Hell in a Cell 2018: 5 biggest Superstars who will miss the show

WWE will host its annual Hell in a Cell pay-per-view this Sunday. The company has managed to build up a lot of momentum going into the show. Hell in a Cell will feature a number of marquee matches that are all capable of stealing the show.

Roman Reigns will take on Braun Strowman inside the Hell in a Cell structure for the WWE Universal Championship. The looming shadow of the Shield will be at the back of the minds of the WWE Universe.

AJ Styles will defend his WWE Championship against Samoa Joe in a feud that has become deeply personal over the past few weeks. Joe has repeatedly brought up Styles' family leading up to the match. Things are expected to boil over when the two men meet this Sunday.

The women's division is also heating up and will feature two of the most anticipated matches on the card. Ronda Rousey will be defending her newly won Raw Women's Championship against Alexa Bliss. While friends-turned-foes, Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch, will be taking on each other for the right to be called SmackDown Women's Champion.

But for all the great booking leading up to Hell in a Cell, the WWE has not managed to find a place for all the big names on the roster. While the pre-show matches are yet to be announced, it is unlikely that these Superstars will appear at the event with no prior build up or storylines. Here are 5 huge stars who will miss Hell in a Cell this Sunday.

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#5 Kevin Owens

Owens will not be 'fighting' this Sunday.

Over the past several months, Kevin Owens has been severely underutilized by the WWE. But when he 'quit' the WWE the night after Summerslam, big things where expected when he did eventually make his return. There were even rumours of him being the new 'Paul Heyman Guy'.

But all that has come to nothing as Owens made his comeback just a couple of weeks later by attacking Bobby Lashley. He would then decimate Tyler Breeze on Raw this week and would go on to blame Bobby Lashley for his downfall over these past few months.

But with very little time to build up this rivalry, this match will surely not take place at Hell in a Cell this Sunday.

#4 Bobby Lashley

The Dominator has not been able to dominate the WWE since his return.

When Bobby Lashley returned to the WWE earlier this year, many fans felt like he would be the guy to take the Universal Championship from Brock Lesnar. After all, fans had fantasized about this match for years due to the MMA background of both men. And after proving himself as a main event caliber talent on Impact Wrestling and the independent circuit, it seemed WWE had chosen Lashley as the guy to replace Lesnar.

But all that seems a thing of the past now as Lashley's return to the WWE has been underwhelming, to say the least. For some reason, the WWE forgot that he is not the most charismatic wrestler in the world and ended up booking him in situations that exposed his weaknesses.

Now, Lashley finds himself in a lower midcard feud with Kevin Owens and without a spot on the Hell in a Cell card. But all the blame cannot be placed on the WWE either as Lashley himself has looked uninterested the whole time.

#3 Asuka

Asuka has had a torrid time over the past few months.

Earlier this year, it looked like the WWE was grooming Asuka to be the face of the women's division or years to come. She was on a three-year win streak and was about to challenge Charlotte for the SmackDown Women's Championship after winning the inaugural Women's Royal Rumble. Her booking had been so strong that it was difficult to predict the result in a match between her and Ronda Rousey.

But now she finds herself on a three pay-per-view losing streak after losing her match at WrestleMania to Charlotte and then to Carmella on consecutive pay-per-views. Her fall from grace has been so sudden that she found herself without a spot on Summerslam and there were even rumors of her walking out of the WWE but they have been squashed since then.

And after missing Summerslam, she will also not be appearing at Hell in a Cell. That is two major events that the Japanese superstar has missed in a row. Her fans must be concerned about her future in the company.

#2 Shinsuke Nakamura

The King of Strong Style's booking has been weak over the past few months.

Asuka is not the only Japanese superstar to fall from grace this year. Her compatriot Shinsuke Nakamura has also found life difficult in the past few months.

When Nakamura won the Royal Rumble earlier this year, the general belief was that he would be crowned the WWE Champion at Wrestlemania. The WWE Universe was also salivating at the idea of the AJ Styles vs Nakamura match that would take place at the 'Grandest Stage Of Them All'.

But as we all know by now, the feud was booked terribly and by the end of it, fans could not wait for the two men to move on. Since then, Nakamura has managed to capture the United States Championship but even then he was just treated as a spoke in the wheel as the WWE set up Orton vs Hardy at Hell in a Cell. As a result, Nakamura is without a match this Sunday.

#1 Finn Balor

The Demon King will not be appearing at Hell in a Cell.

Just a few weeks back, it looked like Balor was finally set for a big push after years of frustration on the main roster. His 'Demon King' persona had made a comeback at Summerslam and the following night on Raw, he would battle Reigns for the Universal Championship in an epic match.

But just when things started to look up for the Irish superstar, WWE managed to bring him back to square one by having him lose to Baron Corbin the following week on Raw. Since then, he has gone on to main event Raw for two consecutive weeks but it does not feel like he is being treated as a legitimate main event star by the WWE.

After all, since Summerslam, he has lost to Roman Reigns, Braun Strowman and Baron Corbin. No matter how many times someone tells you that wins and losses don't matter, they actually do. It is hard to take someone seriously who spends most of his time losing. The fact that Balor doesn't have a match scheduled for Hell in a Cell just highlights this statement.