Will John Cena be the last man standing when he goes one-on-one with Ryback for the first time ever?
Here are my predictions for tonight's show:
Chris Jericho vs. Fandango
Fandango has arguably, gained more momentum than anyone else coming off of his Wrestlemania win over Chris Jericho last month. His debut was a massive success and his entrance theme has become an iconic part of modern WWE lore. That being said, they could have done better with the match itself. There was a bit of sloppiness in some of the finishing sequences and even though it's a small nitpick to most, for me, I think the true goal here is to cement Fandango a bit more as a major player heading forward. Look for much more work to be put in between the ropes here before the WWE's resident dancing queen defeats the legendary Canadian grappler for a second time.
Winner: Fandango
Extreme Rules match: Randy Orton vs. The Big Show
This match has garnered little to no interest from most viewers and with good reason. Both Randy Orton and Big Show have absolutely nothing to gain from a win here. The buildup has been pretty much the same as Orton's match with Kane from last year's event with Orton looking to get revenge on a much larger opponent for the events surrounding his loss at Wrestlemania. Let's just hope that like last year, Orton carries his opponent to a very fun match that is a nice chunk of worthy filler. Just don't bet on this one stealing the show.
Winner: Randy Orton
Tornado Tag match for the WWE Tag Team Championship: Team Hell No (Kane & Daniel Bryan)(c) vs. The Shield (Seth Rollins & Roman Reigns)
Kane and Daniel Bryan have held onto the WWE Tag Team Championship for over 240 days. That may sound surprising to some, but credit should be given to these two for bringing some sort of excitement and prestige back to the titles in their time as champions. They have been the most prolific WWE tag team of the decade thus far and their legacy is already well established. Still, The Shield has picked the duo apart on multiple occasions and we should expect tonight's match to be no different.
Winners and NEW WWE Tag Team Champions: Seth Rollins & Roman Reigns
Strap match: Sheamus vs Mark Henry
Even though this match doesn't have much of a story going in, it's my pick for the sleeper hit of the night. Sheamus has been one of the most reliable WWE workhorses over the past year or so and along with the likes of CM Punk, Antonio Cesaro and Daniel Bryan, I count him as one of the most consistent performers in the entire company. Another thing he specializes in is pulling phenomenal matches out of super heavyweights like Henry. Bet on this one being a hell of a fight.
Winner: Sheamus
United States Championship match: Kofi Kingston(c) vs. Dean Ambrose
Although my support for Ambrose has been well-documented since his arrival in the WWE, I'm surprised to say that I find myself a bit torn on who I want to win here. The idea of Ambrose winning his first singles championship is mouth watering for me as a fan, but Kofi Kingston has been turning in some of his best work this decade in his run as US champ. His title win and subsequent speech on the first episode of Main Event this month was some of the best WWE television of the year. But Ambrose is unlike anyone he's ever been in the ring with. And with The Shield firmly behind him, there's little Kingston is going to be able to do to walk out of the Scottrade Center still the United States champion. Look for the Hounds Of Justice to capture every second tier title RAW (or is it Smackdown? Fuck...I don't even know anymore...) has to offer tonight and continue on as the most dominant force in the WWE.
Winner and NEW United States Champion: Dean Ambrose
"I Quit" match to determine the #1 Contender for Dolph Ziggler's World Heavyweight Championship: Jack Swagger vs. Alberto Del Rio
These two have had a great series of matches together that seem to increase in quality with each outing, but as I had mentioned in my review of Wrestlemania last month, there is just something off about their chemistry for me. I always have a hard time getting into their matches emotionally. I have no doubt in my mind that this could be one of the top two or three for the evening, but it's not on my most anticipated list. Most seem to think Del Rio is the clear favorite here, but I'm going to go out on a limb and say that I'd rather Jack Swagger pick up the "W". Swagger-Ziggler could turn into a very good program given all of their history and with Ziggler's short hiatus due to an injury from the All-American American, you've got the perfect starting point.
Winner: Jack Swagger
Last Man Standing match for the WWE Championship: John Cena(c) vs. Ryback
John Cena has pretty much outclassed Ryback in every possible way in the weeks leading up to this event. It's not that Ryback hasn't thrived a bit since turning his back on the fans because he's still been impressive against elite opponents like Chris Jericho & Daniel Bryan but, for me, he just doesn't seem to have enough in the tank to outlast Cena in this type of matchup. If I'm not mistaken, Cena's only loss in a LMS match was against Edge in 2009. And the Rated "R" Superstar had a huge assist from The Big Show when he defeated him. Add in the fact that Cena's been able to beat bigger and badder superstars (the likes of Batista and JBL) in some of his more prominent LMS matches, and the odds are immensely in the champ's favor here.
Winner: John Cena
Steel Cage match: Triple H vs. Brock Lesnar
I wouldn't be surprised if this one closed the show because it's likely going to be the most violent match of the night. I would also say that it benefits from the best build and has a bit more of an unpredictability factor than every other big match on the card. Win or lose, Lesnar has looked like an absolute wrecking machine in his first three matches back and regardless of the outcome, Triple H is going to have to do his best to survive here. It also seems as if this will be their final encounter. And with the current score being 1-1 between these two legends, they're going to look to tear the place apart for the right to say they were the better man. Some may give the edge to HHH with his well-documented success rate in cage matches, but the last person I'd ever want to be locked in there with will be the man standing in his way.
Winner: Brock Lesnar
The Verdict
On paper, this card has every bit the potential of last year's Extreme Rules event. Yet still it pales in comparison when you look at the level of excitement going in. Last year had the electric return of Brock Lesnar and his great mini-feud with John Cena. There was also the intense and deeply personal WWE title match between CM Punk & Chris Jericho and a brilliant 2 out of 3 Falls match that saw Daniel Bryan take Sheamus to finishing school. All three of those matches made it in to last year's Top 25. I don't see that happening here. The deck is stacked, but there's no buzz in the air. I'm not saying it won't be a great show, but I'm not willing to pay $50 to find out. Sad to say, this will be the first WWE event that has failed to get a recommendation from me in a long while.
Verdict: No Buy
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