Thursday, March 28, 2024
EditorialGreat Balls of Fire 2017 Preview and Match Predictions

Great Balls of Fire 2017 Preview and Match Predictions

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Cesaro (C) and Sheamus (C) vs. The Hardy Boyz – RAW Tag Team Championship (30 Minute Ironman Match)

We’ll see what these two teams are really made of..

So, on a night of firsts, we will have our first ever tag team iron man match between two teams that have been able to gain chemistry with each other since WrestleMania. It’s going to be interesting to see how the veteran Hardy Boyz fair in a 30-minute sprint, and I’m counting on Cesaro and Sheamus to do the heavy lifting here. Cesaro and Sheamus as heels have been a fresh air to the tag team division, and they’ve been booked like a big deal since they regain the titles at Extreme Rules, which is also welcome. It’s been reported that Sheamus is set to take some time off from WWE soon due to film commitments, so I don’t know if that is an omen for Cesaro and Sheamus to drop the title. Nonetheless, I foresee the Hardy Boyz reclaiming the titles. With Enzo and Cass split, there are no other face tag teams on the RAW brand to threaten Cesaro and Sheamus for the titles at the time.

I can see something like The Revival taking the titles off of the Hardyz later. I really hope this match can deliver, and we’ll see if Jeff and Matt have another big match in them.

Winner: The Hardy Boyz

Alexa Bliss (C) vs. Sasha Banks – RAW Women’s Championship

The Blissful reign of RAW is likely to continue past this Sunday..

The horrible booking of the champion losing clean a week before the title match pretty much spoiled the finish to this match. Alexa Bliss tapped out to Sasha Banks on RAW Monday Night, so it should be set in stone that Alexa Bliss will somehow find a way to retain here. I’m betting that Nia Jax will somehow be involved in the finish, considering that not only is she still seeking a real RAW Women’s Championship match from Alexa Bliss, but Sasha also made her tap out. The RAW Women’s Division is really in flux, as Bayley has been made to look like a complete joke, Sasha Banks has been going nowhere since the start of the year, and all of the other women aren’t important enough to be involved in anything serious at the present time. Alexa Bliss still has much to learn about working a match, but then again, it hardly matters when you’ve already won the Women’s title from both brands. Nonetheless, expect Five Feet of Fury to walk out as champion.

Winner: Alexa Bliss

 

Neville (C) vs. Akira Tozawa – Cruiserweight Championship

Look at Akira’s face. You tell me who’s winning this Sunday.

I really haven’t been paying attention to this feud, and evidently, WWE doesn’t deem it important enough to be on the main card as it was moved to the pre-show at the last minute. All I know is that Titus O’Neil has been inserting himself into the festivities and Neville continues his dominant reign as King of the Cruiserweights. I don’t see Neville’s reign ending to a guy that screams like a monkey to get over with the fans. If Austin Aries, TJ Perkins and Rich Swann didn’t end Neville’s reign, it certainly will not be Tozawa. All I know is that the Cruiserweight Division needs a bad injection of adrenaline because they have just been going nowhere since their inception as a separate division.

Winner: Neville

 

Big Cass vs. Enzo Amore

Big Cass losing here would be another world of irony..

The feud between these two has a Batista/Mysterio 2009 feel to it. Big Cass, like Batista, turns on his smaller comrade, and Enzo, like Mysterio, begged for Cass to realize that they are not just friends, but brothers, so they could stop fighting. We’ve heard for a while now that Big Cass is one of the guys that Vince McMahon is very high on, and he is reportedly set to feud with The Big Show in the summer. A small part of me feels like Enzo will get a fluke roll-up victory over Cass off the strength of Amore’s promo on RAW, but it is very difficult to envision Cass losing his first PPV match as a singles competitor to his tag team partner that took very pinfall during their tenure as a team. Maybe I’m wrong, but feasibly speaking, I cannot see Cass losing here.

Winner: Big Cass

 

The Miz (C) vs. Dean Ambrose – Intercontinental Championship

No brakes on Miz’s 7th IC World Tour..

Dean Ambrose is basically a hamster on a wheel as of right now, as it feels like he’s been working with the Intercontinental Championship for years now. I could say the same thing about The Miz, but Ambrose was WWE Champion as recently as last year, and The Miz has been thrown into a plethora of different feuds and scenarios, so with him, it’s at least understandable. I really haven’t dug the feud between the both of them, but I think the two had a hard fought opener at Extreme Rules, and Great Balls of Fire could be elevated to the next level if they could work a match with the quality that their Extreme Rules match had. With The Entourage of Bo Dallas and Curtis Axel on his side, not to mention The Miz’s wife, Maryse, working in the Miz’s corner, The Miz has the numbers game on his side at the very least. There’s no way Ambrose takes back the title from Miz just about a month after losing it. Nonetheless, I’m still expecting a solid outing from these two.

Winner: The Miz

 

Seth Rollins vs. Bray Wyatt

Raise your hand if you know why they hate each other. Nobody?

I know this gets thrown around casually, but for once, I really do not know why these two are feuding or why these two hate each other. Like, literally no idea. Zip. Bray Wyatt’s randomness and spontaneity of his feuds make it hard to take him seriously at times because it feels as though he just chooses guys to pick fights with without having a legit beef. Maybe if they built up some tension between their match at Extreme Rules, then it could be understood, but there really wasn’t a story to follow there. Meanwhile, Rollins has unfortunately been boring to see as of late, and he’s just been completely lacking as a top tier babyface. A part of me feels like he may be better suited in the mid-card at the present time because he has been going nowhere as one of the top faces of WWE’s premiere show.

Rollins hasn’t had one of those breakout performances that reminds you why he’s one of WWE’s top guys in a while, and sadly, at Great Balls of Fire, the card is too stacked for him to stand out. Meanwhile, Bray Wyatt continues meandering on RAW doing nothing of substance and looking for people to feud with just to make sure people remember that he does indeed exist. While I really could not care less who wins or loses here, Bray could use a win much more than Rollins does. Rollins will be able to find his way back into the main event or a big match situation at a moment’s notice, but Bray Wyatt is an anomaly, and he could use any signature victory that he could get. So, I’ll take Wyatt here, though I’m curious to see if Rollins goes over because of his advertising of WWE 2K18 in the midst of the feud.

Winner: Bray Wyatt

 

Roman Reigns vs. Braun Strowman – Ambulance Match

Braun already put Roman inside an Ambulance once, and flipped another one over while he was in one. I wonder who wins..

There have been only four Ambulance matches in the history of the sport, and heels and faces are even in the match, with John Cena winning twice, and Kane/Bray Wyatt winning the other two. So based on the numbers, it’s anyone’s match. The winner of this match will all likelihood be the next to challenge Brock Lesnar for the Universal Championship at Summerlsam. Both men can lay claim to the title, due to the fact that both men have defeated each other on PPV, Reigns defeated The Undertaker at WrestleMania and unofficially retired him and Braun Strowman has run through anyone that has come in his way.

While Roman Reigns has shown that no loss can stop him from eventually reaching the top, I cannot envision Braun Strowman returning to face the man who put him on the shelf for a couple of months and have him lose. Add into the fact that Braun has already thrown Roman into the ambulance to build up to the match, and just based off of logic, why should I believe Roman has enough in him to stuff all of Braun Strowman into an ambulance. Plans for the Universal Championship match at Summerlsam has seemingly changed every other day, so of course, I may be kidding myself and Roman may just damn well spear Braun 10 times to put him away, but I think Braun is the right way to go, at least in the short term. Otherwise, he’s just another guy with a lot of muscles that can squash a lot of people except Roman. And I think WWE should build up someone who can give the impression that he can defeat Brock Lesnar straight up.

Winner: Braun Strowman

 

Brock Lesnar (C) w/Paul Heyman vs. Samoa Joe – Universal Championship

The possibilities here are endless..

Rarely does WWE get me invested in seeing one individual match, but this is a matchup that just screams Match of the Year if it gets the time. Here, you have two guys that are as physical as they come, and Samoa Joe in this feud especially shows that he is spoiling for a fight. It’s actually refreshing to see someone actually take the fight to Brock Lesnar in a feud. When’s the last time have you seen Brock Lesnar sell for someone to this extent since 2013 (aside from Goldberg obviously)? I love how Samoa Joe has carried this feud with his speaking and intimidation. His actions also back up his big talk, as he has been able to get the better of Lesnar in a brawl, and lock in his submission hold to a point where Brock was turning bright red and gasping for air. It will be interesting to see how that factors into the eventual finish to the match this Sunday.

Every part of me wants to believe that Samoa Joe can complete the upset and defeat Brock Lesnar, because I fear that after a loss, Joe will just go back to being a regular guy on RAW like he was before Extreme Rules. Add in the fact that he defeated all of RAW’s top guys in one match, and it only strengthens the case as to why he should take the title off of Lesnar. Unfortunately, I don’t think WWE is bold enough to have Lesnar drop the title, as it would put a monkey wrench into their plans. Lesnar has just been booked to be too dominant over the years, and though it appears as though Joe can go toe to toe with him, I think Lesnar will continue to hold the championship. HOWEVER, if there was ever a time WWE can show that they are not afraid to take a gamble on someone, now’s the time.

Winner: Brock Lesnar

 

How do you see Great Balls of Fire going down? Let me know! Until next time.

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