Given that for the most part, the shows (well, RAW) these past few weeks have been rather subpar, I really can’t say I’m all excited for the upcoming PPV but unfortunately it is what it is and I guess the main reason for this is the fact that almost all the matches on the card are basically rematches from Payback with the addition of various stipulations. Granted, this is not necessarily a bad thing but the booking and writing has been so awful that there’s really little room for optimism so one can only hope that at least something significant can come out by the end of the PPV.
With that being said, here are my thoughts/predictions:
Baron Corbin vs Dolph Ziggler: NO DQ Match (kickoff)
I’ve already expressed my disapproval of this match taking place on the preshow since I feel this time around Corbin should’ve been featured on the main show but we can’t change that so at least I’m hopeful WWE will do the right thing here by having Corbin pick up the win. If it didn’t already make sense for Corbin to lose at Payback, it sure as hell would make no sense whatsoever if he were to lose for a second straight time so I guess this one should be a lock. Typical 50-50 WWE booking...
Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows vs The Usos: Texas Tornado Match
Most of us already agree that Anderson and Gallows have been booked like shit and looked like pussies so I’ll be damned if they didn’t pick up the win here. Actually, fuck that, a simple win isn’t good enough: they should DESTROY the Usos, fuck them up badly and leave them in a pool of blood type of mess.
Kalisto vs Rusev: United States Championship
If WWE is indeed looking to rebuild Rusev into the monster he was his first year around, then him winning here is the only choice. He’s finally solo again (thank God the LON crap is over), he’s got Lana on his side and quite frankly, at this point WWE is in great need of credible heels cause there aren’t really that many available these days. Now granted, Rusev has a long way to go in order for him to be established as the dominant force he once was before the stupid angle with Ziggler and then his role on LON but you got to start somewhere, right?
On the other hand, there’s always the idea that they may want to continue the Kalisto push with another win over a “bigger” guy but, seriously, is this really going anywhere? I mean, what’s to remember about Kalisto’s title reign and what is there to look for? He isn’t getting that great of a reaction anymore, he can barely talk on the mic (forget about any promo) and he even fucking slipped and almost fell (anyone catch that?) during his entrance on Monday. Simply put, forget about the Rey Mysterio comparisons and just put him back in the tag team division with Sincafa.
This is WWE we are talking about so logic a lot of times goes out the window but I’m going with what I feel is the right move here, thus crowning Rusev the new United States Champion.
And no, I don’t think Rusev winning on Sunday sets up a match with the returning John Cena, something that I know has been talked of lately. I mean, if WWE were to rebuild him only to feed him a month later to Cena, what’s the point? Just my two cents…
Fatal 4 Way Intercontinental Championship
This is by far the toughest one to call. In my view, all 4 participants have an equal chance of winning and you could easily make a case for each and every one.
I’d probably write off Sami Zayn first since I think it may be a bit too early for him, plus he already did get the pin on the go home show.
KO? If you ask me, he’s probably the face of the company right now. This guy just does it all, whether it’s inside the ring, the trash talk, the commentaries, everything and everybody just loves him even though he’s a heel. What better a reward than to give him the belt back?
Cesaro? Another one that is really liked and definitely deserving of better things.
Having thought about this long and hard, I’m going with the Miz to retain. I feel that Owens and Zayn will probably have their personal feud get the best of them, eventually knocking each other out of the match and eventually allow the Miz to get some sneaky win to retain his title.
What I think is quite telling about this is the fact that the commentators have mentioned on numerous occasions how the odds do not favor the Miz and all that crap. I mean, it’s one thing to mention it once or twice, but to be repeating it over and over just makes me think that somehow, the Miz will find a way to retain the belt. He also has his wife on his side, plus they’re now doing the whole red carpet thing during his entrance so all that tells me that he’s probably holding on to that belt for a bit longer.
WWE Tag Team Championship: The New Day vs The Vaudevillains
While one can argue that the Vaudevillains need this win a lot more than the New Day do (they’re already as over as it gets so it wouldn’t make much of a difference at this point if they had the belts or not), I’m picking the New Day to retain, mostly thinking long-term and specifically Summerslam, where I can easily picture a match between New Day against Enzo and Cass. I’ve already talked about this a while back and I’m sure most will agree that this would be a great way to go: two face teams, arguably the two best teams, going at it at the biggest event of the summer in red hot Brooklyn, where eventually Enzo and Cass can be crowned new champions.
WWE Womens Championship: Charlotte vs Natalya Submission Match
Charlotte here should be considered a lock and frankly, WWE have made it so damn obvious that it’s hard to think otherwise so unless we are in for a big time swerve, Charlotte should retain in a clean fashion, which is something I feel she really needs anyway.
Thinking long-term once more and eying Summerslam in Brooklyn, what better than Charlotte vs Sasha Banks really for the title?
Dean Ambrose vs Chris Jericho: Asylum Match
Hoping that this time their match will be less boring than what we saw at Payback (which shouldn’t be that hard to pull off given the environment and toys provided), the obvious choice here I think is Dean Ambrose. Not only that, I also hope that once this ridiculous feud is over, WWE will have something a lot more meaningful in store for Ambrose…
WWE World Heavyweight Championship: Roman Reigns vs AJ Styles
This is your typical case of having to basically figure out the “how” rather than the “who” since it’s rather obvious that we are all stuck with Roman Reigns, whether we like it or not.
First things first, there is no doubt that Roman retains. I love AJ Styles and all but we all know the drill so unless WWE pulls the trigger on the ultimate surprise, Reigns walks out still champion.
Now, we all also know that certain people will interfere, however will it be just Gallows and Anderson along with the Usos which we all expect or would there be a third party involved during or after this match? At this point, I guess it’s all a matter of how WWE is going to approach things. Does the feud between Reigns and AJ end this Sunday or do they keep it going?
The way I see it, one idea is after Roman Reigns pins Styles, you could have Seth Rollins make the surprise return and attack Reigns post match, making a statement that he’s back and after what’s rightfully his, since he never did lose the belt to begin with.
Another idea that I’ve been toying with recently would have the Wyatts being inserted somehow into the picture, even though I would have preferred the circumstances to be better, thus “The Club” being booked strong rather than random idiots. So, maybe Bray is the one that comes out post match and attacks Roman Reigns.
Shortly before Bray got injured, we all remember how he teased in a couple of occasions at least his interest (?) for the belt: remember the intriguing stare downs with Triple H first and then Roman Reigns? I do and I also remember the crowd reaction, which was quite big. So picture this: ideally AJ Styles with a strong “Club” on one hand, Roman with his “Family” on the other and then Bray Wyatt with his mates. Don’t know about you guys, but this sounds like an explosive situation that could lead to a really big story for the summer, depending of course on how soon Bray will be back and ready to go.
I understand, it’s probably making things way too complicated but I could even go one further. Since Seth Rollins will come back as a baby face for sure and since there isn't anything meaningful for Dean Ambrose these days, perhaps Roman Reigns goes on to reform the Shield. If you have the Club going after him (should WWE elect that the feud with Styles continues) and then the Wyatts also going after him, maybe the Uso’s get somehow erased from the picture (either the Club or the Wyatts could simply lay them out in some backstage promo and knock them out of the equation), in which case Rollins and Ambrose step in.
Yeah, I know, my imagination at this point is running wild but these are just a couple of examples/ideas that simply point out the potential available and in WWE's disposal. Hey, my ideas may be foolish or stupid but the point here is there are just so many things they can do in order to create a damn good story that can carry through the summer and it would be such a waste if they didn't capitalize on something. This, exactly, is the reason of the bitching and moaning (not just me but from most of us I gather) about the poor booking of Gallows and Anderson.
Enjoy the PPV folks !!!
With that being said, here are my thoughts/predictions:
Baron Corbin vs Dolph Ziggler: NO DQ Match (kickoff)
I’ve already expressed my disapproval of this match taking place on the preshow since I feel this time around Corbin should’ve been featured on the main show but we can’t change that so at least I’m hopeful WWE will do the right thing here by having Corbin pick up the win. If it didn’t already make sense for Corbin to lose at Payback, it sure as hell would make no sense whatsoever if he were to lose for a second straight time so I guess this one should be a lock. Typical 50-50 WWE booking...
Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows vs The Usos: Texas Tornado Match
Most of us already agree that Anderson and Gallows have been booked like shit and looked like pussies so I’ll be damned if they didn’t pick up the win here. Actually, fuck that, a simple win isn’t good enough: they should DESTROY the Usos, fuck them up badly and leave them in a pool of blood type of mess.
Kalisto vs Rusev: United States Championship
If WWE is indeed looking to rebuild Rusev into the monster he was his first year around, then him winning here is the only choice. He’s finally solo again (thank God the LON crap is over), he’s got Lana on his side and quite frankly, at this point WWE is in great need of credible heels cause there aren’t really that many available these days. Now granted, Rusev has a long way to go in order for him to be established as the dominant force he once was before the stupid angle with Ziggler and then his role on LON but you got to start somewhere, right?
On the other hand, there’s always the idea that they may want to continue the Kalisto push with another win over a “bigger” guy but, seriously, is this really going anywhere? I mean, what’s to remember about Kalisto’s title reign and what is there to look for? He isn’t getting that great of a reaction anymore, he can barely talk on the mic (forget about any promo) and he even fucking slipped and almost fell (anyone catch that?) during his entrance on Monday. Simply put, forget about the Rey Mysterio comparisons and just put him back in the tag team division with Sincafa.
This is WWE we are talking about so logic a lot of times goes out the window but I’m going with what I feel is the right move here, thus crowning Rusev the new United States Champion.
And no, I don’t think Rusev winning on Sunday sets up a match with the returning John Cena, something that I know has been talked of lately. I mean, if WWE were to rebuild him only to feed him a month later to Cena, what’s the point? Just my two cents…
Fatal 4 Way Intercontinental Championship
This is by far the toughest one to call. In my view, all 4 participants have an equal chance of winning and you could easily make a case for each and every one.
I’d probably write off Sami Zayn first since I think it may be a bit too early for him, plus he already did get the pin on the go home show.
KO? If you ask me, he’s probably the face of the company right now. This guy just does it all, whether it’s inside the ring, the trash talk, the commentaries, everything and everybody just loves him even though he’s a heel. What better a reward than to give him the belt back?
Cesaro? Another one that is really liked and definitely deserving of better things.
Having thought about this long and hard, I’m going with the Miz to retain. I feel that Owens and Zayn will probably have their personal feud get the best of them, eventually knocking each other out of the match and eventually allow the Miz to get some sneaky win to retain his title.
What I think is quite telling about this is the fact that the commentators have mentioned on numerous occasions how the odds do not favor the Miz and all that crap. I mean, it’s one thing to mention it once or twice, but to be repeating it over and over just makes me think that somehow, the Miz will find a way to retain the belt. He also has his wife on his side, plus they’re now doing the whole red carpet thing during his entrance so all that tells me that he’s probably holding on to that belt for a bit longer.
WWE Tag Team Championship: The New Day vs The Vaudevillains
While one can argue that the Vaudevillains need this win a lot more than the New Day do (they’re already as over as it gets so it wouldn’t make much of a difference at this point if they had the belts or not), I’m picking the New Day to retain, mostly thinking long-term and specifically Summerslam, where I can easily picture a match between New Day against Enzo and Cass. I’ve already talked about this a while back and I’m sure most will agree that this would be a great way to go: two face teams, arguably the two best teams, going at it at the biggest event of the summer in red hot Brooklyn, where eventually Enzo and Cass can be crowned new champions.
WWE Womens Championship: Charlotte vs Natalya Submission Match
Charlotte here should be considered a lock and frankly, WWE have made it so damn obvious that it’s hard to think otherwise so unless we are in for a big time swerve, Charlotte should retain in a clean fashion, which is something I feel she really needs anyway.
Thinking long-term once more and eying Summerslam in Brooklyn, what better than Charlotte vs Sasha Banks really for the title?
Dean Ambrose vs Chris Jericho: Asylum Match
Hoping that this time their match will be less boring than what we saw at Payback (which shouldn’t be that hard to pull off given the environment and toys provided), the obvious choice here I think is Dean Ambrose. Not only that, I also hope that once this ridiculous feud is over, WWE will have something a lot more meaningful in store for Ambrose…
WWE World Heavyweight Championship: Roman Reigns vs AJ Styles
This is your typical case of having to basically figure out the “how” rather than the “who” since it’s rather obvious that we are all stuck with Roman Reigns, whether we like it or not.
First things first, there is no doubt that Roman retains. I love AJ Styles and all but we all know the drill so unless WWE pulls the trigger on the ultimate surprise, Reigns walks out still champion.
Now, we all also know that certain people will interfere, however will it be just Gallows and Anderson along with the Usos which we all expect or would there be a third party involved during or after this match? At this point, I guess it’s all a matter of how WWE is going to approach things. Does the feud between Reigns and AJ end this Sunday or do they keep it going?
The way I see it, one idea is after Roman Reigns pins Styles, you could have Seth Rollins make the surprise return and attack Reigns post match, making a statement that he’s back and after what’s rightfully his, since he never did lose the belt to begin with.
Another idea that I’ve been toying with recently would have the Wyatts being inserted somehow into the picture, even though I would have preferred the circumstances to be better, thus “The Club” being booked strong rather than random idiots. So, maybe Bray is the one that comes out post match and attacks Roman Reigns.
Shortly before Bray got injured, we all remember how he teased in a couple of occasions at least his interest (?) for the belt: remember the intriguing stare downs with Triple H first and then Roman Reigns? I do and I also remember the crowd reaction, which was quite big. So picture this: ideally AJ Styles with a strong “Club” on one hand, Roman with his “Family” on the other and then Bray Wyatt with his mates. Don’t know about you guys, but this sounds like an explosive situation that could lead to a really big story for the summer, depending of course on how soon Bray will be back and ready to go.
I understand, it’s probably making things way too complicated but I could even go one further. Since Seth Rollins will come back as a baby face for sure and since there isn't anything meaningful for Dean Ambrose these days, perhaps Roman Reigns goes on to reform the Shield. If you have the Club going after him (should WWE elect that the feud with Styles continues) and then the Wyatts also going after him, maybe the Uso’s get somehow erased from the picture (either the Club or the Wyatts could simply lay them out in some backstage promo and knock them out of the equation), in which case Rollins and Ambrose step in.
Yeah, I know, my imagination at this point is running wild but these are just a couple of examples/ideas that simply point out the potential available and in WWE's disposal. Hey, my ideas may be foolish or stupid but the point here is there are just so many things they can do in order to create a damn good story that can carry through the summer and it would be such a waste if they didn't capitalize on something. This, exactly, is the reason of the bitching and moaning (not just me but from most of us I gather) about the poor booking of Gallows and Anderson.
Enjoy the PPV folks !!!
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