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The New Day (Big E, Kofi Kingston, and/or Xavier Woods) (c) vs. The Usos (Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso)
(Tag Team Hell in a Cell Match for the WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship)
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Predictions & Winners: You heard it here first – this one’s topping the MOTY list for this year. Both teams put on amazing matches (and one of them was a KICKOFF MATCH!), so chances are high that they’ll raise the bar even higher inside the HIAC. I think Big E and Kofi will represent their championship stable during this epic rematch against The Usos. Big E’s mobile enough to do some crazy stuff (I can already see him pulling off his middle rope Spear on one of The Usos right into the cage). And The Usos’ tag team moveset will be all the more impressive since it’ll have The assistance of the HIAC. The New Day’s going to retain here and be given Feud of the Year honors with a team they’ve had amazing chemistry with for years.
Shane McMahon vs. Kevin Owens (Hell in a Cell Falls Count Anywhere Match)
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Predictions & Winner: Owens has tapped into a higher tier of his savagery lately. On the microphone, he’s dropped some verbal gems that would make a normal man retreat. And his headbutt heard ’round the world to Mr. McMahon was one of the year’s most shocking moments. I have all the confidence in the world that he’ll put on a brutal HIAC match with Shane O’Mac. Shane proved me wrong when he had one of the better bouts at WrestleMania 33 with Styles, plus he’s a madman when the HIAC’s involved. Expect a few pints of blood to be spilled here and the involvement of chairs, steel steps, tables and even a Kendo Stick. I don’t think Shane’s coming off the top again like he did against The Undertaker, but chances are high that him and Owens will come crashing down from their ascent up the cage onto the announce tables. I’m picking Owens for the win, obviously. Shane’s always taking the L after damn near killing himself during a match and that’s going to go down here.
Jinder Mahal (c) (with The Singh Brothers) vs. Shinsuke Nakamura (WWE Championship)
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Predictions & Winner: So we can openly admit that the “Jinder Mahal as WWE Champion” experiment has been a complete bust, right? Jinder really hasn’t improved much in the ring and his promos have simply been insufferable. I popped huge when he defeated Orton for the title, but everything that’s happened afterwards has made me wish someone else had the strap. But my guts telling me he’s going to be holding onto that title ’till at least the Royal Rumble. So you can already see where I’m going here with this prediction. Him and Nakamura will most definitely deliver a better product than the match they delivered at SummerSlam, no doubt. But it’ll probably end in the same tired, cliched manner – Nakamura will have Mahal on the ropes and ready to eat a Kinshasa, but those damned Singh Brothers will offer a quick distraction. Nakamura lays ’em out, then Jinder catches him off guard and gets the 1-2-3 (again). Yay…
