Rasslin’ Roundtable – WWE WrestleMania 26

Features, Roundtables, Top Story

It’s Wrestlemania and the card is the strongest in many years, so no further introduction is needed. Let’s get to it.



Streak vs. Career:
The Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels

Chris Biscuiti: I’ve had my reservations about this rematch for quite some time because I just am not sure if a hobbled Undertaker and a closer-to-retiring Shawn Michaels can replicate the magic formula they cooked up at WrestleMania XXV last year. However, from a promotional and marketing standpoint, the buildup to this rematch has been so tremendous that I am starting to circle back around to the possibility that HBK and Taker just may be able to pull it off again. And if anyone on planet earth has the in-ring clout and backstage respect to convince The Undertaker he is worthy enough to end The Streak, it’s Shawn Michaels. And if anyone on planet earth has the in-ring clout and backstage respect to convince Shawn Michaels he is worth enough to end the HBK era as we know it, it’s The Undertaker.
Winner: Something’s gotta give, and in this case I just can’t see any other outcome than Shawn Michaels ending The Streak, and perhaps in a twist, The Undertaker is the one who decides to retire as a result of the result.

Kurtis R. Osterlund: This is probably the toughest match to call from the Undertakers streak. Sure, it’s pretty common knowledge that UT is in bad shape physically, but the rumors have been running that Michaels is about ready to call it a career. I’ll have to go with my gut and my gut says don’t bet against the streak.
Winner- The Undertaker

Iain Burnside: Regardless of what opinions people have of last year’s match, the fact remains that it is remembered in general by most people for being an all-time classic. Regardless of what some may think about running a rematch this year, the fact is that it is an easily marketable product that has generated great interest. Regardless of what great expectations some may have about it, however, they are almost impossible to meet in reality. Both of these men, in particular The Undertaker, are in far worse physical condition than they were even just twelve months ago. The ‘no countout, no disqualification’ stipulation means that they can counter this somewhat with extra brawling and weaponry, yet this will render it little more than a regular WWE style main event. A very good one, admittedly, but nothing that will earn as much goodwill from people as last year’s effort did. Also, this match will not have the benefit of being the sole memorable talking point on this card, as was most definitely the case with WM25. The one major advantage it does have is of course the emotional attachment that the fans in attendance will have to both The Streak (yes, it now justifies capital letters) and to Shawn Michaels’ career. There is no point in ending the former in this context and there is no chance that the former will be ended in any lasting way but that should not detract from the heat on the night. Part of me would prefer a screwjob finish with Triple H costing Shawn his career, leading to a brief Hunter/Taker feud and then a proper farewell match for Shawn at WM27 against Hunter. With the stipulations being what they are there is no way to avoid disappointing the fans in some way no matter what the result may be. They might as well channel that towards an outcome that can at least be picked up on in storylines for the future. The odds of such a thing happening are slim to none, most likely. Expect a very good brawl, a tremendous buzz from the crowd, some nearest-of-the-nearest near falls and prepare for an era of professional wrestling minus Shawn Michaels.
Winner – UNDERTAKER

Steven Gepp: I’m going to go on record here saying that while last year’s match was good I think people have over-rated it because of all the crap that surrounded it. There were better matches in TNA alone last year. With that said, I expect these two to give another good (though not great) performance. And, seriously, is the ending in doubt?
Winner: (and still streaking) Undertaker

Mark Allen: In my humble opinion this is the true main event of the night, despite myself usually being a staunch supporter of the World Title closing the show. I am one of those that has been a flag waving supporter of the Undertaker-Michaels from last year as an amazing masterpiece of a wrestling match and I wholeheartedly look forward to this rematch. While sequels are generally never as good as originals, the no disqualifications and no count outs stipulation could aid the match and help it be great in a wholly different way than the original. That being said, the insane hype for the match could definitely hinder it as well. However, the two staunch professionals will surely lay it all on the line. On hand if, your Michaels and you’re losing and “retiring” then you want to go out on the best possible note. If you’re Michaels and you’re winning, then you want the match that ends The Streak to be awesome. If you’re Undertaker and you’re winning and thus taking Michaels’ career, you are going to want it to be a classic. If you’re Undertaker and you’re losing then you want to make sure you put up the best possible fight imaginable. But I just don’t see Undertaker losing here. The Streak should remain unbroken. No one right now deserves to break it right now except Cena, but he doesn’t really have anything to gain from it either.
Winner – The Undertaker

Paul Marshall: Here’s hoping that the WWE is smart and they let this close the show. I’m torn on this match…and the way I’m voting is going to be a sure loss for me, but it’s impossible to do either scenario. Shawn Michaels is NOT the person that should be ending the Undertaker’s streak. He doesn’t need the rub nor needs the accolade. Someone up and coming should have a better shot. Shawn Michaels is NOT going to retire (and even if he did, he’d pull a Ric Flair anyways and show up in TNA…well maybe not TNA, but you get what I mean). There’s another option…and since I’m picking this option for Stablewars, I’m going to do it here as well.
Result: No Contest (Double Pin, Draw, Double Submission, Anything that means no one wins or loses the match.)

Matthew Michaels – No way the streak ends. Only question is how long with Michaels’ retirement last? Should be an awesome match, though.
Winner: Undertaker

Raffi Shamir: How can Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker surpass the classic that they put on last year? Odds are they can’t. But even if we only get half the match that last year’s was, it will be great. At first I was ambivalent about the rematch idea but now, after the tremendous buildup job that WWE has done with this match, I’m 100% behind it. I’m a strong believer in the idea The Streak should never end, and I think it won’t. Retirements never hold anyway so the HBK will be back in action sooner or later, but The Streak should not be sacrificed for storyline purposes.
Winner: The Undertaker

Andrew Wheeler: Let’s just get one thing straight right off the bat; this match will not be as good as last year’s. Why? First off, no one expected last year’s match to be as insane as it was. We all kinda thought that Taker and Shawn would put on a polite match that would entertain, not a match that will live on Mania Top 10 lists for years to come. This year, however, there’s nothing really left for them to do. We saw the two of them do everything in their repertoire at Wrestlemania 25, so a lot of what we’ll see here feels like a repeat. My guess is that this year’s match is going to be more storyline and less awe inspiring. Sure, it’ll be a good match, but think more along the lines of Rock/Austin at Wrestlemania 19 and not Rock/Austin at Wrestlemania 17. First, let me clear something up. Shawn is not going to really retire. There are too many money matches left for Shawn that he isn’t through yet. Michaels still probably even has one more title run left in him. We could still get one more Shawn/Jericho, Shawn/Edge, Shawn/Rey and maybe a Shawn/Punk or possibly Shawn/Bryan. On the other hand, Taker’s streak isn’t going to end. Ever. It’s the one thing that he gets to have that no one else does. It’ll be his one legacy in the business even after we forget about his blockbuster casket match with Yokozuna. So the question becomes, how do you have Shawn lose without forcing him to really end his career? Well, the cheap answer is that you use Bret Hart and have him get his revenge. That, folks, is schmaltzy and short-term booking at its finest. You do not give all of the heat for Mania to a guy that can’t really wrestle anymore. That would be insanely idiotic in the long run, and feels like a TNA move. Scratch that, the TNA move would be for a hole to open in the ring and both guys fall into it. Like I said in my column a few months ago (and reiterated this week), my guess is that Triple H is going to cost Shawn the match. Why else would they set this up as a no-DQ match? Hunter has all the justification in the world to interfere; Shawn broke up DX, Shawn became obsessed with Taker, Shawn cost Hunter his chance of winning at Mania, Shawn cost Hunter the tag titles and Shawn distracted Hunter with his antics leading up to the Elimination Chamber. Hunter “retiring” Shawn makes complete sense. This not only gives Michaels a reason to return at SummerSlam, but it also turns Triple H heel, giving us our game-changing Mania story (no pun intended). With a freshly heel Hunter, he can now face Cena and Orton and it’ll be fresh…er. Also, Hunter could end the whole Guest GM bit by serving as interim General Manager, which would allow him to take that time off he’s rumored to have. Or, if the WWE wants, there’s always the giant hole.
Winner: The Undertaker

Widro – I think it’s almost impossible that Michaels wins here. I could see something where HHH interferes, or even a clean pin. If it’s going to be a clean pin, it will go on last. If not, it might go on earlier.
Winner: Undertaker



World Heavyweight Championship:
Chris Jericho (C) vs. Edge

Chris Biscuiti: The chemistry between Chris Jericho and Edge has been great for years, and to see their latest feud over the Big Gold Belt unfold on SmackDown! has been just as easy to watch as I’m sure it has been effortless for them to execute. The obvious pick for a winner here is Edge, but Jericho deserves a ton of credit for making this journey towards an inevitable outcome feel fresh and palatable even with the assumed result.
Winner: Edge gets his revenge win, Jericho is on the receiving end of comeuppance in the culmination of this storyline, and the Big Gold Belt changes hands, too!

Kurtis R. Osterlund: You have to figure that after nine months or so of build up since Edge’s injury that this is a cut and dry win for Edge.
Winner- Edge

Iain Burnside: This recent attempt to get ‘spear’ chants going makes a whole lot more sense now the news about a potential Goldberg comeback has leaked. In the absence of Grizzly Bill, however, we are left with a feud that has underwhelmed but a match that should overachieve. The build has suffered for three obvious reasons. First, Edge makes for a wonderful heel but is never anything more than an acceptable babyface. I would hope that a heel turn comes soon after this show. Second, as with Bret/Vince, this feud peaked too soon as they really had nothing substantial to offer with it. Edge’s return was a nice Rumble moment but it left him treading water for two months with little momentum as a sympathetic babyface. Third, the monumentous nature of his recovery from a career-threatening injury has been overshadowed in order to place focus on his continued humiliation of Jericho with the spear. That may be fine as a generic storytelling device but for WrestleMania a greater degree of emotional investment is preferable. Worse, the constant spearing has lacked logic. When they finally did have Jericho counter the move, Edge went right back to hitting him with it on the very next show. Thankfully, it is impossible to imagine these two having anything less than a really good match.
Winner – EDGE

Steven Gepp: I would like to state here and now that on paper this WM is one I am genuinely looking forward to. I so hope it lives up to expectations… To the match. I’m torn here. My heart wants Jericho to win as he is one of the best in the business on the mic and in the ring right now. But my head says WM sends people home happy and so the face – Edge – should win. However I think is the start of a long feud, not a simple one-stop affair, and so shall go with the heart. I think Edge’s recent injury issues means this won’t be a 5-star affair, but it will still be good.
Winner: (and still champeen) Jericho

Mark Allen: Because there is no way this match is ending the show it opens up the possibilities of who will win. SmackDown’s main event scene is fairly weak right now but the draft in a couple weeks should change that. I don’t really see what rivalries are in store for either man post-Mania other than some rematches. That being said, I just don’t see Edge not winning this match and the Championship. It’s hard to believe this victory will already be his tenth World Championship. Remember when it took Flair a decade to do that? Yeah me neither.
Winner – Edge (new Champion)

Paul Marshall: SPEAR! SPEAR! SPEAR! I’d love it if Jericho would wear some kind of metal plate to counter the spear, but I doubt it’ll happen. It’s also like the WWE to NOT give every face a major win on a major Pay-Per-View such as WrestleMania. I also don’t buy into the theory that feuds end at WrestleMania…some can be the very beginning or even a climax. This one still has some mileage left in the tank, so I’m gonna say that Edge goes for the spear only to be countered into the Liontamer for the submission win for the Best in the World.
Winner: Chris Jericho

Matthew Michaels – WWE’s done a great job of booking the Road to WrestleMania as it SHOULD, not necessarily in order to surprise or swerve its fans. This storyline is one case. The logical thing to do with Edge returning was to have him challenge his old tag partner, Jericho. But with his Rumble win, they needed some intrigue as to which title he’d go after. Well, with a little help from Shawn Michaels taking out The Undertaker at Elimination Chamber, Edge’s decision was made easy: go after the guy who’s been talking smack about you since you got hurt. But who should win? Will fans and WWE benefit from an extended feud, with Edge chasing Jericho? Perhaps. But what will really benefit fans is Edge finally getting his revenge. (Plus would any of us be surprised if he turned heel relatively quickly after the victory?)
Winner: Edge

Raffi Shamir: Love this feud, love Edge, love Jericho. Two excellent wrestlers that built an excellent feud. The obvious choice would be Edge, but I don’t think they’d go with the obvious. Since this is not the main event they don’t have to give the win to the babyface to send the crowd home happy. Both Jericho and Edge deserve a long, meaningful title run but since it’s not in the books, I’d go with a Jericho victory here and an Edge win next month.
Winner: Chris Jericho

Andrew Wheeler: All of the matches on this year’s Wrestlemania really come down to where they are being placed on the card. I think this year’s show, more than in any prior year, will come down to balancing the show with enough surprises and “feel good” moments to make it a classic. This match, based on the quantum physics rules of the Royal Rumble, should be the main event of the night. We all know the rules as handed down on Mount Sinai from Vince to Creative; he who shalt winnith thine Rumble of Royalty shall thus be bequeathed the main event slot at Wrestlemania. Here, however, Edge and Jericho will not be main eventing the biggest show of the year despite having a legitimate claim for that slot. First of all, there’s the tenure issue. Jericho and Edge have both put in over a decade in the WWE, and while they each have main evented a show in the past, they deserve to get a shot at the top this year. First, there’s the fact that Edge won the Rumble. That usually gives people a fast pass to the top of the card. Second, there’s the fact that Edge was a surprise return due to injury. This makes him fresh in the fans’ eyes, as well as a “feel good” story that the WWE can pimp the hell out of as if his tendon injury was in fact part of his boyhood dream. Lastly, there’s the fact that this storyline has been built since the middle of last year! I went to a Smackdown taping last September and Jericho was beginning to sow the seeds of hatred against Edge as he berated his former tag partner via satellite. That right there should be enough to justify them getting the slot. Unfortunately, there is another side to the argument. First is the always lame “Smackdown is the B show” argument. Smackdown has been consistently entertaining (except for this past week’s edition that was nothing more than a glorified episode of ‘Mania’ that was hosted by the wrong Todd) and has enough stars to justify it as a co-A show (not to mention a significant lack of guest hosts!). Second, there’s the fact that Edge is…well…a heel. He is. Edge has never been a great singles face, which is why the WWE worked so hard to get the fans to chant “Spear” because if you can keep the casual fan entertained by loud noises, that’ll equate to interest in the character. Sadly, the “Spear” chant is hit-or-miss depending on the audience, and while I want Edge to succeed, I know deep down that one of the two or three best heels of the past decade just isn’t going to cut it as a subpar face. Finally, there’s the fact that logic should dictate that Chris Jericho should retain the title. He hasn’t been champion for all that long, he has the promo skills and the match work to carry the show on his back and he can work with anyone from Rey to Morrison and keep the program feeling fresh. On the other hand, giving Edge the title would in fact allow the company to pimp their much-loved “feel good” moment while freeing Chris up for the Draft to possibly go to RAW. Edge has CM Punk to feud with, which is good enough for me. Plus, if Edge really does bottom out as a face, Punk has enough heel heat that the audience will have no choice but to cheer for Mr. Copeland. In the end, it’s Wrestlemania, and usually the faces win. So despite a rushed build-up (despite it being a half-year storyline) and an abridged Jericho title run, I think that Edge is going to win the title in what should be an exciting match (as long as they don’t give these guys 12 minutes to work with and make it feel like an afterthought instead of one third of the main event).
Winner: Edge

Widro – I feel like the Edge face turn and this angle in general has been “by the numbers” and not hugely interesting. However, the storyline has been that Edge returns and overcomes the odds, and this would be the culmination of that.
Winner: Edge



WWE Championship:
Batista (C) vs. John Cena

Chris Biscuiti: I’m glad they split off Cena vs. Batista away from the Bret Hart-Vince McMahon storyline, as it allowed Batista to finally find his niche over the past few weeks/months as the perfect heel antagonist to Cena’s super-face protagonist. While I would not be surprised to see Cena win in this spot, I would personally be disappointed. Batista is on a monster roll as the big-money villain, and by dispatching Cena on the grandest stage of them all, it could put his latest heel run on the rare path to something of legend. The good guys can’t win every match, can they? Here’s to holding out hope.
Winner: Batista retains, as it’s just the right call.

Kurtis R. Osterlund: This one I’m not positive about. Arguments can be made for either guy winning, but I think Batista is on a pretty decent roll right now as the dominant heel in the company right now. If this match doesn’t close the show, then my money is on Batista. If it is the closer, common logic says they don’t send the crowd home on a heel win.
Winner- depends on match position, probably Batista

Iain Burnside: Would it have been depressing in 2004 if someone had told you that in six years’ time WrestleMania would still have Cena and Batista as headliners? Not as much as if someone had told you in 1997 that Shawn, Taker, Bret and Vince would be headlining WrestleMania thirteen years later, I’m sure. All things considered, I would put this match on last. If a match with this level of interest, heat, freshness, intrigue and momentum had tried to follow Shawn/Taker last year then it would have succeeded. It may even have succeeded following Rock/Hogan in 2002. This is the match for the ‘proper’ world title, featuring two major stars who are going to be in the company for the foreseeable future, who can put on a terrific match with one another and with a finish that can send the fans home happy. None of the other matches on this card can make all of those claims. As awesome as DAVE has been over the past couple of months, bear in mind how WWE should interpret things. Cena has never defeated Batista (the screwy disqualification in their recent Raw ‘match’ notwithstanding). He lost the Rumble to him all those years ago. He had his neck broken by him at SummerSlam 2008. He got humiliated by him at the Elimination Chamber last month. Now he needs to have his moment of triumph, win the title and set up a ‘no holds barred’ rematch of some sort at Extreme Rules next month, which can let DAVE promise to get all ‘Animal’ on him during the build. There’s your happy ending. Are you happy now?
Winner – JOHN CENA

Mark Allen: I did not expect to like the build-up to this rivalry as much as I have. Batista has been just gold with his new heel persona and they played up the two men’s professional histories so well. They’ve done well in effectively kick-starting the rivalry through the McMahon-Hart feud and then expanding it into its own awesomeness. If Undertaker-Michaels doesn’t main event like it should, then this match is more than deserving of the closing match. Batista is on fire and deserves a nice run with the WWE Title but I think Cena wins this one in order to set up a truly awesome rubber match somewhere down the line.
Winner – John Cena (new Champion)

Steven Gepp: I dislike Cena only because of the personas he has occupied in the WWEU. I like the current heel Batista. I like it when he turned on Rey Rey and I like the manner of his heelishness. These two work well together, and I think this has the opportunity to be a surprisingly good match. I expect this to go on last, end the night, and with it…
Winner: (and new champ!) John Cena

Paul Marshall: If this goes on last, then it suddenly becomes a foregone conclusion. Let’s hope the WWE brass isn’t that stupid. In my case, though…Batista, sorry…but you aren’t leaving with the title. Cena is like Trix…just for kids.
Winner: John Cena

Matthew Michaels – Rumors are this is going on last, which if you think about it, makes a lot of sense. WWE is trying to pass the torch from Rock/Austin/HHH to Dave/Cena/Orton, and these two main eventing and having a great match would go a long way towards making that a reality in the eyes of the “WWE Universe.” So here’s my prediction: they bust their asses, Cena comes out on top… and then beats the winner of the MITB match, who tries to cash in the title but fails to win it… Solidifying Cena’s status as main dog of this era. (Personally I’d rather Batista win or Cena lost the belt to McIntyre or Swagger after a victory here, but I don’t think WWE will do that.)
Winner: Cena

Raffi Shamir: DAMN IS BATISTA AN AWESOME HEEL OR WHAT? With that in mind, he still has to lose here, which is a shame. In my latest TBD I mentioned the public screenings of Wrestlemania in Israel. What I didn’t mention is that I’m one of the leaders of the Chain Gang – a group of die-hard Cena fans who usually dominate those events (And before anyone starts assuming anything, we’re all straight men over 20 years old). But that’s not the reason I want Cena to win. In fact, when we were watching Elimination Chamber last month I was extremely disappointed when Cena won because I felt it was the wrong choice, and was happy when Batista beat him. But here Cena has to win. Batista always had the upper hand and after their first PPV match, it’s time for Cena to get his win back. I know many people might not expect a lot from this match, but I believe these two wrestlers can deliver big time and they will.
Winner: John Cena

Andrew Wheeler: Like I just said in the Edge/Jericho match, placement is key. I think that if this was put a little lower on the card, putting Batista over as champion wouldn’t be such a big deal. He’s performed a miracle since turning heel in that he’s suddenly…gasp…entertaining. Who would have thought that the guy who seemed to be sleepwalking through his career would wake up just in time to play the dick that we all knew he could play. This feud, like Cena’s feud last year, is an appendix to another better feud. Last year Cena was thrown into the Edge-Vickie-Show love triangle and this year he’s thrown into the Vince-Bret hate festival (complete with balloons and a Pat Patterson tunnel of love that I would recommend you avoid). Batista’s involvement in the whole thing makes perfect sense; he’s a heel, he wants a title shot, he sees an opportunity, he takes it, he wins the title. That is the most straightforward booking the WWE might have done all century. John Cena won the title at the Elimination Chamber for about eleven seconds, so he has the clear desire for retribution. My guess is that if this main events, Cena is going to win. That sucks for a few reasons. First, it means that Batista’s awesome heel run would end a lot sooner than I want it to (yes, I am actually advocating for a longer Batista title run…what the hell is happening?). If Dave loses the title, he’s a man without a country. He’s a Smackdown guy holding the RAW title, and if he drops it, he has nothing waiting for him on either show. He can’t just magically join RAW right before the Draft because that would defeat the purpose of having a draft, not to mention the fact that he always sucks when he’s part of the RAW roster. If he goes to Smackdown, he could feud with Edge, but those two in the ring isn’t as exciting as Edge/Punk. Second, Cena winning wouldn’t change anything in the WWE. This is one of the few Wrestlemania’s where pretty much nothing is going to be different come Monday night. One of the fun things about Mania is that it tends to wrap up long festering storylines so that we can start fresh, but both Edge/Jericho and Batista/Cena actually still feels fresh. Batista has tried his hardest to make this seem like a long brewing feud, and his logic is pretty solid by claiming that Cena stole his spotlight, but in the end it really is just a thrown together main event. The match should be pretty good (though I doubt it will win MOTY or even MOTN) and I think that Vince will send the fans home happy, but so what? My guess is that earlier in the night Vince will use Dave to cost Bret Hart his match, which will free Hart up to run in here and cost Batista the gold, setting up a potential Vince/Batista v. Cena/Hart next month. Hey, it could happen.
Winner: John Cena

Widro – Heel Batista has been red hot, and this storyline could continue past Wrestlemania. I was thinking Cena would win, but now i lean towards Big Dave to keep the chase going.
Winner: Batista



No Holds Barred:
Bret Hart vs. Mr. McMahon

Chris Biscuiti: This match that is over a decade in the making is still not as sexy or fun to me as all of the magical moments we were treated to throughout the Austin-McMahon saga. Seeing Austin himself give WWE a ratings spike a couple of weeks ago further proved to me that the Attitude Era really was something special that will never happen again. As far as Bret vs. Vince, the car accident angle was kind of lame, Bret hasn’t really hit his stride as a viable present-day adversary, and even Vince — who is one of the best heel characters EVER in pro wrestling — has become too much of a caricature of his usually engaging villainous alter-ego. I’ll be just as happy as the next wrestling mark to see Vince tap out while his legs are locked in the Sharpshooter, but at the end of the day, I just don’t think the storyline was worth as much time and prestige as it was given.
Winner: Bret Hart

Kurtis R. Osterlund: Probably a 10 minute ass kicking that sees Bret finally lock Vince in the Sharpshooter.
Winner- Bret “Hitman” Hart

Iain Burnside: Despite being a Bret Hart fan for almost as long as I’ve been a wrestling fan, I still might not even watch this match. Given how very easy it would be for this to all go wrong and cause some major health issues for Bret, I would rather just skip it and come back to watch it upon hopefully hearing that things are okay in the aftermath. It would be one thing if Bret was facing a Chris Jericho or a Randy Orton. Instead he’s facing an untrained pro-wrestler with a reputation for being a little too fond of hitting a little too hard. It also feels as though the window of opportunity for this match closed a few years back with Bret’s Hall of Fame induction. The changes to WWE since then have made it considerably difficult to switch back into a 1997 mindset in order to appreciate just how this whole scenario came about in the first place. Approaching it from a 2010 perspective just makes it seem like two old men complaining about things and then, understandably, failing to back it up with any decent physical action. I’m not even sure why this needs to be a match, to be honest. All that people want to see is Bret putting the Sharpshooter onto Vince. That’s the WrestleMania Moment. It can be achieved in many constructive ways without putting an entire singles match around it. Expect tomfoolery, shenanigans and run-ins aplenty. Dave Hebner? Jim Neidhart? Shane McMahon? I would settle for Jim Ross on commentary.
Winner – BRET HART

Steven Gepp: This is going to be like Hulk Hogan/Rock from WM19 – from a wrestling standpoint a mess, but it will get the crowd going and going good. And that’s all that matters in entertainment, really. I can’t see it being a HBK/McMahon type match either (WM22) with Vince being just slaughtered. I expect it will be fun and nostalgic, and I expect Bret to get help from the Hart Legacy kids, maybe Jim Neidhart, the crowd will pop huge and all will be right with the world. I’m actually looking forward to it… Oh, and please lift the blood ban just for this one fight!
Winner: Bret Hart (& Co)

Mark Allen: This should be short but full of energy. With neither man in shape to put together a real match, the No Holds Barred stipulation should mask their respective shortcomings and provide for plenty of chaos and make the match ripe for legal run-ins. That being said, if this match ends any other way than Hart locking McMahon in the Sharpshooter as McMahon screams like a maniac then I’ll be surely surprised.
Winner – Bret Hart

Paul Marshall: If you’re expecting 1997 Bret Hart, keep dreaming. At least Vince can work a safe match with Bret and possibly keep it entertaining enough to be a *** or higher match. The result…too easy.
Winner: Bret Hart

Matthew Michaels – Another match that has an obvious outcome, but what that should be satisfying for lots of fans waiting to see Vince tap out to a Sharpshooter. Hopefully Bret’s nice and nephew can somehow be involved here as well, but who knows?
Winner: Bret Hart

Raffi Shamir: I don’t know why, but I’m not nearly as excited about this match as I should have been. Which is sad, because it is going to provide us with a guaranteed Wrestlemania moment. We all know how it’s going to work, we will mark out at the right moments and wait for the sharpshooter.
Winner: Bret Hart

Andrew Wheeler: This is the match everyone has waited thirteen years to see and would have rather seen it twelve years ago. Don’t get me wrong, I am jacked up about seeing Bret back in the ring to face Vince, but the bulk of today’s audience just doesn’t get why this is such an exciting match. If the average wrestling fan is say fifteen, then he was still a small child when the Screwjob happened. This is a match for fans like us but we’re kinda passed the point of getting legitimately worked up over seeing it. Sure, it’ll be fun for a few minutes, but in the end it’s a 60-something guy fighting a stroke victim on the biggest show of the year. Like I said earlier, this match will not end well for Bret Hart. Hart can’t win at Mania because what’s the justification for him sticking around? If he truly gets his vengeance, then he can go back to Canada and live happily ever after. On the other hand, if he loses here due to say Drew McIntyre or Batista interference, he has enough of a reason to interfere in the main event and stay for a few more weeks. My hope is that this match is short, inoffensive and maybe even fun. I don’t expect a miracle, but I don’t expect it to be the worst match of the night either.
Winner: Vince McMahon

Widro – I haven’t been thrilled that Bret Hart came back, and the storyline has had its ups and downs, but with that said I’m still excited to see how this turns out. I think Bret Hart wins with the Sharpshooter, but the shenanigans on the way should be entertaining.
Winner: Bret



CM Punk vs. Rey Mysterio (If Punk wins Mysterio must join the SES)

Chris Biscuiti: Now this is a possible match that can steal the entire show. The buildup between Rey and Punk on SmackDown! has been just as brilliant as Jericho-Edge, and Punk has truly emerged as the creepiest / most ingenious heel this side of Batista. One thing I’ve really missed over the past few years are concept stables, and the Straightedge Society is currently the BEST concept stable going in all of pro wrestling. Punk has had three near-perfect months in this role, which he solidified during the Royal Rumble, reinforced during the Elimination Chamber, and hopes to cement here against Rey at WrestleMania. I do think it’s kind of funny that Rey’s family is always used against him during big feuds (see: Eddie Guerrero vs. Rey), but Punk’s sinister rendition of “Happy Birthday” as song to Rey’s crying daughter on SmackDown! was absolute gold in terms of making us care about this match. And just to add some icing to the cake, if Rey loses, he will have to join the Straightedge Society. It’s just too delicious of a possibility for me to pass up, as I would love to see this blossoming feud extend way beyond WrestleMania.
Winner: CM Punk, because he is straightedge, and he is better than you.

Kurtis R. Osterlund: I’m guessing the long rumormed hair vs mask match will take place at another time. That being said my pick is the Straight Edge Messiah.
Winner- CM Punk

Iain Burnside: Acting as a counter to Edge/Jericho, this is a feud that has overperformed. If given enough time it could very easily wind up stealing match of the night honours. The hair vs mask stipulation will no doubt be saved for a later date, which is fine. With a bit of luck we can get Punk to revive the head shaving gimmick after losing here. The twist would be that this time he inflicts it upon unwilling people, such as his NXT rookie, Black Cena, and even Mysterio’s daughter. Hey, it was on the cards at one point. This one
has a lot of mileage left in it.
Winner – REY MYSTERIO

Steven Gepp: Okay, I feel CM Punk is second only to Jericho in the heel stakes in the WWEU, and Rey Rey is all about goodness. Classic heel/face dynamic. While the build has been a little less than it could have been, I hope [a] Punk gets some mic time, [b] Serena gets some screen time, and [c] they just pull out all stops on one another all the time. And I really can’t pick a winner. But I’ll look longer term booking-wise…
Winner: CM Punk

Mark Allen: Punk and Mysterio will be going out there full guns blazing trying to steal the show from Money in the Bank and Undertaker-Michaels. The two should put together a truly fun match. Originally the stipulation was rumored to be Mysterio’s mask versus Punk’s hair, but apparently creative felt that would telegraph the finish too much. But the new stipulation of if Mysterio loses, then he joins Punk’s Straight Edge Society is just as telegraphed. If he were to join the SES then Punk would surely force him to remove his mask anyways, which just isn’t going to happen. Expect Mysterio to win in a great, high-energy match and then expect the two men to go their separate ways after the show.
Winner – Rey Mysterio

Paul Marshall: Better than the Hair v. Mask idea they were running with. CM Punk is MOTHERFUCKING GOLD over the past few weeks. I expect brainwashing to ensue and even if he loses, if this angle continues to involve Rey’s daughter…this will make CM Punk the most hated wrestler in recent memory. Rey joining SES…not happening. His daughter…more likely.
Winner: Rey Mysterio

Matthew Michaels – I was hoping for a hair vs. mask match, but I guess neither wrestler would benefit much from that short-term, so perhaps that will happen down the line. Meantime I think the heel wins here, although I could see this going either way.
Winner: Punk

Raffi Shamir: And to think that just a year ago I called Punk “overrated”. In just a few months CM Punk has become one of my favorite heels ever and the SES is just a perfect stable. I nearly had nightmares after seeing creepy Punk (Creepy in a good way, like Ben Linus from Lost or T-Bag from Prison Break) sing Happy Birthday to Rey’s daughter. It was something that should be taught at wrestling schools in “How to be an amazing heel” classes. I think that this will go the same as the time in WCW when Rey Mysterio lost a match and was forced to join Eddie Guerrero’s LWO against his will. Because if he wins here, then there’s nowhere to go. Besides, Punk is better than all of us.
Winner: CM Punk

Andrew Wheeler: This is my closet pick for MOTN, though I doubt the WWE will give it enough time to turn out that way. I’m glad this isn’t a hair v. mask match, because that just seems like an awful idea. While I like the idea of Rey having to join the Straight Edge Society, I just don’t see the WWE having the balls to have Rey’s family humiliated AND Rey lose the match. I want to see Punk keep his heat, but if he wins here, it means another month feuding with Rey and another month away from the title hunt. CM Punk seems to function better when he doesn’t have a feud, as he can just build heat by cutting amazing promos. Having him force Rey into his flock feels too much like when Volkoff was forced to join the Million Dollar Man, and that doesn’t inspire faith in me. On the other hand, if this is a street fight and anyone can get involved, maybe the numbers will tip in Punk’s favor. Or, the WWE could have Rey defy the odds and beat Punk, but by using some sort of foreign object that allows CM to claim that Mysterio has no honor. This is a make or break match for my picks, so I’ll go with conventional wisdom and say…
Winner: Rey Mysterio

Widro – CM Punk and Rey have both been great building this feud on Smackdown. With the stipulation that if Rey loses he must join the SXE society, I think that telegraphs a Punk win to continue the feud and storyline which has been excellent.
Winner: CM Punk



Triple Threat Match:
Randy Orton vs. Ted DiBiase vs. Cody Rhodes

Chris Biscuiti: Listen, I love Randy Orton’s current ability to play the “tweener” role and play it well. Unfortunately, Randy is on such a higher level than Rhodes and DiBiase that the two fledgling Legacy members just haven’t proved to be worthy WrestleMania opponents for him. I think Randy has to win here, and then the real work will begin for WWE Creative as they’ll have to figure out what to do with him next.
Winner: Randy Orton

Kurtis R. Osterlund: They’d be fools to have anyone other than Orton win this one and start a hot face run. That being said, their hard-on for DiBiase will probably take precedence especially with his brother, Brett, in attendance for the Hall of Fame.
Winner- Ted DiBiase

Iain Burnside: Nobody on the face of the planet could possibly give one honeydrop of a shit about this match. Not even the participants in it. With good and obvious reasons. Instead I’ll just throw in this link and this video:
Winner – RANDY ORTON

Steven Gepp: This match leaves me cold. I think Cody has the potential to be a good wrestler (at least as good as his older brother when he was motivated – so sue me, I liked Dustin Rhodes… at times!). I think DiBiase has work to do. I think Randy Orton takes himself way too seriously. I think this match will be dull. And I think the face turn everyone’s hanging for – Ted Jr – will happen or start right here. Maybe Goldust will come out and help little bro. Maybe daddy will waddle out. Maybe a couple of dads will come out, or all 3, or something. At least it would add something.
Winner: Orton

Mark Allen: This could go a lot of different ways. If Orton wins he cements himself the star of Legacy and puts both DiBiase and Rhodes back into build-up mode. If DiBiase wins it kicks off what has been a long awaited push for him. But no one expects a Rhodes victory, as many (including me) didn’t even expect him to be in the match. I think Rhodes will come from behind somehow to earn the victory and cement himself as a sneaky heel. This can lead to one-on-one rematches with Orton and big one-on-one feud with DiBiase. Or it can allow him to move to SmackDown in the upcoming draft with a lot of momentum behind him.
Winner – Cody Rhodes

Paul Marshall: Legacy implodes, Ted turns face, and Cody gets left in the dust. Orton manages to survive and kick Cody back to FCW to be repackaged. Maybe not, but it sounds good at the time.
Winner: Randy Orton

Matthew Michaels – Time for Ted’s coming out party? I hope so. Sorry Cody.
Winner: DiBiase

Raffi Shamir: One of the worst aspects of Legacy’s failure is that neither Rhodes nor DiBiase are worthy Wrestlemania opponents not just for Randy Orton but for anyone. Orton, on the other hand, can finally become a good face after beating both of them. I just hope that this match wouldn’t lead to a Rhodes-DiBiase next month because nobody cares about the, WWE should just take them off TV for a while and introduce each of them again without any mention of Legacy and give them a fresh start.
Winner: Randy Orton

Andrew Wheeler: I could not care less about this match. I didn’t like watching Randy fight Teddy. I was bored when I watched Randy fight Cody. I nearly fell asleep watching their handicap match. Alright folks, let’s break out the paint-by-numbers and see how this goes: Priceless pounds on Orton for an eternity, Randy fights back, they pound on him some more, he fights back some more, Teddy and Cody lay him out for the pin, they brawl over who will get the pin, Orton RKOs both of them and he wins. Huzzah. Teddy and Cody really haven’t shown that they have the goods, so this match is retarded. Orton showed last year that he’s really dull at Mania, so having him try to carry these two goofs to a watchable contest seems like a fool’s errand. Orton has to win because he’s probably going to be the #2 face on RAW, while Cody and Teddy should get ready to work a lot of episodes of “Superstars” against Primo Colon and Chris Masters.
Winner: Randy Orton

Widro – Perhaps the worst built match on the card, this feud has lost all its steam. Who is face? Who is being elevated? it’s all been a mess. Seems like Randy will win, but I could really see any of them winning and it won’t matter much.
Winner: Orton



Triple H vs. Sheamus

Chris Biscuiti: Am I wrong to be looking forward to this match, or have Triple H and Sheamus merely brainwashed me into thinking this will be good based on solid work against each other the past three weeks? I said good, not great, but good is enough here when their showdown is part of a stacked WrestleMania card, especially since there (thankfully) isn’t a title on the line.
Winner: Triple H

Kurtis R. Osterlund: I want to believe that Triple H will put over his young protege, but I just can’t see this happening. The biggest surprise of the night will come if this proves to be a good match.
Winner- Triple H

Iain Burnside: The only possible way this can be a useful addition to the card is if Sheamus goes all Celtic WOYAH crazy and squashes Hunter with the power of WM12 in about two minutes. Anything else is a complete waste of everybody’s time. The sad thing is that Hunter sure has enjoyed wasting a lot of people’s time in his career. Anyway…
Winner – SHEAMUS

Steven Gepp: this needed the belt involved. I know, giving HHH another title reign would be OTT but it needs something else. It just doesn’t fell right. Still, the match could be okay.
Winner: HHH

Mark Allen: It’s quite odd, yet refreshing to see Triple H so far down the card and away from the marquee bouts. This match should serve as a litmus test for both men. It will determine whether Sheamus can hang with the best of the best on the biggest stage of them all, and it will determine if Triple H is the true ring general who can lead less experienced, inferior wrestlers to a classic match. The ending shouldn’t be a surprise as I expect Triple H to win clean as a whistle, but yet make Sheamus look like a star in the process.
Winner – Triple H

Paul Marshall: Rumor has it Trips is hurt…and if Sheamus is truly his workout buddy, then Trips will lie down for him and get his win back when he’s healthy enough to return. Sheamus needs this win more than Trips.
Winner: Sheamus

Matthew Michaels – HHH’s promos have alluded to how Hunter’s WrestleMania debut included a quick squash by Warrior. Will that happen here? Here’s a match that will best benefit by the heel winning. In fact, why not have Sheamus win so badly it causes HHH to question whether or not he’s been spending too much time making the fans laugh, and not enough time getting down to business? The return of heel Hunter? I hope so.
Winner: Sheamus

Raffi Shamir: I still can get myself to care about Sheamus. It’s up to Triple H to carry him and make me not use this match as a bathroom break. Still, I think Triple H will try to help his buddy.
Winner: Sheamus

Andrew Wheeler: Is it tacked on? Yes. Is it pointless? Yes. Is it Triple H not wrestling anywhere near the main event so as to throw off suspicion about him interfering in Shawn/Taker? Yes. This match has been penciled in for months, so let’s just be thankful it isn’t for the title. Hunter needed to wrestle Sheamus at least once, and if he is in fact going to turn heel, then he doesn’t need to worry about having a return match. Hunter is going to beat Sheamus because that’s the point of this match; respect. Sheamus got rushed up the card to the title so fast that he never got to show the boys in the back that he has any real appreciation for the business. Here, he can go out there and job away to Hunter in an effort to show that he wants to pay his dues. Had the WWE put him in the MITB, it would not only feel like a demotion for the former champion but it also would have felt odd to see him losing alongside Evan Bourne and Matt Hardy. With this match, he will get on the card, he will get a decent slot and he’ll put on a barely watchable match.
Winner: Triple H

Widro – This match was originally to be for the World title, but now it’s for nothing. It’s actually the only match without any stipulation or title on the line on the card. I think Sheamus win would help him, and a win for Hunter does nothing for him, but nonetheless…
Winner: Triple H



Money in the Bank Ladder Match:
Kane vs. Evan Bourne vs. MVP vs. Christian vs. Dolph Ziggler vs. Shelton Benjamin vs. Jack Swagger vs. Matt Hardy vs. Drew McIntyre vs. Kofi Lingston

Chris Biscuiti: Money in the Bank is always enjoyable, but I feel like this year WWE is banking on the concept of the match to promote itself rather than relying on the wrestlers to do so. In a year where the star-power is lacking and there is no clear-cut favorite, I will make my prediction with my heart and give the win to the guy who deserves to win MITB at least once for his efforts and his excellence in this match over the years: Shelton Benjamin. Does anyone else really deserve it more?
Winner: Shelton Benjamin

Kurtis R. Osterlund: Easily the weakest MITB to date. A lot of people think that McIntyre is a lock, but I just don’t see it. The only person who seems plausible to me this year is Christian (unless they add Kofi before this weekend). Whomever wins though is likely to be the first person to blow their shot sometime this year.
Winner- Christian

Iain Burnside: Fat Hardy. ROTFLMAO Ziggler. Not Shelton, never Shelton. Most Vanilla Performer. White Jumping Bean. Black Jumping Bean. Non-Amazing American. And who could forget good ol’ roly-poly Kane? No, thanks. That is a motley crew of bump machines and midcard stalwarts. Christian fits nicely into both categories. He is one of those guys that will always have a section of the fanbase advocating his potential as a main event talent. By this point in time such plans seem redundant given that the same effort could be put into pushing someone with more long-term potential. The only possible outcome that makes sense here in terms of recent storylines is a victory by the most boring Scotsman in the world, McIntyre, followed by a cash-in cock-up that can be deleted from the record books by Vince and lead to the MITB PPV in July. Reports have indicated for a while now that Vince does not see Christian as anything more than a midcard utility talent. Reports also show that Edge/McIntyre matches are in the works for the near future. Deal or no deal?
Winner – DREW MCINTYRE

Steven Gepp: Holy crap! 10 of them! This has clusterf**k written all over it, and not in a good way. I think this will be a mess of mammoth proportions, and I expect some sort of botched finish and at least half a dozen botched moves. This is the first MitB I am not actually keen to see. I think someone could get seriously hurt out there for real this time. Okay, having said that, my prediction is going to be based on long-term booking.
Winner: Christian… who uses his briefcase to go after the Tag team Titles with Edge!!

Mark Allen: Going down the list it seems as if Christian, Drew McIntyre and Kofi Kingston are the logical candidates for victory. Kane is the perennial “bridesmaid” who will always be featured in matches like this based on his seniority and longevity but his time as a true main event guy has passed. Evan Bourne is just lucky to be showcased in such an event and will be good for the highlight reel. MVP has been spinning his wheels for months now and has fallen into mid-card purgatory. Dolph Ziggler was hot six months ago but for some reason the company has cooled on him and McIntyre took his momentum. Shelton Benjamin has been nothing more than a highlight reel and mid-card attraction and body filler since 2005. Swagger, like Ziggler, saw his push stalled as well but he is young, athletic and versatile enough to rebound in the near future. And Matt Hardy saw his ship sail when his brother Jeff left the company last August. Christian comes in with a lot of momentum from his run holding ECW up in its last days and has plenty of history with Edge and Chris Jericho, which could fit him in with the World Title scene. McIntyre is the latest heel to have a rocket strapped to his ass and with the on and off-screen promotion of Vince McMahon and Shawn Michaels he looks to have a bright future. His Intercontinental Title and his badass entrance already put him in a good spot. As for Kofi, I would’ve pegged him as the winner of this match way back in October, but lately his push has all but completely stalled and barely made the match. I’ve got to go with McIntyre as the winner here. He has the most upward mobility, is a fresh opponent for Edge, Orton, Triple H or Cena (whoever is Champion) and could play the victory in a variety of ways.
Winner – McIntyre

Paul Marshall: Nine people are in this match for giggles. If the WWE is serious about the Money in the Bank PPV, then this is the one time that the winner of this match must LOSE the cash in. This is where Matt Hardy comes in. And he’ll try to cash in on the same night against a retaining Jericho, only to get caught.
Winner: Matt Hardy

Matthew Michaels – Eeny meenie miny mo. Since I think the MITB winner here will cash in the title AT Mania, and lose, I’m going with a heel. That means Ziggler or Swagger or McIntyre. Swagger would really be out of nowhere so I’m thinking no. Ziggler would be good, but his name is horrible and I can’t take him seriously, even though I think the former NICKY! is a good wrestler. Therefore McIntyre it is.
Winner: Drew

Raffi Shamir: While the Irish guy seems like a lock to win, I don’t think he’l do it. I think WWE knows that the audience hasn’t received him well as they hoped and will let him grow a little bit in his current midcard role before giving him the inevitable main event push. Christian and Matt Hardy don’t need the briefcase to brush up with the main event level and Kofi’s push seemed to cool off. This leaves me with the All American American as good winner, something that will allow them to reignite his push and test him in the top card.
Winner: Jack Swagger

Andrew Wheeler: There are just too many damn people in this match. Look back at the roster of people who competed in Wrestlemania 21’s first MITB and now look at this. There is a huge disparity between those guys and this crew. Let’s go person by person and see how it’ll all unfold. Kane is in the match because Kane is a loyal company guy and he’s always on Wrestlemania in some capacity but he isn’t winning. Bourne is getting a chance to shine on the biggest show of the year but he’s been treated like such a jobber over the past few months that I’ll be shocked if he’s in there to do anything more than one crazy 450 splash. MVP is the patron saint of wasted opportunities, and he’s on the card because Vince didn’t wanna risk putting Mark Henry on the main show. Ziggler and Swagger were the perceived golden boys, but their dramatic de-pushes killed most of their heat. Matt Hardy is…well…Matt Hardy. A year ago he was wrestling his brother (and winning), but that went nowhere in aborted push #954, so look for him to just bump a lot. Kofi would have been my pick if it weren’t for the fact that he’s done jack squat in the past few months ever since he seemed to piss of Randy Orton. Shelton is in the match to do his Spiderman leap, and that’s it. This leaves us with the only two potential winners; Christian or Drew McIntyre. If Christian were to win the MITB suitcase and cash it in later in the night to beat Batista, we could see Edge and Christian hugging in the ring to close the show. On the other hand, Drew is Vince’s prodigal child, which means he’ll probably walk away with the suitcase. Christian having the case would remind fans that he’s a big deal, but I have a sneaking suspicion that this will be the year where the MITB winner will lose when he cashes it in, so I hope it’ll be Drew.
Winner: Drew McIntyre

Widro – This bloated lineup of 10 guys is loaded with scrubs. It’s always a spectacle and should be another high spots-fest. I’d love to see Shelton win, but I feel like Christian wins.
Winner: Christian



Unified Tag Team Championship:
Big Show & The Miz (C) vs. John Morrison & R-Truth

Chris Biscuiti: This is the best tag-team title match we could have gotten this year, and I’m all for seeing matches where The Miz and Morrison square off against each other. Big Show’s presence will allow Miz to run his mouth with reckless abandon, and I love the energy and swagger that Truth & Wisdom bring to the table. I’m going to go out on a small limb here and say Truth & Morrison get the surprise win, and I’m going to go out on a bigger limb and say that NXT’s Daniel Bryan (Danielson) somehow interferes to cost Miz & Show the titles at the big dance. Now THAT would be storyline development to chew on.
Winners: Truth & Wisdom (Morrison), thanks in part to Daniel Bryan’s interference.

Kurtis R. Osterlund: I’m smelling title change courtesy of Daniel Bryan.
Winner- Morrison & R-Truth

Iain Burnside: There is next to no point in putting the tag titles onto a makeshift team of midcarders with nothing better to do and so little common ground that they cannot even come up with a decent name for them. Miz and Show have great chemistry together, a nice dynamic and the potential to make things even better should they add Maryse and her championship to the mix. With a bit of luck, however, they will get Daniel Bryan and David Otunga involved here somehow. It should not be too hard for Otunga to try and interfere only for Bryan to cut him off with a big move. That would let Bryan claim that Miz only kept his titles because of him, while Truth can get on Otunga’s case about being such a big twat.
Winners – MIZ & BIG SHOW

Steven Gepp: I like the Big Show as a tag teamer. With Jericho and now Miz he seems to have rediscovered his enjoyment of wrestling again. And he’s not fighting some fat sumo or some overhyped boxer this time – he’s actually wrestling. But the fly in the ointment is Bryan Daniel. I think he will end up costing Showmiz their titles, and thus the feud that could well carry the summer is born.
Winners: (and new champions) Morrison Truth

Mark Allen: (Submitted before the announcement of the Divas match) Thanks to the women being left off the card up until this point, it looks as if Miz and Morrison may actually have a good shot of making the pay per view proper this year. I expect the women’s match to be the dark match and these four to get a small window of time on the pay per view itself. The match got a lot of hype on SmackDown and RAW this past week and gained some valuable momentum for the bout. With so many good guys winning I expect Miz and Show to retain as they are too valuable to not have on both brands. Morrison can then turn on Truth and kick off a mid-card feud on SmackDown and rightfully but Morrison back on the side of evil.
Winners – Big Show & The Miz

Paul Marshall: The Miz has bigger things on the horizon and Big Show doesn’t have the best WrestleMania record… Advantage: Morrison/Truth.
Winners: Truth & Morrison

Matthew Michaels – I love Miz’ schtick, but time for a change here I think.
Winners: John/Killings

Raffi Shamir: My John Morrison t-shirt just arrived this weekend and I’m going to wear it on Sunday night, so I’ll be awfully pissed off if WWE will once again bury The Miz and John Morrison in the dark match. Last year was a travesty and they need to make up for it this year. The Miz still has the US Championship and Morrison/Truth will be a good way to transition the belts to the Hart Dynasty later in the spring. Yes, The Miz is awesome and Big Show dlourished as his (And Chris Jericho’s) tag partner, but Morrison needs some gold. Oh yes, and R-Truth is also there. I guess no match can be perfect.
Winners: John Morrison and R-Truth

Andrew Wheeler: Well, John Morrison really did wind up becoming the Marty of that duo, didn’t he? The Biz has seamlessly picked up the JeriShow ball and run with it, so why stop them now? They have enhanced the value of both RAW and Smackdown, and as a tandem they are actually entertaining and fresh. Morrison and Truth are a thrown together team that feels thrown together; less Jericho and Edge and more Luger and Bulldog. With that said, I’m pretty sure the WWE has to turn John Morrison heel if they are ever going to get anything out of him, so I’m thinking that’ll start by him turning on R-Truth. Maybe they lose due to miscommunication, which leads to a rematch on RAW where John can show his true colors. Not much else to say about this one.
Winner: The Biz

Widro – It’s interesting that a year after breaking up the Miz and Morrison team, both guys are now in new teams and both against each other. Despite that, this should be a really good match if its given time.
Winner: Show Miz



10-Diva Tag Team Match:
Mickie James, Kelly Kelly, Eve, Gail Kim & Beth Phoenix vs. Michelle McCool, Maryse, Layla, Alicia Fox & Vickie Guerrero

Steven Gepp: (Submitted before the announcement of the Divas match) I expect a divas match to be added. And I expect it to have teams or something. And I expect either Beth Phoenix or Michelle McCool to win somehow. But considering the Royal Rumble, let’s say…
Winner: Beth Phoenix

Mark Allen: Please tell me this is the dark match and not the Tag Title match. If there’s any justice this goes under five minutes and Beth pins Vickie to blow off their rivalry.
Winner – Beth, Mickie, Gail, Kelly and Eve

Paul Marshall: We seen something like this last week. It’s not going to be pretty. Can someone ask me why we aren’t defending the titles? Hell, I’d take Maryse v. McCool for the title unification than this garbage.
Winners: The Faces…
Real Winners: The toilets of many households.

Matthew Michaels – Pro: ten women get a piece of the WrestleMania pay-day. Con: this will likely just be filler with no chance for any of these women to work. Here’s hoping Awesome Kong comes to WWE sooner than later, to reprise her feud with Gail Kim.
Winners: Babyfaces

Raffi Shamir: God, I was really hoping that we wouldn’t have to sit through one of these things this year, and then WWE had to shatter my hopes just days before the event.
Winners: the faces

Andrew Wheeler: Hey, we knew there had to be a Diva’s match. Eve should pin Maryse to continue their little storyline thing and keep the fans happy. Either that or Vickie pins Beth Phoenix. Nah, I’ll go with the faces winning and them all keeping it short.
Winner: Beth, Mickie, Gail, Kelly and Eve

Kurtis R. Osterlund: I just hope it’s not the crap they put out on RAW this past week.
Winner- All of them for getting a Mania payday. Probably the face team.

Widro – Should be a short match where all the girls either get in a signature spot or just have a big scmozz.
Winner: Face Divas

With this loaded card, Wrestlemania 26 has the potential to be the greatest of all times or the most disappointing of all times. You are welcomed to join us here at Pulse Wrestling for live coverage of everything that will happen on Sunday night.