Cedric Alexander, Lince Dorado & Sin Cara vs. Tony Nese, Drew Gulak & Ariya Daivari
Predicted Winners: Cedric Alexander, Lince Dorado & Sin Cara
This match will be everything we have seen since inception of the Cruiserweight division; good action, no story, and a time crunch. We will be lucky if we see this match go to the 8 minute mark. Cedric aside, it seems that none of the other men have any type of momentum at all. Tony Nese is allegedly a favorable guy by Vince, but he has yet to serve a purpose other than be just another body (as is the same with the rest of the division). The addition of Sin Cara to the division may help jump start his career, once the division itself kicks into high gear. The match should be a good way to get the crowd to jump with a cheap high spot pop or two, but it is time to start looking at storylines or another format for some of these talented wrestlers. Cedric to score the pinfall.
Bayley vs. Dana Brooke
Predicted Winner: Bayley
Bayley’s NXT run vs. her Raw run has been night and day. To be fair, she is one of the newer members of the division, and probably should not be contending for the title just yet. The issue is that Bayley is not being focused on as the proper underdog with a great connection with the fans (especially children). The fact that WWE has not capitalized on her more to sell children merchandise is puzzling. The match itself will be a typical women’s match, with Bayley getting her Hogan-esque recovery and hitting her big moves for the win. Hopefully, her NXT story can take hold again once the Sasha Charlotte feud is over.
Enzo Amore & Big Cass vs. Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson
Predicted Winners: Gallows & Anderson
Enzo & Cass have won the past two meetings with Gallows and Anderson, so ideally they should take the loss at the PPV. Gallows & Anderson really need some momentum after the New Day feud that felt very flat. Hopefully, the match will show the aggressive and gritty side of the former Bullet Club members, and give them that edge that they have been missing since being torn away from AJ.
The New Day vs. Cesaro and Sheamus – WWE Raw Tag Team Championships
Predicted Winners: The New Day
With the new day closing in on Demolition’s record, it would be hard to believe WWE would pass up on the opportunity to break it. I was a 1 month old when Demolition started their 478 day reign in March of 1988, and I am sure many fans were in the same boat of only knowing demolition via old tapes and the WWE Network. The New Day has been one of the more entertaining tag teams of the modern era (and great captains for the Survivor Series tag match), and Cesaro & Sheamus have been a typical “odd couple” tag team. While they may win the titles down the road, this will not be the time.
TJ Perkins vs. Brian Kendrick – WWE Cruiserweight Championship
Predicted Winner: TJ Perkins
Kendrick’s “Wizard of Odd” nickname fits perfect, because this storyline has been nothing but odd. Between Kendrick asking for him to lose, TJ’s blatant video game catchphrases, and flat storytelling, there isn’t much substance to this feud. That being said, the match itself should be solid action. Kendrick is still a great veteran in the ring, and TJ is beyond talented with high flying and technical maneuvers. I would hope that one of the men (Nese perhaps) steps up and attacks TJ after the match, because the champion seems directionless with regards to challengers after Kendrick is done.
Sasha Banks vs. Charlotte (Hell in a Cell) – WWE Raw Women’s Championship
Predicted Winner: Sasha Banks
Even with the overexposure of the cell matches, I am excited for this one. Both women have the right attitude to break boundaries and try new things, so this might be the hardcore mess that some of the attitude era fans of the cell want to see. Both women will likely be less handcuffed to put on an innovative show for the fans (even though Charlotte was allegedly already turned down for wanting to do a Moonsault off of the cell). We have seen the duo face off in a plethora of matches, so it needs to be dialed up to close off this feud. With Sasha in her hometown at a PPV, expect her to win.
Roman Reigns vs. Rusev (Hell in a Cell) – United States Championship
Predicted Winner: Roman Reigns
Can we all agree that Rusev is both unintentionally hilarious and a great guy? It’s getting harder to boo someone who is defending his wife and family, especially with a smirking Roman Reigns is on the other side of the ring. The Reigns rebuilding phase hasn’t been anything too special, but that may be intentional in order to have him fly under the radar for a bit. The feud itself is getting a bit stale, so finishing it off here and moving on is the best for the careers of both men. Expect Roman to do a few hardcore spots (through a table, getting a kendo stick broken over his back etc.) and nothing else too crazy out of this one. It’s safe to put money on Roman walking out of the cell as the winner.
Kevin Owens vs. Seth Rollins (Hell in a Cell) – WWE Universal Championship
Predicted Winner: Kevin Owens
If someone told me Tyler Black and Kevin Steen would be headlining a WWE PPV 5 years ago, I would have laughed. Although we’ve seen both men touch before, this should be a fantastic match, probably coming up on a 4-star quality minimum. Even though Rollins’ face turn has not been as fantastic as it could have been, the addition of Jericho and looming threat of Hunter has kept it rolling quite well. Surely both men will give us some great wrestling, along with high spots and hardcore moments. Owens will likely emerge victorious, because the Rollins Hunter storyline needs to progress (which does not need the title). The Cell is supposed to keep interference out, so it’ll likely stay between the two men. The only partial interference may be Jericho passing a weapon through the cracks. One thing to expect is Triple H coming out after the match is over to attack Rollins. It then gives a pivot point to turn Rollins’ attention to HHH, and the Owens and Jericho feud to eventually start. Owens wins clean.
