Welcome to the WrestleMania 29 Rasslin’ Roundtable! I, Rhett Davis, am your host for this collection of your writers’ thoughts on this Sunday’s WrestleMania. We have writers from the past and present here to discuss who will win at the Grandaddy of Them All! Now without any more delay, here is the first match.
Intercontinental Championship
Wade Barrett (c) vs. The Miz
CB: I’m done wasting words on these two.
Winner: The Miz
Steven Gepp: I like Wade Barrett. I don’t like the Miz. This match will be a match. Perfectly serviceable for the second hour of Raw, but not the biggest stage of the year. And where the hell is Cesaro?
Winner: Barrett
Rhett Davis: I just don’t see the appeal in this match at all. The build has been abrupt, but it’s better than Wade Barrett vs. Bo Dallas I suppose. I would have much preferred that this match have had Antonio Cesaro instead.
Winner (and NEW Intercontinental Champ): The Third Marine
Iain Burnside: I am a little sick of these people who keep banging on about “bringing back the prestige of the Intercontinental Title”. The last time there was a vaguely meaningful IC title match at WrestleMania was in 1998. Get over it. The title is but a pointless trophy of mediocrity and has been ever since Hun-Tor examined it in 2002 and thought, “nah, fuck it, let’s get the WCW thing out of storage instead”. Worse, this time around we do actually get an IC title match at WrestleMania but it is between two utterly miscast individuals. Barrett was, I guess, meant to be some sort of gang leader turned solo hooligan. He wasn’t very good at it. His newfound role as a deluded wannabe movie star is still much worse. Meanwhile, Miz was originally a cunt. Now he’s still a cunt but one who is meant to be cheered for because woo bah gawd dah natcha boi et cetera. That’s not even taking into account the fact that these two guys last had a great match around about… never. So, two barely competent people, piecing together a time killing bout for a worthless title, wrapped up in a feud about shitty movies or some such nonsense. It’s hardly the stuff of The Rock fighting Ken Shamrock over whose erection caused the most damage, or whatever that was all about.
Winner: Miz
Ralph Hardin: A confession: I like the Miz. I’m glad he’s a face now, as crappy as the turn (what turn?) was executed. I have no problem with Flair passing the figure-four down to him. It’s a cool move that I always like seeing. However, I wish this was a Barrett/Cesaro I-C/U.S. title unification match. Maybe a three-way or four-way with Miz and Kofi thrown in or something. This is no Savage/Steamboat, that much is clear. I like Barrett, too, so I don’t really have a problem with the match itself. I just wish it was a little less thrown together. Is Cesaro even on the card? I guess Miz gets the belt here. I’ve heard maybe Kofi is turning heel, so maybe a feud with Miz is in the works.
Winner: The Miz
Mark Allen: Remember when Miz just lost a United States Title feud to Antonio Cesaro just a couple months ago? Yeah me neither. This feud started over that was better in their borderline terrible movies that just came out. I mean it’s no Japanese shampoo commercial rivalry, but it’s still pretty sweet on the bad feud starter scale. It’s really irrelevant who wins as they will both stay in the same position and job to someone higher up the food chain to them a week later on RAW. And why isn’t United States Champion Antonio Cesaro included somewhere here? He got himself incredibly over in 2012 and certainly deserves a spot here. And how about Kofi Kingston? Maybe a fatal four way for both belts would’ve been a nice way to include them, but I guess someone needs to win the pre-show battle royal.
Winner: The Miz
Mike Gojira: The Miz has had a very bizarre run as a face. He spent the past few months feuding with Antonio Cesaro, losing time after time to shady heel tactics and unfortunate officiating, so one would assume he’d finally get his big win at Wrestlemania. Well, you know what happens when you assume, right? Instead of the superior Cesaro, we get the middling Barrett, whose career has stalled ever since his return from injury. Why should I care about either of these two? The WWE was right to place this as a pre-show match; fan interest is at an all-time low for both competitors and a free title match online is a decent hook to bring in more wary viewers. I just hope these guys realize how low their stock in the company really is at this point and try to pull out all the stops.
Winner and New Intercontinental Champion: The Miz
Justin Czerwonka: From main event to pre-show in two years, so is the life of The Miz. He was good in the build up to Wrestlemania 27, but the WWE completely dropped the ball on him as a face. His character just doesn’t work like that. Similar to Ziggler, Wade Barrett deserves better than this. He was great with the Nexus, but the WWE has just mis-used him since then. This is a toss up for me. I guess Wade Barrett retains.
Winner: Wade Barrett
Chris Sanders: There’s really not a large reason to be excited about this match which is a good reason why it’s on the pre-show. Miz’s Wrestlemania streak will be kept intact.
Winner: The Miz
MM: I’m so tired of this feud. Maybe Miz can win to bridge to Big E winning from him to give E and Dolph all the belts.
Winner: Miz
People Power: In a close race, The Miz wins the ‘People Power’s’ pick with 53% of the vote.
The Tally: The Miz – 9
Wade Barrett – 2
8-Man Mixed Tag Team Match
Tons of Funk and The Funkadactyls vs. The Rhodes Scholars and The Bella Twins
CB: Look for the agile Naomi to have some kind of memorable WrestleMania moment in an otherwise filler contest.
Winners: WWE’s Best Dance Crew
Steven Gepp: Okay. Sure. Whatever.
Winner: Team Brodus
Rhett Davis: I guess this is one way to get a bunch of talent on the PPV card. Possibly make this a lumberjack/jill match to get the rest of the roster involved. I can see The Rhodes Scholars and The Bella Twins winning this as it would be a shame to give them a loss in such a throwaway match.
Winners: The Rhodes Scholars and The Bellas
Iain Burnside: Cody Rhodes, Damien Sandow, Big Boob Bella, The Other Bella, Brodus Clay, Dancing Ho #1, Dancing Ho #2, fuckin’ Tensai… all more important than Antonio Cesaro and the United States title. Fact.
Winners: Team Funk
Ralph Hardin: This is really happening, huh? At Wrestlemania? Okay then. A comedy match that can actually feature a sprinkling of real in-ring action is not the worst thing to ever happen at Wrestlemania, so I say go for it. There’s really no consequence to the finish of this match. I assume that Sandow and Rhodes can go back to not being a team again when this is over. Maybe Clay and Tensai will get the tag belts. I care nothing for the Bellas. I’m hoping that at some point they attack Kaitlyn and Cody makes the save and a face turn. I don’t really have a horse in this race, though.
Winners: The Funking Faces
Mark Allen: This will either get bumped down to the pre-show or will be a 30 second squash followed up happy dancing to break up all the heavy main event matches. Remember when The Rhodes Scholars split up for like two weeks? Yeah me neither.
Winner: Tons of Funk
Mike Gojira: This is the piss break in between main events. Probably between a title match and either Lesnar/Triple H or Taker/Punk, but most definitely the piss break.
Winners: The Concession Stands
Justin Czerwonka: The Bellas are back to appease their boyfriends, John Cena and Daniel Bryan. As far as this match? The faces win because it is more of a comedy match than anything and they normally win those.
Winners: Tons of Funk & The Funkadactyls
Chris Sanders: It pains me to be this indifferent about a match that involved Damien Sandow but with that being said, this is a stunt match to get these guys onto the show. As my Classy Ring Attire partner said it, there’s no way we don’t see kids dancing in the ring with Brodus at the end of this match.
Winner: The Dancing Bears & Funkadactyls
Matthew Michaels: Babyface win as a buffer between two main event matches.
Winner: Big Funk
People Power: In a firm lead, Tons of Funk & The Funkadactyls win the ‘People Power’s’ pick with 75% of the vote.
The Tally: Tons of Funk & The Funkadactyls – 9
The Rhodes Scholars & The Bella Twins – 1
The Concession Stands – 1
WWE Tag Team Championship
Team Hell No (c) vs Dolph Ziggler and Big E Langston
CB: I think WWE is going to throw us a curveball and have Dolph and Big E win the tag titles … AND have Ziggler cash in later on in the night as well. I’m looking forward to seeing Big E’s official debut on the main roster, and his interactions with Kane will be more fun for me than Ryback vs. Henry. Of course, AJ Lee will be a huge factor here no matter which way it goes.
Winners: Dolph Ziggler and Big E Langston
Steven Gepp: The whole Team Hell No storyline has been confusing lately, as I don’t think they know what to do with it. But with Ziggler surely going on to get the title soon, having the tag titles would only make sense if Langston got the IC Title (or US Title) so they can do the Shawn Michaels/Diesel dynamic. However, surprisngly, I see a good match here.
Winner: Kane/Bryan
Rhett Davis: This should be a fun match with the two bump machines of Daniel Bryan and Dolph Ziggler along with the two entertaining power men in Kane and Big E Langston. This is the kind of comedy match I like to see. Not the outlandish Tons of Funk. I’m not sure how this is going to go, but I think it will result in Team Hell No winning. I also don’t see Dolph Ziggler cashing in tonight, but waiting until SmackDown later this week.
Winners (and STILL WWE Tag Team Champions): Team Hell No!
Iain Burnside: Well, this is also a match. It could be a great match but will not get anywhere near enough time, as is the curse of modern-era WrestleManias. Not when we need to be subjected to uninspired musical guests, patented zany backstage skits (“Damn!” is still funny, right?) and prolonged video packages hyping matches we’ve already paid to view. I’ve no idea what the original plan was for Kane and Daniel Bryan. I can only presume they were meant to drop the titles a couple of months ago and face one another here. That would not have been a particularly great match. It could have freed up Bryan to go onto bigger and better things afterwards, though. A better option than treading water. Speaking of which, Dolph Ziggler. Dude’s been taking two steps forward, two steps back for at least a year now. In theory, Ziggler could come out of Mania as the world champion and co-holder of the tag titles. I’m tempted to say he should come out with nothing. He needs something fresh to kick-start his progress to the main event. A babyface turn would do just that. Orton also turning would free up room on the heel side of things. AJ going off with Langston would work quite well. Ziggler already has a connection with the audience, which sees something genuine in him. Pursuing his own redemption as a humbled yet by no means less confident babyface, much like Shawn Michaels in ’95, has a nice hook to it. But do we really need Hell No to carry on hugging? Can we find some more proper tag teams already?
Winners: Hell No
Ralph Hardin: I don’t think there has ever been a Wrestlemania where two guys have made their WWE in-ring debuts, but that is the case here with Fandango and, unless I missed it, Langston. Big E has a fairly unique look, and as long as he can bring it in the ring, I’d expect some success for the guy. Poor Dolph seemed like a lock for a world title reign sometime in 2012 or possibly even a world title match at this year’s ‘Mania, and now here he is in a match for the sadly almost meaningless tag belts. I’m not sure why Team Friendship still has the straps and hasn’t dropped them to someone (anyone really) along the way. Maybe they can lose them to the Shield or something after ‘Mania. My hope here is that something happens that somehow leads to a face turn for Ziggler and then (sometime) a Money in the Bank cash-in.
Winners: Kane & Daniel Bryan
Mark Allen: It seemed so logical to do the inevitable Team Hell No break up here, but I guess they wanted to milk it a little longer. But this match is so random. Ziggler should be in a high profile singles match or really hyping up his desire to cash in the Money in the Bank contract. Now it also looks like Kaitlyn and AJ Lee being added to the match to make it a six-person winner take all match. Either way the villains should win to set the seeds for the inevitable Team Hell No feud and give Ziggler momentum into possibly cashing in the World Title contract and being a dual Champion. And seriously how lucky is Big E to make his main stage debut on friggin’ WrestleMania of all places?
Winners: Ziggy and Biggy
Mike Gojira: I feel like this match is here not only to showcase the skills of Ziggler and Daniel Bryan, but to also throw off audience assumptions that Ziggler will cash-in later in the night. This should be a fun contest and a good way to make Big E Langston look dominant, but I don’t see a title change here.
Winners: Team Hell No
Justin Czerwonka: Team Hell No jumped ship a long time ago. They should have been broken up at the Royal Rumble, but that didn’t happen. Now the tag team division has pretty much crumbled around them. Bryan deserves a singles push this year. But you have to wonder if the WWE killed any hope of that by keeping Team Hell No together for so long. As for Dolhp Ziggler and Big E, Dolph deserved better than this at Wrestlemania. Hopefully Dolph gets a big push after all the part timers leave. Big E works well as his muscle, and I think they leave as Tag Champs here.
Winners: Dolph Ziggler and Big E Langston
Chris Sanders: I think they’re going to use this as a vehicle to show off Langston as well as the beginning of the end for Team Friendship. A lot of this is predicated on what goes on with the WHC match (assuming that match is 1st as it’s been the past two years) but I would make the bold prediction that Langston will still dominate.
The Winner: Ziggles and Big E
Matthew Michaels: Time for a change…
Winner: D&E
People Power: With a slight lead, Team Hell No! wins the ‘People Power’s’ pick with a total of 59% of the vote.
The Tally: Team Hell No! – 6
Dolph Ziggler and Big E Langston – 5
The Dancer Meets The Rocker
Fandango vs Chris Jericho
CB: Definitely my sleeper pick for Match of the Night, and I like that it’s a FRESH MATCH. Jericho is a master at making other people look great, and Y2J will put over Johnny — er, Faaaaan—Daaaan—Gooo — here.
Winner: Fandango
Steven Gepp: Let’s see if the “Jericho as the new Flair” works here and he can pull a good match out on his way to losing to this broomstick.
Winner: Fandango
Rhett Davis: I get that Jericho can have a good match with anyone, but why did he get stuck in a match with Fandango who hasn’t even debuted yet? It makes me wonder how many other guys haven’t debuted until WrestleMania over the years. Big E and Fandango make for two debuts on a single WrestleMania. And what happened to Dolph and Jericho? That seemed like such an easy matchup to tie together. Dolph cost Jericho his job so now Jericho wants revenge. Anyways, I see Fandango winning for the reason that Jericho has won maybe three matches so far this year.
Winner: Fahhhhhhnnnndahhhhhnnnngooooo!
Iain Burnside: On the face of it, this is the most peculiar looking match on the card. I certainly thought it was a goof when I first read about this happening. Scratch a little deeper and it makes more sense than most. Turning Jericho heel to face Ryback, as was at one point the plan, would have been a fool’s errand. Jericho is now in the respected veteran phase of his career, during which the crowd absolutely does not want to boo the man. Besides, Ryback is what he is and isn’t getting any better or worse by now. Jericho could have been one of the bodies in the Shield match but his skills would have been lost in the brawling shuffle of that six-man fight. Jericho working with Fandango does make more sense. They compliment one another as characters. Fandango has spent his initial stint on Raw not wrestling, instead flamboyantly turning up to stand by the entrance way and insult people. With a fondness for shiny clothing. Sound familiar? Granted, the Fandango gimmick would appear to have no longevity or credibility. As a wrestler, Johnny Curtis is purely functional. Yet stranger things have happened than Chris Jericho helping get a young guy over.
Winner: Fandanawf
Ralph Hardin: I’m sure Johnny Curtis is a fine wrestler. I’m sure Jericho wants to go out there and steal the show with the new guy. This match might be awesome. I actually didn’t mind the first few weeks of the “you mispronounced my name so I’m not wrestling” before it got old. I don’t even mind that Jericho is in all likelihood going to put the guy over on the biggest stage in professional wrestling. But here are 10 words I promise you will never (e-ee-eeh-EH-ver!) hear over the WWE sound system: “The winner of the match, and new WWE Champion…Fandango!” Just completely impossible to take seriously.
Winner: Fandango
Mark Allen: What a random slot to insert Chris Jericho into. But he seems like he is always up for a challenge and I’m certain signed off the rivalry and had a hand in developing it. Johnny Curtis has come out of nowhere with Fandango and like Big E, gets to have his main stage debut at WrestleMania. That’s unheard of to have two “young lions” like that get big time treatment like that. Plus add in The Shield’s debut, it’s a case of rookies and part-timers filling the show, while the company’s main stays pad out the mid-card. Fandango should win this to keep his new momentum rolling.
Winner: Fandango
Mike Gojira: Most people would look at this match at first glance and wonder why a guy with a gimmick like Fandango would get such a high profile match at this point in his career. Luckily, I’m not most people and did a little digging: apparently, Fandango is one of Vince McMahon’s pet projects so big things are expected from him in the near future. On the other hand, it could backfire. Remember when Sin Cara was Triple H’s first big acquisition since his new role backstage? That turned out well.
Winner: Chris Jericho
Justin Czerwonka: This feud has only been going on for a couple of weeks, and I am already looking forward to it more than any other undercard match. While some may not like him, I’m enjoying the Fandango character so far. He’s a cocky character who has a “bad ass” side to him, despite being a dancer gimmick. Chris Jericho is the perfect guy for Fandango. He can get him over, as he has the last two weeks. And the crowd is actually reacting to Fandango rather than not doing anything at all. Is Fandango a main eventer? Probably not. But he could be a solid role player in the WWE. Hopefully these guys get at least 12 minutes. I think Fandango wins here as Jericho may not be around after Mania.
Winner: Fandango
Chris Sanders: This is my dark horse for match of the night (probably not gonna take the honors from Punk/Taker, though) just because there’s still so much unknown with Fandango but there must be a reason the character is making his wrestling debut at Mania. Fandango will shine but I don’t see him going over in his first Wrestlemania.
Winner: Chris Jericho
Matthew Michaels: I’m actually interested in seeing Fandango bring it here. And by it I don’t mean advance tickets to Iron Man 3.
Winner: Fandango
People Power: With a large lead, Fandango receives the ‘People Power’s’ pick with a total of 69% of the vote.
The Tally: Fandango – 9
Chris Jericho – 2
Battle of the Behemoths
Mark Henry vs Ryback
CB: Ryback gets his mojo back.
Winner: Ryback
Steven Gepp: At least they’re out there hurting one another and not injuring any actually talented wrestlers.
Winner: Ryback
Rhett Davis: This should be a whole lot of yelling of catch phrases and slow paced power slams. Ryback wins to get his momentum back up and running.
Winner: Ryback
Iain Burnside: You know this is pure awesome. Mark Henry, living wall of hurly-burly surliness. Ryback, living incarnation of an eight year-old boy’s idea of a wrestler. One provides the soundtrack to you heading to work. The other provides an endless stream of surreal promos about food. No doubt this match is designed with one thing in mind – Ryback lifting Henry up for a Shellshock. I am cringing already. It ain’t going to be pretty but it will be fun, much like Superman vs Nuclear Man in Superman IV: The Quest For Peace. Whack on the New York crowd blissfully cheering on Henry and you’ve got yourself some WrestleCrap, son.
Winner: Ryback
Ralph Hardin: I have nothing against big power guy matches like this one. I’m not expecting a scientific showcase, just a stiff brawl, and I think these guys can deliver. Henry has looked completely dominant since his return, while Ryback needs a big win on a big stage after coming up short in his run with CM Punk over the WWE title. So, really, it just depends on what they have planned for these guys after Wrestlemania (they have already started planning for after Wrestlemania, right?). Henry could easily move into a program with Del Rio. Ryback vs. Barrett or Cesaro in a secondary title feud? I’m not sure, but I guess Ryback needs the win more than Henry at this point.
Winner: Ryback
Mark Allen: This may be what I am most looking forward to on the card. It’s scary to think that it includes Mark Henry, but this guy has improved ridiculously in the past couple of years. It’s still fun to watch big monsters squash little guys, and no one does it better than “The World’s Strongest Man.” Plus all the shit talking he does during it is just phenomenal. Ryback has done a great job of getting himself over and deserves a spot here. I’m guessing Ryback wins with what will supposed to be a show-stealer worthy Shell Shock, but Henry is on a solid roll too. This should be fun in an old school, beat ‘em up ‘80s style brawl.
Winner: Ryback
Mike Gojira: Keep those Goldberg chants a-coming, folks! Lots of clubbing forearm shots here and there, a kickout from the World’s Strongest Slam, and a Shellshocked to the World’s Strongest Man make this match one of those OMG moments the WWE will inevitably put on their next compilation DVD.
Winner: Ryback
Justin Czerwonka: If the WWE is smart, they don’t have this match last long. The crowd could turn on it quick. Ryback hasn’t won on PPV in a long time, and this match is designed to get him back over with the crowd. Henry is good enough to get some heat back after the match if the WWE decides to push him again. Ryback lifts Henry up for Shell Shocked and picks up the win.
Winner: Ryback
Chris Sanders: I’m making the assumption Mark Henry came back mostly to put Ryback over at Mania seeing as how Ryback is the main guy WWE wants to build. It just comes down to that.
Winner: Ryback
Matthew Michaels: Whatever.
Winner: Skip Sheffield
People Power: With a large majority of the vote, Ryback wins the ‘People Power’s’ pick with 88% of the vote.
The Tally: Ryback – 11
Mark Henry – 0
6-Man Tag Team Match
The Shield vs Randy Orton, Sheamus, and The Big Show
CB: The Shield has to — and will — win this one. I just hope their next chapter starts along the way.
Winners: The Shield
Steven Gepp: The Shield have been booked probably the best of anyone in the WWE for a long time. United we stand sort of mentality was what the nWo was all about when they first formed, before becoming diluted by adding members. They haven’t made that mistake so far. But there appears to be a heel turn coming. I only hope it’s not Orton joining the Shield because as a faction leader (see Legacy) he has the charisma of a dead goldfish. Orton is probably the most boring wrestler to be over at the moment, so a heel turn would be to his advantage. He’ll still be boring, but at least he’ll be a boring heel.
Winner: The Shield
Rhett Davis: The Shield have been thoroughly been well protected thus far, but I think this is finally where they meet their end with their good luck. I sense either them losing or there being added another member or a possible leader. It’s time for The Shield to become more… purposeful. And a loss to these three could do just that for the group. Sheamus hits the Brogue Kick for the three count. Just what PUSS would have wanted.
Winners: Randy Orton, Sheamus, and Big Show
Iain Burnside: Credit where credit is due, WWE seems to at long last have learnt its lessons from the debacle of the Nexus, the Corre, the Straight Edge Society, La Familia and other “main event” heel factions of recent years. The Shield have been remarkably well protected. I can’t recall the last time a group of newbies was brought in, conveyed as genuine threats and given multiple wins over top stars on PPVs. It is self-evident that Reigns is the company’s ideal future star and thus far he has held his own in the ongoing quest to turn him into Batista. Ambrose is clearly the best of the group and it remains to be seen how far a guy of his size and style will get to go in this post-pipebomb world of ours. Rollins is also there and so is his haircut. Set against this is the latest incarnation of the Justice League of Sheamus. I guess Big Show is still a heel, although the man has had more turns than cheeseburgers in his career so it is hard to tell. Orton is on the brink of a long-awaited heel turn. In some ways that is good, since he is clearly better suited to working as a heel. In other ways it is bad, since this opens up the prospect of a return to the Cena/Orton title feud of doom. So, expect heelish dissension on the babyface side and another win for Shield… what comes next, though? The obvious choice is the Shield beating Hell No at Extreme Rules, yet already the tag titles seem beneath them. Part of me wants Show to go face and take Mark Henry with him, forming a team called Get Out Of Our Fucking Way and smashing everything in front of them to an edible paste, garnished with cheese. I can’t fathom any other tag team proving adequate.
Winners: Shield
Ralph Hardin: It’s the Legion of Doom vs. The Super Friends! And we all know how those cartoons ended right? It seems unlikely that the heels would go over here, but so far, the WWE has actually booked Ambrose, Rollins, and Reigns almost perfectly. Keeping that in mind, I think they might actually pull it off. Their triple power bomb is a cool killer finisher, Roman’s spear looks absolutely painful, that kick thing Rollins does is pretty cool, and Ambrose—what is Dean’s big move? Anyway, there’s been talk of Orton turning heel and being revealed as the leader of the Shield. I like the heel turn either after a loss or even leading to the loss, but I don’t like Orton taking over the Shield. Let those guys be their own thing, lest they end up playing second fiddle to the RKO show.
Winners: The Shield
Mark Allen: One thing WWE has done right in 2012 is the creation, evolution and build up of The Shield. The three “rookies” have been built up and protected so well that they seem on even keel with three multi-time former World Champions. The kids should win here to continue their momentum and make all three into legit superstars. Their opponents are all already made and don’t need the victory. Plus it could to plenty of in-fighting and rivalries heading into the springtime and summer. Let The Shield run together for a few months longer before they branch out into the shark-infested singles ranks. I mean they haven’t had the inevitable awesome rivalry against 3MB yet.
Winners: The Shield
Mike Gojira: This is perhaps the least predictable match on the card, which is odd because you’d think The Shield have been unstoppable for so long and would logically lose at Wrestlemania. However, these three are unique in that they’ve CONSISTENTLY beaten top tier talent in the likes of John Cena, Sheamus, Ryback, Kane, and Daniel Bryan in previous outings. Victories don’t get much bigger than that. There’s no reason to think adding Big Show to the equation would change much, especially considering that he has an uneasy alliance with his partners.
Winners: The Shield
Justin Czerwonka: This is a match where I feel like somebody is turning heel. The Shield already took down a team of Cena/Ryback/Sheamus, so they should beat these guys too. The WWE did a goof job of making us seem like Sheamus, Randy Orton and Big Show are going to work well together as a team. But part of me thinks someone is turning in this match. The WWE will want you to think it is Big Show, but I believe it will end up being Randy Orton. There has been talk of turning Randy Orton heel for months now, and what better time to do it than at Wrestlemania. As for The Shield, the WWE really needs to elevate them up the card and give them a big push. They should get the win here. Orton hits an RKO on Sheamus and Dean Ambrose picks up the win.
Winners: The Shield
Chris Sanders: My only fear with this is rumors going around that WWE will use this match to turn Randy Orton heel. While that turn is something I’d love to see, I know WWE would be tempted to make Orton the head of Shield and that is not okay. We’ve seen Orton as part of a stable more than enough times. As for Shield, I’ve picked against them in every PPV match they’ve had and each time, I was pleasantly proven wrong.
Winner: The Shield
Matthew Michaels: The Shield is the best thing going. Let’s hope WWE doesn’t ruin it by jobbing them here. And I would be perfectly fine if a new member is added to the justice-seeking faction to help them win. By the way, doesn’t The Shield remind you of heel muppet super group The Nightmare? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mTvkRgbwPfI
Winner: Reigns, Ambrose and Rollins
People Power: With a definite lead, The Shield receive the ‘People Power’s’ pick with 81% of the vote.
The Tally: The Shield – 10
Sheamus/Orton/Show – 1
No Holds Barred Match with Triple H’s Career on the Line
Triple H vs Brock Lesnar
CB: I expect this to be a violent spectacle that is just as brutal as Hell In A Cell last year. And I’m going to go against the grain here and pick Lesnar to win this some way, somehow. HHH will never wrestle again, and a Brock win here would also set up a Lesnar-Taker match next year at WrestleMania XXX when the Next Big Thing goes after the other “Last Outlaw”.
Winner: Brock Lesnar
Steven Gepp: I was not interested in this match, with HHH getting his win back. But with Lesnar being signed for another year, and the HHH retires stipulation, I actually have changed my mind about who will win. Not about the match, which I expect to be dull, but the winner.
Winner: Brock Lesnar
Rhett Davis: Brock is coming back and Triple H’s career is on the line which makes this interesting. However, it doesn’t really make this match unpredictable. Brock coming back means that he’s going to need momentum and having a 1-2 record isn’t exactly threatening. The Triple H retirement stipulation gives Triple H a reason to be emotional after he loses. Aka the same as after his SummerSlam except the audience might actually respond this time.
Winner: Brock Lesnar
Iain Burnside: Oh, for fuck’s sake. I don’t know if I can handle sitting through the Epic Video Recap, followed by the Epic Entrances, then an Epic Face-to-Face followed by an Epic Battle for the Ages and some Epic WrestleMania Moments and a bit of Epic Sign Pointing at the end. Not with Hun-Tor. Not in 2013. The irritating thing is that this is one of the few long-running feuds that they’ve done quite well at in terms of storytelling. Family man babyface runs afoul of the monster heel and his weasel manager; gets his arm broken (twice). Heel also breaks the babyface’s best friend’s arm, terrifies his wife, breaks his father-in-law’s hip, beats up a couple of his mates and pounds him into submission. Babyface rallies for one more attempt at beating the monster, putting it all on the line in order to get the match. It should work. It doesn’t. Consistently the Raw crowds have popped for Hun-Tor’s entrance and then lapsed into crickets/tumbleweeds whenever he starts speaking. This is not a good use of Bork’s diminishing returns. The Rock and Undertaker at least returned to work with the two biggest full-time members of the roster today. That’s how to utilise special attractions, not by pairing them up with other part-time guest stars. Or there’s the Jericho route of working with, in theory, an up and coming youngster. This combination has no benefit since both guys will again be gone soon afterwards anyway. Worse, the whole thing is going to be dragged out for the better part of an hour. Hun-Tor cannot do anything short of Epic now, since that is what his self-promoted image requires. Much like SummerSlam, this will not be a bad match but it will not be a great one. Expect shenanigans. I expected a Shawn Michaels run-in to lead to the finish, which would have been the only way to let the babyface emerge triumphant from this story without the crowd breaking out the tumbleweeds again. Now they’ve gone ahead and promoted Michaels being in Hun-Tor’s corner for the whole match anyway. Gonna be a long night.
Winner: King Hun-Tor The Game
Ralph Hardin: So, if HHH loses, he has to retire. Which is, of course, one of the least enforced stipulations in the history of stipulations for wrestling matches, so that’s not necessarily a giveaway for the winner. It’s No Holds Barred, so I’d expect a lot of brutality and perhaps a sledgehammer appearance. I want to be excited about this, but I’m just not. Lesnar, I enjoy. I want to see him interact with someone else though. Punk/Lesnar or Orton/Lesnar sound pretty cool. I’d even enjoy Lesnar matching up with, say, Ryback, Sheamus or Mark Henry in a cool power match-up. Lesnar vs. Del Rio or Ziggler would at least be something new. Have Brock and Jericho ever wrestled each other? Anyway, HHH as a performer no longer intrigues me. This match, for all the hype and screen time they have devoted to it also does not intrigue me. I just feel like, no matter who wins, nothing really happens. I Brock goes over, he just goes on to his next thing. If HHH wins, then what? The same thing, I’d imagine. Maybe Trips is going on vaction or something?
Winner: Brock Lesnar
Mark Allen: I am an unabashed Brock Lesnar mark and will pretty much watch in any fighting or wrestling thing. The dude’s hometown was 40 minutes from mine for crying out loud. But Triple H needs his win back from SummerSlam ’12 and then of course set up Triple H-Lesnar III somewhere down the road. Now that Lesnar will be around for another year there’s plenty of time for the inevitable part three.
Winner: Triple H
Mike Gojira: I still don’t fully grasp the point of adding Triple H’s retirement in this match. The guy’s been in semi-retirement for the past couple of years, having only wrestled Undertaker, CM Punk, and Kevin Nash before this “epic” feud with Lesnar. I suspect this will be our bloody showdown of the evening and I’d prefer it if Lesnar wins. This is a tough call, but I can at least predict with 99% certainty that we’ll get some Sweet Chin Music to the jaw of Paul Heyman.
Winner: Triple H
Justin Czerwonka: Everything about the build to this match points to Triple H winning. He’s getting revenge for his father-in-law, his wife, and his best friend. But then you look at the career Triple H has had and think: What more does he have left to do? Triple H has faced all of the top guys on the card. He’s not facing Undertaker again, or The Rock. He’s had a feud with CM Punk as well as John Cena. Unless the WWE plans on elevating someone to fight him next year, he doesn’t have a big match left. Add to the fact that Brock Lesnar is sticking around for at least another year, he should win here. I would have preferred a better stipulation, but I would expect some big spots and also a lot of rest spots. I’m going with Brock Lesnar here. If HHH wins, they better have a big match planned for him down the line. With HBK in his corner, HHH gets a final send off.
Winner: Brock Lesnar
Chris Sanders: Nope
Winner: Triple H
Matthew Michaels: I hate the stipulation so much as to me the result is a foregone conclusion OR the stip is meaningless. If Lesnar loses, he’s 1-2 since coming back to WWE. Not exactly a monster, and I thought HHH losing – even if Punk or Shield helped – is a better story. Whatever; logic isn’t on my side here, and if next year’s mania features Brock vs Rock or Taker, it doesn’t really matter much.
Winner: HHH
People Power: With a slight lead, Triple H wins the ‘People Power’s’ pick with 57% of the vote.
The Tally: Triple H – 6
Brock Lesnar – 5
The Streak vs No Disrespect Intended
The Undertaker vs CM Punk
CB: As I said in my Interest Level column, this is the match I’m looking forward to the most despite everyone’s reservations / hesitations on the build. I think that if there’s anyone who can give Taker a chance at another Mania classic as good as the past four years, it’s the Best In The World. I’m also interested in seeing how the actual construct of the match plays out and how they get to the inevitable outcome without making it seem like a given.
Winner: Undertaker, who goes 21-0
Steven Gepp: I think I’m the only person in the IWC who does not look forward to Undertaker matches. And this is no exception. Punk isn’t one of the old guard, so why would ‘Taker sell for him? Punk will try, but this match will be him doing all the heavy lifting and Undertaker selling like Giant Gonzales, only more randomly. Low expectations, especially with the winner in no doubt.
Winner: Undertaker
Rhett Davis: I think this match will be memorable, but I’m just not sure this will be anything close to caliber of the Shawn Michaels and Triple H matches with The Undertaker. This will be a lot of strikes and Punk displaying some intense facial expressions as he is in disbelief at Undertaker kicks out time after time. Undertaker will win. Hopefully in a way that doesn’t involve CM Punk tapping out.
Winner: The Phenom
Iain Burnside: After turning heel last year, Punk made a big deal in his promos about the lack of respect he was getting as champion. That would have been a decent hook from which to have Undertaker return to teach him all about respect. During his heel run, in particular in 2013 against The Rock, Punk was helped in his title defences by The Shield, who would assault his opponents while the lights were out. That would have been a cool way to reintroduce Undertaker as someone who just had enough of Punk’s bullshit. This one is a stretch but bear with me. Last year, Punk mocked Jerry Lawler’s heart attack, much to the chagrin of the Dave Meltzer’s of this world. Punk’s inappropriate jokes about death and mortality could have been a segue into Undertaker returning to teach him a thing or two about for whom the bell tolls. Or, hey, there was that whole thing about Punk losing the title and the WrestleMania main event spot, despite everything he did over the past year-and-a-bit. He could simply have called out Undertaker to demand a shot at breaking the streak, since there was nothing else significant enough for him to do at Mania. That could have worked. So, what happened? Undertaker bought tickets to a house show in Texas. Punk won a four-way match on Raw because that’s a way to help kill three hours. Then Paul Bearer died so Punk turned into Kama Mustafa ’95 and now they’re feuding over ownership of a fuckin’ magical urn or whatever and what the hell was the Punk/Shield thing all about anyway? (Continuity Note – the original magical urn got melted down into a chain, so how many of these things does Taker have? Can’t he just order a new one from the catalogue?) Just to make things even better, Undertaker is apparently crippled and Punk is all banged up and upset about not being John Cena, I guess. Thankfully, this being the first time since 2008 that Taker has faced a heel at Mania, we can forgo the needless overly Epic tone of his matches the past few years. Sadly, this is not 2008 and there are but a lot of motions to go through here.
Winner: Undertaker
Ralph Hardin: What in the hell would this match be about if Paul Bearer hadn’t died. That’s really the only thing that keeps this from being just another guy out to end the streak. Not that I would have minded that, but I’m just curious what they had planned before Percy passed away. I actually like the old throwback to the days when some evil heel would steal the urn and ‘Taker would go on another quest to reclaim his precious totem of power. If I were booking this thing, I would have Punk end the streak. I wish this were Wrestlemania XXX, and ‘Taker could make this his farewell match and “pass the torch,” if you will, to the next generation. But with Punk being in super-heel mode and the whole Paul Bearer element, I see no way in hell Punk wins this match. I have high hopes for the match itself, as I think Punk will do everything he can to pull off a classic, and Undertaker I’m sure wants to prove he’s not quite finished. Still, as much as I’d like to see Punk win, I just don’t see it happening.
Winner: The Undertaker
Mark Allen: This probably won’t touch Undertaker’s past four WrestleMania masterpieces, but it still should be a great bit of fun. In a Blair-level or snark, I have to ask, how the hell did WWE get so lucky that Paul Bearer passed away unfortunately during the build-up to the match. I mean it completely steered the course of the match build-up into a different direction. Punk now looks like a huge grade A jackass jerk and Undertaker an even bigger hero. At least Punk now gets to part of an immortal list.
Winner: The Undertaker
Mike Gojira: I’m concerned for this one. Not because of the “content” leading into the feud; that doesn’t bother me in the least. I’m concerned about whether Undertaker can deliver the goods in his physical state. Last year’s battle in the Hell in a Cell hid Taker’s limitations well, but this is a regular one-on-one with no stipulations. I wonder to what lengths Punk will go to make Taker look like a million bucks (rather than, say, a million years old).
Winner: Undertaker. Duh.
Justin Czerwonka: If the WWE really wanted to go all out with this angle, they should have CM Punk win. I’ve said numerous times that I think next year is Undertaker’s last Wrestlemania. We didn’t know if he was going to be there this year until about mid-February. Taker is almost 50 and facing numerous injuries. My idea was to have Punk win here, then have Taker come back next year and up the ante by putting his career on the line. Then Taker leaves. But that doesn’t appear to be the case. You have to wonder what the build for this match would have been had Paul Bearer not passed away. Punk has gotten the better of Undertaker the entire feud, and ended RAW last week by standing tall over him. That pretty much guarantees that Undertaker is winning at Wrestlemania. Taker wins after a second Tombstone and vanishes until Wrestlemania. CM Punk takes a few well deserved months off.
Winner: The Undertaker
Chris Sanders: Obviously the best story going into the PPV, the only uncertainties would be all the talk saying Punk is more injured than he lets on and initially concern for Undertaker not being in wrestling shape. Throw all of that into the river because these are two guys that won’t let things like that get in the way. This could very well be the best match of the night. However with Punk going so over the top with his heel antics, I don’t see WWE letting the bad boy coming out on top.
Winner: The Undertaker
Matthew Michaels: If anyone is going to end the streak it’s Punk. But. I wouldn’t. Would I? Also: can’t hurt that Heyman and Brock and the Shield are all affiliated loosely with Mr. Brooks.
Winner: CM Punk
People Power: With a surprisingly low percentage, The Undertaker wins the ‘People Power’s’ pick with 87% of the vote.
The Tally: The Undertaker – 10
CM Punk – 1
World Heavyweight Championship
Alberto del Rio (c) vs Jack Swagger
CB: This feud has gone south very quickly, and no, I don’t mean south of the border. Del Rio is a great wrestler but his character is miscast and that hurts this one badly. As for Swagger, he’ll just end up being a WrestleMania trivia question one day. I do think Dolph cashes in though, finally, to make him a double champion (see above).
Winner: Alberto Del Rio
Cash-In / Winner: Dolph Ziggler
Steven Gepp: I think I’m the only person in the IWC looking forward to this match. Swagger has definite skill, Del Rio has definite skill. The story-line has been helped immeasurably by the addition of Zeb Coulter, but that’s going to be secondary to what I hope will be something of a technical match. The win will come with the help of Ricardo’s crutches somehow.
Winner (still champ): Del Rio
Rhett Davis: I don’t know how I feel about this match. Swagger maybe a technician in the ring, but can anyone seriously think of a GOOD Jack Swagger match? Maybe even an enjoyable one? I can’t think of a single one. Del Rio has had a few good to great matches so maybe this will be one. I think Alberto holds on because it still makes no sense to not punish Swagger for his actions a month ago and then give him a World Heavyweight Championship. I’m almost surprised he’s still in the match. I say this turns out to be better than I anticipate with del Rio making Swagger tap.
Winner (and STILL World Heavyweight Champion): Alberto del Rio
Iain Burnside: At one point last year, the rumoured WrestleMania card included Rock/Cena for the WWE title, plus Punk/Undertaker, Brock/Hunter and, for the world title, Sheamus/Orton. Spot the odd one out. That latter match could have been quite the thing had Sheamus not dropped the title last year for an acceptable yet wholly unnecessary Big Show reign. And then Vince figured out that Sin Cara kept falling over and Rey Mysterio was dead or something and by god those Mexicans like giving us money and here’s this pretty Alberto creature that looks oddly like Shane McMahon so turn him babyface and give him the title, dammit. We’ll omit the part where he killed Santa Claus. Or that he can work a great babyface match but has a terrible babyface character. And forget about trying to make him the Mexican hero who keeps praising the USA instead. None of that matters because Jack Swagger is here! Sure, a year ago he was struggling to beat Santino Marella and then got paid to stay at home and get the munchies for six months but none of that matters, see, cos he’s got this old beard to rant about immigration for him! Buzz words! Hot topic! Cutting edge! Relevance! So, here we have a thrown together match made on a whim involving two abrupt and forced character changes. Also, one of them is Jack Swagger and so is incapable of having a great match. With all the will in the world, it’s been six years, he ain’t going to turn into Kurt Angle now. And for some reason WWE feels it is unnecessary to discipline its stars when they are caught driving under the influence. Perhaps when the time comes and one of their guys kills some poor fucker with their car, they can be rewarded with a raise. Anyway, all that to one side, this is going to be another middling to decent match that will quickly fade from memory.
Winner: Juan Cena
Ralph Hardin: Look, I like “face” Alberto Del Rio, and Ricardo has really embraced his new role as a beloved character as well. I like Del Rio as World Heavyweight Champion. His face moveset is more exciting and he seems to enjoy playing to the crowd rather than against them. But I hate, hate, hate Jack Swagger. The Tea Party gimmick isn’t the problem. I just don’t like him. He bores me. He’s no Kurt Angle. He’s just boring and comes across as a total prick. Not his character, him. I was hoping after his recent legal troubles he’d be yanked from the card and Dolph Ziggler would get his spot. Alas, it appears they are going through with it, and my only hope is that he does not end up with the title. I can’t sit through weekly “Real American” promos, even with my fondness for Dutch Mantell.
Winner: Alberto Del Rio
Mark Allen: Alright, I admit, I love Zeb Coulter and by proxy the “We the People” gimmick. It cracks m up to no end and it is obvious that Coulter and Ricardo Rodriguez are the stars of the rivalry. This could easily go either way. Del Rio could win to vanquish the evil racist and send Swagger packing after the DUI. Or Swagger could win and ride the craziness to another level. Either way, I’m just loving all the managers coming back to the company in some fashion.
Winner: Alberto del Rio
Mike Gojira: Perhaps had Swagger been built up months before, his victory at Elimination Chamber would not have come off as quite a shock. Perhaps if del Rio was allowed to properly transition into his role of a face, his turn would not be receiving a lukewarm reaction. Regardless of both of those points, this should be a good technical contest.
Winner: Alberto del Rio
BUT WAIT!!!!! Dolph Ziggler cashes in and wins the title off of del Rio.
Justin Czerwonka: Alberto del Rio just isn’t working as a face. I had hopes for him when he first turned, but the WWE hasn’t done a good job ever since his “This is why I am a good guy now” promo. The WWE still wants to push him as their next big Latin star, but they have some work to do. Jack Swagger is largely a by-product of Zeb Colter. Colter is a great promo man and is doing a great job making this work. It is something Jack Swagger could have used a lot earlier in his career. I still don’t know about him getting a World Title run after the whole DUI incident. My guess is Del Rio retains because the WWE is afraid once again to pull the trigger on Swagger.
WINNER: Alberto del Rio, BUT…
If Dolph Ziggler doesn’t cash in at Wrestlemania, he might as well not cash in at all. I think this is Dolph’s time. The WWE hasn’t made a big deal about the MITB briefcase in a while, and there haven’t been any teased cash ins recently. Dolph wins the World Title.
NEW World Champion: Dolph Ziggler
Chris Sanders: I’m just convinced Del Rio lacks the ability to maintain a feud of any length with boring me to indifference; Swagger isn’t too terribly interesting either. The Zeb thing was interesting for a week or so and then it became repetitive and tried to mix it up by beating up Ricardo, which also became repetitive. Let’s be honest, this match is just killing time until Ziggler cashes in.
The Winner: Swagger with a Dolphin Cash-in
Matthew Michaels: Swagger winning here makes sense. Del Rio has Ben a poor baby face so maybe having him chase will be the trick to getting people interested.
Winner: Swagger!
People Power: With a definitive lead, Alberto del Rio wins the ‘People Power’s’ pick with 74% of the vote.
The Tally: Alberto del Rio – 9
Jack Swagger – 2
WWE Championship
The Rock (c) vs John Cena
CB: Well, here we go. Cena vs. Rock main events Mania for the second straight year, and I am less than enthusiastic about this match. The build hasn’t been there and the only amazing thing that could happen to make this worthwhile is Cena turning heel, which we all know won’t happen. The crowd is the only interesting element here, but that can’t carry this whole match.
Winner: John Cena
Steven Gepp: I was surprisingly entertained last year by these two. I went in with incredibly low expectations and found myself actually enjoying it. On second watch it held up okay. It’s not a classic or anything, but it’s sports entertainment and doesn’t pretend to be anything else. So this year I’m going to be cautiously optimistic, especially if Cena amps up the heelishness. But the winner cannot be in any doubt, really, can he?
Winner (new champ): John Cena
Rhett Davis: Twice in a Lifetime. I am interested to see the match, but not as hyped as you would think we might be. There has been almost no build for this match, and I guess you could blame The Rock for not being around much due to his obligations to his infinite amount of movies this year. I think this match will be a little better than last years, but the end result I don’t think is really in question. The Rock loses by tapping out to the STF.
Winner (and NEW WWE Champ): John Cena
Iain Burnside: In theory, this is a good story. Cena loses to Rock last year in a huge match, loses his mojo, has a crappy year, manages to get a title shot, only to find that the champion is the Rock. A quest for redemption. Except that last year Cena went on to immediately beat Brock Lesnar. And then he succeeded in getting rid of John Laurinaitis from Raw. And he won Money in the Bank. He didn’t get the title back from Punk but that was largely due to injury. He lost to Ziggler at TLC but beat him three thousand and fifty-four other times. Then, yeah, he won the Rumble. What exactly is so terrible about that year? Don’t even mention the divorce. They didn’t until a couple of weeks ago. It’s a shame as this could have been so much stronger. Had they written a really crappy 2012 for Cena, they could have perhaps gotten more of the crowd to rally behind him. Certainly in order to beat the tiresome, barely-present Rock. It might not have worked but we’ll never know now. So instead we have a main event with no gravitas to it. There’s barely even a build to it. WWE essentially plopped it out there with a weary “here ya go, fuckers” and stared at you without blinking until payment was received. Expect an acceptable match. Estimated time until Rock gets blown up – 6 minutes. Length of time this shit has been going on for – 3 years. And more to come next year, it would seem. To put this into context, Rock was first champion 15 years ago. This is akin to Hulk Hogan turning up in WWE in 1999 and winning the title. Nobody wanted that. Who wants this? Not me. Problem being, I don’t want the other guy either. Where do we go from here?
Winner: Cena
Ralph Hardin: I’m not sure how John Cena went from being “Super-Cena” who never loses to being the underdog. Oh wait, yes I do—The Rock came back for a while. Even with his go-to catchphrases and shtick from 10 years ago, the Rock is still the People’s Champ (oh, and WWE Champ too, because why not?), and Cena will likely draw more boos than cheers, but surely (surely?) Cena will find a way to win here, and hopefully get some sort of Dwayne Johnson Seal of Approval to end the night and maybe get John back to being a 100% crowd favorite again. I mean, Cena has to win here, right? He’s never been able to get the better of Rocky on any level, in the ring, on the mic, or whatever, and surely Rock is headed back to Hollywood to make five more movies for this summer. I think it will be a good, intense match, and hopefully the crowd goes along with whatever story it ends up being that they want to tell here. I do hope that once the belt is off the Rock they can give us some fresh match-ups after ‘Mania.
Winner: John Cena
Mark Allen: The promos between the two have been less inspired than last year and the novelty has worn off. Even John Cena’s BBF Stu the Cameraman thinks this is a rerun and wants to see something different. That being said, John Cena wins this one to rectify what was supposedly a terrible 2012 for the face of the company. Plus, even I’m a sucker for trilogies and best-of-three series. Cena needs to win the Title here in order to set up Rock-Cena III (Once in a Lifetime…Again…For the Last Time) at WrestleMania down in NOLA.
Winner: John Cena
Mike Gojira: Something I hadn’t considered (nor have I heard murmurings of) is what would happen should Rock lose the title in this match. The general consensus seems to be a rubber match at Wrestlemania XXX (groan), but word on the street is that Rock has been penciled in for Extreme Rules. If that’s true, then it would stand to reason that Johnson would get his title rematch next month, thereby eliminating the chance for a rematch a year from now. Well, one could hope and pray that’s the case.
Winner and New WWE Champion: John Cena
Justin Czerwonka: The WWE has really screwed the pooch with this build. I can’t say enough how bad of an idea it was to not have Rock and Cena interact this past week on RAW. Not only that, but the crowd shit on Cena’s promo. This build has been terrible and the WWE is not doing a good job of making it feel special. It was supposed to be “Once In A Lifetime,” and they should have left it at that. Rock has done nothing for the WWE as Champion. We know that The Rock will be at Extreme Rules, but that doesn’t change the outcome here. The WWE has been teasing a John Cena heel turn in the build, but I don’t see them having the balls to do it here. Cena wins after hitting a second AA in a 20 minute average match.
Winner: John Cena
Chris Sanders: What can I say that hasn’t already been said about this match? We all kinda hate it but we knew it was gonna happen. Rock is gonna get winded in the first 10 minutes and it’ll be up to Cena to kill time the rest of the match (not really his strong point). Logically, it’s time for Cena to beat Rock so we can get this proverbial torch-passing over and done with already.
Winner: John Cena
Matthew Michaels: Yet another predictable match. I see no reason Rock keeps the belt unless the plan is for him to stick around longer. If love a full Cena heel turn here but we know that’s not going to happen. Hopefully a good match and the crowd should be up for it. Predicting some sort of twist at the end to lead to Cena’s next program.
Winner: John Cena
People Power: With a commanding lead, John Cena wins the ‘People Power’s’ pick with a total of 77% of the vote.
The Tally: John Cena – 11
The Rock – 0
What will be the match of the night?
CB: Match of the Night will be CM Punk vs. The Undertaker
Steven Gepp: Swagger / Del Rio.
Rhett Davis: I think the match of the night will be The Shield vs Randy Orton, Sheamus, and The Big Show. These Shield matches have yet to be bad so why shouldn’t this one take the show as the last ones have?
Ralph Hardin: I’m going to say Punk/Taker for match of the night honors. I can’t see HHH/Brock being all that awesome. Cena/Rock will be fun, but I can’t imagine them bringing anything new to the table. Jericho/Fandango could be a sleeper, but I don’t think they’ll get the time necessary to tell a real story, especially if we’re all overestimating Curtis’ talents.
Mark Allen: The card has the potential for a lot of good matches as the 3 main events will all try and outdo each other, and Jericho will certainly try to steal the show after being “saddled” with Fandango. But I am going to go with an outside pick and go for the 6 man. The Shield has yet to have a bad match, and their opponents are all veterans that will want to prove their worth and lead the kids to something special.
Mike Gojira: Undertaker vs CM Punk, for the storytelling and crowd interaction that a Streak match always brings to the table.
Justin Czerwonka: Normally I would pencil in whatever match CM Punk is taking a part in here, but I don’t know how Undertaker will look. He looks to be in shape, but there were a lot of slow spots in the HHH/Taker matches. My money is on HHH/Brock Lesnar. I think they will pull out all the big spots in this one to get the crowd into it. Especially if it ends up being HHH’s last match.
Chris Sanders: It’s gotta be Punk and Taker, right? Right. As stated earlier, Fandango and Jericho would be my secondary dark horse pick just based on the unknown factor.
Matthew Michaels: Dolph Ziggler cashing in MITB? Nah. Punk/Undertaker, unquestionably.
People Power: With a firm lead, Undertaker vs CM Punk wins the ‘People Power’s’ pick with 49% of the vote.
The Tally: The Undertaker vs CM Punk – 6
The Shield vs SOS – 2
Jack Swagger vs Alberto del Rio – 1
Triple H vs Brock Lesnar – 1
Well that’s all from our panels of writers. What do you think? Who will win all of the matches? Do you think Dolph Ziggler will cash in? Sound off in the comments section below and thanks for reading!
