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So it’s possible, even likely, that I’m going to get all of these wrong.
1. Mojo Rawley vs. Zack Ryder (Pre-Show)
Mojo Rawley is going to be a good heel and, on a show lacking heels, this could result in a good push. He has a heel’s offence (repetitive and slow) and Rawley is actually a good promo when he’s given a little license to relax.
Whether or not this match will be good or not really depends on the crowd. If the people aren’t willing to get behind Ryder, surely the whole story of this match, then this match is going to be viewed very negatively. Usually on the pre show the faces win but this should definitely be Mojo’s time to shine.
Winner: Mojo Rawley
2. The Usos vs. The New Day vs. Gable & Benjamin vs. Rusev Day (Smackdown Tag Team Championships)
This is going to be absolute carnage, particular with the rule in place that one member of each team must be legally in the match at all times. This means that we could very much end on a double pin situation where the ref counts one set of shoulders down when another set are being legally pinned.
Naturally this gives us the ideal chance for The Usos to lose the titles without being beaten. It also means that The New Day can be protected. In particular, the presence of Rusev Day gives us a particular outsider in Aidan English who seems an ideal person to take the pin.
There are a lot of possible finishes but I think this might just be the ideal time to complete the face turn for The Usos and the heel turn for Gable & Benjamin. A win for Gable & Benjamin allows The Usos to chase a heel tag team for a little while.
Winner: Gable & Benjamin
3. Charlotte vs. Natalya (Smackdown Women’s Championship Lumberjack Match)
There’s no way those lumberjacks (Jills, Jacks?) aren’t getting involved, so really short of Natalya taking the title via lumberjack shenanigans, which I don’t see because I think Charlotte will be taking the title forward into mania, this has to end in a no contest. The match could and should be thrown out due to lumberjack interruptions.
It’s going to be one of those half and half things. Half a good match, half an overbooked mess. Ruby Riott is definitely standing tall at the end of this.
Winner: No Contest
4. Breezango vs. Bludgeon Brothers
Lot of Bs in this one.
Winner: Bludgeon Brothers
5. Baron Corbin vs. Dolph Ziggler vs. Bobby Roode (U.S. Championship)
As I see it, the presence of Dolph Ziggler will guarantee us a better match and at least gives him something to do. Ziggler is a well known face who simply doesn’t have bad matches. Add to that that Corbin’s best work is in no DQ and triple threat matches and we should be in for something pretty good actually.
The question really is what next? If Roode takes the title he feuds with Corbin for a little longer. A win for Corbin means more of Roode vs. Ziggler. A Ziggler win means he goes against Corbin. None of these seem all that appealing to me purely because these three men are trapped in an endless spiral.
Meanwhile, Rawley, Ryder and Dillinger are the logical next competitors for the title. They can all line up against any of these men. A lot could happen here.
That said, Corbin is still relatively new to the title. He’s been lined up, this year alone, to eliminate Strowman from the Rumble, take on Ambrose at mania, Cena at Summerslam and got a big victory over The Miz at Survivor Series. It’s time for people to start taking him seriously.
Winner: Baron Corbin
6. A.J. Styles vs. Jinder Mahal (WWE Championship)
Mahal hasn’t so much failed as been failed given that he has had barely any involvement in the main event scene for months. It was all going so well and then Shane McMahon was more important.
Styles has had a rough year. He’s taken a lot of losses to people that you wouldn’t expect but he is now WWE Champion again.
The expected route to mania is Styles vs. Nakamura. Meanwhile Mahal’s expected opponent would be John Cena. If those things are going to happen they need to hurry up and start those stories going. Throwing a title change in the mix doesn’t suit anyone.
Winner: A.J. Styles
7. Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn vs. Randy Orton & Shinsuke Nakamura
Eurgh. There are six players in total in this match and Shinsuke Nakamura is less important than anyone, including either ref. Eurgh.
Rumours abound about a Daniel Bryan heel turn. I do not see that happening. WWE are aware of the reactions that they get now so they know that they can’t turn Bryan. Meanwhile, Shane is a McMahon. All McMahons are natural heels. Everybody wants to boo a McMahon, especially in today’s anti super-rich climate. Shane McMahon has essentially been playing heel for a while now.
Logically, ZOwens are going to stay heel. That makes sense. But Daniel Bryan doesn’t need to turn heel with them. A Ring of Honor invasion storyline is not guaranteed to happen.
I just want to remind everyone of that one more time. A Ring of Honor invasion storyline is not guaranteed to happen. Sure, it might, but let’s not make all our predictions based on that, shall we?
I think ZOwens are guaranteed the win. Being fair, Zayn has already been announced for the Mixed Match Challenge, where I would hope he partners Carmella.
I daresay we might see Daniel Bryan taking an RKO though.
Winner: Owens
I’ll see you for another live Twitter session during Clash Of Champions 2017.
NOW CHECK OUT THE PREVIOUS COLUMN: WWE SURVIVOR SERIES 2017 PREDICTIONS – Tom Gets it Wrong: Raw vs. Smackdown, keeping score on which brand will “reign supreme” tonight
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