|
4/1/2022 WWE WrestleMania 38 BreakDownZ: Reigns/Lesnar, Cody Return, and The Trouble Behind A Two-Night ManiaRead Now Triple Z returns to predict the two-night WrestleMania 38. WrestleMania 38 is right around the corner. The grandest stage of them all will heralding from Dallas, Texas at AT&T Stadium. The last WrestleMania in Dallas was WrestleMania 32 and it wasn't a great show despite having great potential. The night ended with overwhelming boos for Roman Reigns, the man who is in the night two main event for WrestleMania 38. WWE is feeling aftermath of thinning their roster as they struggle to fill the card for a two-night Mania. It makes me wonder if WrestleMania 39 will just be one night and have the best matches possible. If this year's WrestleMania was only one night I think it would've looked like this:
But anyways it's time for predictions... The New Day vs Ridge Holland & Sheamus Remember when Kofi Kingston had a major match against Daniel Bryan at WrestleMania? Remember when The New Day was one of the biggest acts in WWE? Now they are here. I don't see them winning this one either. I see a European stable forming with Ridge Holland, Sheamus, and Butch (Pete Dunne) with room for more WWE European talent to join. Winners: Sheamus and Ridge Holland RKBro vs Street Profits vs Alpha Academy This match has major potential. Randy Orton has had a career resurgence starting with the 2020 Royal Rumble moving forward. Riddle is tremendous. The Street Profits are a true tag team and entertaining. I love that WWE finally gave Chad Gable a shot and he ran with it. Alpha Academy is good but selfishly I hope for another Otis babyface run in the future. The rumors were that Riddle vs Randy Orton was originally planned for WrestleMania. That would've been an awesome match and maybe they will wait to do it next year or at SummerSlam. I think we see the Street Profits walk away with the RAW Tag Team titles here. Winners: The Street Profits The Uso's vs Shinsuke Nakamura & Rick Boogs Another tag team match? Who's booking this show? Tony Khan? I get it's for the SmackDown Tag Team titles but I currently have no interest in this match which is quite sad as I do like Shinsuke Nakamura. But I'm going to lean on the side of The Uso's winning. Winners: The Uso's Drew McIntyre vs Happy Corbin Drew McIntyre was a made man at WWE Royal Rumble 2020. He helped WWE through the pandemic era and how is he repaid? He's been stuck in boring feuds with Jinder Mahal and Happy Corbin. Just a couple months ago, Drew McIntyre was mentioned on the same level as Roman Reigns. At one point many including myself thought Drew would be the one to dethrone The Tribal Chief. For the sake of Drew I just hope he wins the match and the crowd reacts good. Winner: Drew McIntyre Pat McAfee vs Austin Theory Pat McAfee taking on Austin Theory will be good. Just for the spectacle of it all. I don't know if Austin Theory can carry a match as good as Adam Cole but this match still should be alright. I actually think unlike the other celebrities participating at WrestleMania, Pat will probably put Austin Theory over. Winner: Austin Theory Liv Morgan & Rhea Ripley vs Carmella & Zelina vs Sasha Banks & Naomi vs Natalya & Shayna Bazsler WWE doesn't value the Women's Tag Team Titles at all. I feel like every WrestleMania it's been the same style of four way match. There's never been a one on one clash. Granted a fatal four tag match is a good way to stuff people on the card. With all that being said, Sasha Banks and Naomi have to be winning this. Sasha Banks is increasingly becoming more and more mainstream and she's currently winless at WrestleMania. I can't see her going another year without a win. Winners: Sasha Banks and Naomi The Mysterio's vs The Miz and Logan Paul Curious to see how Logan Paul does in the ring. The Miz is a phenomenal talent and I hope he gets another top reign eventually. I can't see Logan Paul and The Miz losing this match. Also what's next for Rey? I kinda want to see him have some more classic matches without Dominik before he finally hangs up the mask. Winners: The Miz and Logan Paul Sami Zayn vs Johnny Knoxville The match should be pure comedy. Credit to Sami Zayn for finding ways to stay over with WWE management. On that note I don't see Johnny Knoxville losing this. Winner: Johnny Knoxville Bobby Lashley vs Omos The clash of the behemoths. I gotta go with Omos here. I feel like he's going to be a big star. Winner: Omos Seth Rollins vs Mystery Opponent Mystery opponent has to be Cody Rhodes, and I hope this major WrestleMania match kicks off a great run for The American Nightmare inside WWE. Seth Rollins has been awesome the past few months. I still can't get his SHIELD entrance/mind games from the Royal Rumble out of my head. Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins should create magic at Mania. I just hope we get the full Cody experience inside WWE. The music and all. Despite Rollins phenomenal creative work I don't see Cody losing in this massive homecoming match. Baffling that AEW let him go but thankfully he helped elevate a ton of stars while he was there. Winner: Cody Rhodes Edge vs AJ Styles This feels like a true WrestleMania match. Not just something thrown together last minute. This match feels worthy for this event. Although it's time to nitpick. WWE has a serious theme song issue and changing Edge's iconic theme (and subsequent pop) doesn't help. The theme song changes drive me nuts and especially in this case where Edge is a legend and his music fits both for a babyface and a heel. I think AJ Styles is getting the big win here. He seems like a safe bet to go over. Winner: AJ Styles The KO Show with Stone Cold I'm just curious about this segment. Will Stone Cold be more physical than normal? What's the sell here? Other than Stone Cold Steve Austin stunning Kevin Owens and the crowd going nuts? Or will it be exactly that? I just want to see how it all plays out. Do we see something unfold on night two or is this segment just being done to send the crowd home happy on night one because they are worried Rousey/Flair won't deliver? Becky Lynch vs Bianca Belair This is a big time match and it should be good if given the time. This match feels worthy for Mania. I think Bianca Belair is going to win here. This will send Becky Lynch on a spiral and back to being a babyface. WWE forcing Becky to be a heel when she came back didn't make a whole lot of sense even though she's good in any role that she is given. I wouldn't be surprised if post-Mania we see Becky become that babyface again ahead to her inevitable clash with Ronda Rousey. Winner: Bianca Belair Charlotte Flair vs Ronda Rousey Is Ronda Rousey on the decline? There doesn't seem to be a ton of major hype around her ahead of Mania. I'm concerned that Becky Lynch vs Ronda Rousey may never happen but it has to right? I can't see WWE having Charlotte Flair win again. I have no clue what to expect from this match. I just hope Ronda is able to regain her momentum. Winner: Ronda Rousey Brock Lesnar vs Roman Reigns Brock Lesnar has faced Roman Reigns plenty of times before. What will make this match different? That's my question. For starters, Reigns is finally in a good role as the heel Tribal Chief. If Roman Reigns conquers Brock Lesnar in brutal fashion it should lead to one thing. The Rock. That's really the only way this WrestleMania can end is with Roman Reigns defeating Brock Lesnar and proclaiming that there is no one left to stop him. Only for his cousin to come out and challenge him at next year's WrestleMania. It just makes too much sense, and it would be box office. It would be a big creative win for WWE as well. I also hope babyface Brock Lesnar continues. He's been a revelation for WWE. But I believe Roman Reigns winning on Sunday will solidify his place as one of the greats, and his inevitable feud of The Rock will be must-see TV (something that WWE weekly programming desperately needs). Winner: Roman Reigns Folow @ZWrestleTalk and @TripleZ_87
0 Comments
 Triple Z predicts WWE's SummerSlam. It's been a long long time since I've written some predictions for wrestling. After taking a hiatus due to the terrible ThunderDome era. I am now back giving my PPV predictions for a WWE PPV. But even the return to the live crowds it still doesn't feel like SummerSlam to me? Roman Reigns taking on John Cena should be epic and Seth Rollins taking on Edge will be something we never thought we'd get a chance to see. But still this weekend doesn't feel like SummerSlam weekend and outside of those two stories it doesn't seem anything too out of the ordinary is going on. It's sad that AEW Rampage may cast that big of a shadow over SummerSlam as CM Punk will likely debut on the program this Friday. That should effectively steal all the headlines from WWE over the weekend unless something crazy happens. But now I will attempt to predict SummerSlam an event that should feel much grander than it is. The card does have a ton of potential but it just seems like the company doesn't want to use any natural momentum they might've had. AJ Styles & Omos vs RK-Bro I'm actually high on the four guys in this matchup (no Riddle pun intended). I think Omos has great potential to be a major player in the coming years, AJ Styles and Randy Orton are awesome veterans, and Riddle may be one of the few NXT talents that has been allowed to thrive on the main roster. I think it's easy to tell that Styles and Omos should certainly retain. Orton verse Riddle is a money match that could be saved for WrestleMania if WWE decides to use longterm storytelling. Winners: Omos and AJ Styles Alexa Bliss vs Eva Marie My prediction is you get "We Want Wyatt" chants throughout the match. It's a little weird Alexa Bliss is still doing a Bray Wyatt gimmick after his departure. It almost reminds me of how when Dusty Rhodes passed away everyone wanted Cody Rhodes to ditch the Stardust gimmick and become Cody Rhodes again. I have the same feeling with Bliss. Without having Wyatt this particular gimmick is a little unnecessary for someone as talented as Alexa Bliss. As for this matchup? I have no clue where they are going with it. Eva Marie feels like a fish out of water in today's WWE. Her place doesn't make a ton of sense because there is no Total Divas anymore. I get she has the look of a superstar but the whole situation feels random. That's why I have to go with Bliss. Winner: Alexa Bliss Drew McIntyre vs Jinder Mahal Poor Drew McIntyre. He tried his best to carry WWE through one of its darkest eras and how does the emerging star get repaid for all his work? A feud with Jinder Mahal and a spiral down the card. I still believe Drew can be a main event player but if WWE isn't careful they could end up botching what was becoming another star on the level of Roman Reigns... Winner: Drew McIntyre Sheamus vs Damian Priest Have Priest win the championship. Just do it. Winner: Damian Priest Edge vs Seth Rollins We all love talking about dream matches. This is one of them. I think Edge needs this win more than Rollins. I could see this feud progressing into Mania if they really want it too. Actually most of the SummerSlam matchups I could see being what they do for WrestleMania... unless we get some major changes. Edge and Seth Rollins should steal the show. I'm excited to see what these two can do in the ring together. Outside of Roman Reigns and Daniel Bryan this is the first fresh face Edge will be facing since he made his triumphant return to WWE. Edge should be able to put Rollins a way here even if this is just the first chapter to a longer feud. Winner: Edge Sasha Banks vs Bianca Belair This one is a tossup. There is some rumors that the match may not happen for whatever reason this Saturday, If that happens well this prediction won't make too much sense. But I can't see Banks losing again on a big stage. Bianca's reign has been great but it's always good to trade the title back and forth sometimes. I think modern pro wrestling gets too lost in the fact that every "good" champion needs a 300 day reign and that simply isn't true. Some reigns are better when they are shorter and full of highlight matches rather than longer and uneventful. Not to mention AEW again but the problem I can't get behind Miro's reign as TNT Champion is because it feels like no one will beat him for a while and that makes every single one of his matches uneventful. Having Belair lose here would be good. It would add another chapter into their iconic rivalry. Also Sasha Banks potentially feuding with Becky Lynch at WrestleMania could be a big money match. Winner: Sasha Banks The Mysterios vs The Usos I don't see The Uso's losing here. Winner: The Uso's Bobby Lashley vs Goldberg
Charlotte Flair vs Nikki ASH vs Rhea Ripley The prime example of the NXT to main roster disconnect is Rhea Ripley. She literally has everything she needs yet WWE can't book her in a way to get her massively over again. I personally don't think Nikki ASH is working. I don't think it works at all but for that reason I am picking Nikki ASH to win this match. Winner: Nikki ASH Roman Reigns vs John Cena It's a difficult choice here.
Do you keep the title on Reigns who has an impressive run so far or do you give Cena his historic 17th title reign? I guess we have to factor in what the WrestleMania plans may be. Big E also has the Money in the Bank briefcase. But it's unclear if he's going to go after Reigns or Lashley. It's also unclear if Cena is going to stick around after SummerSlam and through WrestleMania season. This should be a phenomenal match. I hope it gets a good amount of time and they really show out. Could this match end with a twist? With all that being said. I feel like I have to go with Reigns. Winner: Roman Reigns I hope SummerSlam is a great show on Saturday. I'm also excited to see if AEW: Rampage lives up to the hype. I'll be back soon to write about it but in the meantime... Follow @ZWrestleTalk on Twitter Follow @TripleZ_87 on Twitter  It's officially WrestleMania time. Triple Z returns to give his predictions for the two night spectacular which will be streaming on Peacock for the first time. WrestleMania 37 is almost here! We are finally going to witness a WWE event with fans and real reactions. I'm pumped and hopefully we see fans come back in the coming months because ThunderDome WWE is just atrocious to watch. We got a big card which spans over two nights. This is also the first WrestleMania to ever stream on NBCUniversal's Peacock. RIP WWE Network, you changed the game. I'm going to miss the WWE Network for many reasons. I just sincerely hope Peacock doesn't crash on both nights. This truly will be a WrestleMania like no other and hopefully it's the beginning of the end of the pandemic era WWE. Disclaimer: The card may change and be updated after the posting of this blog. Things change quick over WrestleMania weekend. Tag Team Turmoil Rumors have it that Carmella and Billie Kay are going to get added to this match. Poor Peyton Royce really got the bad end of the IIconics breakup. This Tag Team Turmoil match is obviously a card-filler and the winner will face Shayna Baszler and Nia Jax at night two of WrestleMania. I don't really have anyone I'm particularly rooting for. I'm just assuming Naomi and Lana are going to win due to the fact Lana has been tied into a feud with Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler for months. Winners: Lana and Naomi Kevin Owens vs Sami Zayn I guess Logan Paul is going to be involved in this match? Hey, I give WWE credit for trying to make the product more and more mainstream. Maybe this will work? Kevin Owens taking on Sami Zayn is a win-win scenario. I think if given the time both guys will shine. I'm thinking Kevin Owens will get a defiant victory at WrestleMania this year and maybe just maybe babyface Sami Zayn can return. Winner: Kevin Owens Big E vs Apollo Crews A NIGERIAN DRUM FIGHT? What more can you ask for? I have no clue what that is but it definitely seems like the type of match you have at WrestleMania. Apollo Crews' new gimmick might've just saved his entire WWE career. Apollo Crews went from this talented but often forgot about player within WWE to someone who can potentially hold the Intercontinental and even the World championship someday. You got to feel for Big E though. It seemed like during the lead-up to the Royal Rumble and this WrestleMania season that a lot of fans were pulling for Big E vs Roman Reigns for the championship. That no longer is the case but it will be interesting if Big E heads into the main event scene after this feud with Apollo Crews or will he just rejoin The New Day full time? Winner: Apollo Crews Riddle vs Sheamus Riddle has somehow survived scandal and has made it to point where he is a consistent part of the main roster show. That takes a lot considering a lot of NXT talents fizzle out super quick. Despite having a scandal it seems like Riddle is well-liked backstage. Riddle is the United States Champion and he will be facing Sheamus at night two of WrestleMania. I can't imagine Riddle losing this. Winner: Riddle Asuka vs Rhea Ripley I don't see any way where Asuka wins this. Her title reign has become stale in the last few months and it's time for WWE to give a major title run to Rhea Ripley anyways. It just makes sense to have Rhea Ripley beat Asuka at WrestleMania and have Charlotte Flair waiting in the wings for the post-Mania feud. It's funny that Rhea Ripley and Bianca Belair are showing major parallels to John Cena and Batista when they first became household attractions. That's an excellent sign for WWE though. WWE desperately needs their next John Cena and Batista. Winner: Rhea Ripley The Fiend vs Randy Orton Is it me or is it such a shame after a legendary year of Randy Orton being the best part of pandemic WWE he's rewarded for his first match in front of fans is against The Fiend...? An act which barely wrestles and honestly receives a very mixed reaction every time out. I have to assume the original plan was Orton/Edge III but it feels like WWE wanted Edge to move onto fresher opponents (Daniel Bryan and Roman Reigns). Still, I feel so bad for Orton that his first match back in front of fans after his career resurgence is against Bray Wyatt who barely wrestles and overly relies on the weirdness of his gimmick. I'm sure Alexa Bliss will be involved but still I just feel so bad for Orton in this scenario. I also don't see how he wins this match. If Orton does indeed beat The Fiend, how does The Fiend come back from that? Undertaker and Kane earned their status as attractions. Bray Wyatt hasn't yet. We need to see him actually wrestle more and do things if WWE ever plans on making him a true cornerstone star. Winner: The Fiend... I guess? Shane McMahon vs Braun Strowman I love that this match exists. You may be like why do you love that this match exists? I'll tell you why I just think it's hilarious that this year's WrestleMania clearly has a lack of part-timers and special attractions. WWE also had no place for Braun Strowman on the card. So, WWE just went "hey what if we did Shane verse Braun?" The whole thing lacks so much logic and it's beyond crazy that WWE uses Shane on the first event back with fans instead of a Goldberg, Triple H, or other type of part-timer. Maybe we are in for a couple of surprises but still Braun Strowman taking on Shane McMahon is something I didn't expect. The winner is predictable though. Winner: Braun Strowman The New Day vs AJ Styles & Omos I just have a feeling AJ Styles and Omos will win the tag titles here. The New Day can always get them back. It's not like they are going anywhere. Having Omos debut at WrestleMania and win a championship will instantly make him a big deal. Plus it would be good to raise AJ Styles relevancy in the coming months. You don't want to give any reason for Styles to head to Jacksonville (if you get what I mean). Winners: AJ Styles and Omos Cesaro vs Seth Rollins If given the time this could be the match of night one. Cesaro is someone who has been overlooked for years. Could we finally see Cesaro breakout against Seth Rollins? I just love this pairing. I also think it's destiny for a babyface Seth Rollins to challenge Roman Reigns down the line. But this should be a solid match that will lead to a push for Cesaro!* *Famous last words. Winner: Cesaro Bad Bunny & Damian Priest vs The Miz & John Morrison I love Bad Bunny and Damian Priest here. It's just too easy of a pick. The Miz and John Morrison will job to them. I'm excited to see what Damian Priest and Bad Bunny do in the ring. I think this match should be pretty good since Triple H hyped up Bad Bunny's wrestling ability on Pardon My Take. I don't how The Miz feels about this. Just a couple weeks ago he was world champion now he is jobbing to a celebrity in a match at WrestleMania. This may end up being one of the better celebrity wrestling matches too but that can't take away the what if factor of The Miz walking into WrestleMania as world champion. I also expect big things out of Damian Priest. He was a main roster talent that was kept in NXT for too long. Damian Priest has it all and if WWE can play it right you could end up having your next Drew McIntyre or Roman Reigns with Damian Priest. Winner: Bad Bunny and Damian Priest Bobby Lashley vs Drew McIntyre The championship was put on Bobby Lashley so he could lose it to Drew McIntyre at WrestleMania. Drew should get a stellar pop and he will finally be able to win the championship in front of fans. Even if it was a year later. Where does Bobby Lashley go from here? Honestly, I don't know but he should still remain in the main event scene. Winner: Drew McIntyre Sasha Banks vs Bianca Belair This should main event night one. I'm excited to see Sasha Banks clash with Bianca Belair. It's just one of those matchups. I feel like they will deliver and the likely ending will be satisfying when Bianca Belair wins the championship against Sasha Banks. Essentially passing the torch even though Sasha Banks has a few good years left. I don't see how this doesn't main event either. Winner: Bianca Belair Daniel Bryan vs Roman Reigns vs Edge Now this is controversial to say the least. Everyone wanted Roman Reigns verse Edge in the main event of WrestleMania that's until the match at Fastlane with Daniel Bryan. If Reigns never taps out then Daniel Bryan isn't included in this match. Still I believe the injection of Daniel Bryan into this match has just made the overall feud better.
Was Edge/Reigns even progressing as a legitimate feud until Daniel Bryan came along? I don't think the feud was as exciting as it should've been. That may also because of the ThunderDome. Daniel Bryan is also there to protect Roman Reigns. It's likely that the result of this match won't involve Roman Reigns in the finish. Edge could end up walking out champion or it could be Daniel Bryan... It's really a toss up at this rate. I'm going to go with Edge winning the championship. Although I think Daniel Bryan winning the championship would be an interesting scenario. Daniel Bryan having the babyface title run he never got to have would be epic witness in the final stages of his career. Is it just me but is it surreal Edge is competing? Dude feels like such a fish out of water in modern WWE. I just can't believe it's happening. Same thing with Christian on AEW. It's just wild to see talent who were deemed too injured to ever return... make their epic returns. Roman Reigns has figured it out. As long as they keep him with Paul Heyman his momentum should continue to climb. I don't know what Roman Reigns will do next but I would assume he will get one of the main titles back in his grasp before SummerSlam. In the end, I'm going with the safe choice of Edge winning the championship. Although in the end we could end up with a shocker. Still, I'm going with the safe pick. I still can't believe that this is an actual main event of WrestleMania. Winner: Edge Follow @TripleZ_87 Follow @ZWrestleTalk 
Triple Z returns to predict and break down the 2021 Royal Rumble card. Welcome back to ZWrestleTalk, it is officially the road to WrestleMania. I'm excited from the standpoint that WWE will finally have fans back in the stands come WrestleMania. Also, WrestleMania being a two-night event is going to be something to get used too. Not to mention WWE Network signing a deal with Peacock will probably have massive ramifications on WWE and its programming. I can't wait to break all that down later on in a different article but for now I'm excited to predict the Royal Rumble. Roman Reigns vs Kevin Owens "The Tribal Chief" Roman Reigns will take care of Kevin Owens in easy fashion. I was excited to see Adam Pearce wrestle to be honest. I felt like the story of someone who Vince McMahon believed wasn't good enough to be in WWE taking on Vince's guy would be a great story. I understand why WWE is doing this match though. Roman Reigns is one of the biggest stars in wrestling right now so you need him to win here. You have to give the Royal Rumble winner someone to challenge. Winner: Roman Reigns Drew McIntyre vs Goldberg Drew McIntyre is going to defeat Goldberg. I honestly don't know where they will go from there. Could Goldberg potentially win the Royal Rumble? It's a couple years too late for that. But still this is WWE I'm not going to rule it out. I think having Drew McIntyre walk into WrestleMania is smart and he deserves to be a champion in front of fans because most of his reign has had him in empty arenas. It's time for him to have a moment. Winner: Drew McIntyre Charlotte Flair & Asuka vs Nia Jax & Shayna Baszler Let's just go with Asuka and Charlotte here. I sincerely don't care about this match, and I hope none of the four in this match win the women's Royal Rumble. Charlotte Flair winning back to back Rumbles would be dreadful. Winner: Asuka and Charlotte Flair Sasha Banks vs Carmella Sasha Banks all day! She's holding onto this title until WrestleMania. I'm happy that Sasha Banks is finally getting the reign she deserves. Hopefully she gets a big time match at WrestleMania this year. More on that later. Winner: Sasha Banks Women's Royal Rumble I'm following the odds on this. I think there is a lot of good options for the Women's Royal Rumble. The one thing that will suck about this year's Royal Rumble matches is there will likely be a lack of surprises due to no crowd. I don't see WWE going the extra mile this year because they won't get the big pops or the payoff. But here are my predictions. Even though I don't think we will see many surprises I'm going to still predict them. Surprise Entrants (Plausible): Rhea Ripley, Kairi Sane (She's shown up on odds. No clue if she is even in the states.), Paige, Ronda Rousey, and other NXT and general surprises maybe a legend or a potential free agent. Who I Want To Win: Bianca Belair or Peyton Royce Who I Think Will Win: Alexa Bliss WWE loves Bray Wyatt and considering Alexa Bliss is essentially playing the female Bray Wyatt character. I believe she is the true favorite to win the Royal Rumble. Even though Bianca Belair is the betting favorite I just don't know if WWE will pull the trigger on it. I also personally want Peyton Royce to win the Royal Rumble because of two reasons.
Bianca Belair taking on Sasha Banks would be a huge feud. That also leads us to the question would WWE have Sasha Banks drop the championship to Bianca Belair to crown her as the next big women's star? But in the end I think Alexa Bliss will end up winning this Royal Rumble and taking on Asuka or whoever is RAW's Women's Champion at WrestleMania. Men's Royal Rumble Now I'm excited for this match. It's a heck of a group and I can't wait to see who wins and advances to face either Drew McIntyre or Roman Reigns. It's also a year where I could see a ton of different winners so let's break it down.
Surprise Entrants (Plausible): John Cena, Brock Lesnar, Adam Cole, Shane McMahon and some random others. Who I Want To Win: Edge, Daniel Bryan, Otis, or Shinsuke Nakamura. Who I Think Will Win: Big E In a year where fans and I will be actively rooting for Edge, Daniel Bryan, and a reborn Shinsuke Nakamura to win the Royal Rumble. I could see WWE being bold and having Big E win the whole thing. Big E is an extraordinary talent and it will be interesting to see if he can hang with guys like Roman Reigns in the main event scene. Wouldn't this be the best time to see if Big E could float on his own amidst the sharks? This Mania will have less fans but it could still give you an indication on how people react to him as a solo star. I really wanted to pick the odds on favorite Daniel Bryan but after years of watching WWE... I have realized that picking Daniel Bryan to win something you want him to win is a rare occasion. Edge is also moving up the board on a lot of betting sites and I think you could build a strong case for him winning this year. Maybe we get a surprise winner? John Cena winning would be a joy. Tampa Bay is where he currently resides anyway. A babyface Brock Lesnar winning the Rumble and coming back to defeat Roman Reigns? Sign me up. Even though he has been missing in action in recent weeks I wouldn't rule out Keith Lee and even Seth Rollins as potential Royal Rumble winners. You really can't rule anyone out this year. Either way this Royal Rumble could create us some exciting WrestleMania 37 matchups in Tampa Bay. Let's run through some potential options to end this blog. Edge vs Drew McIntyre/Edge vs Roman Reigns John Cena vs Roman Reigns Big E vs Roman Reigns Daniel Bryan vs Roman Reigns Keith Lee vs Drew McIntyre/Keith Lee vs Roman Reigns Brock Lesnar vs Drew McIntyre/Brock Lesnar vs Roman Reigns Seth Rollins vs Roman Reigns Shinsuke Nakamura vs Roman Reigns WWE has some great options let's see what they decide! Follow @TripleZ_87 Follow @ZWrestleTalk 
Triple Z predicts WWE Survivor Series! Survivor Series has really embraced the brand supremacy angle since the brand split a few years back. Obviously, the build towards this year's event wasn't as good. That's a normality during the pandemic era of WWE. The lack of NXT this year at the event is astounding. Considering, WWE made NXT a legit brand and threat during last year's event. Now this year there is no acknowledgement of NXT. It is specifically weird because RAW, SmackDown, and NXT are all filming in the same place right now. Wouldn't it have made sense to include the black and gold brand? Also, Survivor Series gave NXT a ratings boost against AEW last year and that's something NXT desperately could have used this year. Let's take a look at this year's Survivor Series! The Undertaker's Final FarewellPlease for the love of god just let this be it. Let's not leave the door open for any potential matches or feuds. I don't want to see The Fiend during the Final Farewell. Let's just end Taker's career. Let the deadman finally rest in peace. (Unless, Sting shows up) RAW vs SmackDown Men Survivor Series Match The Survivor Series style matches are usually a showcase for WWE's top talent. This year it seems like a weird mix. Maybe it is because the shakeup happened very close to this year's event. There also seems to be no build for this match and there is no brand rivalry right now. That could be in part of the situation we are all currently in but this seems like a very low stakes match. It doesn't help that Team RAW is four out of five former SmackDown members. Team SmackDown has two out of five former RAW stars. I think Seth Rollins, Kevin Owens, and Otis need impressive showings here. I don't understand the reason that Jey Uso is in this match. Seems like a waste of a spot. I don't care if his work with Reigns has been terrific he's not a longterm singles star that you should be building. Keith Lee will be the sole survivor in my opinion. Seems like they are building Keith Lee as the future of the RAW brand. Also, SmackDown won last year so I would assume WWE would want to give their main brand RAW some love. Winners: Team RAW with Keith Lee as the Sole Survivor RAW vs SmackDown Women's Survivor Series Match Team SmackDown has all the momentum in my opinion. You have the former champion Bayley leading the way. You also have Bianca Belair, who WWE is building up. The Riott Squad seems like another WWE favorite and Natalya has been consistent for WWE for years. Team RAW is definitely more of a "rebuild" brand. You have Lacey Evans, who after a massive push from WWE has all been but forgotten. She is now paired with Peyton Royce who was in line for a massive push after breaking up with her longtime tag partner Billie Kay, but that push seems to be forgotten also. You have Lana who is getting buried every week because her husband joined AEW. You have the team of Shayna Baszler and Nia Jax which hasn't been good in my opinion. SmackDown seems to have more of a cohesive unit with talent that has been featured more. I do hope Peyton Royce gets a good showing. I just don't see Team RAW winning this unless something crazy happens. Give me Bayley and Bianca Belair being the sole survivors. Winners: Team SmackDown with Bianca Belair and Bayley as the Sole Survivors Bobby Lashley vs Sami Zayn Let's just go with Bobby Lashley because The Hurt Business rocks and I don't really understand this feud at all. It's a strange matchup in my opinion. Winner: Bobby Lashley The New Day vs The Street Profits This is a fascinating matchup. The New Day, who have cemented themselves as one of the greatest tag teams in the history of the WWE, are looking at the future in The Street Profits. The Street Profits are the rare NXT tag team that got a solid push on the main roster, and it hasn't wavered. Similar to The Heavy Machinery break up I can see WWE eventually breaking up The Street Profits. I hope that's not anytime soon. The New Day really have nothing to prove. It seems like the team is in a different phase now especially with WWE breaking Big E away from the group. I think giving The Street Profits the victory here would cement them as WWE's next great tag team. And, considering WWE's tag team division is dire this would be a good thing. Winner: The Street Profits Asuka vs Sasha Banks Sasha Banks needs to win this. This is a big match and in these big matches we usually see Sasha Banks lose. This is really a must-win for Sasha Banks. She is a WWE star with mainstream appeal. WWE needs more of that. Sasha Banks recently starred in Disney+'s The Mandalorian, which is currently the hottest television show in the world. WWE needs to capitalize on Sasha Banks' star power especially when WWE is without women's star power in Ronda Rousey and Becky Lynch. Asuka's reign has been good but it's now boring. She does relatively the same thing every week and she hasn't had a good feud or rivalry in a bit. I was really hoping that Zelina Vega would be that feud for Asuka to get her back to where she was. WWE decided to release Zelina Vega and that ended all of my hope. Maybe Alexa Bliss can dethrone Asuka? Anything to rebuild that division. Sasha Banks winning here makes too much sense. Which usually means something else will probably happen. Winner: Sasha Banks Drew McIntyre vs Roman Reigns Roman Reigns faced Drew McIntyre at WrestleMania 35. Now some of you may have already known that but it just shows you how things can change. What was essentially a filler match on that card is now one of the most anticipated matches of this year. At the time of that match, Reigns was not the "Tribal Chief" and he didn't resemble the cool persona he has now. McIntyre was a dopey heel and wasn't able to show any of his personality and his charisma. Now at Survivor Series we see WWE's future come to life. Triple H said a while ago that Drew McIntyre verse Roman Reigns would be WWE's modern day Stone Cold vs The Rock. Well, I'm officially counting this match as Chapter One in that potential saga. Everything that came before doesn't matter. We are getting the ultimate heel "Tribal Chief" Roman Reigns along with Paul Heyman taking on the redhot babyface Drew McIntyre. This match could be WWE's WrestleMania main event. If you told me a year ago that this would main event Survivor Series I would've screamed not in excitement but in pain. Now with both guys getting the chance to show their skills and be themselves we could have an all time feud on our hands. This match should be a sign to WWE to let the talent be themselves. WWE tried for years to get these two men over. It finally happened once WWE let them let loose and become their own superstar. The booking helps for sure. McIntyre eliminating Lesnar at the Royal Rumble and the crowd going bonkers still remains a fantastic modern WWE moment and Roman Reigns humiliating Jey Uso showed Reigns' character work and storytelling abilities are better than we all thought. It's a mix when getting someone over but McIntyre and Reigns proved that the process involves letting the talent be themselves. I think this match is so good we won't see either man win. WWE is going to save the rest of this feud and match for WrestleMania 37. I think we are going to see The Miz cash in Money in the Bank and take the championship off of Drew McIntyre mid-match. I think this way it would protect everyone involved and will allow this match happen on a stage that will hopefully feature a couple thousand fans. With The Miz taking the championship off of McIntyre that could lead McIntyre only focusing on Reigns for the Road to WrestleMania. Winner: No winner but The Miz cashes in Money in the Bank Follow @TripleZ_87 on Twitter Follow @ZWrestleTalk on Twitter  Triple Z predicts WWE Hell in a Cell, which seems to be a shorter card than usual but that could be a good thing. WWE Hell in a Cell falls on my birthday this year. So, that's pretty cool. The card also looks smaller than usual which could be a good thing. I rather have three to five good matches than a meh card of eight matches. Let's get into it. For the Money in the Bank contract: Otis vs The Miz Otis is one of the best things about modern WWE. I also really like The Miz and I have felt like he should be in the main event scene more. This is a tough matchup for me as a fan. I rather have John Morrison get the briefcase. Morrison has never had the chance in WWE to be in that main event scene. Yet, this all draws me back to Otis who I believe would be a great champion. Otis has all the skills needed to succeed and he's entertaining as heck! Usually when WWE puts the contract on the line in these type of matches it usually means they weren't satisfied with the original choice. Then again I don't think Otis winning is as bad as some of the past winners. Plus it is heavily rumored Vince McMahon is one of Otis' biggest fans. I sometimes disagree with Vince and who he chooses to like but Otis is a great choice all around. Now that The Miz is on RAW it is clear that we could see The Miz win the Money in the Bank contract from Otis and cash it in on Drew McIntyre. (Not a chance, anyone is cashing in on Roman Reigns during this). This would be a positive outcome for three reasons and there is only one true negative. 1. The Miz reestablishes himself as a main event star. 2. Miz's championship reign leads to Miz/Morrison feud. 3. McIntyre looks strong by losing the championship in a freak scenario and he could move onto different feuds or perhaps he can go to SmackDown? The only negative with The Miz winning the briefcase and cashing in on Drew McIntyre is that Otis' character development and his potential would take quite the hit. Winner: The Miz Jeff Hardy vs Elias This should actually be a solid match. I think this could start the road for Jeff Hardy becoming WWE Champion once again. It seems like Jeff Hardy is in line for a push. Hardy needs to be a priority for WWE considering his brother Matt is at the competition in AEW. WWE can't afford losing Jeff Hardy to AEW. Plus, WWE remains Jeff Hardy's best workplace environment considering his troubles. In the end, Jeff Hardy getting the win here will be a nice start to his push. Winner: Jeff Hardy Bayley vs Sasha Banks I feel like WWE could've held this match off until WrestleMania but considering we may not get a traditional WrestleMania next year it does make sense they are running this match now. Sasha Banks is one of WWE's most popular stars. Banks is going to be on The Mandalorian on Disney+ which should raise her profile for non-WWE fans. This match should be a good one considering Banks/Bayley usually always deliver in their matches and add in the cell. We should be in for a real treat. I feel like it may be too early to have the title change take place but it wouldn't surprise me. In the end, I'm going to go with the safe pick in Bayley. But at some point WWE has to figure out its women's division. The Asuka, Bayley, and Sasha Banks trio being on top is getting old. The only one out of that three that deserves a championship run right now is Sasha Banks in my opinion. You have a great women's division in NXT and some underutilized main roster women's division stars that could benefit from the spotlight. Winner: Bayley Drew McIntyre vs Randy Orton This has been a fantastic feud but I think it is time it comes to an end. A part of me still thinks Randy Orton deserves a world title run in 2020 because he's been spectacular all year. And this is a year that is hard to be spectacular in. I mean they are wrestling in front of freaking Zoom screens yet Randy Orton may be at his most entertaining. Orton easily makes my top ten for 2020 in terms of wrestlers. Another part of me feels like Drew McIntyre can't lose because he will spiral back down the card. But then again I think it would be hard for WWE to do that to Drew. I think he has earned his spot at the top. This match is a difficult choice and there isn't a clear path for either superstar. This is what makes this era of WWE tough is that they can't build towards WrestleMania because who knows what that will look like when the time comes! In a normal world you could build Randy Orton as champion until WrestleMania until a new challenger arrives to take him on. The same could be said for Drew McIntyre. I feel like I'm going to to have to do another safe pick here. Even though I hate the fact Orton will end up losing this feud. I think WWE is sold on McIntyre to carry them into the future. Plus, Drew's title reign has all been without fans in attendance. (The Zoom doesn't count). I'm sure WWE wants to keep the title on Drew until he can finally get that fan reaction. Winner: Drew McIntyre Roman Reigns vs Jey Uso (I Quit Match)  In no world would I ever consider Jey Uso as a singles main event star. Yet, somehow Roman Reigns has convinced me otherwise. This feud truly shows how good wrestling can be when there is a story. The story has elevated both Uso and Reigns to new heights. Could you imagine if WWE thought out every feud like this one? We would see a resurgence in popularity for sure. For the first time in his WWE career, Reigns finally belongs at the top. That may be a controversial statement to some but truly I believe Reigns hasn't shown it until now that he could actually be a top guy. WWE didn't force this on us. Reigns is no longer trying to be "The Guy." His promo's are guided by Paul Heyman. The gimmick of the Tribal Chief is already better than his previous gimmick attempts. Reigns has come along way since being eviscerated by John Cena. Looking at Roman Reigns trajectory a lot of people say he's going to be the champion for a while before being dethroned by either Big E or The Rock or perhaps Reigns retiring The Rock. Let me just analyze those options real quick.
In the end I think both The Rock and Big E aren't ideal WrestleMania opponents for Roman Reigns. Once again it is too far to look ahead to WrestleMania considering we don't know what the world will look like at that time. I think we got other options for Reigns for a potential big match. We got Daniel Bryan who was supposed to be the guy before injuries derailed his career. Daniel Bryan was everything they wanted Roman Reigns to be. We also could see a Roman Reigns/Seth Rollins match. That has some major appeal and I think it is past time to give Seth Rollins another babyface run. Rey Mysterio taking on Roman Reigns would be a cool legacy match. Let's not rule out Shinsuke Nakamura, Cesaro, Aleister Black, Chad Gable, Bobby Roode, Otis, and Kevin Owens as potential fun feuds and matches. I also would hold off on any matches with Goldberg or Edge. I feel like Reigns would really lose momentum in those feuds, and there is no way Reigns could "outcool" Edge. He would end up getting eviscerated just like he did against John Cena. Reigns/Uso should be another fun chapter in this feud. I'm curious to see what happens next for both Roman Reigns and Jey Uso. I see the Tribal Chief coming out on top in this unique Hell in a Cell match. Winner: Roman Reigns Follow @TripleZ_87 on Twitter Follow @ZWrestleTalk on Twitter  Triple Z discusses and predicts WWE SummerSlam, which will kick off the ThunderDome era of WWE. We are still in the pandemic era of WWE but that hasn't stopped WWE from trying to create something new. After weeks of slumming it out in the Performance Center, WWE has decided to move into the ThunderDome (Amway Center with fancy screens and graphics). This represents effort to try to create more interest in the product. WWE's recent attempt with RAW Underground has shown some good results, and it will be fascinating to see if the ThunderDome connects with fans. I'm sure more matches will be added. This is the current card at the time of writing. Mandy Rose vs Sonya Deville (Hair vs Hair) Even though Hair vs Hair matches are part of the gimmicky charm of pro wrestling. I feel like in this particular feud it's a weird choice. I rather have Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville do a hardcore match. That's just me but these are two great looking stars, and having one of them lose their hair is just a weird choice. I have to assume it will be Sonya because heels usually lose these type of matches. Either way it will be weird to see. Winner: Mandy Rose Bayley vs Asuka I have to go with Bayley here. She's holding onto the SmackDown Women's Championship until they do a feud with her and Sasha. Winner: Bayley Sasha Banks vs Asuka It's tempting to have Asuka regain the championship here but I think WWE will hold off and have Sasha retain. Winner: Sasha Banks Braun Strowman vs Bray Wyatt I'm starting to come around on The Fiend gimmick. But for the love of god can Bray Wyatt actually wrestle? This dude has found a way to barely wrestle in all of his big PPV matches. I'm hoping for the Strowman match at SummerSlam we actually get The Fiend in the ring, and we see him become the new champion. Bray Wyatt, even though I have a love-hate relationship with his character, probably should've been champion all year. Goldberg never needed the championship, and if he did need it, it doesn't make sense having him lose it to Braun Strowman of all people. Here's a ZWrestleTalk Bet for you. Bray Wyatt is a favorite on Sunday. I'm predicting him to win. He has too much upside and WWE loves him. Winner: Bray Wyatt Apollo Crews vs MVP The one thing WWE got right during the pandemic era is that they realized they needed to highlight certain talents more. Apollo Crews is one of them. He was rushed to main roster from NXT. Probably needed to be in NXT a few more month to really develop himself but now he's finally coming into his own on the main roster. WWE has also been smart with the usage of MVP and pairing him with Bobby Lashley and Shelton Benjamin, two underutilized talents who have been misused since their returns to WWE. MVP 's stable The Hurt Business is legit, and I'm excited to see where it goes. I'm thinking we see The Hurt Business more in the main event picture soon. For this match I think Apollo Crews is going to defeat MVP. He's just the better option to be champion at this rate. Winner: Apollo Crews Dominik Mysterio vs Seth Rollins This match doesn't scream SummerSlam. Let's be real this entire card doesn't seem like SummerSlam. Hopefully, we see a good showing from Dominik Mysterio. Seth Rollins is one of the best in the business so it is hard to imagine this match not being good. This match was clearly used as a bargaining chip in the Rey Mysterio negotiations. I still think Dominik is going to need to NXT for the long run. Street fights are usually entertaining. Hopefully, this will allow Dominik to shine while also rebuilding Seth Rollins towards the main event scene. Winner: Seth Rollins Street Profits vs Andrade and Angel Garza The Street Profits are entertaining but their time as champions is likely over. Zelina Vega is one of WWE's brightest future stars. I hope we see her wrestle more in the future also. I think the pairing of her and Andrade along with Angel Garza will be worthy of the main event scene. It just shows how good wrestling can be when you utilize people in the right way. I think Angel Garza and Andrade will win the tag team championships before transitioning on to bigger things. As a side note, I believe WWE needs to reexamine their entire tag team division. I think they could develop incredible divisions for both RAW and SmackDown if they put in the effort. Winners: Angel Garza and Andrade Drew McIntyre vs Randy Orton The biggest match of the night. This match feels like a true SummerSlam main event. Drew McIntyre has been the hottest star for WWE since WrestleMania. McIntyre has cemented his reign as champion, and now he has ran into the ultimate test in Randy Orton who is having a career year. Orton started off his year as the ultimate heel to Edge before transitioning into full-on Legend Killer. Will Orton become WWE Champion once again? I think so. He's been one of the best parts of wrestling this year. McIntyre could chase after Orton and that would make for a compelling storyline heading into Survivor Series. I'm starting to think they are setting up Orton for a match with Triple H down the line. I can't get over the fact that Orton is one of the best things about wrestling this year. I dig the amount of effort he's been putting in to be entertaining during an era of WWE that lacks creativity and star power. I'm expecting this to be an absolute classic with Randy Orton coming out on top. The Legend Killer rides again! Orton begins his 15th championship reign, and maybe just maybe Orton forms a modern day Evolution. Winner: Randy Orton Follow @ZWrestleTalk on Twitter.  Triple Z is back for some predictions and breakdowns for WWE The Horror Show at Extreme Rules. WWE has been creative during the pandemic era. It's also funny because Extreme Rules is one of the few shows and themes that doesn't need anything extra yet they added in "The Horror Show." Either way it is cool they are trying to be different during the pandemic era. I think tonight should be fascinating if WWE plays up the horror and extreme aspects of this show. Also I'm sure WWE will have more matches possibly but at the time this was written these were the matches that were announced. Apollo Crews vs MVP  Since his return to WWE it seems like MVP has been used as an enhancement talent. He's now in a bigger role with Bobby Lashley. Still I don't expect him to win the brand new United States Championship from Apollo Crews. Winner: Apollo Crews Rey Mysterio vs Seth Rollins I get that they are trying to do an "Eye for an Eye" match due to the horror aspect but let's be real Rey Mysterio taking on Seth Rollins a regular match could work well if they are given the proper amount of time. Rey Mysterio is a legend and Seth Rollins is one of the best there is in the modern day WWE. I feel like do to the theme the match is essentially a toss up. I'm just going to go Rollins here to be safe. Winner: Seth Rollins Bayley vs Nikki Cross I've started to enjoy more of heel Bayley. Even though at the end of the day I feel she could've pulled off a babyface even if it wasn't her original "hugger" gimmick. I don't see Bayley losing to Nikki Cross. WWE is trying to build Bayley back up, and it's clear that the company is slowly building to another Bayley vs Sasha Banks match. More on that later. Winner: Bayley The New Day vs Shinsuke Nakamura & Cesaro This should be a fantastic match. If they get a decent amount of time out there. Cesaro and Shinsuke Nakamura haven't been utilized to their fullest potential so having them be a tag team is at least something. Maybe, momentum can help them if they are able to beat The New Day. I feel like that is WWE's direction, we are going to see Nakamura and Cesaro beat The New Day. This will lead The New Day into a different feud maybe on a larger scale without dealing with the tag team championships. On the other hand, this will be the perfect jolt of energy that Nakamura and Cesaro desperately need to be highlighted more from WWE. Winners: Shinsuke Nakamura & Cesaro Asuka vs Sasha Banks It's clear that WWE is gunning for a Sasha Banks vs Bayley match. If we were in a traditional situation all signs would point for this match being at SummerSlam. Now I'm thinking they will hold off on this match until they can perform in front of an audience again. Asuka has been entertaining during the pandemic era of WWE. I can't see WWE taking the championship off her even if Sasha Banks is on a hot streak. Winner: Asuka Drew McIntyre vs Dolph Ziggler Dolph Ziggler gets to pick the stipulation for this match. He's going to have to pick something that gives him a chance against Drew McIntyre. McIntyre has established himself as a true main event star ever since the Royal Rumble. Ziggler hasn't had the same luck as he has been wrecked by Otis and floating in the mid-card. Yet he has an opportunity for the WWE Championship. Hopefully, Ziggler picks something extreme because the event is called Extreme Rules after all. I can't see McIntyre losing. Unless, now hear me out. What if Ziggler wins somehow and Otis cashes in Money in the Bank? That's a dream scenario, in my opinion. So, screw it I'm going to put that as my official prediction! Winner: Dolph Ziggler at first than Otis cashes in Money in the Bank WYATT SWAMP FIGHT: Bray Wyatt vs Braun Strowman This match should be bonkers! I guess this will be a fun match for fans who are nostalgic for the "swamp era cult leader" Bray Wyatt. It does seem weird that The Fiend isn't involved at all. It went from being WWE's hottest character to an afterthought in a matter of a couple months. Wyatt is still in the main event scene but will WWE finally pull the trigger? Or will they continue on with Braun Strowman?
Let's just say if Bray Wyatt loses in a Wyatt Swamp Fight there is no coming back after that. This is a must win for Bray Wyatt. You HAVE to win a match that is named after you. It's a must. Winner: Bray Wyatt Follow @ZWrestleTalk Follow @TripleZ_87 
Triple Z is back with his predictions for WWE Backlash. Today, is his Greatest BreakDownZ Ever! (Just kidding maybe?) I have to start off this prediction article with the fact that WWE now has only one man running creative and that's Bruce Pritchard. Losing Paul Heyman for RAW is tragic considering he was building up a lot of talent. Now we are in for some interesting times as Heyman once again won't be involved in the creative aspects of WWE. WWE seems to be getting better at the "no fans" shows but there is still some awkwardness. AEW was better at adapting to the situation, and they have the better location in Daily's Place. Although WWE is pushing their boundaries and they even added plexiglass around the "crowd" which has led to some fun wrestling spots. In all seriousness, Vince McMahon is praying that shows with fans can resume soon. This has to be driving him crazy. I mean this whole pandemic is driving everyone crazy. But Vince especially wants things to get back to normal so his product doesn't have to suffer any longer. Now let's get into Backlash. Apollo Crews vs Andrade The one thing Paul Heyman's creative direction of RAW nailed was its fearless approach in pushing underutilized stars. This match is proof of that. Even though it is regulated to the kickoff show it is good to see Apollo Crews doing some work, and for Andrade and Zelina Vega to be treated like bigger stars. Hopefully, Pritchard keeps up the momentum of all involved in this match. I feel the result on Sunday for this match will determine each wrestler's trajectory. With that being said I think Apollo Crews will eek out a victory. Winner: Apollo Crews Bayley & Sasha Banks vs The IIconics vs Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross I'm glad WWE remembered they had women's tag team titles. I'm going to root for The IIconics in this scenario even though it's doubtful that they win. I think Bayley and Sasha Banks will retain just so they can have a match against Tegan Nox and Shotzi Blackheart in NXT. And, my bold prediction in this BreakDownZ is that Tegan Nox and Shotzi Blackheart will beat Bayley and Sasha Banks for the championship on NXT. The Women's Tag Team Championships need to go to rehab. NXT is the best rehab. Look what it has done for the Cruiserweight Championship. NXT's women's division is loaded so having the tag team championships down there for a bit would work. Winners: Sasha Banks and Bayley then Tegan Nox and Shotzi Blackheart Jeff Hardy vs Sheamus Gotta go with Jeff Hardy here. WWE needs to build him back up. Jeff Hardy has made it clear he wants to be a World Champion again. The path to that starts with Sheamus, which should be a fine first feud back. Wouldn't of been my first choice but hopefully Hardy can build up momentum after this victory. Winner: Jeff Hardy Asuka vs Nia Jax Asuka is going to win. They are setting her up for a match against Charlotte Flair down the road. Winner: Asuka Braun Strowman vs John Morrison and The Miz THIS IS THE GREATEST BREAKDOWNZ EVER. So let's get nuts. It's already ridiculous that there is a handicap match for a singles championship but that's beside the point. I think WWE needs to swing for the fences here. Have The Miz and John Morrison win the championship. We are in the quarantine WWE era. This is the perfect time to put the championship on some new people and not the familiar faces. Let's also create a storyline! The Miz and John Morrison win the Universal Championship and they are now co-champions but The Miz turns heel on Morrison and says that he's the real Universal champion and that Morrison wasn't good enough to ever reach the top and that's why he left WWE. This would lead to a clash and a feud between The Miz and John Morrison resulting in Universal Championship reigns for two deserving wrestlers. John Morrison said when he came back to WWE his goal was to be a champion and main event WrestleMania. This could be his start. The Braun Strowman experiment should be over. At the end of the day he's always going to fill that Big Show/Kane temporary role when it comes to championships and big main event feuds. Winners: The Miz and John Morrison Drew McIntyre vs Bobby Lashley Bobby Lashley lucked out. He was stuck with Lana for months in one of the most bizarre feuds and pairings in recent memory. Now Lashley is back in the main event picture. Facing off against a man he actually fought in TNA. McIntyre is the guy. I don't see him losing the championship any time soon. He's going to be a general for WWE for years to come. Lashley losing here won't hurt his momentum either. At least he's out of the mid-card/forgotten area. Winner: Drew McIntyre THE GREATEST WRESTLING MATCH EVER Edge and Randy Orton.
The Greatest Wrestling Match Ever. Now is that not classic WWE mind-boggling marketing? They are promoting this match as the greatest wrestling match ever! It's ballsy but I think it may just work. Edge is now in his second act with WWE and his feud with Randy Orton is continuing after their crazy Last Man Standing match at WrestleMania. It begs the question, why is part-time Edge wrestling at Backlash during the quarantine era of WWE? All I can think of is that he needs to continue to get in reps in the ring. This Orton feud seems to be easing Edge back into modern era of WWE. I still feel like Edge is a fish out of water for this era and it will be fascinating to see how the Rated R Superstar adapts and wrestles against the new generation of talent. It's hard to imagine Edge taking the loss. So, I think he's going to pull off the win here. This will send Orton on his way for now. Orton's next feud should logically be Tommaso Ciampa. I feel that's the type of feud Orton needs after this. The hunter becomes the hunted type of stuff. As for Edge I would assume we will see him again at SummerSlam but who knows who he will face and what will happen for him. A part of me wants to see Edge embark on a feud with someone from the new generation. I also think Edge has a championship run in him for the future. Edge and Randy Orton are going to have the Greatest Wrestling Match Ever on Sunday. And I can't wait to watch it. Winner: Edge Follow @TripleZ_87 on Twitter. Follow @ZWrestleTalk on Twitter. 
Triple Z returns to discuss and predict WWE's Money in the Bank. This is WWE's second PPV that has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. It's been a long time since I've blogged on ZWrestleTalk. Yet it seems like these days due to COVID-19, wrestling isn't on the top of anyone's list. This is WWE's second PPV event where there won't be any fans and it will face a totally different atmosphere. Money in the Bank usually delivers. WWE even added a new twist where the participants have to fight their way up WWE's headquarters on their way to getting the briefcase. Like WrestleMania 36 proved that when it comes to ladder matches and cinematic matches work pretty well when there is no audience. Obviously there will be more matches added to the card but I will only predict the ones that I find necessary. So, this will be a shorter predictions blog than normal. Tag Team Fatal 4 Way I think it is simple here. There is only two options to win this match. The New Day or The Miz and John Morrison? The other two teams I just don't think would make sense right now. The Forgotten Sons were forgotten in NXT so why would they be any different on the main roster? Lucha House Party was never sold as a legit team despite the talents of Gran Metalik and Lince Dorado. So, really I think this match will go to The New Day. During this weird era of WWE it only makes sense to keep the title on a team you know will do good once WWE gets back to normal circumstances. Winners: The New Day Bayley vs Tamina Bayley's reign has done nothing for me. I always felt like WWE should've just let her and Sasha Banks feud. Obviously if those were the plans they got scrapped due to this weird time. It's also crazy that Tamina is getting a title shot in 2020. I mean like good for her of course but it seems like WWE has forgotten about her for years. This will be opposite of my previous pick but let's go Tamina right here. That women's division needs something new. Winner: Tamina Drew McIntyre vs Seth Rollins It's a shame Drew is getting his championship run in front of fans. He's become everything WWE wanted Roman Reigns to be but organically. He can speak, he can wrestle, he has the look, and has proved that he can be entertaining even in this empty show era. I went 360 on McIntyre after his Royal Rumble win. Quite frankly, I am glad that I hopped onto this bandwagon. I don't see Seth Rollins winning here but I do see a fantastic match. Which it will be a shame that another Drew McIntyre championship match will be in front of no one and a expected smaller PPV audience. Winner: Drew McIntyre Braun Strowman vs Bray Wyatt There is one Reddit theory about Bray Wyatt's character and it is tremendous. Let me summarize it. The Fiend feuds with Finn Balor after Finn loses the feud he reverts back to his old Heel Prince gimmick The Fiend defeats The Miz, and The Miz returns to being a heel The Fiend defeats Seth Rollins and Seth becomes the heel that made him a main event star The Fiend defeats Daniel Bryan, and DB returns to being a indie Babyface. The Fiend fights Goldberg and loses because Goldberg never changed and he has always been his true self. The Fiend's match with Cena at Mania showed Cena all his past gimmicks and what he could've become. The Fiend wins simply because Cena wasn't his true self during their feud. Now if we use this same creative theory which WWE Creative should utilize as it fell into their lap. I think Wyatt needs to win here. He needs to revert Strowman back into a heel or maybe into a different gimmick. Wyatt has history with Strowman so I wouldn't be surprised if that's a big plot point throughout their match. I think WWE wants The Fiend to have a true run now. Although I don't think The Fiend is fighting Braun Strowman. It's going to be Bray's Mr. Rogers persona. Bray's character work has been fantastic and he's winning me over slightly. Just wish he could show us more of what he could do in the ring. Winner: Bray Wyatt Women's Money in the Bank  It's unclear if both Money in the Bank matches will take place at the same time. Like it was rumored to happen. But it will fun to see a Money in the Bank match that goes through WWE Headquarters. Really I can see any of the six winning this match just due to the current state of WWE and the women's division in general. But if I had to narrow it down to my three favorites I would have to go Nia Jax, Shayna Baszler, and Asuka. I'm going to go bold on this prediction and say that Asuka will win. Baszler doesn't really need the briefcase because she will eventually get her title opportunities. Asuka being able to determine who she wants to face at anytime will be a lot more fascinating. Winner: Asuka Men's Money in the Bank It's funny this Money in the Bank match looks fantastic. I wish this could've happened in front of fans. Even though that would take the Headquarters part out of the match. I honestly don't know why they didn't just add Cesaro and Jeff Hardy into the mix here. I get you're not supposed to have that many people in the ring because of social distancing but it seems like Money in the Bank matches can make more room available than other matches.
Also, this Money in the Bank has a ton of likable winners. Which is RARE for a WWE Money in the Bank match. There is usually always a worse case scenario winner. This year that would probably be Baron Corbin but even Corbin wouldn't be a bad winner. But who has the personality to win Money in the Bank? I'd love to see Daniel Bryan or Rey Mysterio win but I don't know if they will be good fits for cashing in. Usually heels work the best with the briefcase but that's also not always the case. Otis would be a fun one but it's highly unlikely. So I narrowed it down to two winners. It's going to be either Aleister Black's biggest win to date or AJ Styles is going to get to cross another accomplishment off his WWE bucket list. With that being said, heels work the best with the briefcase. So, I gotta go AJ Styles here. Winner: AJ Styles Follow @TripleZ_87 Follow @ZWrestleTalk |
Triple ZI created ZWrestleTalk. On this page I give my PPV predictions for Wrestling Events (Usually just WWE) Archives
April 2022
Categories
All
|
RSS Feed