Unpopular Opinion: The ending to The Fiend vs Seth Rollins at Hell In A Cell was great

By Gary Cassidy
Modified Oct 07, 2019 11:42 IST
The ending to HIAC was controversial
The ending to HIAC was controversial

The ending to last night's Hell In A Cell pay-per-view left a lot of fans seeing red - and not just because of the special lighting effects used to make the match actually look like it was set in Hell - but I believe the ending was absolutely, 100% the right call, and I'm going to explain why.

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and they do not necessarily represent the views of Sportskeeda.

Firstly, let's start with a few things about that match that very few people can dispute. The aforementioned lighting treatment was incredible. Not only did it completely transport us from a generic wrestling arena to, figuratively, the depths of Hell, but it almost made the match The Fiend's own playground, and made Bray Wyatt's "See you in Hell" line actually mean something. Couple this with the camera angles and the narrative of the match and WWE didn't only provide the WWE Universe with a wrestling match - but rather a horror movie!

The perfect narrative...

The entire narrative of the match made The Fiend look indestructible - but, perhaps more importantly, also kept Seth Rollins looking strong and, if anything, added layers to his character of a man both desperate to keep his title, but bordering on lunacy at the idea that he cannot keep this monster down - so much so that he's willing to literally KILL him to prove a point.

The Fiend should NOT be Universal Champion

Now, this will be unpopular, I know - but we don't need two part-time champions on two brands, and we certainly didn't need another Brock vs Kofi match to close out Hell In A Cell. Nine seconds was not enough time to convey the story of this match.

In terms of giving The Fiend the title. It's way too early, in my opinion, and that comes from someone who absolutely LOVES everything about Bray Wyatt and The Fiend right now.

Would I like to see Bray Wyatt get another title run? Of course. But not now. The Fiend's second match possibly should have never been for the Universal Championship, I'd actually rather he faced off against someone else inside Hell In A Cell - almost anyone else - but we've come this far down the road, so if WWE booked themselves into a corner, they had to get themselves out of it.

If The Fiend won the title, the character's shelf life would be chopped to a fraction of what it currently is. He doesn't need the title at all. And I fear the WWE Universe would get bored as they suddenly had everything they thought they wanted - so where do you go from there?

So, why the DQ finish?

Well, was it a disqualification? I'm not so sure. No-one addressed the finish of the match as such, and both referee Danilo Anfibio and Seth Rollins played their parts to perfection. Rollins was warned several times about the measures he was taking, especially when the sledgehammer came into play. The suspense was incredible thanks to Anfibio, who was screaming at Rollins not to use the hammer.

I'm inclined to say the finish wasn’t a DQ, but rather the referee stopping the match as he feared serious injury, or even possible death, to one of the competitors involved. It may be a weak get-outs, but it’s bulletproof in terms of logic - both in and out of kayfabe.

It's happened before in previous Hell In A Cell Matches, too, with the structure being raised for medics to come in.

Am I a fan of it? Not personally, but as a means to an end, it works here - and the afters with the Mandible Claw making Rollins bleed internally was an unforgettable visual.

An alternative ending...

Now, I appreciate that the ending was polarising, understatement of the century there, but if you're still not sold, all I can do is offer one alternative.

Just last month, I called this "the only acceptable way for Bray Wyatt to lose at Hell In A Cell" - now I'm glad he didn't lose, and that's probably one thing EVERYONE can agree on, but if you go for a no finish, imagine this.

With The Fiend just about to finish off Rollins and win the title, the lights dim, and either Undertaker, Kane or both Brothers of Destruction emerge through the ring, and drag The Fiend to the depths of Hell, setting up a new feud for the indestructible monster...

How would YOU have liked the match to end? Let us know in the comments.

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