Check out the Pulse Wrestling staff’s predictions for WrestleMania 25 as we preview the biggest show of the year!
WWE Championship – Orton’s Law:
Triple H vs Randy Orton
Mark Allen: Randy Orton has been on the hot streak of a lifetime but after all the stuff that Orton as done Trips and the McMahons it just seems logical that the hero has to come out the winner. Then of course it also seems as if they are already setting up The McMahons and Triple H against Legacy in a six man tag for Backlash. So now I don’t know. I guess I’ll go out on a limb and pick a new Champion.
Winner – Randy Orton (new Champion)
Chris Biscuiti: If I had a nickel for every time the term “That was just business, this time it’s personal!” was used to explain pro wrestling feuds, well, then, I would have a whole lot of nickels. I wasn’t really sold on this match from a “Triple H is the ‘Last McMahon Standing'” viewpoint, but Randy Orton has done a phenomenal job in getting me to care about this otherwise overbearing angle. This HAS to be the spot where Orton is cemented as the biggest heel since Trips himself, and anything other than an Orton win will not satisfy me. Predictable as that is, the WWE Creative Team could essentially go many different routes with this in terms of swervage. Three of them are: 1) Shane turns and becomes a powerful piece of Legacy; 2) Stephanie finds herself brutalized by Legacy and Trips sacrifices the title for the one thing he does care about, thereby validating Orton’s segment on Raw; or 3) Orton simply beats Triple H to a bloody pulp and Stephanie and/or Shane throw in the towel, which can lead to more interesting post-Mania storyline developments.
Winner – Orton, or else…
Iain Burnside: In my initial, hasty, fanboy-pleasing bout of fantasy booking back in November, I had this title being defended and lost by Edge against Queen Jeffrey of Hardy. The Hanky-Honking Enigmatic Princess would thus have won her first title from the Vintage Opportunist, using the power of Charismatic Queerness to counter the Canadian’s valiant efforts at Machiavellianing-Up in a suitable setting, bringing the show of the year to an iconic close. Instead we get a rerun of the Unforgiven 2004/Royal Rumble 2005/No Mercy 2007/Judgement Day 2008/One Night Stand 2008 main events. That’s just counting the singles matches between Randy and the Hs, by the way. There have been many more tag-team and multi-men matches, not least of which was this year’s Royal Rumble itself. Figuring out how one man can eliminate another to win a title shot and then wind up facing that other man for the title is almost as perplexing as the timeline in Lost. Of course, the writers on that show are not forced to abandon all hope just because J.J. Abrams cannot figure out how the internet works. If Vince McMahon were running the creative team there then we’d have had such peculiarities as Michelle Rodriguez being pushed to the title of Jacob rather than getting fired, just to stick it to online fan sites. The continuity would be dismissed, Hurley would be axed for not having the right look, plot-holes would be ignored until there were enough of them around that the holes actually formed a new road (which would be strayed from straight away), all the characters would wear their own custom-designed T-shirts for merchandising purposes, nobody would mention TNA and the finale would involve Vince flying everyone to safety on Air McMahon. It would, in short, become The X-Files. In fact, that’s a tad unfair. WWE movies are at least dumb enough to provide more drunken fun than I Want To Believe could offer. Personally, I want to believe that this Orton/Hunter match has indeed been five years in the making, as WWE so desperately tried to convince us this past week. Points for trying but we all know better. This one only came about because Batista exploded or melted or something and so that (would-have-been-third) dream match with Cena never happened. They blew the Jeff title win in December and then swept away the remnants in January, which left this as the only feasible option given that Randy became cool once he started hearing voices in his head. An old man was punted, the marriage genie was let out of the bottle and all was well… until they again cocked it all up with C-movie skits, non-epic beat-downs and Robo-Shane: Legacy Killer. Things became so silly that they in essence had to hit the reset button, with Stephanie again getting assaulted, Randy admitting the IED thing was a load of sweaty bollocks and the McMahon men getting involved yet again. Perhaps if they had booked WrestleMania for March instead of April then they could have cut down on the useless extra build-up time rather than squandering any lingering interest in seeing a match that has already headlined several meandering PPVs in recent years. It’s hard to believe that a significant number of people are going to buy WrestleMania to see this match at this point in time, which is purely a reflection on the short-sighted booking policy of WWE nowadays rather than on the quality of the bout itself. Chances are that this will be an example of Perfectly Acceptable Wrestling, even if the Hs tend to bore the piss out of me given the complete lack of development they have had over the past decade, so it all hinges upon the one thing that people will perhaps talk about for years to come – the finish. Does Triple H take another WrestleMania defeat? Do they neuter Randy Orton before he can take his latest character to the top? Do they end WrestleMania with the heel going over? Do they not let the McMahon family get their revenge? Does this all depend on what side of the bed Vince gets out of on the day of the show? Probably. So, in the name of randomness, the feud continuing, both men winding up Raw “exclusives†after the draft and the arbitrary stipulation they placed on the match, let’s go with this… Cuddles and Dibiase get involved, Vince and Shane counter them, Stephanie wants to get some too, she gets carried away and bitch-slaps Randy, the referee sees it and calls for the DQ, Randy wins the belt, Hunter never lost and did she do it by accident or on purpose…?
Winner – SIR RANDY OF ORTON
Brad Curran: I can see Triple H going over, especially if this goes on last. I’ll pick Orton anyway, because Hs can always get his revenge at Backlash or later, and it’s pretty much a law that if all the McMahons are on your side, at least one is turning on you.
Winner – Randy Orton
Daniel Douglas: Here’s the bad news: this is the fifth Wrestlemania HHH has main-evented since 2000. More bad news: He’s come into Wrestlemania as champ or challenger eight f*cking times since then! The only Wrestlemania he didn’t was 23, which he sat out with a torn quadriceps. There is a little bit of good news: he’s lost his last four bouts. So while HHH’s control over the book has approached, and perhaps eclipsed, Hogan-esque levels of ruthlessness, his willingness to put others over counts for something. I think. That being said, the WWE has done a spectacular job booking Randy Orton going into Sunday. And I still couldn’t give a shit about him. His promos put me to sleep faster than an old man on a city bus and his laborious workrate leaves me cursing the screen, wondering why the WWE couldn’t put this much energy into booking someone else. Orton’s the WWE’s golden boy – has been for quite some time now – so I better get used to seeing him. Orton going over clean, after more or less dominating HHH in the leadup to Wrestlemania, would catapult him into the upper echelons of popularity. Don’t expect it to happen. He’ll still win, but Trips’ got to save face somehow.
Winner: Randy Orton – via McMahon interference (take your pick as to which one)
John Haley: I hope it’s HHH. Anybody who remembers my column knows that I like wrestlers who focus on the details to make the highest quality in-ring work and wrestling persona for the fans. Randy Orton is the antithesis of my philosophy. He has played the same wooden, sadistic heel his entire career, but he really isn’t working on a persona – he’s being himself. Despite this and his well-known bad behavior backstage, WWE continues to push him to the moon. Has any wrestler in history been pushed harder for having done so little? He gets to perform in top-notch wrestling stables, acquires Stone Cold’s emphatic finisher, is allowed to go over some of the biggest legends in the industry. HHH is more charismatic and far more deserving.
Winner – Triple H
Kevin Hellions: Triple H retains and celebrates with the entire McMahon family as Mania goes off the air.
Winner – Triple H
Kevin Innarelli: As much as I’d like to see Orton go over here, it’s just not going to happen. Orton has done such a good job of being a super heel that he just can’t win at the “feel good, faces always win the big matches†Wrestlemania PPV. Triple H will get his revenge and the match stipulations won’t be put in play here.
Winner – Triple H
Victor Malar: HHH pulls it out, but it won’t be clean. This should set up more McMahons vs Legacy post-Mania.
Winner – Triple H
Paul Marshall: I’ve been intrigued by this angle and I liked how Randy is the evil man in this. I expect Legacy to get involved, I expect the McMahon’s to get involved. But when the dust settles, Trips will leave as the champion.
Winner – Triple H
Matthew Michaels: So ideally we’ll have one title on each show (Raw/SD) when Mania comes to a close. The way things have typically been booked, the Rumble winner challenging for a title shot, if he wins, is moved to the show that had the title going into the match. So if Randy wins, he goes to SD. That’s a problem to me since it de facto breaks up Legacy. Of course, the draft is a week later, so they can put the band back together easily enough if they want to. OR they can just ignore precedent and have Randy win “bringing the title back to Raw.” My head hurts. All that said, I think the way to go here is Randy winning with a swerve. SO… that means one of two things. Either one of the three McMahons turns on Hunter (Steph would be overkill and obvious, and Vince as a heel bores me, so I’d guess Shane could do so, joining the other 3rd generation wrestler as Legacy’s manager, and getting his dad and sister back for basically ignoring him back when Raw needed a GM last) or a new member of Legacy is introduced, making it four-on-three and giving the heels a win (but who would that even be? Harry Smith? Goldust? One of the Hennig kids? Um… nothing really jumping out at me here.). Either way, I think Randy wins, so…
Winner – Randy Orton
K. Sawyer Paul: I have read many columns in the last few months regarding WWE writing the entire company around Randy Orton, and have found myself somewhat confused. Randy Orton, in my mind, has been the centrifugal character in WWE since mid-2004. Sure, he’s been out of the main event scene through certain periods, and there were some quarters where he wasn’t placed as the shining future that he is now, but I don’t remember a time in the last 5 years when WWE wasn’t in some way “all about Orton.†We, as fans and critics, have come to know Randy Orton very well in that time, and have regarded him generally in a positive vein. Kudos must be given to the man, and for the officially kid-friendly WWE of 2006-present that a conniving, cowardly, coiled villain can reign for that long without either boring us or turning into a beloved anti-hero. And since I don’t see them changing their game plan any time soon, I have little doubt that Orton will walk out of the main event title in hand, legacy intact. There will likely be cheating to win, but that will be fine.
Winner – Randy Orton
Widro: the build for this has been uneven and generally bad, but the match itself should be very good. it would be interesting to see randy orton win, and then have 2 wrestlemania main event wins over tripe h. this match seems to be going on last, and i could also see hunter winning to celebrate the end of wrestlemania 25 with the mcmahons triumphant.
Winner – Triple H
John Wiswell: You’ve seen Orton hospitalize the McMahon family. You’ve seen HHH with a sledgehammer towering over a defenseless woman trying to hide in her kitchen. Now come see these two titans… trade punches and wristlocks. Oh baby. A blood-feud where Orton repeatedly battered HHH’s wife gets the amazing stipulation of HHH losing the belt if he loses by DQ. I’m sick of both of these overpushed golden boys, and realizing this feud is supposed to gear up Orton to be the star of the company for the next decade just sickens me. If it’s the main event, I may just tune out. Honestly, it won’t be as good as Taker/HBK, it won’t be as hot as Taker/HBK, and the build has been mind-numbingly worse. HHH wins because he’s both the babyface and HHH. When those vectors cross, you’re screwed – just see the New & Improved DX. Enjoy Backlash.
Winner – HHH
World Heavyweight Title:
Edge vs The Big Show vs John Cena
Mark Allen: If Orton wins against Triple H then Cena has to win in this one. The beauty of having two Championships means only one can close the show and you can still send the fans home happy.
Winner – John Cena (new Champion)
Chris Biscuiti: This is the only Love Quadrangle that annoys me more than Jack, Kate, Sawyer and Juliet on LOST. I say Quadrangle to either a) include Cena; or b) Count Vicky as two people! I think the best way for this to end is for Edge to retain the title, but I could also see Creative giving Big Show one more chance to run with the strap, even though it would make SmackDown! weaker by doing so. If Cena wins, I would actually be shocked, especially because there’s a very easy way to “protect” him in a Triple Threat. So I say this: No matter what, Cena will NOT get pinned or tap out. Other than that, I’m sure they will find a way to screw this whole thing up somewhere along the line, with a crap ending or unnecessary interference.
Winner – Edge, hopefully.
Iain Burnside: Good to know I stole Biscuiti’s thunder so far as Lost references are concerned. The most interesting aspect of this match is the peculiar sociological experiment of who will be hated more by the WrestleMania crowd – John Cena or Vickie Guerrero? Now, imagine the heat that both of them get and squish it together into one love-locked bundle of white-hot bodily juices. I don’t expect that to happen on this PG-rated, Hustle, Loyalty and Respect branded, merchandise-shifting show… but what if Vickie were to fall for Cena? The concept of the dominant heel latching onto the bitchy GM to gain favour has been played out by this point. Having the bitchy GM chase after the uninterested, scared and quite possibly virginal dominant babyface, on the other hand, is a fresh dynamic for WWE to run with. I got the impression that this was what they were building towards from Cena’s very brief claim to be in love with Vickie and his “man-up†promos about how pathetic Edge and Show are behaving. If Cena is the one made out to be a real man and worthy fighting champion then perhaps Vickie’s nether regions would be up for a five-knuckle shuffle of their own… or maybe WWE would just want to keep Cena away from this soap-opera crap, which means they shouldn’t have even had this as a WrestleMania title match in the first place, as he all but admitted in his recent promo on Raw. And then there’s the draft to figure out… Vickie would seem the most likely to switch, since Raw could benefit from a heel-magnet GM rather than insipid appearances by the McMahons, yet what that would mean for the titles is anybody’s guess. We’re booking by mad-libs here, folks.
Winner – JOHNNY
Brad Curran: I don’t see how they can not put Cena over here.
Winner: Cena
Daniel Douglas: The build to this match, despite the obvious silliness, has been puzzling. John Cena has sat on the sidelines while this abomination drug on, conceding centre stage to Edge and Big Show. Cena’s publicity tour for the underwhelming 12 Rounds made it necessary for him to take a back seat to the Edge/Big Show/Vickie drama, but I’m still confused they’d run an angle that marginalized their biggest draw. While I like the Big Show and admit he deserves to be rewarded for all the bullshit WWE has made him do at past Wrestlemanias (the sumo match, jobbing to Floyd Mayweather) his inclusion in the match made me less interested in watching. Cena wins because he’s already picked up a few losses in 2009, already surpassing his combined total since his Superman push began.
Winner – John Cena
John Haley: It’s hard to pick against Cena with his movie out. I’m not sure how the IWC views Cena, but I have always liked him in the same vein as the Rock. Better as a heel, but good enough as a face.
Winner – John Cena
Kevin Hellions: John Cena wins the title by pinning the Big Show. Cena will hit some move on Show to show off his strength.
Winner – John Cena
Kevin Innarelli: This is a tough one. I think a John Cena win is pretty stale but you can’t deny his popularity and merchandise selling ability. This usually translates into a WM win, but the triple threat protects him from a loss here. A Big Show title run is interesting but I don’t see where it would go from there. He might get rewarded with a WM title win for his years of service. However, I think Edge retaining makes the most sense. He can get huge legs out of a continued title run with his remarkable heel ability. A move to Raw in the draft might even follow.
Winner – Edge
Victor Malar: Cena wins the World Title, as the Edge/Show/Vickie love triangle can go on without it, and this would open things up for new challengers.
Winner – John Cena
Paul Marshall: Cena’s new movie is out, so this almost means “foregone conclusion”. You have that and the nice fact that both Edge and Big Show have the hots for Vickie Guerrero. There’s a rumor Edge is going to RAW following the draft, but I’ll pretend to not know that. Edge and Big Show will continue their fight for Vickie Guerrero, which makes perfect sense to move the belt on Cena. Yes, I’m calling for the faces to retain the big two titles… sue me.
Winner – John Cena (new champion)
Matthew Michaels: If Randy wins, and stays on – or eventually ends up drafted back to – Raw, that leads me to believe that the SD winner should be Edge or Big Show. Hunter has to end up on the same brand as Randy; rumors are that WWE will be moving some big names back to Raw at the draft anyway; and Cena has a new film to start shooting soon… so the winner should be – by nefarious means – EDGE. Of course, that means we have two heel world champs coming out of the show, which leads me to believe that’s exactly the opposite of what will happen, and John Cena will win the title here. (You know what would be cool? Cena winning then losing the title right away to the Money in the Bank winner.)
Winner – John Cena
K. Sawyer Paul: And in the other corner we have a substantially less impressive match that not only doesn’t come close to equalling the sum of its parts but actually making the three men seem irrelevant to modern television. Edge has been a continuous superstar in every sense of the word, acting as the more expressive and unpredictable version of Orton’s calm evil persona. The Big Show has, to my surprise, shown impressive in-ring work as of late, and still comes across as a legitimate title threat fourteen years after winning his first big gold belt. John Cena’s militant babyface act has never been particularly warming to anyone over the age of 14, and no amount of putting him up against competitive bad guys is going to change that. The lead-up to this match has been an absolute mess, and is the most glaring example that they had no idea what was going to happen on this card up until they had to make the poster. Not to mention the deluge of title changes in the last year, it simply does not matter who wins this match.
Winner – John Cena
Widro: the love triangle has been somewhat interesting, but in the end it seems as though the match finish is a foregone conclusion.
Winner – Cena
John Wiswell: In my dream scenario Christian wins Money in the Bank. Edge weathers a tough match, where Show is the dominant force and Cena brings the fire. Cena manages to FU Big Show in a Herculean effort, only for Edge to Spear him and steal the pinfall. But instead of his music, his little brother’s plays, and out comes Christian for something big brother has deserved all these years. In reality, Edge wants time off and there’s no way they’re actually making Big Show champion because a) they’ve pushed him going into the PPV, and b) he’s Big Show. A vicious crossing of vectors and a lack of soul to the booking committee means Cena wins and the internet returns to pretending he’s pushed too hard.
Winner – John Cena
The Streak:
The Undertaker vs Shawn Michaels
Mark Allen: Michaels has completely gotten over on Undertaker at every turn in the build-up so far so there’s no way he’s winning here. Michaels breaking the streak would be asinine.
Winner – Undertaker
Chris Biscuiti: I have been talking about this match with all of my friends and colleagues across the entire IWC spectrum, and we’ve all come to think that the ideal way to close out the 25th Anniversary of WrestleMania would be with this match. Vince and Company loves to have a Happy Ending for fans to cap the Granddaddy of Them All, and with this outcome, you could NOT go wrong. JBL sideshow notwithstanding, Michaels has had two of the best feuds over the past two years — first with Chris Jericho and now The Undertaker — as well as one of the most memorable matches of all-time last year with Ric Flair. He’s been getting into Taker’s head big-time, and contrary to what some people thought, I LOVED the “Man of Light” entrance that HBK utilized on SmackDown! a few weeks back. It really is amazing to think that these two characters that have been around for 20+ years each have rarely intersected, and for two years in a row, HBK is part of the most intriguing attraction on the card. Oh, and there’s no way THE STREAK ends, but it will be fun to see him try.
Winner – The Undertaker: “Evil will always triumph over Good, because Good is Dumb.”
Iain Burnside: This is the one match that most people saw coming ever since they announced WrestleMania 25 would be in Texas, the one match in which the outcome is in no doubt whatsoever, the one match that has had the most straightforward build… and yet it remains the one that most people are most excited about seeing. After blowing their wad with regards to other potential WrestleMania moments, like Cena/Batista I, Jeff Hardy’s first title win and Mickey Rourke’s involvement, there is indeed a lesson or two to be learned here for WWE’s creative team. Part of me has an inexplicable SummerSlam ’93 vibe about this one, though. I fear that the general apathy about the rest of the card has placed expectations upon this match that are so great they will be nigh-on impossible to be met, like Shawn and Mr Perfect found out all those years ago. Both men have rather profound personal investments in making sure that they out-perform everything else on the show, however, so with a bit of luck my paranoia will prove unfounded. The result is obvious, of course, but by this point that will always be the case with a Taker match at Mania. There is no necessary correlation between unpredictability and enjoyment. His match with Orton at 21 was hilarious, his efforts against DAVE at 23 were stupefying and last year, thanks to Edge, he had most of the people watching at my place convinced that he was going to lose. Let’s hope that the magic works again. Oh, and while we’re at it, pencil in Taker/Cena for WM26. Short of an unexpected return (Goldberg), a surprise acquisition (Sting) or professional suicide (Rock), that’s the only other major name WWE has available for the requisite Streak Match. Beyond that, well, who knows? Taker retiring once and for all at WMXXX with another victory over Kane in MSG would be an appropriate ending at 22-0, yet that leaves three open spots to be filled. Despite the inexplicable talk of Dibiase becoming the greatest thing in the history of everything, ever, there would appear to be no younger stars or developmental prospects capable of being pushed to so great a level. This, of course, explains why so many people are so excited about a match that was first headlining PPVs in 1997. Another lesson to be learned, WWE?
Winner – UNDERTAKER
Brad Curran: Foregone conclusion, but who cares; it should be match of the night, and the atmosphere of the two biggest WWE company men in the ‘Mania era going one on one should be electric.
Winner – Undertaker
Daniel Douglas: Michaels has been the E’s most underrated performer for years. Evidence lies in the fact that he has single handedly carried this feud, turning what felt like a thrown together match into…well a thrown together match with Shawn Michaels clowning the hell out of the Undertaker. While buddy Trips is awarding himself titles left and right and John Cena runs roughshod over the entire roster, Michaels has been in good match after good match, often putting his opponents over. Still, HBK hasn’t held a world title since December of 2002. His last world title before that: 1998. It’s unbelievable. Anyway, these two should put on the MOTYN match with Undertaker winning to keep his streak alive.
Winner – The Undertaker
John Haley: I attended the Summerslam in 2005 I believe it was at the Verizon Center in Washington, DC when HBK dutifully did the j-o-b to Hulk Hogan. I don’t think the result will be any different in Houston as WWE likes to keep its legendary angles alive. This match gets my vote for the match of the night.
Winner – The Undertaker
Kevin Hellions: Undertaker wins but barely.
Winner – The Undertaker
Kevin Innarelli: This is a no-brainer. Undertaker loses everything with a loss and Michaels doesn’t gain much with a win.
Winner – Undertaker
Victor Malar: Taker over HBK to go 17-0. Taker hasn’t got a lick in on Shawn yet, and this is where things will even out.
Winner – The Undertaker
Paul Marshall: I loved the angle between Taker and HBK, but as I noted last week, Shawn continued to get the upperhand in the feud, which was ridiculous because Taker has no advantage going to the match. It would have been anyone’s guess had the Undertaker gotten some form of revenge last week. At this stage, a loss makes Taker look real bad, so he has to win.
Winner – The Undertaker
Matthew Michaels: Match of the night? Yes. An upset? Nope. Great build to this match, and the one I’m looking most forward to (like many are), but we all know who will win this, and that’s a good thing…
Winner – The Undertaker
K. Sawyer Paul: This match, however, shows that sometimes good things come to those who wait. WWE has done a great job not only making this the “memorable†fight to look forward to, but also that this was a match we literally didn’t even know we wanted to have. Shawn and Taker haven’t fought one another since 1998, making this one of the last fresh matches between legends in the business. Both have lots to lose, neither has a whole lot to gain. I’m looking forward to a great, if paced, big-match brawl. As for who is going to win, well, if Shawn Michaels isn’t the one they’ve been waiting to break the streak, then who are they going to blow it on? Between giving the duke to Michaels and having the streak last forever, it really is a toss up.
Winner – Shawn Michaels
Widro – there are so many ways this match could have been built better – more long term hints, more doubt as to who the winner will be – but overall the build has been decent. the match itself should deliver on its promise of being a classic and likely the best match of the show.
Winner – Undertaker
John Wiswell: Taker/HBK has sadly been the best build for a Wrestlemania match, despite being the most one-sided feud since Fudd/Bunny. Michaels constantly getting one up on the Dead Man makes the winner pretty obvious by the rule of role-reversals, and how does Michaels benefit from winning anyway? In their home state, put on by two guys who are wrestling geniuses and pull out all the stops on big shows, this is why I’m buying the show (that, and I have company coming over).
Winner – The Undertaker
Extreme Rules:
Jeff Hardy vs Matt Hardy:
Mark Allen: This all depends if this feud will be a one-and-done or if it continues after WrestleMania. If Jeff wins here then the feud is over one of them gets drafted away from SmackDown. If Matt wins here then the story continues.
Winner – Jeff
Chris Biscuiti: It’s kind of funny, but I feel like HBK-Undertaker and even HHH-Orton is going to completely overshadow this one-on-one match that I thought I’d be more excited about by now. Perhaps it would have been much wiser to have Matt and Jeff actually both qualify for MITB, since that is Extreme in nature anyway and would have more guys carrying the load. Now, that’s not to say that Matt and Jeff can’t win me over by doing some real sick and twisted things that only the Hardy Boyz could do to each other, but the fact that I STILL need convincing doesn’t bode well for the face-painted freak and his jealous blood relative.
Winner – Jeff Hardy <-- He's due for revenge in this part of the plot.
Iain Burnside: How appropriate that my iTunes is currently playing an Oasis song called “Where Did It All Go Wrong?†Speaking of random music choices, be sure to check out this effort. T’would be a perfect fit for a video package about the Hardys feud. It might even be enough to get me excited about it again, since it has long since lost any kind of logical anchor and has once again proved that any wrestling angle involving a dog must suck until there is nothing left to be sucked. Just as Hunter/Orton spiralled away from reality and into a cartoon realm of whacky chases and zany stunts, so too has Matt Hardy been diluted from a credible antagonist into a cackling loon of a villain. That this happened under the watch of Michael Hayes on Smackdown, the man who has always been a major proponent of the Hardys on the writing staff ever since their first major appearances, raises all sorts of questions about how much sway that soulful nigger has behind-the-scenes nowadays. We all know the reasons behind Matt turning heel the way he did. We all know that it doesn’t make a lick of sense so far as the timeline of the story is concerned. We all know that having the Hardys face off against Edge & Christian in an anniversary of their last WrestleMania encounter in Houston would have been a far more exciting and profitable prospect. I suppose that the best thing to do from here onwards is to build towards an eventual Hardys reunion so that they can indeed at long last get a major victory over E&C in a TLC match – either at SummerSlam for the hype or at No Mercy for a 10 year anniversary of their first classic encounter. Draft Christian to Smackdown, let Edge flounder after losing Vickie and their reunion becomes inevitable. So far as the Hardys are concerned, it really doesn’t matter all that much who wins here as the feud can continue regardless. Jeff can try something crazy only to see it backfire, letting Matt get the pin and claim that he was right about his brother all along. Matt can be beaten into a bloody pulp and pinned and still claim that Jeff is a selfish, crazy prick who he must save from himself. Just keep the dogs at bay, please.
Winner – HARDY
Brad Curran: I haven’t watched much Smackdown lately. Last week’s was the first I’d seen in a while. So, I got to see Matt Hardy make out with a terrier. Jeff’s the pick solely because of that.
Winner – Jeff Hardy
Daniel Douglas: Had a spark when it started but now is just garbage. This feud as suffered from starting far too early. It hit its peak weeks ago and has since just limped along. While this match will not be a repeat of Owen vs. Bret from Wrestlemania X, it should be solid to very good. Matt needs to go over here, as a win for Jeff helps no one. Frankly, Matt desperately needs the credibility a win over his brother will net him. While Jeff was rewarded for rampant drug use with a world title, Matt loses his girlfriend to a man who used that betrayal to catapult himself to the top of the company, and is rewarded with the opportunity to curtain jerk for the U.S. Title. But, Matt’s always been the shitted on Hardy and I think the trend will continue.
Winner – Jeff Hardy
John Haley: I could see this match going either way, but I think Jeff wins. I guess in my mind Matt is still a midcarder until WWE does something that says otherwise.
Winner – Jeff Hardy
Kevin Hellions: Matt Hardy wins, but with interference.
Winner – Matt Hardy
Kevin Innarelli: I think Jeff goes over in this one. He had his title reign cut short just to set up this brother vs. brother match. I think the smarter move would be to have Matt win, but I don’t see it happening especially since I picked Cena to lose as well.
Winner – Jeff Hardy
Victor Malar: Jeff over Matt. The boys from North Kackalackey will let it all hang out.
Winner – Jeff Hardy
Paul Marshall: This should be match of the night, but it won’t be due to the Trips/Orton bloodbath and the Taker/Michaels epic match. I would love to see this extend beyond WrestleMania, so my pick assures that.
Winner – Matt Hardy
Matthew Michaels: This feud is just beginning, so the heel should win it. Maybe Christian can help!
Winner – Matt Hardy
K. Sawyer Paul: Turns out it actually has been a long eight years; very few people seem to remember that this actually happened before, in late 2001. I understand blocking out that period as much as the next wrestling fan, but we’ve been here before, and everyone should expect roughly the same thing. The brothers will slap-fight one another for a few months and then reboot as good guys on the same side again. The question of who wins weighs on how heavy it will be to have the big villain win in the main event; just how many good guys have to win on the undercard to make up for pissing off the fans?
Winner – Jeff Hardy
Widro – changing the match to extreme rules should allow the brothers to plan some memorable spots, and i could see this match stealing the show. the heat in the build hasn’t been strong, but perhaps once the match gets going the crowd will back jeff and make for a memorable wrestlemania moment.
Winner – Jeff Hardy
John Wiswell: Somebody in WWE irrationally hates Matt Hardy. That same person appears to irrationally love Jeff Hardy. Don’t make faces at me. How many times has Jeff screwed up and he still won a major belt last year. Matt is doomed.
Winner – Jeff Hardy
Money In The Bank Ladder Match:
C.M. Punk vs Kane vs Mark Henry vs Finlay vs Christian vs MVP vs Kofi
Kingston vs Shelton Benjamin
Mark Allen: Let’s see, Kane, Finlay and Henry are out right away. Punk won last year and doesn’t need to win again this year. Kofi isn’t ready for it so he’ll play the spot artist role that Shelton used to play. That leaves MVP, Shelton and Christian as the three logical winners. With Porter as US Champion I think that will be his consolation for not winning here. Christian could win but seems like with the right story he can slide right into Title contention without the suitcase crutch. This looks to finally be the year that Shelton wins the big one.
Winner – Shelton Benjamin
Chris Biscuiti: Again, Jeff and Matt Hardy would have added much more flair to this match that suddenly seems to be bogged down by a combination that I don’t see mixing well together. My “Not Going To Happen In This Lifetime” preference for this match would be Christian winning the briefcase and then cashing it in immediately to face and beat Swagger for the ECW Title. This serves two purposes: 1) Gives ECW a title match on Mania; and 2) Frees up the MITB stipulation for another wrestler. How awesome would it be, for example, to see a second MITB match on Monday’s post-Mania Raw telecast? The idea here would be that since Christian already cashed it in, someone else deserves an opportunity between now and WrestleMania XXVI. This would give Raw an instant main event that ties into the previous night’s proceedings, and also lets them develop a different set of storylines fresh off their biggest PPV of the year. Again, that will likely not happen, but you know what, I’m going to stick to it anyway.
Winner – Christian, who immediately cashes in the briefcase and beats Swagger for the ECW title.
Iain Burnside: Not Shelton, never Shelton. I love how some people are convinced that his recent losses mean that he must be winning the briefcase. Did you ever stop to consider that maybe, just maybe, WWE just doesn’t know what the fuck they are doing? Outside of Taker/Shawn has the booking for any single one of these matches been anything but below-average at best? The answer, children, is no. Not Shelton, never Shelton. It would be the equivalent of suddenly deciding to put Hawkins & Ryder over Miz & Morrison. Sometimes, it is just too late. The only vaguely sensible choices to win here are Christian or MVP, with Punk as a very far-off long-shot, loitering in the distance, taste-testing the latest in cola fruit flavouring. Between those two there is only one who did not piss people off by going to TNA, who recently proved his mettle by surviving the dreaded losing-streak gimmick, who suits the Mr Money in the Bank gimmick to a tee, who stands to benefit greatly from a draft to Raw and who is at present the best (only) choice for Vince McMahon to at long last push an African-American wrestler into an established main-event spot. Hint: it ain’t the scrawny, white Canadian fella.
Winner – MVP
Brad Curran: I’m going to pick MVP, just like I did last year. I could see them going with Kane, Shelton, or Christian too, but MVP is pretty much the most over guy not named Punk in there, and they can make him an underdog given his losing streak after he cashes it in. He can also feud with Shelton over it, which could be fun if they let them have a decently timed match.
Winner – MVP
Daniel Douglas: Shelton and Kofi should mix enough good with enough botch to keep everyone thoroughly entertained. Kane’s been booked strong in this match’s lead up so scratch him off the list of probable winners. C.M. Punk won last year so I don’t think he’s in line for another one. That leaves Christian (who Vince reportedly thinks is the definitive Jobber to the Stars), Finlay (a wrestler I’ve been conditioned to no longer take seriously), Mark Henry (I hope no one is stupid enough to even consider it) and MVP. MVP makes the most sense as the WWE has heaped mounds shit onto his bloated body for the last little while.
Winner – MVP
John Haley: Since the match always implies a title change, you have to pick someone who actually looks like they are in a position to accomplish that. So, strike Kofi and Shelton. Kane and Mark Henry are old hat/good occupiers of space at this point, so scratch them. Finlay, too. CM Punk has already won this before, so out he goes. Christian or MVP? My heart says Christian, but I think the likely choice is MVP.
Winner – MVP
Kevin Hellions: MVP gets the win.
Winner – MVP
Kevin Innarelli: Another tough pick. I don’t see Kane, Henry or Kofi winning this match, but it’s a crapshoot with the others. I don’t think CM Punk will win two years in a row, so that’s him out too. My gut tells me it’s Christian or MVP. I flipped a coin and it came up Christian.
Winner – Christian (I see him losing the cash-in match)
Victor Malar: MVP wins MITB. Winning the U.S. Title shouldn’t detract from him winning the briefcase.
Winner – MVP
Paul Marshall: Everyone’s banking on MVP or someone not named Christian winning the MITB title shot, since it guarantees the holder a title sometime in the future. Vince McMahon hates Christian, right? Then why not have Christian win the MITB shot and cash it in… and be the first person to not win the title? Gee, what a classy idea. Or Christian can win the MITB and a world championship. Either way works fine.
Winner – Christian
Matthew Michaels: Speaking of Captain Charisma, he’s winning here, and I would love nothing more than to see him cash it in and face Cena to blow off their feud from just before Christian left WWE a couple years ago. That said, it’s not happening (unless they wanna bury Christian), but I still think he’s winning. The promos will be SO much better than if, say, Benjamin wins.
Winner – Christian
K. Sawyer Paul: Money in the Bank is a peculiar tradition, one that belongs more on TNA than the usually more conservatively-written WWE; a ladder-infested spotfest of acrobatic insanity guaranteed to pop the crowd and make the fans feel they got what they paid for. Every year has given us at least one or two terrific spots and I don’t think they’ll break from that. Look for Kane to outpower everyone, Punk to drop from really high up, Henry to catch whoever is dropping from high up, Benjamin to run up the stairs like he always does, and everyone else to stand around and watch Christian win.
Winner – Christian
Widro – although the match has kane and mark henry, the rest should be able to work out a great ladder match. i’d love to see christian take it, but without a clear favorite, i will say shelton, as mvp just took the us title.
Winner: Shelton
John Wiswell: Please be good. Please be good.
Winner – Christian
Handicap Match:
Chris Jericho vs Roddy Piper, Jimmy Snuka & Ricky Steamboat
Mark Allen: Really the Internet built up the match to something of epic proportions that the match couldn’t possibly deliver. Jericho built up the one-sided feud so well that there’s no way the result are going to match the build. The good guys win here after Flair and Mickey Rourke get their shots in on Jericho.
Winner – Snuka, Piper and Steamboat
Chris Biscuiti: The ONLY payoff that works here would be a Ric Flair heel turn. Now THAT would be worth all of the pain of seeing Jericho’s brilliance go to waste. I am curious to see Steamboat back in the ring after 15 years away, but Piper has one leg and Snuka is living proof that semi-retired Fijian wrestlers just don’t age all that well. The last memorable thing Snuka did was when he was part of the fake Entourage series on HBO On Demand a couple years back…now THAT was funny! Getting back to the core business at hand, Jericho will likely win this match in a bit of a squash, which will then lead to post-match retaliation by Flair, Rourke, and, I don’t know, Steve Austin, maybe? Or, perhaps Flair DOES turn heel, sides with Jericho, and we have a REAL story brewing!
Winner – Chris Jericho, as Flair disappointingly doesn’t turn and the Legends get obligatory post-match retaliation with Rourke and likely Austin involved.
Iain Burnside: Austin, blah, Hogan, blah, I think we all know that the greatest run-in here would be Sean Penn turning up to blast Mickey Rourke with his Oscar (MEN ON A MISSION 4 LIFE!). Then Penn would plant a kiss on his lips in the name of gay rights. Then Madonna would turn up and be all “Dude, you TIED ME UP, you freak!†Then Judge Reinhold would turn up and throw hot coffee in her face. Then Penn would be like “Awesome! Totally awesome! All right, Hamilton!†Then Jericho would tell everyone to shut up because the ‘80s sucked. Then the lights would go down, Ray Parker Jr would strike up on the sound system and the real Ghostbusters would strut/waddle down the aisle, trap Jericho with their proton rays but mistakenly cross the streams, creating a time-space vortex that implodes in upon itself and creates a false world where seemingly no wrestling fans on the internet have even the slightest bit of interest in seeing how capable of wrestling Ricky Steamboat remains after all these years, and all because there is a lack of genuine celebrity involvement. I want no part of such a place. By the way, notice how in the picture above Steamboat is shown in his prime whilst Piper and Snuka are shown in their current, post-wellness condition? Stealthy…
Winner – The Legends
Brad Curran: I’m guessing Jericho wins but gets his comeuppance in the end when Flair, Rourke, and probably Austin get involved.
Winner – Chris Jericho
Daniel Douglas: Poor Jericho. He worked his ass off, giving the some of the best promos I’ve heard in a long time to get dumped in a comedy match. Jericho’s heat has been near-nuclear and it looks like WWE will do everything in their power to cool it off. He’ll try carrying all three of his opponents above embarrassing territory and he will fail miserably. The only Legend still able to move without the help of a cane or Segway is Steamboat. Snuka in particular looks terrible. This promises to be the worst match of the card. I have my fingers crossed that Jericho beats the living hell out of all of them. More than likely, Piper picks up the pin after some Flair interference.
Winner – Roddy Piper
John Haley: I can’t imagine they’d let Jericho lose this match. He’ll probably have to cheat, and it will be hilarious either way. Chris Jericho is pretty much the standard bearer of my old column.
Winner – Chris Jericho
Kevin Hellions: Jericho defeats Snuka and Steamboat. Piper receives assistance from Flair and Mickey Rourke to defeat Jericho.
Winner – Chris Jericho
Kevin Innarelli: This is the “celebrity†match this year with Mickey Rourke backing the legends. Heels never win this match. I just hope to see some good wrestling from Steamboat, Snuka and Piper.
Winner – Legends
Victor Malar: Jericho over the Legends. I’ve changed my mind on this one, because with it being an Elimination match, Y2J will pick them off one by one, but he will get his post-match with Flair and Rourke joining in the fray.
Winner – Chris Jericho
Paul Marshall: Jericho should steamroll past the three legends and gloat about it for days to come. However, with the possibility of Rourke getting involved and the guarantee that Flair will get involved, I’ll say that Jericho dumps the trash (Piper and Snuka), but gets stopped by Steamboat with the assistance.
Winner – The Legends (Steamboat pins Jericho)
Matthew Michaels: Oh man, I hope this is better than it looks. It’s an elimination match now, so Jericho has to go through three legends here. I’m thinking, in order, he’ll beat Piper, then Snuka, and then Steamboat will get a win with help from Flair and maybe Mickey Rourke. (I can also see Piper getting the ultimate win here.)
Winners – The Hall of Famers
K. Sawyer Paul: If Austin were up for it, this would be the point where he would show up and give everyone stunners. If Hogan were up for it, this is the point where he would show up and give everyone legs drops, then pose. Instead, this is WWE’s opportunity to include Mickey Rourke, even though The Wrestler did current pro wrestling absolutely no favours and they should have stuck to their guns about not mentioning it at all. Ric Flair will also be there to cost Jericho the match. They have something against letting Jericho win at Wrestlemania, don’t they?
Winner – Piper, Snuka, & Steamboat
Widro – i might be in the minority, but this match isn’t the worst. given that somehow austin, mickey rourke and hogan all were unavailable, it will be cool to see steamboat in another match, and jericho has enough workrate for everyone involved.
Winners – Legends
John Wiswell: So Jericho has to eliminate all the legends to win, but I still have this feeling he’s going to get shut out, embarrassed, and pushed off stage in quick fashion. It’s Jericho. Even at his very best, this guy had egg on his face.
Winner – Just like at the Academy Awards, someone other than Mickey Rourke
WWE & World Tag Team Titles Lumberjack Match:
Carlito & Primo Colon vs The Miz & John Morrison
Mark Allen: I would just to use this space to vent the fact that it is absolutely stupid that Jack Swagger isn’t defending the ECW Championship on this show. Evan Bourne, Tommy Dreamer and Tyson Kidd are all standing right there ready for a five to seven minute title defense. That being said this tag match should rule because they’ve had plenty of practice on SmackDown over the past few weeks. I really love how Hayes has built this feud up over months; it’s refreshing. Miz and Morrison should walk out of here as champions so they continue their run of awesomeness over all three brands. As much as I want to see Morrison as a singles star too he’s still really young and has plenty of time to break out on his own. I fear with Morrison by his side Miz will suffer greatly and the MTV guy has really grown on me and I’d hate to see him lost in the shuffle.
Winners – Miz & Morrison
Chris Biscuiti: This is one of my favorite mid-card matches slated for Mania. Miz and Morrison HAVE TO WIN, because the only thing cooler than being Tag Champs, Two-Time Slammy Winners and Twin-Stealers is being Unified Tag Champs, Two-Time Slammy Winners and Two-Time Twin-Stealers! That’s right, the other Bella twin will come to appreciate the Palace of Wisdom following a dominating win, and Primo and Carlito will simply fade into undercard obscurity.
Winners – Miz and Morrison, and all of us because of it.
Iain Burnside: People are giving this “unification†stipulation far too much credence. I only ever took it to mean that one team was going to carry around four title belts, not that they were permanently scrapping one set of the championships forever. Maybe I’ll be proven wrong. Maybe the winners here will wind up being separated in the draft, in which case they would each be able to claim one set of tag titles for their respective brand and each set about finding a replacement co-champion. In such a scenario the winners would seem obvious, for if Miz and Johnny have conquered the tag team ranks then what else is there for them to do other than going their separate ways and seeing what comes from it?
Winners – MIZ-N-MORZON
Brad Curran: I’m picking the Colons, because they need it more, and Morrison is just about ready to send Miz through a barber shop window. Besides, the Colons need the belts to feud with Legacy, don’t they?
Winner – the Colons
Daniel Douglas: Miz and Morrison have been on fire this year and hopefully get to unify the titles here. I’m in the minority when it comes to Carlito as I can’t be bothered to care for him. While he’s undeniably charismatic, I’m missing whatever everyone seems to see in him. Primo looks like a younger, less charismatic, fatter version of him. Nevertheless, these teams have been facing each other so much they should be able to put on a very good match.
Winners – Miz and Morrison
John Haley: I’m very indifferent about this match. I’ll say they stay the course with Miz and Morrison.
Winners – The Miz & John Morrison
Kevin Hellions: Match ends in a DQ, titles are not unified.
Winners – Neither
Kevin Innarelli: Another one that doesn’t seem obvious. This would be a great time to start a solo run for Morrison as it’s overdue, but it seems Miz and Morrison still have a lot of run in their tag team championship reign. Also, I don’t know what happens to Carlito and Primo if you take away their straps. I think if you keep them with the belts and branch them out to Raw and ECW they’ll automatically extend their viability. So, give them the win.
Winners – Carlito and Primo Colon
Victor Malar: MNM 2.0 will win both sets of belts and both Bellas.
Winners – The Miz & John Morrison
Paul Marshall: The bigger question is will WWE actually unify the tag team titles? With WWE Superstars coming up in April, the context is that the biggest stars from any show will do battle on Superstars. The Brand Extension might as well be officially dead. So, with that said…who wins this match? Both teams are awesome, so this goes for a coin flip.
Winners – John Morrison & the Miz
Matthew Michaels: I’m glad they’re doing this, and Miz & Morrison deserve it. Plus I REALLY wanna see them carry around two belts AND a Slammy each.
Winners – Miz & Morrison
K. Sawyer Paul: Having only tangentially paid attention to the last two years of WWE product, I am only familiar to these names by, well, name. I know that the Miz and Morrison are deemed as bigger “stars†than the Colons, which is perfectly acceptable in this format. Going by “on paperâ€, I have to give the duke to the Miz & Morrison. The good guys will always have retribution at Backlash (an event that exists solely for this purpose), but Wrestlemania is the time to put the money on the table and show to the world who the real stars of the show are.
Winners – The Miz & John Morrison
Widro – my personal favorite feud and match on the card, this has been great all around. i question rushing into the first twin vs twin match on ecw in a throwaway match, but the bella twins cant really work so maybe it’s for the best. morrison is the man to watch in 2009 and beyond as he has it all.
Winners – Miz and Morrison
John Wiswell: You figure the heels have to win, since they’re the better team and they’ve been trotting across every brand for over a year now. WWE clearly prefers them, if only because Miz has never done newspaper interviews claiming HHH is only where he is because of his wife. But how do the heels win a Lumberjack match at Wrestlemania? Justice must be served! But justice always falls underneath the wheels of a trainwreck, and when you have angry twins, four belts that don’t mean anything and a ring surrounded by guys who didn’t make it onto the show, boys, there’s a cow on the tracks.
Winner – Miz & Morrison
Intercontinental Title:
JBL vs Rey Mysterio
Mark Allen: I really don’t know what JBL has planned for his “historic” evening. Right now the most logical thing would be for JBL, either win or lose, just retire right after the match and then jump in and sit next to JR at the SmackDown announce booth. But obviously they couldn’t have planned on that before Tazz’ sudden departure. So I’ll say JBL wins and retires as Champion. Then he can go back to the SD announce booth where he should be.
Winner – JBL
Chris Biscuiti: JBL does something historic, I guess.
Winner – JBL
Iain Burnside: Is Tazz so dense that he would walk away from WWE mere days before he could ensure himself a hefty WrestleMania 25 royalties cheque? Sheesh. The pizza sauce must be clogging his brain, much as the cheese is clogging his belly. In any case, his departure has heightened speculation about JBL performing double-duty here, retiring as a wrestler/champion and becoming a commentator for the rest of the show. The thing is – does he really want to be an announcer again? The man has at least two major business ventures, plus he has his wife’s professional interests to assist with, so it would not surprise me at all if he was preparing to walk away from WWE altogether for the time present. Hell, the company has known about his physical condition and plans for a second retirement for months now and they have still been training Sim Snuka for an announcers spot. Who’s to say if JBL will be quite happy to let the kid take the spot and the abuse from Vince whilst he swans off to New York to wipe his arse with Mr Franklin’s finest? I think we can all agree that seeing him and JR trade cowboy hat tips at the announcers table together would be quite splendid, yet there is no guarantee that will happen. Anyway, speaking of his NY connection, if JBL was to retire here, it is far too late in his character’s development to have him go out with a sparkling, babyface farewell promo. His entire personality is based around him getting the fuck out of Texas to make his millions in the “civilised†world. If he cuts a farewell promo along those lines then that would be the perfect opportunity for Austin to appear and KICK WHAM STUNNER for the honour of Texan rednecks everywhere. I don’t expect it to happen, nor do I expect Austin to have any interest in doing anything on the PPV beyond waving to the crowd alongside the other inductees, but it would be a fitting send-off for JBL. Then again, who’s to say that Mysterio won’t wind up with the IC belt and switch with MVP, the US champ, in the upcoming draft? There are many possibilities but I’ve already given this match far more thought than WWE have, so I’ll stop now… after a brief overview of the Intercontinental Title’s WrestleMania history, that is. Let’s see… the first one had a boring count-out between a tool and a fat dog; the second one had far too much turnbuckle-eating; the third one had one of the greatest matches of all time; the fourth one had a useless patented Honky DQ; the fifth one had some fun leg-pulling; the sixth one was all about the bigger title; the seventh one had another lame DQ enlivened only by Surly the Giant; the eighth one had an oft-overlooked classic; the ninth one had the back-handed compliment of being the match of the night despite another non-finish; the tenth one had some great spots for the time; the eleventh one had another failure of a DQ; the thirteenth one was all about the horrors of Samoan man-boobs; the fourteenth one had a perfectly acceptable match amid the general chaos of the period; the fifteenth one had far too much Ryan Shamrock; the sixteenth one no longer counts; the seventeenth and eighteenth ones both had generic opening matches not worthy of mention. Not really that much of a Mania lineage, is it?
Winner – JBL
Brad Curran: There’s a certain amount of symmetry to Rey retiring JBL twice, but I actually kind of want the poor, poor, poor man’s Stan Hansen to go out with a win and the commentating the rest of the show. I can see WWE giving him that send off.
Winner – JBL
Daniel Douglas: Rey has kind of been the man lost in the shuffle for the last year. His only feuds were with Kane and Mike Knox – not exactly two people Rey can set the ring on fire with. Now he gets thrown into a match with JBL that I, truthfully, didn’t know was even on the card. Give Rey the belt and get Bradshaw out of the ring.
Winner – Rey Mysterio
John Haley: All I can see is a win for Rey.
Winner – Rey Mysterio
Kevin Hellions: Rey wins the IC title. JBL goes from wrestler to announce the rest of the PPV in his historic moment.
Winner – Rey Mysterio
Kevin Innarelli: I really hope JBL wins. I really, really hope he wins. I’d love to see him retire on a high note in his home state. But, it won’t happen. Rey hasn’t been in WM for the last couple of years due to injury so he’ll go over here. Heels never get the send off they deserve.
Winner – Rey Mysterio
Victor Malar: Rey wins the match and the belt. This will allow JBL to segue to the announce table to replace Tazz
Winner – Rey Mysterio
Paul Marshall: Like it or not, JBL is going to do something big and that is beat Rey Mysterio and retain the Intercontinental Title. Then he commentates the rest of the show with Jim Ross. That will be classic.
Winner – JBL
Matthew Michaels: Wow when was the last time this was defended at Mania?? JBL keeps saying he’ll make history so to me that means one of two things. Either he’s going to retire (and replace Tazz, who is rumored to be leaving WWE with his contract having just expired) as champion or he’s going to unmask Rey (which isn’t really historical, as it’s been done before, but since that wasn’t in WWE, it “doesn’t count”). I don’t see the latter HAPPENING, although he might try. I’m thinking he wins though.
Winner – Bradshaw
K. Sawyer Paul: My memory may be hazy on the issue, but was the Intercontinental title brought back from the dead to highlight emerging talent in the middle of the program? What is its purpose when it is the rope in the tug of war between two people who were (and really not that long ago) winning and losing heavyweight championships at Wrestlemania? While the belt argument is a larger one, it makes sense to place these two on the bottom of the card. Not only does it make the rest of the undercard bigger (two former world champs open the show!) but rewards their hard work in a period where they really have no relevance.
Winner – Rey Mysterio
Widro – i’m sure this is not what JBL had in mind when he promised something monumental for wrestlemania. my hope at this point is somehow this leads to him replacing tazz on the smackdown announce team. i dont think rey needs the ic title and hope he is headed back to smackdown where he can shine.
Winner – JBL
John Wiswell: This match is like the Burchill storyline from last year. We all read that they were supposed to be an incestuous couple, looked for any hints on TV so we could be mad, and WWE never did anything with it. Here we’ve all read that JBL wants to retire champion at Wrestlemania, but he hasn’t said anything about it, there is no stipulation, and for any sort of retirement, it has almost no build at all. At this point I’m expecting JBL to win and they’ll just cut to the back, and then we’ll make fun of them for doing nothing with a plan they actually never executed and we had no reason to anticipate in the first place. This is it, folks: your undercard meta-wrestling match.
Winner – JBL
Miss WrestleMania Battle Royal
Mark Allen: Like the gimmick battle royal at WrestleMania X-7 the entrance of the surprise Divas will be the best part of the match. The winner doesn’t really seem to matter in this one so I’ll go with returning Gail Kim as it would be nice symmetry from her first debut, where she won a battle royal then too.
Winner – Gail Kim
Chris Biscuiti: I’m just glad the Divas will all get a payday. It will also be cool to see Victoria one last time, as I’m still resenting the fact that WWE completely disregarded her retirement and ignored her impressive career achievements. She was consistently good, and constantly put others over throughout her tenure with the folks in Stamford. That, and she was gracious enough to take a picture with me before the Royal Rumble at Madison Square Garden two years ago. As for the match, well, I’ll just say Maryse wins in a mild upset. Why not?
Winner – Maryse
Iain Burnside: I think we can all agree that nothing would be finer than Santino disguising himself as Chyna for the win. Plus, we would get an epic mini-feud between Miss WrestleMania and Mr WrestleMania in the near future!
Winner – MISS MARELLA
Brad Curran: This would be a nice place to either give Victoria a proper send off or establish Gail Kim as a big player again. So, I’m guessing neither of those things happen and they give one of the over, but not very good, but darn it they’re trying girls a win.
Winner – Maria
Daniel Douglas: Battle Royals in general are boring; they consist almost exclusively of punching, kicking and lackadaisical attempted eliminations that go on for far too long. When the competitors in the Battle Royal can do none of the abovementioned “moves†properly, you can expect the match to be awful. It’s hard to predict how anything in the women’s divisions will turn out as I’m pretty sure the only time Vince thinks about it is when he’s trying to quickly rub one out before Linda wakes up. Let’s go with Beth Phoenix because.
Winner – Beth Phoenix
John Haley: I’ll go with Mickie James since she is from Richmond, like me.
Winner – Mickie James
Kevin Hellions: Kelly Kelly wins and begins her push to the Women’s title.
Winner – Kelly Kelly
Kevin Innarelli: Who cares?
Winner – Beth Phoenix
Victor Malar: Gail Kim will become “Miss Wrestlemania”, as this will propel her into #1 contendership for either title.
Winner – Gail Kim
Paul Marshall: Piss Break Match. (Though it won’t be for me since I gotta cover it.) I’m expecting Santino to make an appearance as an unofficial entrant before being destroyed by the divas. I’m going with the official entrant who has not yet been named to the Battle Royal (24 confirmed, 1 not confirmed…take your pick).
Winner – Trish Stratus
Matthew Michaels: Either they go with a surprise – i.e., Trish Stratus – or someone they want to give a major push to – i.e., the returning Gail Kim (who won a battle royal in her first ever WWE match to win the women’s title a few years ago). I’ll go with the latter, as my guess is a “guest star” wouldn’t really WANT the win they obviously don’t need (and they can be protected by having multiple people toss them out of the ring, etc.).
Winner – Gail Kim
K. Sawyer Paul: A 25-woman royal is, quite honestly, the most interesting thing to happen to WWE’s women’s division in a long time. There will be some fun surprise entrants and a guaranteed surprise winner. This could act as a springboard to revitalize the division. It also might devolve into skirt pulling, rolling around, and slapping (somewhat more likely). The sad thing is that the tide has shifted and WWE has more talented female wrestlers than TNA for the first time in years. Who knows? It could be the beginning of a really fun ride.
Winner – If Gail Kim is present, she gets it. If not, whoever currently holds the women’s title.
Widro – as long as santino gets involved, it shouldnt be a complete waste.
Winner – Gail Kim
John Wiswell: Seriously, Ms. Elizabeth was Ms. Wrestlemania. There is no argument anyone can make to sway me from my faith in the catalyst for the Megapowers exploding, the woman who gave Savage a reason to live the moment after Ultimate Warrior retired him, and the epicenter of the Savage Vs. Flair main event. She was classy and relevant to more memorable Wrestlemania moments than any Diva today, even the boss’s daughter (many of whose moments are thankfully forgotten – and her little dog, too). As it is, I expect Mae Young to come out and win by the Iron Shiek rule of not being physically capable of being eliminated. The face divas will hug her, the piano music will play, and we’ll calm down from the highs in-between the more brutal matches on the show.
Winner – Mae Young
Stay tuned to Pulse Wrestling for live coverage of WrestleMania 25 this weekend!
