As the end of 2014 draws near, we're reaching a period of intense pressure on the entire WWE roster. The road to WrestleMania isn't too far off, and there isn't enough room for each and every Superstar to walk on it.
While main event programs are likely to be decided already, now is the time for a Superstar to claim his or her spot by putting on performances that simply cannot be ignored.
Everyone on the roster is under pressure to perform at his or her best and make it to the grandest stage of them all, but there are some that have even more riding on matches at Hell in a Cell.
Having spent his first few months on the main roster dominating all comers, Rusev was proving to be a cut above your standard monster going into Night of Champions. Bouts against the likes of Big E and Jack Swagger had demonstrated that he can put on a great match, and Mark Henry seemed like the ideal next step.
However, their Night of Champions battle never quite hit the heights of Rusev's previous matches. It seems now that the Bulgarian Brute's next pay-per-view opponent will be Big Show, who is not exactly easy to have a good match with.
WWE's heavy-handed portrayal of Rusev as a Russian loyalist is simple but effective. However, it's certainly the sort of character that can begin to wear thin. Up until now, the quality of Rusev's matches helped to assuage this, but it would be all too easy for him to lose his spotlight without that.
Credit: WWE.com
Rusev is very talented, and it could well be that his match with Henry was a mere blip. Pitting him against Big Show seems like a test of whether The Super-Athlete can work with a perennial main eventer, so a good performance could reap great rewards.
Hell in a Cell is set to be a turning point for Rusev's career, and it will determine whether his push succeeds or fails. Based on what we've seen from him so far, it's a fair bet that he'll be able to handle the pressure.
The question of whether the Bella Twins will be able to do the same is more difficult to answer. You might say that the Divas of the WWEmain roster are under less pressure than other areas of the card—their matches are typically very short, even on pay-per-view, and a good showing is generally considered to be a surprise.
However, times are changing. A new crop of Divas are emerging, and they're demonstrating a focus on wrestling acumen that seemed lost for a while. Signings of the old era like The Bella Twins are being forced to step up their game, and with the pair looking set to settle their issues at Hell in a Cell, their match will be under scrutiny.
Television segments furthering the Bella feud have been met with derision by audiences, their run-in with Jerry Springer a few weeks back being particularly dire. They perhaps wouldn't be so bad if their feud was leading somewhere compelling, but the fact of the matter is that Bella vs. Bella doesn't spark thoughts of a compelling bout.
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