Ladies and gentlemen (let’s not kid ourselves, mostly gentlemen) welcome to what will likely become a monthly feature, which is me previewing WWE pay per views. This is a fun one since I will be there live. Please check out my blog itswilltime.wordpress.com over the weekend where I will offer in arena updates and pictures from Staples Center on Sunday. Before we get into the matches, let’s check out where we’ve been.
The Nexus has been running roughshod over WWE Raw. Every week it seems that they are claiming new victims and no one has been able to stop them. After refusing a accept a truce offered by John Cena, The Nexus was confronted by a team of seven WWE Superstars who were willing to take them on. Of course, the team went through it’s own problems and a member has been eliminated, but that is what makes it fun.
On the Smackdown side, Kane has been dominating the roster in search of his brother, The Undertaker’s attacker. As he has been accusing the entire roster, Kane himself has avoided scrutiny, until he accused Rey Mysterio. Rey turned around and said that Kane himself must have been the attacker. This story is set to come to a head at Summerslam.
Intercontinental Championship
Dolph Ziggler (c) vs Kofi Kingston
I was surprised when Ziggler won the IC Title on Smackdown, instead of holding off until Summerslam. Dolph has been fighting for the last year to hold this championship and I do not think it’s time for him to lose it. WWE has also worked hard on establishing the new, more aggressive Kofi Kingston. I think Kofi gets himself disqualified here and although we will get a screwy finish, it’s better than Dolph losing the title right back to Kingston. Moving forward perhaps MVP feuds with Ziggler and Kofi moves into a program with Jack Swagger.
Diva’s Championship
Alicia Fox (c) vs Melina
So Melina returns and is instantly thrust into the title picture that she vacated. Alicia Fox has been passable as a champion, but it is very difficult to be anything more than that when they are barely given ten minutes on the average episode of Raw. I really couldn’t care either way about this match and I’ll likely use this match to check out the merchandise stands in Staples Center. I’ll go ahead and say Fox retains through some sort of cheating and Melina continues to chase the title.
The Straight Edge Society vs The Big Show
I think this match was meant the be Punk vs Show, but Punk is still healing from surgery on his arm. To me, this match is meant for Show to look dominant against Gallows and Mercury and for CM Punk to lock in the victory. This feud continues to a singles match.
World Heavyweight Championship
Kane (c) vs Rey Mysterio
I laid out the story for this one earlier in this column. Basically, this match is to set up The Undertaker’s return. I see Kane retaining, since Mysterio does not need to be a three time champion. I also see this being the match that puts Mysterio out for long enough to get his much needed knee surgery. Moving on from here, Kane will feud with The Undertaker and retire within the next year.
WWE Championship Match
Sheamus (c) vs Randy Orton
This match is a difficult one to predict. I see the top matches on the card mainly going for the heels and WWE likes to send people home happy. This would be the one match that I see WWE gearing towards the face winning. Sheamus is on fire as WWE champion. Where many other stars might have faded into the background with The Nexus program happening, Sheamus has held his own remarkably well. Randy Orton is finally catching on as a major babyface after his injury caused a false start. I would hate to see a screwy finish that would make this match a no contest. I am fine with either star winning this one. Call it a hunch, but I feel Randy Orton winning and the Staples Center crowd having something to leave smiling about.
Seven on Seven Elimination Match
John Cena, John Morrison, Chris Jericho, Edge, Bret Hart, R-Truth and ?????? vs The Nexus
First of all, I suppose I should give a guess for the seventh man, which plays directly into my match prediction. I think The Miz will come through and be the seventh man for Team WWE. He will get a huge pop in LA and hopefully there will be a very loud “Miz is Awesome” chant. As the match plays out, The Nexus will have the opportunity to dominate and get a few key eliminations. There will be a babyface comeback and Team WWE will boil down to The Miz and John Cena. The Nexus will still have three or four members left (including Wade Barrett). The Miz will get frustrated with Cena and walk out on him. Cena will eliminate a couple Nexus members single-handedly, but succumb to Barrett. The Nexus wins the first encounter between these teams.
That’s the show to me folks! I will be there live in the arena for Summerslam and Monday Night Raw the following night. Check out my blog itswilltime.wordpress.com for some of the first pictures from the arena and a few live thoughts throughout the evening. Let me know your predictions in the comments and enjoy Summerslam 2010!
