Want more wrestling news, rumors, and results? Be sure to visit PWInsider.com and PWInsiderXtra.com.
WWE World Title Match: Seth Rollins versus Randy Orton in a Steel Cage Match with the RKO banned and Kane as the Gatekeeper of the Cage
Dave: So we have a match in a cage, which means no rules, and a move that can’t be used. WWE can be so contradictory. Obviously, the only question here is how Rollins keeps the Title. Since the feud is going to continue after the PPV, that tells me there will be a screwy element to it. I expect Stooge involvement, of course but the finish will probably come down to Kane. I could see them going one of two ways. One, the issues between Kane and Rollins were all a ruse to fool Orton (yawn) or Kane will be conflicted as to whether to help Rollins or not, then finally does. Whatever happens, Rollins leaves as champion.
Mike: I really don't see a title change here. The cage as a way to prevent Rollins from escaping is great in theory but in execution, I don't see it happening. Kane as the Gatekeeper seems like a setup for Kane to crack Orton with the door accidentally as he's trying to actually hit Seth to set up the finish. From an in-ring standpoint, this could be very good, but I suspect a lot more scrambling up and down the cage as opposed to near falls and good wrestling.
Richard: As soon as the stipulation were announced, my first thoughts were 1) How will Orton hit an RKO during the match, and 2) How will the stooges get inside the cage. Maybe we see Orton debut the Diamond Cutter 2.0 to cause controversy. With Kane added to the match as the guy guarding the door to the cage. I am afraid that this match is going to be overshadowed by everything else. Since Kane and Rollins teased some tension, we can also see a situation where someone is about to leave the cage, but Kane slams the door into someone?s head. I am afraid that we will get that finish where Kane thinks he is going to get back at Rollins for everything he has said, only to hit Orton. The less they focus on these things, the better the match will be. Rollins should retain but Orton will have a number of opportunities during the match.
WWE United States Title Match: John Cena versus Rusev in a Russian Chain Match
Dave: What the SHOULD do is have Rusev beat Cena in a hard fought, brutal match. Rusev gets elevated. The loss doesn’t hurt Cena at all. What they probably will do is have Cena retain. I hope they at least let Rusev looks strong. But either way, if Cena wins here and never gives back to Rusev, he is going to get the same treatment Bray Wyatt did and another guy with a chance to ascend up the card will have a stink put him he that he will have to fight to eradicate. WWE has to realize that every time they say, “This guy is good but he is no match for John Cena†the fans get the message loud and clear.
Mike: I am with Dave here. If Rusev just wiped out Cena and dragged him around the ring, he would be a made man as a top guy (and really, that should be Cena's role here) but given that we have heard Cena is going to have a long run, I don't see change here. I suspect this will be a lot of fun.
Richard: When they said “Russian Chain Match†I was hoping for a match similar to the old school dog collar matches, but we found out it would be done like a Bullrope Match where you have to touch all four turnbuckles IN SUCCESSION (remember that while watching the match). I hope we get a lot of intensity before the inevitable Rusev touches one turnbuckle followed by Cena, then they go to the second and third one, but as Rusev thinks he is going to win, Cena stops Rusev and touches the final turnbuckle (as the referee ignores the IN SUCCESSION rule). I want to see Rusev win, but if he loses and it means very violent Rusev destroying people, I might be okay with it.
WWE Intercontinental Title Match: Daniel Bryan versus Wade Barrett
Dave: I don’t see this match happening given Bryan’s injury. If it does, it will probably be Bryan gutting it out to lose the Title. I could also see an attack in the back, where the Title is declared vacant and they put Barrett in with someone else to decide the new champion. The injuries are mounting for Bryan. I hope he can come back strongly.
Mike: I really don't want to even try to make a call on this since we don't know if Bryan will be there or not. I suspect we won't see a match.
Richard: I doubt this match will happen based on what Mike has been reporting about Daniel’s health so I hope they don’t strip Daniel of the title again. Based on what we have seen the last few weeks, maybe we get a Battle of Britain between Barrett and Neville.
WWE Tag Title Match: Tyson Kidd and Cesaro versus The New Day
Dave: The New Day just isn’t over. Kidd and Cesaro are doing a good job. Since Vince doesn’t really care about the tag division, I hope HHH makes the call here and the belts stay on the champs, where they belong. Given Kidd’s involvement with Total Divas, that may bode well for keeping the Titles on the champs.
Mike: I am calling title change. New Day are the 21st century equivalent of The Honkytonk Man, i.e. a character that fans just get infuriated by simply because it's so bad, they can't believe it's being forced upon them. Why not make them even more hated by putting the belts on a team that "doesn't deserve them" and have everyone else chase them. Honky drew lots of money that way!
Richard: I hate that this match is going to be on the Kickoff Show because Kidd and Cesaro deserve to be on the actual PPV. This should be a good match, even though they did nothing to add interest in the match with a short and unnecessary match between Kofi and Cesaro on Smackdown. I don?t want to see them take the titles off Kidd and Cesaro but with the crowd not behind The New Day, it would be interesting to see how the crowd would react to them as champions. I just want them to get 15 minutes to showcase their talents.
Divas Title Match: Nikki Bella versus Naomi
Dave: I don’t have much interest here as it came out of nowhere. I would like to see Nikki stay champion so that when Charlotte or Sasha come up, they can beat her and maybe get some rub. I know, it’s a reach but it’s all I have.
Mike: Really, who are we supposed to cheer for here? I don't see Naomi getting the belt just after turning heel and the crowd has no reason to cheer for Nikki either, so it's going to be one of those bouts where the audience just sits there wondering what the heck is up. The match should be OK. My guess is Nikki retains.
Richard: Unfortunately the match quality drops with Paige out of the match. If this was six months ago, I would be a lot more excited for this match, but Naomi has regressed a little in the ring and her heel turn has not been the best thing for business. Somehow, they have turned the Bellas into faces (or creative hasn’t noticed it). Do we see a Funkette Reunion to give Naomi the edge? I think Nikki retains until Paige comes back (or someone from NXT gets called up to win the title)
Dean Ambrose versus Luke Harper in a Chicago Street Fight
Dave: This should be good, fun stuff. Ambrose loses too much because he “doesn’t care†and keeps going and I could see them doing that here. I just hope it eventually leads to a good push for him. He deserves it.
Mike: This should be a lot of fun. I expect all sorts of brawling and plunder and really, it's the two most underutilized guys on the roster. They are in a position to really steal the show and remind management how good they are and I hope they do so. Luke Harper is who I'd want to see win this as Dean is over with the audience already and a loss won't matter to him. Harper deserves the win and can get it in an underhanded way to continue the feud.
Richard: FINALLY! We might get a Dean Ambrose feud that will work. It seems like Dean is the forgotten member of the former Shield while Luke has been the ignored member of the former Wyatt Family. As soon as they had Harper and Ambrose fighting into the crowd, I was hoping for a Falls Count Anywhere or Street Fight at the pay per view and my prayers were answered. These two guys should beat the hell out of each other for about 12 to 15 minutes and the crowd will eat it up. I hope the other stuff on the show does not overshadow the brutality we will see in this match.
Big Show versus Roman Reigns in a Last Man Standing Match
Dave: They have gotten a lot right with Reigns after pushing him too far, too fast early on. And I get that they think since Show is huge, this is a good feud for Reigns, but it really isn’t. As mentioned with Rusev above, they have to go back to their “greatest hits†of older talent for new guys because they just don’t get many young guys over. What they need to do is have Reigns vanquish Show and move him on to something the people want to see. That isn’t meant to disrespect Show. It’s just how it is.
Mike: I suspect this will continue the "take the fight to Roman and he struggles to overcome, getting over by fighting hard" mantra that began with Brock Lesnar at Wrestlemania. Big Show has had some good stuff over the last few weeks but has always been less hit and more miss in the ring of late. I am really hoping this one surprises us. Reigns should win as part of the slow burn to getting the title down the line.
Richard: Is Superman’s Punch stronger than a Giant’s punch? That will be the underlying story of this match. I am setting the over/under on those two punches at 15 ½. Reigns needs to win this one so he can return to the World Title picture. For some reason, they don’t protect Show as well as they protect Kane.
Sheamus versus Dolph Ziggler in a Kiss Me Arse Match
Dave: There are a couple things in play here. One, Sheamus is back in a heel role. Two, Ziggler vented his spleen on the internet and said he is not sure he will even stay with WWE when his deal is done (and I can’t say I blame him, given how they have booked him). So even without the second part, if they bring a guy back with a new look and persona, he has to win his first big match. Why they have the ridiculous stipulation, I have no idea though.
Mike: Based on the way Ziggler lost it on Twitter, I'm guessing that once again, he's taking a Brogue Kick and is going to be kissing some arse. That's lame but this could be a very good bout and I'm hoping for that.
Richard: I like what they have done with Sheamus since his return, even if he looks like a character out of Star Trek 3. However, to be serious about wanting to rid the WWE of the runts like Dolph Ziggler, Neville, and Daniel Bryan and we get him in a match where someone is supposed to kiss another person’s rear end? Ziggler will bump for Sheamus but I think that since we are beyond the normal Ziggler push period, Sheamus gets the win.
If you enjoy PWInsider.com you can check out the AD-FREE PWInsider Elite section, which features exclusive audio updates, news, our critically acclaimed podcasts, interviews and more by clicking here!
Bang On Casino
