Headlocker — Jay Shammpm
No Way Out: My Predictions!
Our resident philosopher, Jay Shannon, pulls out his crystal ball to try and predict the outcomes of this Sunday’s pre-Wrestlemania Pay-Per-View and the possible future paths that WWE will choose, afterwards.
Ok, I’ll admit it, I’m not a big fan of No Way Out. There should be a PPV break between Royal Rumble and Wrestlemania. That would give plenty of time to really build up the story-lines before the Big One. That being said, it’s time to look at this Sunday’s PPV and try to figure out the winners and how this will lead into the Granddaddy of them all.
C.M. Punk vs. Chavo Guerrero–ECW Championship Match
Two years ago, this would have been the match to watch. Punk and Chavo are both excellent wrestlers, but now this match means very little. ECW is, at best, on life-support. The title is possibly just a few months away from joining the Cruiserweight, Hardcore and European titles in the championship graveyard.
Despite the near-meaninglessness of the bout, It will be a good match. Either man could take this title. They are that closely matched. Since C.M. Punk will likely be involved in this year’s Money in the Bank match, I could see him losing so that he isn’t weighed down with the ECW title going into Wrestlemania.
Predicted Winner: Chavo Guerrero
Predicted Grade: B
Ric Flair vs Ken Kennedy–Career Threatening Match
This will be Flair’s toughest challenge, to date. Flair goes into this match with a bum leg. If this were Wrestlemania, Survivor Series, Summerslam or Royal Rumble, I’d be tempted to give the win to Kennedy.
I simply can’t see Flair losing to Kennedy on anything less than one of the Big Four. Rumors are rampant on the ‘net that Flair will face Shawn Michaels at Wrestlemania and lose. I think Flair will take one heck of a beating on Sunday, but will pull out a win, at the last second.
Predicted Winner: Ric Flair
Predicted Grade: A-
Undertaker vs Batista vs Khali vs MVP vs Finlay vs Big Daddy V–ECW/Smackdown Elimination Chamber Match
This one is going to be Bowling Shoe Ugly to quote Jim Ross. This match will likely set up several feuds for Wrestlemania. If the oddsmaker in Vegas were taking bets on this one, Undertaker and Batista would be the even money choices. Khali has lost so much steam that he is almost back to the level of Giant Gonzales. Big Daddy V has improved dramatically since his identity switch, but he’s just not Wrestlemania-level, yet. I expect Finlay to team with Hornswoggle against Vince and Shane McMahon at Wrestlemania, so the Irishman is out. MVP is still tied down with the US title, so he’ll likely have to defend it at Wrestlemania.
That leaves us with the two favorites, Undertaker and Batista. Batista vs Edge has been done so many times that the crowd would be making popcorn runs if it were booked for Wrestlemania. Undertaker has unresolved issues with Edge regarding the World (Smackdown) title. Plus, Edge is one of the few top men that Undertaker hasn’t faced at Wrestlemania. I think MVP may square off against Batista for the US title at Wrestlemania, so my pick for the ECW/Smackdown Elimination Chamber is the Undertaker.
Predicted Winner: Undertaker
Predicted Grade: A-
Triple H vs Jeff Hardy vs Umaga vs JBL vs Chris Jericho vs Shawn Michaels–Raw Elimination Chamber Match
If you go by the promotional poster, it would seem a lock that Jeff Hardy will win this one. I think that is a red herring. Hardy will likely have a high-profile match at Wrestlemania, but it won’t be for the WWE title.
Looking at the other competitors, Umaga is the Raw counterpart to Khali. I could actually see Umaga vs Khali as the opening match at Wrestlemania. It might even be expanded to include other “monsters” like Big Daddy V, Mark Henry, Kane, Boogeyman, and Snitsky.
JBL and Jericho are both great, but there is no chance of them challenging for the WWE title on the Biggest Stage of Them All. They will likely battle each other in some kind of specialty match, at Wrestlemania.
Shawn Michaels is highly rumored to be the man to battle Ric Flair at Wrestlemania. It would make no sense to put him in two high-profile matches on the same night. If Shawn does retire Flair, and Triple H wins the WWE title, I could see a battle between the DXers, down the road. Triple H could resent Shawn retiring Ric, while Shawn might covet the WWE title. That would make for great buy-rates.
The options are so much better if Triple H takes the win. Triple H vs Cena in a Royal Rumble rematch could be one possible for Wrestlemania. Triple H vs Orton in a battle of former Evolution teammates would be another great match-up. Triple H vs Orton vs Cena would be the best choice of them all. Regardless of which scenario Creative chooses, Triple H has to be in the mix, somewhere.
Predicted Winner: Triple H
Predicted Grade: A+
Edge vs Rey Mysterio–World Title Match
It is questionable if this match will even take place. Rey’s arm was injured in Chile, this week. It is unclear how bad the injury is. If Rey does compete, he won’t be at 100%. There really isn’t anyone else to face Edge in the match. All the major players are tied up in other matches.
The only alternate that I see to save this match would be to have C.M. Punk wrestle twice. He could return after opening the show with Chavo to accept an open challenge from Edge. It would set Punk in the highest profile match of his WWE career. It would also add extra motivation for Punk to win the Money in the Bank match at Wrestlemania. That would be a better match-up than Edge vs an injured Rey.
Regardless of who faces Edge on Sunday, I feel the Rated-R Superstar will squeak by. He will then go on to battle Undertaker at Wrestlemania.
Predicted Winner: Edge
Predicted Grade: B+ (could change depending on opponent)
Randy Orton vs John Cena–WWE Title Match
This was a really dumb booking choice. Orton vs Cena was a great main event for Wrestlemania. No matter what happens in this match, it will negatively affect Wrestlemanianad the WWE.
If Orton wins, then the re-match will happen, next month. Re-matches almost never have the same punch as the original. It’s like watching Escape From L.A. and being disappointed when it’s not as good as Escape from New York.
If Cena wins, then it totally invalidates the entire Royal Rumble. Why give Cena the shot at Wrestlemania and then allow him to jump the gun and win the title, a month early?
For this whole thing to work out logically, I see Orton keeping his title. This would set up the scenario of Triple H winning the Elimination Chamber match to be the number one contender. Cena would most likely lose by a screwjob finish, so he could demand a re-match. Your Wrestlemania main event would be a three-way match, pitting Orton, Cena and Triple H against each other.
Predicted Winner: Randy Orton
Predicted Grade: C
Final Thoughts:
No Way Out is poised to be one of the biggest disappointments in recent WWE history. All three champions will likely retain their titles. Flair will somehow manage to avoid the Hangman’s Noose. The only decent matches will be the Elimination Chambers. Even those are questionable, at this point. The WWE makes enough money off PPVs all through the year. I think that for 2009, it’s time to retire this Pay Per View and give the story-lines time to build up to a climatic conclusion. I will be waiting for this one to hit DVD, but I can’t see wasting money on this one.
Expected Grades:
Match Quality: B
Importance: D
Surprises: D
Overall Expected Grade: C-
– Jay Shannon
JayofPWD@sbcglobal.net
(2/16/08)
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