deep bruising on his chest had even the most cynical fans inside the arena gasping.
Despite the injury, Rhodes fought on, and didn’t just compete, but had one of the best Hell in a Cell matches in years.
We have to also give credit to Seth Rollins, who was his ever- talented self, and wore a black and yellow polka-dot outfit, poking fun at Cody’s father, the American Dream Dusty Rhodes.
It’s a testament to Rollins that he was able to work with Cody’s injury and keep him safe in a typically unsafe match, without it seem ing like the two were avoiding the more dangerous spots.
Rollins proved once again why WWE has had so much faith in him over the past decade, but the MVP award of the night has to go to Cody.
Using a sledgehammer, a not so subtle nod to Triple H, Cody got the win to go 3 and 0 against Rollins, and their feud must surely be over now.
After the show went off the air, Cody gave an impassionate promo to the fans, and thanked them for all their support for what was a difficult night for him.
Cody’s return to WWE has been an interesting time, and while those cynical fans we mentioned earlier may argue that his impres sive booking is nothing more than a WWE ploy to lure over other
AEW talent, Rhodes proved why he’s in the top spot with last night’s performance.
So that was WWE Hell in a Cell 2022, and for a B-Show that WWE seemed uninterested in compared to their three upcoming major shows, last night’s event more than delivered.
A solid opener, entertaining performances throughout and incre dible work by Cody Rhodes made Hell in a Cell 2022 arguably the best version fans have seen of the show in years,
if not the best Hell in a Cell event ever. With Rhodes expected to take time off now due to his injury, it appears that WWE is heading into
some uncharted waters next, as the journey to Money in the Bank, and a summer without the American Nightmare will be interesting to say the least