Over The Limit Predictions

I want to start by saying that I have been gone for a while. I recently just moved back home and have not had time to work on this blog. I also would like to say that this summer I will not have a chance to watch RAW or any WWE programming because I work at a summer camp for 24 hours a day, 6 days a week. I will try to post on Saturdays. Hopefully I will have Pay Per View predictions. They will not be as informed as they could be because I will only know what is happening from reading results from www.lordsofpain.net. Now, without further adieu, the Over The Limit Predictions.

Pre-Show: Zack Ryder vs. Kane

 

So, five months after these two first got in each other's way and they are finally meeting in a PPV match. Ryder should not have too much to worry about, he did heal from a broken vertebrae in record time. 

Why Kane should win: Kane's debut of his new persona has been lackluster since his return in January. A win here should tell us that the WWE still has something planned for the Devil's Favorite Demon.

Why Zack Ryder Should win: He has not been booked correctly since he lost the United States Championship prematurely to Jack Swagger. Also, none of his feuds have really gone anywhere. They ended the Eve feud quickly and they did nothing with a possible feud against John Cena. 

Who I think will win: I am going to go with Kane here. They have been trying to book him strongly since he came back and I think a win over Zack Ryder here will help him. I just hope the match lasts longer than 5 minutes. 

Diva's Championship: Layla (c) vs. Beth Phoenix

Why Layla should win: Layla just won the Diva's championship and I do not think they would take it off of her that quickly. The rumor is that eventually Kharma will take the title from her and this will lead to a Kharma and Beth Phoenix feud. Layla could win to eventually pass the strap onto Kharma.

Why Beth Phoenix should win: Beth lost her championship to Nikki Bella on April 23. She is out for vengeance and Layla better watch out. Beth Phoenix wants to regain her position at the top of the diva totem pole. The only thing in her way, is Layla. 

Who I think will win: I believe the rumor about Kharma is true. Therefore I will say that Layla retains her championship. 

Tag Team Championship: R-Truth and Kofi Kingston (c) vs. Dolph Ziggler and Jack Swagger

 Why R-Truth and Kofi Kingston should win:  They just won the tag titles, so I think it is not a good idea to switch champions so quickly. They can also do so much more for the division than Epico and Primo were doing. I believe that Edge better watch out. Kofi may beat his record for most tag team championships before he retires. 

Why Dolph Ziggler and Jack Swagger should win: Both of them have not been booked very well recently. They are both former World Champions, but neither can get a break. I think that a win here could add some credibility. A tag team championship is a lot better than being Brodus Clay's rag doll. 

Who I think will win: Since R-Truth and Kofi Kingston just won the tag titles recently I will pick them to win this one. 

John Cena vs. John Laurinaitis

Why John Cena should win: John Cena is just coming off a loss to the Rock and is being told that he is not legitimate enough for the WWE. After Laryngitis attacked him and tried to injure his arm, Cena has a lot to prove. It would be embarrassing for him to lose to the General Manager of both Monday Night RAW and Friday Night Smackdown. 

Why John Laurinaitis should win: On RAW this week it was announced that if he lost, he would no longer be the general manager. After all of the backlash he has gotten, he could really use the win to show that he means business. Just ask the Big Show.

Who I think will win: I do not believe JL is going anywhere. They are just starting to make his character even more interesting. If they took him off television, then that would make the Wrestlemania match mean nothing. That is why I am choosing him to win. 

World Heavyweight Championship: Sheamus (c) vs. Alberto Del Rio vs. Chris Jericho vs. Randy Orton

Why Sheamus should win: Sheamus' championship reign has not been that great. He needs a big win here to add some credibility. If he wins and pins either Randy Orton or Chris Jericho, that would be huge. Sadly, if he wins I think that Alberto Del Rio will take the pin.

Why Alberto Del Rio should win: He shouldn't. I have never been a fan of ADR, and I do not think he has any reason to win here. He just came off an injury and I think that he should have waited for a title match.

Why Chris Jericho should win: He is just coming off of losing two straight Pay Per View matches to CM Punk. Ever since his return in January, he has not gotten the championship gold that he is looking for. 

Why Randy Orton should win: Orton has not been in the World Title picture since losing the belt to Mark Henry in September last year. He will be looking to add his tenth World Title to his resume. 

Who I think will win: The rumor is that Sheamus is scheduled for a lengthy title run. I think that he will retain here by pinning Alberto Del Rio. 

WWE Championship: CM Punk (c) vs. Daniel Bryan

Why CM Punk should win: This is a match to prove who is more straight-edge. Now, Bryan may not be completely straight-edge, but bot competitors are vegan. Punk has just come off of a hard-fought feud with Chris Jericho and a loss to Daniel Bryan would not look good.

Why Daniel Bryan should win: Daniel Bryan is still upset about his 18 second loss to Sheamus at Wrestlemania. A win over CM Punk would do wonders here for his credibility. 

Who I think will win: I am going to say that CM Punk will win. I do not believe that there is any reason for Daniel Bryan to win here because he just lost his own World Championship not too long ago.

RAW Thoughts 4/16/12

Match 1: CM Punk vs. Mark Henry for the WWE Championship in a No DQ Match, Featuring Chris Jericho

 

Right when this match started I had two questions. Why is this match at the beginning of the show and why did Mark Henry get the jobber entrance? Right away you know that Mark Henry has no way of winning when he isn't even important enough to get his own entrance. I also really miss the falls count anywhere match. Why can't they just add that stipulation to no DQ matches? Once the match goes out of the ring it really starts to pick up. Those kicks from CM Punk to Henry's back sound like they really hurt. I would love to see another Mark Henry title reign, but I do not want him to beat Punk. Speaking of the other champion, Sheamus beat Mark Henry in under 3 minutes in February. Now it is taking CM Punk over 10 minutes. Another great thing is the crowd, they were really into everything that Punk was doing. The match ended fine, but I was disappointed that Punk did not pick Henry up into the GTS. It was also announced that CM Punk vs. Chris Jericho is going to be a Chicago Street Fight. I can't wait! This feud has great psychology. Also, according to Jericho, anyone who goes into a pub must be drinking. I like how CM Punk said this even after I put it into my notes on the match.

Segment 1: R-Truth, Theodore Long

 I find R-Truth hilarious! The music in the background during this segment was perfect. I wonder where they are going to go with the whole thing of R-Truth trying to find Teddy Long a job.

Match 2: Santino Marella vs. David Otunga for the United States Championship

  Santino taking off all those shirts at the beginning was really funny. I noticed that Otunga is imitating Chris Masters. He has the cape that he drops at the beginning of his entrance and he does all the flexing. I really enjoy that Santino is getting some credibility and bringing that credibility back to the United States Championship. He has defended the title way more than Jack Swagger ever did. It was a short match, but it ended with something great... The Trombone!

Segment 2: Lord Tensai, Sakamoto

I think that Lord Tensai stopped Sakamoto because he doesn't understand Japonese. I mean, Michael Cole and Jerry Lawler think it is important to tell us every week that he isn't from Japan, he just went there to hone his skills.

Segment 3: Brock Lesnar

 I still have a hard time taking him serious with his voice. Maybe that is why they always had Paul Heyman talking for him. He says that no WWE Superstar has ever had the accolades that he has. No one also never complained about travel like he did. He keeps bringing up UFC, but he always seems to let the NFL and Minnesota Vikings slip his mind.  I am really hoping Cena beats the crap out of him. I do not think this arrogance is him portraying a character. I legitimately think he believes everything he is saying. I really do not like Brock Lesnar.

Match 3: Zack Ryder vs. Kane

Someone needs to talk to Zack Ryder's doctors. He recovered from a broken back faster than anyone in the history of the world. I think that Kane should bring back Demolition with that mask he wears to the ring. Zack Ryder has really dropped in the pecking order. Michael Cole hurts my brain. He said, "Instead of Woo! Woo! Woo! Zack Ryder is saying Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!." Kane wins a quick match. 

Segment 4: Kofi Kingston, AJ, Daniel Bryan

  Daniel Bryan is quickly becoming one of my favorite heel personas. Changing the Lebell Lock to the Yes Lock was great. I wish I would have kept count how many times he said yes at the end of this segment. 

Segment 5: John Cena, John Laurinaitis

 Can't they just turn John Cena heel? The boos are not going to go away.  I like that they are showing more than just CM Punk mad at John Laurinaitis. I liked Cena's impression of Johnny. He had everything perfectly, including the raspy voice. I do like how they are going in a different direction with the Lesnar feud, than they did with The Rock feud. It is about time that Johnny got some theme music. His new music sounds so arrogant and it fits him perfectly. 

Segment 6: Hornswoggle

What was that?  I find it hard to believe that Hornswoggle has been with the company for 6 years now. It does not seem like that long since we were introduced to the Little Bastard.

Match 4: Kofi Kingston vs. Daniel Bryan

 YES! YES! YES! YES! I really enjoy watching both of these guys wrestle. It was nonstop action throughout the whole match. I really enjoy watching Bryan evolve into this heel and change his style of wrestling. On the outside, that turnbuckle spot was amazing. I like that Kofi actually got a chance to showcase his talent. Daniel Bryan wins! I think the WWE are fooling themselves if they think the yes chants are going to quit. YES! YES! YES! YES!

Match 5: Brodus Clay vs. Dolph Ziggler, Featuring Vickie Guerrero, Jack Swagger

 The only thing I hate about a Brodus Clay match is all of the dinosaur references Jerry Lawler and Michael Cole make. Speaking of dinosaurs... Here comes Vickie Guerrero! (Sorry, but I couldn't help myself.) At least Dolph Ziggler doesn't look like he is straight out of the Barbie section of a toy store this week. Another quick match. I knew it was too good to be true to expect an actual Brodus Clay singles match. 

 

Segment 7: John Laurinaitis, David Otunga, Eve

I hope this storyline with Eve is going somewhere. She is wasting TV time for valuable talent. 

Segment 8: R-Truth, Teddy Long

Can they just leave R-Truth out of matches and put him in strictly backstage segments.  I just want to hear him make his dolphin noise that he made during the debate before Elimination Chamber.

Match 6: Great Khali and Big Show vs. Epico and Primo, Featuring AW

Wow! I can't believe that the tag team champions are actually on television. Sometimes I even forget that there are tag team champions. This was nothing special. Just another short match and Big Show and Khali doing some sort of dance afterward. Why don't they just acknowledge that AW is Abraham Washington?

Match 7: John Cena vs. Lord Tensai in an Extreme Rules Match, Featuring Sakamoto, John Laurinaitis, David Otunga

 I hope that this starts a Lord Tensai vs. Cena feud. On commentary Michael Cole says that Tensai means distruction. I looked it up on Google Translate and I couldn't get anything for it. The closes meaning it gave me was reprint which kind of makes since. Lord Tensai is just a reprint of Albert and A-Train. I am still waiting for somebody to start a shave your back chant during a Lord Tensai match. Again, they make Cena look helpless. If you recall, this was the same person that everyone complained about because he never lost. Tensai's offense seem really stiff. Seeing the return of the mist is cool, but it is not as cool as when Tajiri would use it. Does anyone remember when Tajiri spit it into the face of Jonathan Coachman?

Overall Thoughts: Another good episode of RAW. They are really pushing the Brock Lesnar vs. John Cena match. I am a little worried because we only have three shows left until the Pay Per View and we only have three announced matches. I like that they did not have Lord Tensai squashing jobbers for months. *cough* Brodus Clay *cough* I hope after Daniel Bryan's feud is over with Sheamus that he does not just drop down the rankings. I want him to stay credible and enter into a new feud.