It's that time again for the Grandest Stage of Them All...WrestleMania! There are currently nine matches scheduled for April 3 in Atlanta. Here are my predictions and thoughts for each match. I usually base my predictions off what seems logical -- which probably means I go 3-6 or something for the PPV. But whatever.
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Wade Barrett, Justin Gabriel, Heath Slater, & Ezekiel Jackson vs. Santino Marella, Vladimir Kozlov, The Big Show, & Kane: First of all, Kane doing Santino's trombone victory celebration on the 3/28 RAW was absolutely hilarious. This match seemingly was put together at the last minute; to my knowledge, it was only announced on TV on the 3/28 RAW. Corre needs the win here for people to keep taking them seriously as a threat. They have good talent (IC champion and Tag champions), but a loss would really hurt. Prediction: Corre
Sheamus vs. Daniel Bryan (U.S. Title): Well, at least Daniel Bryan has a match on the card, so I'm happy there. I'm a bit surprised Sheamus has been demoted a bit to the U.S. Title, only because he had won King of the Ring (and I thought would go into a little program with HHH over who was the real king). I must say that the U.S. belt at least is a decent consolation prize. I hope Sheamus, being a two-time former WWE champion, will bring some prestige to the belt. Sheamus should retain here; he just won the belt and Daniel Bryan could hopefully get into a more high-profile program (sorry, Gail Kim, I'm not really sold on this whole relationship thing; it's not even getting a lot of attention right now anyway). If this match gets 15 solid minutes, I'll be happy regardless of who wins. Prediction: Sheamus (retains title)
Rey Mysterio vs. Cody Rhodes: I think this feud has been built up well. What basically started as an accident (Mysterio's knee brace striking the former "Dashing" one in the nose) has turned serious. I really like Cody's new demeanor, but, as much as I hate to admit it, his "Smoke & Mirrors" theme was a heck of a lot better than what he has now. I wouldn't be surprised to see Dusty Rhodes involved in some way (directly or indirectly), but a win would benefit Cody a heck of a lot more here. Give it about 15 minutes and we'll have a real nice match. Prediction: Cody Rhodes
John Morrison, Trish Stratus, & Snooki vs. Dolph Ziggler, Michelle McCool, & Layla: I personally don't like Snooki being a part of a wrestling match at Mania. Celebrity appearance? Sure. Wrestling? No. It's pretty safe to say Morrison and Ziggler will be doing a lot of the work in this one. To me, the finish will either have one of LayCool pinning Trish or Morrison beating Ziggler. I'll go with Morrison winning, since LayCool is already doing well for themselves and they don't really need any more accolades (pinning a 7-time Women's champion) to add to their list of accomplishments. And besides, the celebrity should be on the winning end at a big event, right? Prediction: Morrison/Stratus/Snooki
Jerry Lawler vs. Michael Cole: Jack Swagger is in Cole's corner, while Stone Cold is the special referee for this one. WWE has done an excellent job to build the hype for this match. Cole has so much crowd heat right now that anything Lawler does to Cole will get a HUGE reaction. I've read reports that Cole will assume a regular commentating role (perhaps keeping his heel announcing character) without the "Cole Mine" after Mania. There is no doubt in my mind that Lawler is winning this one. The only questions I have are: (1) how many stunners will we see? (2) how many beers will Stone Cold drink? (3) does Josh Mathews stay on the RAW broadcast team after Mania? I'm assuming a lot of stunners, a lot of beers, and Josh stays. Prediction: Jerry Lawler
Randy Orton vs. CM Punk: Another match given great buildup. Personally, I don't believe I'm alone when I say that Orton taking New Nexus out one by one was stupid. it really makes the entire group look like a joke when one man (already established as a firm main eventer) can do so much. I feel that Punk must win here at Mania to keep any believability in the New Nexus. Orton doesn't need a win; he's way over with the crowd and the feud would be done. I might expect some underhanded tactic from Punk to aid his victory. Prediction: CM Punk
Edge vs. Alberto Del Rio (World Heavyweight Title): I've read that Edge started 5-0 at Mania, but has dropped his last four contests on the Grandest Stage. If WWE doesn't put the title on Alberto, it would seriously shock me -- not because the Royal Rumble winner has gone on to win the WWE title or WHC more often than not, but because WWE has booked Del Rio so well from day one. A lot of people knew it was only a matter of time before ADR would get a World Title match, and now he has it. I'm expecting four stars or so for this one.
Christian is extremely likely to get involved, and it wouldn't surprise me to have Christian "accidentally" cost Edge his title so they can feud. I can only hope Edge/Christian feud, so maybe we can have someone like Kofi Kingston step in to challenge ADR (and what will Kofi even do at Mania, if anything?!). Prediction: Alberto Del Rio (new champion)
The Miz vs. John Cena (WWE Title): I've loved the buildup for this, not just because Rock is involved, but because WWE has booked Miz so strong against Cena. I'm not sure how this match will really turn out. Yes, Miz and Cena are capable of putting on a great match, but I wonder how Rock will get involved (he's basically guaranteed to after what happened on the 3/28 RAW). I'm sure we'll see a Rock Bottom and a People's Elbow, for ol' time's sake.
Who wins this match will depend on its place on the card. Either this match will go last, or Taker/HHH. I personally want Miz to retain here. After all, WWE just gave him a new custom belt, and a loss to Cena would really just put us back at Square One -- and much of the crowd would riot. Thus, I am assuming Taker/HHH will be last on the card and Miz retains, likely after a good four-star affair. Prediction: The Miz (retains title)
The Undertaker vs. Triple H (No Holds Barred): Again, excellent buildup for this one. I know Taker is still not fully healed from his surgery (which is why no physicality has resulted between the two yet), but it's better off that there are no blows between the two just yet. Having the match be No Holds Barred will erase many of the limitations Taker still has at the show, and will allow for a lot more scenarios to develop.
Shawn Michaels will obviously be in attendance (all the Hall of Famers will make cameos at some point in the show anyway), and he is the wild card in all this. Based off what was said on the 3/28 RAW, HBK will probably get involved and, on at least one occasion, superkick HHH, either by accident or on purpose. HBK might even do the same at some point to Taker.
The bottom line here: The Streak is not ending. It would be a mistake for a future Hall of Famer to end it (and more of a mistake to have a future HOFer and a current HOFer in HBK) to finish off a streak that will not be approached. To me, Taker will win via Tombstone to go 19-0, then win once more at next year's Mania and retire 20-0. That would be the perfect sendoff for the Deadman. As for HHH, he probably will "die" trying -- and will eat maybe 2-3 Tombstones and 2-3 Sweet Chin Musics before staying down. it might be a way to end his in-ring career too, as HHH probably will transition in a more full-time manner to the WWE corporate side.
This is unlikely to get five stars, but I'm still expecting at least four. Prediction: The Undertaker
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