Monday Night RAW has really upped its game in recent weeks, as SmackDown Live for a long time was billed as the must-see show.

Despite having a more in-depth roster with more stars, the red brand struggled to create the level of action that the blue brand could guarantee.

Now, however, with new stars emerging and storylines battling for the number one spot, it seems that Mick Foley and Stephanie McMahon have found the right ingredients for a tasty show.

Pre-Show: Six man tag

To kick things off at Hell in a Cell and really get the fan's blood pumping, six of the stars of The Cruiserweight Classic will compete in six-man tag-team action.

Fan favorite Cedric Alexander will team with Lince Dorado and recent addition to the Cruiserweight division, Sin Cara, to take on The Premier Athlete Tony Nese, Drew Gulak and Ariya Daivari.

Six phenomenal talents all with different styles of performing, making it it a perfect way to kick things off, so far the under 205lbs division has lacked storylines but one may develop from this match.

Nese and Alexander will be the two stars worth keeping an eye on with management reportedly keen on both of them.

Bayley - Dana Brooke

Being as complimentary as possible, this match has generated perhaps the least amount of interest on the card.

Dana Brooke has not been proven to be a standout performer yet, with many of her matches being directed by her opponent.

Bayley, on the other hand, is a crowd favorite, although with no secondary title, she has been left in the wilderness with little in terms of real opposition, highlighting the weakness of the RAW Women's Division.

Expect a slow affair with the recent NXT call-up picking up the victory, possibly setting herself up for a future showdown with her best friend -- The Boss.

Enzo Amore and Big Cass vs. Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson

Much like the one above, this just seems to be a match that happens with little thought, crowd favorites Enzo and Cass should be in the title picture by now, but they have been demoted to meaningless feuds.

Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson have claimed they are finished with games and are trying to be more serious, after losing out to The New Day at Clash of Champions; you would hope they're being truthful.

The two teams both need momentum if they are going to challenge for gold, although there is a distinct lack of dominant heel teams on the roster, so a win for 'The Club' would make the most sense.

The New Day (c) vs. Cesaro and Sheamus

It seems the WWE Universe is warming to the partnership of Cesaro teaming with Sheamus and in fairness the duo have been entertaining and have been putting on some great matches recently.

The pair squared off against The New Day on the last RAW before the PPV and just got the victory, showing that they can work together -- but with the titles on the line, can they do it on the big stage?

Backstage officials seem keen on keeping the gold around the wast of Kofi Kingston, Big E and Xavier Woods and it is likely that they are going to break the record set by Demolition.

They are well over 400 days, and it's possible a miscommunication between The Swiss Superman and The Celtic Warrior may help them retain.

TJ Perkins (c) vs. The Brian Kendrick

The pair have finally been able to tell a story that is interesting with The Brian Kendrick believing his career will be over unless he wins the title from TJ Perkins.

The two just seemed to brawl for no reason with the lack of eyes on The Cruiserweight Classic, and many people rooted for Kendrick over the champion.

Now, however, the story of TJ is coming more and more into light and fans are starting to get behind him, despite his early awkwardness. How desperate will The Wizard of Odd be in order to secure his family's future?

Roman Reigns (c) vs. Rusev

The story that seemed to drag on, yet transformed into a beautiful and interesting one, as the Champion Roman Reigns puts his title on the line against long-term foe Rusev.

The last RAW before HIAC featured two intense promos from the pair, only serving to further hype their impending battle, with the two heavyweights saying they plan to risk everything.

Both men's styles work well together and could potentially be the match of the night but with Reigns back in the company's good books it is hard to see him losing the title back to the man he won it from.

Kevin Owens (c) - Seth Rollins

This match is missing something and it is missing a man that has been the most entertaining figure on the red brand for the past six months in the shape of Chris Jericho.

Not to be disrespectful to either Kevin Owens or Seth Rollins but Y2J's presence in their storyline has been massive -- leaving him out of this match is a strange one, especially considering his popularity.

On the title match that is going ahead, however, The Architect has been in a weird situation with Triple H screwing him out of the title in favor of The Prizefighter, something of which The Game has yet to address.

Owens has been a lot more serious as of late and Rollins finally got his own back on the last RAW before the PPV. He pinned both men from a booking standout, and after seeing the former Shield member attacked following the match, it would make sense for one half of JeriK.O. to walk out with the title.

Sasha Banks (c) - Charlotte

The headline match regardless of which one closes the show. And, for the first time ever, the women of WWE set foot inside Hell in a Cell -- the women's revolution continues.

Charlotte has been without a doubt one of the best talents on the entire roster in recent months, with her athleticism matched by few. On the other hand, Sasha Banks has been an iconic fan favorite, showing she can go through whatever it takes to get what she feels she deserves.

With some doubts regarding the spots that will take place in the match, the two women are experienced and should surely be able to put on a clinic, but The Nature Girl will be taking the advantage of never losing a PPV match so far - will she extend that lead?

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About the author
Joel Lampkin
Sports Journalist from Chester University, Professional wrestling writer. Contact [email protected]