Wrestlemania 28 predictions

With an underwhelming go-home show for this year’s Wrestlemania in the bag, it is time to put my hat into the ring and choose my predictions for this year’s show.
Compared to the last two years, Wrestlemania 28 is by far a much stronger bill up and down the card. I still find it odd that they are billing the show as having FOUR main events, but who cares? I’m past trying to think through WWE’s bizarre logic.
Anyway, let’s take a look at the card (which will probably be tweaked come Sunday):

Randy Orton vs. Kane
This match has had almost zero build. Kane was feuding with Zack Ryder and Cena, getting Cena to embrace the hate, then Kane realised that he’d shook Rany Orton’s hand last summer and so build a match from that. This feud (if you can even call it that) feels more like an after-thought than anything to get excited about. The match should be fine, and Orton will win.

Maria Menounos & Kelly Kelly vs. Beth Phoenix & Eve Torres
This will be when I get some beers and put on some hotdogs. The token celebrity match (though Menounos is pretty much unheard of outside of the US). I hope it’s short, because it will certainly be a dud by anyone’s standards. Faces to win.

Cody Rhodes vs. Big Show for the Intercontinental Title
Cody Rhodes is very good, so this match has potential to be pretty entertaining. Cody has been humiliating Show for weeks, so the build has been really strong. I predict a win for Cody, with the Big Show probably snapping after the match and destroying Cody. Show will get his revenge, but Cody will keep the title.

Team Teddy vs. Team Johnny
The geek match. It’s really hard to care about the result of this match because Teddy Long is so unlikable and Otunga and Johnny are so entertaining as a double-act (just please don’t put Otunga in the ring). I think it’s obvious that Teddy Long’s team is losing, and there should be some pretty decent spots in the match. I predict that Drew MacIntyre (of all people) will get the pin in order to rebuild his character... but I’m not holding my breath.

Daniel Bryan vs. Sheamus for the World Heavyweight Title
Main Event time! This was the match I paid for last year but never got, so it’s good to see that it is now the main event and not a dark match. This match has the potential to elevate both Sheamus and Danielson to the next level. I just hope they are given a decent amount of time to show what they can do. The only thing which might work against this match is the lack of heat between Danielson and Sheamus. For months Danielson had heat with Henry, Cole, Show, even AJ, but there’s not been much with Sheamus. I think the build has made it quite obvious that Sheamus will win (even though Sheamus, and not the champ was pinned on Raw).

The Undertaker vs. Triple H in a Hell in a Cell Match
Main Event time! This match will be awesome and I can’t wait. I predict that Undertaker will win, probably after kicking out of a Sweet Chin Music at some point. They’ve done a hell of a job building this match up, some of the promos have told really intriguing stories. I think they missed a trick by not having Shawn out on the last Raw doing a promo with ambiguous wording as way to add more intrigue to the match, but hey, we had to see the same Rock/Cena promo again. I predict lots of blood, and a good slow-paced match with lots of drama.

CM Punk vs. Chris Jericho for the WWE Title
Main Event time! I’ve really enjoyed the way they’ve built up this match. It’s nice to see that Jericho has got to Punk and that feud has moved beyond a simple “I’m the best”, “No, I’m the best” feud to something with more dimensions. I think they’ll have a hell of match, maybe the best of the night. I can see Jericho winning the title, with Punk winning it back at the next PPV.

John Cena vs. The Rock
WWE can’t win with this match. If Rock wins, Cena’s going to still be around to hold up the company, while Rock’s off doing films. If Cena wins, nothing will be gained and everyone who hates Cena going in will continue to hate Cena. A lot of the interest in the match has gone down for me. I’ve found Rock to be unlikable, relying on catchphrases and very out-of-date cultural references (Mark E Mark hasn’t been around for about 20 years, the Tellytubbies had their day about 15 years ago). Cena’s character came off well for a few weeks, but when he came out to do his Dr of Thugonomics gimmick, you knew that Cena, in any guise, is simply playing a role. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve enjoyed the promos, they’ve been entertaining, but have they built up the match any more than they did a year ago? My feeling is not. Cena looks set to win, but it’s in Rock’s hometown so I can’t really see the 50/50 split that the WWE were hoping for.

Jon and Colin meet Maffew from Botchamania

Jon and Colin interview Maffew of Botchamania in his first ever face-to-face interview!

We talk about wrestling, video games, and Michael Barrymore.

In association with:

http://socksreview.blogspot.com
http://www.artfist.org
http://www.botchamania.com

Approx length: 1h45m, 128kbps mp3