5 questions from WWE Hell in a Cell 2017 that most need answering

#3 Is this the worst state the WWE Championship has ever been in?

Not looking good.

Back at the 2016 WWE Draft, it came as a bit of a surprise when Dean Ambrose defeated Seth Rollins and took the WWE Championship down to Smackdown Live. This has always been seen as the number one belt in the company, despite Triple H's efforts in the mid-00s to elevate the World Heavyweight title above it.

The early indications were that Smackdown was no longer going to be viewed as the B show. With such a prestigious belt on the line, one would have assumed that the best of the company's roster were going to be competing for it. Instead, we currently find ourselves in an unprecedented position where the legendary and historic WWE Championship is being reduced to an afterthought.

Hell in a Cell was a very telling PPV in this respect. Generally speaking, when you have a gimmick PPV like this one, the main title belt usually gets defended last and as part of whatever the gimmick happens to be. The only exceptions to this are the Royal Rumble and Money in the Bank. All other PPVs should dedicate their main bout to the belt.

Instead, not only did the WWE Championship match between Jinder Mahal and Shinsuke Nakamura not close out the show, but it didn't even happen inside the Cell. This is what usually happens with the mid-card belts or a throwaway grudge match with no real story or significance.

Yes, the Kevin Owens and Shane McMahon angle has been arguably Smackdown's best feud recently, but it's not as if there is this great amount of history between the two men that it warrants better treatment than one of the company's two signature championships.

Mix in the fact that the match itself was very forgettable and you really need to start looking at how far the belt, once held by Hulk Hogan and Stone Cold Steve Austin, has fallen.