{"id":33369,"date":"2016-10-11T13:19:16","date_gmt":"2016-10-11T18:19:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/?p=33369"},"modified":"2016-10-11T17:43:35","modified_gmt":"2016-10-11T22:43:35","slug":"mcmahons-take-sasha-charlotte-cant-feel-pressure-live-cells-reputation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2016\/10\/11\/mcmahons-take-sasha-charlotte-cant-feel-pressure-live-cells-reputation\/","title":{"rendered":"MCMAHON&#8217;S TAKE: The danger of Sasha and Charlotte feeling pressure to live up to the Cell&#8217;s reputation for big spots"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"pwtor-4073831297\" class=\"pwtor-before-content pwtor-entity-placement\"><hr \/><b>SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)... <\/b>\r\n\r\n<iframe src=\"https:\/\/widget.spreaker.com\/player?show_id=3076978&theme=light&playlist=false&playlist-continuous=false&autoplay=false&live-autoplay=false&chapters-image=true&episode_image_position=right&hide-logo=false&hide-likes=false&hide-comments=false&hide-sharing=false&hide-download=true\" width=\"100%\" height=\"140px\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe>\r\n<hr \/><\/div><p class=\"p1\">It\u2019s 2016, and perhaps I should be more progressive-thinking when it comes to this, but there\u2019s something unsettling about picturing two women, locked in a cage, fighting for our amusement.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">There\u2019s something even more unsettling knowing the pressure that Sasha Banks and Charlotte are going to put on themselves, and how that self-imposed pressure could manifest itself in such a way, that someone gets seriously hurt.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">It was announced on Monday\u2019s Raw that Sasha Banks will defend her WWE Women\u2019s Championship at Hell in a Cell later this month against Charlotte. The match will be the first time a match in WWE\u2019s Women\u2019s Division will take inside the Hell in a Cell structure.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">The UFC implemented a Woman\u2019s Division long ago, and before someone tries to tell me it\u2019s the same thing, no it\u2019s not. UFC fights take place inside of a cage. Wrestling matches take place inside of the ring.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">In WWE, there are certain connotations that come along with the Cell. WWE doesn\u2019t do blood, but back in the early days of cage matches, a ring surrounded by metal meant blood and guts were going to be spewed all over the place. Even the first Hell in a Cell match between Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker in 1997 resulted Michaels bleeding like a \u201cstuck pig,\u201d to borrow a phrase from Jim Ross.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Everyone remembers the third Hell in a Cell match, in June of 1998, when Mick Foley was thrown off the top of the cage by the Undertaker and then, perhaps more dangerously, was chokeslammed through the cage to the ring (one of WWE\u2019s old blue rings, which were stiff as a board).<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">That match set the bar.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">It was a bar that earlier this year at WrestleMania, Shane McMahon felt he needed to at least match, diving onto the Undertaker from the top of the cell in Dallas.<\/span><\/p><div id=\"pwtor-537091638\" class=\"pwtor-content pwtor-entity-placement\"><div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280 __336x280\" id=\"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Modern-day cell matches are more or less neutered compared to some of the originals. The cage is used as more of a prop, and with the exception of the Shane McMahon dive at WrestleMania this year, the structure hasn\u2019t posed a danger to many of its more recent participants.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">But there\u2019s a unique element at play with Sasha and Charlotte. They\u2019ve been blazing the trail for the Divas Revolution since last summer, and it clear that they put a large amount of pressure on themselves. They\u2019ve talked about it in interviews, and there are times in the ring where they seem to be playing with fire. It\u2019s resulted in some incredible matches, but also some scary moments.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">So much of this revolution has been about being innovative and different. Two months ago at SummerSlam, Sasha took scary fall off the top rope when she\u00a0and Charlotte tried to do an some sort of spot. Essentially, Sasha was dropped on her neck and folded up like a chair. She was hurt, and lucky she was able to even walk away from that.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">The narrative after the match, rightfully so, was that the spot wasn\u2019t needed. Together, Sasha and Charlotte can have a great match without one of them having to risk their careers for a two count.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Sasha and Charlotte embody their idols in many ways. Watching them wrestle feels like watching Eddie Guerrero take on Ric Flair. Together, they can have a great wrestling match. I\u2019m worried the pressure of the Cell might persuade them to take risks that are unnecessary, and dangerous.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Putting a women\u2019s match inside Hell in a Cell is innovative, and it is different, but that doesn\u2019t make it the right decision. Mae Young giving birth to a hand was innovative and different, too.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Not only does this match have its flaws, but it speaks more largely to the problem with these branded pay-per-views. There\u2019s no reason for Sasha Banks and Charlotte to have a Hell in a Cell match. Within the context of the actual story itself, a cell just isn\u2019t required. There are other ways to keep Dana Brooke out of the ring. The only reason this match is happening is because of the name of the show.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">There are also other ways for Sasha and Charlotte to push the limits and be innovative. What about 30-minute Iron Woman match? Submission match? The Bank Statement vs. The Figure Eight.<\/span><\/p><div id=\"pwtor-2824278770\" class=\"pwtor-content-1 pwtor-entity-placement\"><!-- Tag ID: pwtorchcom_test_300x600 -->\r\n<div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280 __300x600\" id=\"pwtorchcom_test_300x600\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x600\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x600\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">This isn\u2019t a matter of risk vs. reward, it\u2019s a matter of whether the risks are even necessary. To me, they aren\u2019t.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">I want to see a lot more of Charlotte and Sasha Banks. I don\u2019t want to see someone\u2019s career shortened &#8212; or God forbid ended &#8211; for the sake of a \u201cThis is awesome!\u201d chant.<\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p class=\"p1\"><em>(Mike McMahon reviews TNA Impact Wrestling every week for PWTorch.com. Follow him on Twitter @MikeMcMahonPW)<\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"pwtor-end-article-groups pwtor-entity-placement\" id=\"pwtor-3714164522\"><div id=\"pwtor-3841562555\"><div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280\" id=\"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\nTHANK YOU FOR VISITING<\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"mh-excerpt\"><p>It\u2019s 2016, and perhaps I should be more progressive-thinking when it comes to this, but there\u2019s something unsettling about picturing two women, locked in a cage, fighting for our amusement. There\u2019s something even more unsettling <a class=\"mh-excerpt-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2016\/10\/11\/mcmahons-take-sasha-charlotte-cant-feel-pressure-live-cells-reputation\/\" title=\"MCMAHON&#8217;S TAKE: The danger of Sasha and Charlotte feeling pressure to live up to the Cell&#8217;s reputation for big spots\">[&#8230;]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":19504,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"episode_type":"","audio_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[46,4011,53],"tags":[467,440,213],"class_list":["post-33369","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-spotlightarticles","category-mcmahons-take","category-opinion_stafftakes","tag-charlotte","tag-hell-in-a-cell","tag-sasha-banks"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/Charlottebelt_3x2Lunn.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33369","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=33369"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33369\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":33390,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33369\/revisions\/33390"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/19504"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33369"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=33369"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=33369"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}