WWE Hell in a Cell picks (4-1) WWE Vengeance picks (4-3-1) WWE Survivor Series picks (1-5)
WWE Championship (Tables, Ladders and Chairs match): C.M Punk(c) vs Alberto Del Rio vs The Miz
Who should win: C.M Punk
Who will win: C.M Punk
Preview: What? John Cena isn’t in the Main Event of a WWE Pay-Per-View? Hey, I’m not complaining. Having a Cena-less Main Event gives these 3 superstars the chance to prove that they can carry a show on their own. John Cena could still somehow sneak his way into the match during the show, but I hope that doesn’t happen. Del Rio, Miz and Punk can put on a great match without Cena involved.
It is nice to see that the WWE Championship is back at the fore-front of the company where it belong. All of this coincides with C.M Punk winning the title at Survivor Series. When Del Rio was champion, the fans and viewing audience didn’t appear to care at all about his character or the fact that he was champion. At least with Punk wearing the gold now, fans can start caring about the biggest title in the company again. Punk is the biggest star in Wrestling today, so its only fitting that he wears the most important title there is.
Putting the Miz back into the title picture is not only welcome, but necessary as well. Del Rio isn’t over enough as a heel to continue the feud with Punk alone. With R-Truth suspended and “The Awesome Truth” era officially over, The Miz can now compete for the WWE title again and be back in the Main Events where he belongs. Despite his absence from the championship scene as of late, Miz is still the best heel in the WWE today, and needs to be fighting for the title and feuding with C.M Punk.
These 3 are some of the best workers in the company, and will put on an amazing Tables, Ladders and Chairs match this Sunday. With a rumored Punk/Jericho WWE title match at Wrestlemania 28 this April, it just makes it harder for me to pick against the Straight-Edge superstar at any event. The hot-potato days with the title are over, and I fully expect Punk to retain the gold and hold onto it for quite some time to bring prestige back to the belt.
World Heavyweight Championship (Chairs match): “Worlds Strongest Man” Mark Henry(c) vs The Big Show
Who will win: Mark Henry
Who should win: Mark Henry
Preview: I am surprised that the WWE has been able to keep the interest of the fans as it pertains to this feud between the Big Show and Mark Henry. This will be the third straight pay per view in which these 2 battle for the World Heavyweight Championship. Their first 2 matches at Vengeance and the Survivor Series ended in a disqualification and a no-contest, so their basically has to be some sort of definitive winner in this Chairs match.
I have been seeing in a lot of other prediction columns that people believe the Big Show might come out with the World Title in a shocking victory. He could be a transitional champion until Wrestlemania 28, where a guy like Daniel Bryan or Cody Rhodes would walk out with the belt. I just don’t see why the company would make that move at this point and time, with the Road to Wrestlemania beginning next month. They have built Mark Henry up for months and months to be a credible World Champion, so why have him finally lose in something as moronic as a “Chairs Match”? If anyone decides to use a weapon that is not a chair, will they be disqualified? I still don’t fully grasp why a “Chairs Match” is even a match in the first place.
Regardless of that. I don’t see any reason for a title change in this contest. Mark Henry has been appearing weak as of late, with a loss on Raw a couple of weeks ago to Zack Ryder, and back to back no-contests against the Big Show. This match would be a perfect opportunity to put momentum back in Henry’s corner, and have him prove to be the dominant champion that he is. What a story it would be if “The World’s Strongest Man” was able to hold the title until Wrestlemania 28.
(Sledgehammer Ladder match) Triple H vs Kevin Nash
Who should win: Triple H
Who will win: Kevin Nash
Preview: A Ladder match where the winner has to climb the ladder to grab a sledgehammer so they can use it on their opponent? Really?! This is the dumbest match concept since the infamous “Kennel from Hell” match with Al Snow and the Big Boss Man.
First of all, I think it is pretty much implied that all Ladder matches are no disqualification. What is stopping someone from just grabbing a sledgehammer from under the ring instead? Hell, they can basically use any weapon they see fit. What makes a sledgehammer any more dangerous than grabbing a steel chair or using one of the ladders already in the ring? Couldn’t you also just pin your opponent without grabbing the weapon? Pulling down the hammer doesn’t end the match, so I suppose bypassing it wouldn’t really matter. It was bad enough that a 50-year-old with bad knees in Kevin Nash, and a 40-year-old who has a history of quad injuries were going to compete in a Ladder match, but this is just ridiculous. Don’t even get me started on how much momentum this feud has lost in the first place. Does anyone really care anymore about this little war between Hunter and Kevin? I certainly don’t. The evil wrestling fan in me just wishes Triple H would win so this awful feud can be put out of its misery. But considering the WWE actually decided to put Kevin bloody Nash in a Ladder match, they must have some sort of cheap ending in store where he actually comes out victorious. Either way, this has “worst match of the night” written all over it.
WWE Intercontinental Championship: Cody Rhodes(c) vs Booker T.
Who should win: Cody Rhodes
Who will win: Cody Rhodes
Preview: It is great to see Booker T. back in the ring for the WWE. Even at his age, Booker can still compete with the best of them in this day and age. It is also the perfect chance to get Booker off of commentary, where I find him to be more ridiculous, off-keel and plain ole stupid than amusing. Having Booker compete against the current Intercontinental Champion Cody Rhodes is a great way to put the young champion over.
Ever since Cody brought back the classic championship belt and promised to defend the title against all new-comers, he has done the complete opposite. When was the last meaningful time that Rhodes defended the title? Wasn’t their supposed to be a 30-day rule on all title defenses? I’m glad that the WWE hasn’t forgotten the Intercontinental Championship actually exists, and has put this match on the TLC card.
I believe the only reason this match has come into fruition was so Booker T. can make Rhodes look like a million bucks. Cody really hasn’t had any relevant challengers during his title reign, so bringing in Booker to compete with him can really help further his career. There is no reason to put the title on Booker. What would he do with it? He is an announcer and he should go back to that role once this feud with Rhodes is over. Make Cody look great in the match then go back to your regular duties.
(Tables Match) Randy Orton vs Wade Barrett
Who should win: Wade Barrett
Who will win: Wade Barrett
Preview: It appears that Randy Orton’s role in the company as of late has been to elevate the younger talent and make them look great. Over the past 4 months, he has put over guys like Dolph Ziggler, Mark Henry, Cody Rhodes, and now Wade Barrett. Randy Orton is still one of the 3 biggest names in the WWE today, so helping the young heels of the company get over just shows how much of a company man Orton is. He sees the big picture and knows that in order for the WWE to remain successful, new stars have to be made. Wade Barrett appears to be next in line for that Orton push.
After leading the successful heel factions of the Nexus and Corre, Barrett has finally gone on his own path and is in search for the World Heavyweight Championship. Barrett has always had huge superstar potential, but was held back by being in large factions. Now that he is on his own, we have been able to see what Barrett and the “Barrett Barrage” is all about.
Orton and Barrett have had great matches in the past, dating back to the Survivor Series of last year when they fought over the WWE Championship. This rivalry is based more so on who is the better man rather than championship gold, which really adds to the intensity of the feud. Considering Randy Orton hasn’t fallen off the face of the earth with all of his losses piling up, maybe he should bite the bullet one more time and have Barrett win the match. Considering this is a “Tables Match”, it is easier for Orton to still look good but have Barrett win the match. I expect a cheap finish, similar to what we saw 2 years ago between Cena and Sheamus in their Tables Match. Another Barrett victory would really help push him to the top. Orton will always be a huge star for the WWE, so this loss won’t make or break him.
WWE United States Championship: Dolph Ziggler(c) vs Zack Ryder
Who should win: Zack Ryder
Who will win: Zack Ryder
Preview: I will be perfectly blunt in my prediction here. Zack Ryder NEEDS to win this match. Not only for his career to take off with his first major singles title, but it’s for the good of Dolph Ziggler as well.
I can’t actually remember the last time it was beneficiary for a WWE champion to lose their title. In the case of Dolph Ziggler, it most certainly would be. Dolph has been the WWE United States Champion since June of this year, and has defeated guys like John Morrison, Kofi Kingston and Alex Riley along the way. During this time, Ziggler has shown me and the WWE Universe that he is one of the best in-ring performers in the business today. The WWE is showing huge confidence in “the show-off”, evident by having him compete in not 1, but 2 matches at both Vengeance and Survivor Series. Now more than ever is the perfect time for Dolph to relinquish the title to Zack Ryder. He can finally move up the card and challenge the bigger names on Monday Night Raw, like John Cena and current WWE Champion C.M Punk. He has earned that chance.
Even though I fully expect Ryder to capture the championship this Sunday, I will have mixed feelings about the moment. The Ryder/Ziggler feud has been one of my favorites as of late, as it not only has been featured on Monday Night Raw, but has been further fueled through Ryder’s online show “Z! True Long Island Story”. I believe with a Ryder victory, that this amazing feud will unfortunately have to come to an end. But on the bright side, who wouldn’t be excited to see Zack finally win the United States Championship? WOO WOO WOO! You know it.
Top 3 reasons to order the event:
1) Tables, Ladders and Chairs matches are always some of the most exciting matches of the year 2) The possibility of a Kane appearance 3) The return of Booker T. to the ring/Zack Ryder possibly winning championship gold.
Chris Walder
Walder's World of Sports 