WWE Hell In A Cell Main Event Confirmed Following This Week's SmackDown

Following the main event on Tuesday's SmackDown, we now know who will face WWE Champion Jinder Mahal on October 8 at Hell In A Cell.

Shinsuke Nakamura took on Randy Orton in a bout to determine the number one contender. The match was somewhat of a retread going in, since both of these men are the last two serious contenders for Mahal's title (though Orton has faced Mahal far more often).

Given the length of the feud Orton had with Mahal throughout the spring, it seemed like a SummerSlam rematch between Nakamura and Mahal was the likely outcome. That indeed proved to be the case, as Nakamura defeated Orton clean with the Kinshasa to win via pinfall and become the new number one contender.

It was a decent match with the crowd in Sioux Falls seemingly split 50/50 on who they wanted to see prevail. Both men got considerable offense in on their opponent throughout the match, though it was a pretty average television match that was methodical in its pacing.

.@RandyOrton and @ShinsukeN are ready for a BATTLE as they compete for the opportunity to face #WWEChampion @JinderMahal at #HIAC! #SDLive pic.twitter.com/AgRuNjstZI

— WWE (@WWE) September 6, 2017

For what it's worth, Jinder Mahal watched the match from high above the arena in a skybox with the Singh brothers at his side.

The outcome at Hell In A Cell will be an interesting discussion point in the coming weeks. WWE's tour of India, coming later this month, will have concluded by then, so the idea of Mahal losing the title seems to be more realistic than it was at SummerSlam.

Even so, would WWE want to save Nakamura's first WWE world championship victory for a PPV bigger than a brand-only "B" show? In an ideal world, they probably would. However, it's difficult to imagine Mahal walking out champion once again when October 8 rolls around.

Mahal doesn't seem to have another big time challenger on the horizon, with Styles holding the U.S. title for the forseeable future. WWE also risks Nakamura losing momentum if he should again fail to win the title. A lot can change in the coming weeks, but the odds of a title change are much higher at Hell In A Cell than they were at SummerSlam last month.