What it do prediction pals we are here once again. And who are we? We are myself, Paul Smith and my partner in picks Chris Jacks with the 2009 finale of the Talent Exchange. So this time we have the fourth new PPV concept in as many months as the WWE give us a PPV based around the Attitude Era classic, the TLC match and its various bastard gimmicky children. While some of the matches don’t look amazing, I have enjoyed the build and with the exception of the women’s match I think it’s fair to say that there is a reason to care about all of the matches on this card. Perhaps I’m being optimistic or perhaps I’m in an especially good mood. More likely the latter as barring an absolute disaster or a huge coincidence of circumstances, I have pretty much already sewn up the Blog Writer’s Prediction Challenge. Long live the King of these minor internet competitions. Anyway, enough waffle, let’s determine some predetermined outcomes!

Welcome everyone to the final Talent Exchange of 2009 and possibly the final ever Talent Exchange as with changes afoot on the WNW blog spot we will possibly be giving our popular predictions blog something of a revamp in time for the Royal Rumble. I really like the concept of the TLC pay per view and unlike the failed HIAC show I think the TLC concept will not be overdone here as there is only one match on the card along with a combination of others. For once WWE has done a really good job building this show and given us plenty of reasons to want to order. In my opinion the ECW title match will be worth the ordering cost alone! The card is solid and I am expecting every match to deliver in what could be the best pay per view from WWE this year. TLC replaces Armageddon which always delivered and I am expecting big things tonight! As Paul mentioned he has pretty much won our little competition here on WNW so it is between Luke and I for second place! So without further ado here come our picks!

Paul Predicts: Intercontinental Championship Match: John Morrison © vs Drew McIntyre

These two had a great match on Smackdown recently, and that is a great way to set up a challenger for a title match. Have him beat the champion. Simple as that. This was then given a little bit of colour with some JoMo silliness in the Braveheart stuff. I expect this to be a good match especially if McIntyre can do more moves than just his finisher and some kicks. These two seemed to complement each other well in the ring. With McIntyre being slated for greatness, I think he will follow in the footsteps of Rock, Triple H, HBK, Jericho, Benoit, Austin and the rest by having a good run with the Intercontinental title before he arrives on the world title scene. Ziggler wasn’t given the win over Morrison, but perhaps Morrison moves on up now, putting over McIntyre on his way out.

Paul’s Predicted Winner: Drew McIntyre (new Intercontinental Champion)

Chris Predicts: Intercontinental Championship Match: John Morrison © vs Drew McIntyre

I have really enjoyed the way this feud has been built on Smackdown. The match between the two was on of the best and most innovative in recent months on WWE TV and the Brave Heart promo from Morrison was hilarious! This should be a very solid match and is one of the harder ones on the card to call. Morrison always delivers in the ring and Drew has become one of the fastest rising stars in WWE. I think Morrison has had a very gun run as IC champion but I think he needs to move on to the main event and is an early pick to win the Royal Rumble in my opinion, Drew has been built well and is of course undefeated so has plenty of momentum heading in to this one. It might be too early to put the belt on him though as I could see them playing this out on Smackdown for a couple of weeks so he may just snap and end up getting disqualified therefore I am going with Morrison to retain

Chris’ Predicted Winner: John Morrison (retains Intercontinental Title)

Paul Predicts: Women’s Championship Match: Michelle McCool © vs Mickie James

The women’s division confuses the hell out of me on Smackdown and I haven’t really enjoyed it since Michelle McCool has been the head of it. I truly hope at some point soon that Beth Phoenix just comes along and kicks the shit out of her. It’s not because she’s a super heel that makes me hate her it’s that she’s a crap, boring wrestler who’s getting a push for the wrong reasons, and I want her gone. All the same, the WWE isn’t giving a title to a woman who’s currently recording an album outside of their own company.

Paul’s Predicted Winner: Michelle McCool (retains Women’s Championship)

Chris Predicts: Women’s Championship Match: Michelle McCool © vs Mickie James

I have found that betting against Mickie James is akin to betting against John Cena where I usually end up being wrong. I know she has plenty of backstage heat for her interests outside the company but she is over with the fans in a way that few WWE divas ever manage to be and besides when she last captured the Diva Title she had plenty of heat then as well. Plus WWE has attracted some real criticism for the Piggy James angle so after all the torment and abuse Michelle and Layla have given Mickie I do not really see any other option other than putting her over here. As for the match it could be decent, I think I am the only person who actually rates Michelle as a wrestler and I feel she has had a dominant run as champion but it is time for a change. It all depends on how much time this one is given to how decent it will end up being. I am going with Mickie for the win.

Chris’ Predicted Winner: Mickie James (new Women’s Champion)

Paul Predicts: Randy Orton vs Kofi Kingston

Again more simple and good booking. Kofi has beaten Orton dubiously after Orton beat Kofi dubiously so here we get the rubber match. I will enjoy seeing these two get to put on a proper match with a proper finish which is where the anticipation comes to fruition. I think this feud goes on a little longer and that Orton gets his revenge here but ultimately leading to a Kofi victory later on. This is one of the matches I’m looking forward to most, and I truly hope it delivers.

Paul’s Predicted Winner: Randy Orton

Chris Predicts: Randy Orton vs Kofi Kingston

This feud has been the best thing going on RAW by quite some way and I have actually stayed up and watched RAW live the last couple of weeks just to see how this develops! I think Kofi is on the verge of greatness and my one complaint here is that this match is not a number one contender match for the WWE title as I thought having that stipulation added so much to the Triple H vs Jeff Hardy Armageddon bout a couple of years ago. Of course the problem with having Kofi as number one contender would be that John Cena would end up getting booed out of the building if he faced him and WWE would not want that. This should be a fantastic match and I am fully expecting Kofi to go over here and propel himself into the RAW main event scene. I think Legacy may get involved and perhaps inadvertently cost Randy the victory but when all is said and done I expect to see Kofi get the winning pin

Chris’ Predicted Winner: Kofi Kingston

Paul Predicts: Ladder Match for the ECW Championship: Christian © vs Shelton Benjamin

Now the build hasn’t been great here, but the premise is simple. These two rock the shit when it comes to ladder matches. So the best solution is to put them in a ladder match. I don’t know about you but this works for me. This is likely going to be a fantastic match and I don’t really think I need to go into detail explaining to you why. I’d like to say Christian loses here, as he’s been champion for a while and that he’s going onto bigger and better things. But the conflict in my mind is that Shelton hasn’t really shown that he’s got what it takes to carry a brand on his own. The thing is though, ECW is becoming more meaningless than ever and with apparent rebranding going on next year, I don’t suppose it matters that Shelton is the champion. All the same, I think I’m going to play it safe and go with Christian to retain.

Paul’s Predicted Winner: Christian (retains ECW Championship)

Chris Predicts: Ladder Match for the ECW Championship: Christian © vs Shelton Benjamin

This is really the last match that could realistically beat Taker vs Shawn for WWE Match of The Year. I think this is going to be phenomenal and I really hope these two are given a good 25 minutes to put on what could be the best ladder match ever! The build, as Paul said, hasn’t been wonderful but with both men working as babyfaces it wasn’t as bad as say Cena vs Batista a couple of years ago. I have been lobbying for some time for Shelton to become the face of a brand and I think this could be the right time to do it with Christian moving on to become one of the favourites (alongside Morrison) to win the Royal Rumble and main even Wrestlemania, which he certainly deserves after his excellent year of hard work on ECW. Whether or not Vince has that much faith in Christian remains to be seen but I really think he has achieved all he can in ECW and short of putting one of the younger guys like Tatsu or Ryder over on his way to RAW or Smackdown I think this would be the best time for a title change. Shelton will finally get a run as a semi-world champion and hopefully show WWE officials that he deserves far more than what he has been given so far in his up again down again career.

Chris’ Predicted Winner: Shelton Benjamin (new ECW Champion)

Paul Predicts: Tables Match for the WWE Championship: John Cena © vs Sheamus

So many people bitched, and bitched and bitched about this but at the end of the day I crave fresh matches in the main event and right here we have one. Sheamus has been booked to look strong not stupid and Cena’s promos while not particularly good have made sense, with him telling Sheamus that he has a lot to prove and a long way to go before he can become champion, as he is in a similar situation to when Cena faced Lesnar back in 2003. I don’t think this will be a particularly outstanding match but a tables match doesn’t have to be. It has to be a compelling power brawl with lots of table tease spots and if Sheamus is made to look good and this match bucks the formula of Cena getting the shit kicked out of him for fifteen minutes-comeback-Cena wins, then I’ll be happy. With all that said, while I would love to see WWE dare to put Sheamus on top now, I don’t think they have the balls to do it especially with Wrestlemania coming up in the next quarter. Cena takes it.

Paul’s Predicted Winner: John Cena (retains WWE Championship)

Chris Predicts: Tables Match for the WWE Championship: John Cena © vs Sheamus

I chuckled when I read Paul’s pick as I have indeed been one of those people that bitched about this, not because I think Sheamus is a bad wrestler, far from it, but I think he is in this match for all the wrong reasons (backstage politics) rather than he has shown that he really deserves a shot at greatness. Case in point Drew McIntye has done far more than Sheamus so far on Smackdown and yet he is challenging for the secondary title. If Triple H was so insistent that Sheamus got a title shot then he should have gone over some really stiff competition such as Triple H himself, Matt Hardy, Michaels etc to put on a good match and sell him as a legitimate threat. Beating up Jamie Noble, Lawler and Santino have not exactly done wonders for the young Irishman. I argued that the likes of MVP and Swagger have done far more to earn a shot but with that all being said I am pleased that we have a new challenger and are not just getting John Cena vs Randy Orton for the 100th time. This could be a good match and I am looking for Sheamus to make an impact and thankfully the stipulation is ideal for Cena’s recent limited move set which I once again do not blame John for but rather the road agents and creative team who lay down the matches with him. The story of this match will doubtlessly be Sheamus dominating Cena for fifteen+ minutes and almost putting him through several tables only for Cena to hulk up in the last 30 seconds and win the match. This reminds me of when Umaga and Khalia faced Cena during his mega run with the belt, no one actually thought they were going to win and sure enough they didn’t. WWE dropped the ball with that silly still shot of Cena with the title at Tribute for The Troops as it kind of gave away the outcome of this match!

Chris’ Predicted Winner: John Cena (retains WWE Championship)

Paul Predicts: Chairs Match for the World Heavyweight Championship: The Undertaker © vs Batista

So a chairs match. What is a chairs match? I believe a match with chairs scattered around the ring. I think this may be stretching the TLC concept a little. I mean you think about some of the classic steel cage matches, classic wargames matches, classic hell in a cell matches even, but are we ever going to get a classic chairs match? I thought not. Add into this that Batista destroyed Rey Mysterio to get his five hundred millionth title shot against The Undertaker, whom Batista has wrestled for the title about three hundred million of those times. Then on top of this, both of these guys are really, really old and moving a lot slower compared to when they both put good matches on together. When coming up with predictions you have to think of what they can do long term (even if WWE seemingly don’t) especially as after this we are pretty much on the way to Wrestlemania. I think one of these guys faces John Cena at that Wrestlemania event and I think if Batista wins the title then it will be him, but I’m going to say Undertaker wins here and either loses to someone (maybe even Batista) at the Royal Rumble or Elimination Chamber.

Paul’s Predicted Winner: The Undertaker (retains World Heavyweight Championship)

Chris Predicts: Chairs Match for the World Heavyweight Championship: The Undertaker © vs Batista

As Paul said, what the hell is a chairs match??? I assume it is just like a hardcore match but only with chairs as weapons. Regardless of the rather baffling concept this feud has been built so well on Smackdown and it has been refreshing to see someone really take the fight to Undertaker as Batista has done. I know we saw this matchup countless times in 2007 but then they were both babyfaces and the builds to the matches were not as good as this has been. Since turning heel Batista has been a breath of fresh air and not only stepped up his game on the mic but in the ring as well. This should be a solid if unspectacular match and I am torn for a winner but I think this feud will run for awhile on Smackdown so I wouldn’t be surprised to see Taker retain here only to drop the title to Batista at the Rumble. Due to the fact Taker is still working pretty banged up this could be kept quite short.

Chris’ Predicted Winner: The Undertaker (retains World Heavyweight Championship)

Paul Predicts: TLC Match for the Unified Tag Team Championship: Jeri-Show © vs De-Generation X

This should have been a pretty good match even if Big Show’s contribution to a ladder match is certainly questionable, especially with a bum knee. Anyway Jericho and HBK in ladder matches equals win and Triple H has been in a couple of decent ones once upon a time. One of these teams explodes here, but I don’t think it’s DX. I would assume Show needs a lighter schedule to film his movie and that Jericho will probably move onto his next singles feud. DX on the other hand also look like they will eventually break up, but I think their first tag team championship is a necessary stop along the way to that, with a title loss eventually adding to the tension that could cause a break up and a Wrestlemania match. I think DX wins here, taking out Big Show first before overwhelming Jericho, to take the tag team titles.

Paul’s Predicted Winner: DX (new Unified Tag Team Champions)

Chris Predicts TLC Match for the Unified Tag Team Championship: Jeri-Show © vs De-Generation X

I do not like how Hornswoggle has been popping up here and there with DX and hope the rumours of him getting involved in this one are not true. There have been mixed reports about how serious Big Show is hurting and whether or not he needs surgery but his involvement in the ring of late has been minimal to say the least. Regardless of Show’s health, so much emphasis has been put on the fact that DX have never won the tag titles, never been in a TLC etc that I see it as something of a foregone conclusion that they are going over here. This one has been built well with some excellent promo work from all involved as well some decent matches (Jericho vs Triple H on RAW was really rather good) I think with Hunter, Shawn and Jericho involved we are pretty much guaranteed a spectacular closing match that could well make it into my top ten. I am looking forward to this and am expecting some exciting spots and spectacular bumps. I see DX having a brief run with the tag belts before their eventual implosion at some point down the line. Besides with DX as tag champs they could remodel the tag belts for DX and imagine how well that would sell!

Chris’ Predicted Winner: DX (new Unified Tag Team Champions)

Well that about rounds this one out. I hope you enjoy the show and I have high hopes for it. I will see you in the LIVE BLOG tonight and also back here next month, with maybe a slightly different format. Who knows, we’ll see what Chris and myself can do. Also, ECW Report next Wednesday so until next time, I have been Paul Smith

Thanks for joining us once again. I do not think I will be able to make the live blog as it is quite a challenge to watch the show and partake in the blog on my lap top simultaneously (I have done so before but then had to go back and watch the show again to recap) I am hoping to get a review up in the early hours of this morning English time depending on how tired I am when the show finishes. I shall be back next week as always with Chris Reviews Smackdown. I hope you all enjoy the show and have a great week!

Hello to the WNWorld it is I Paul Smith, joined once again by the Weekend Blog Wonder Chris Jacks for another edition of The Talent Exchange. This time out we are predicting the Survivor Series. Now for a big four PPV this has to be have been one of the worst built ever. I mean Miz and Morrison are against each other and haven’t even interacted and the RAW title match build seemed more preoccupied with Hornswoggle than anything else. However, some of the matches still look good, and I think we have the potential for a good night out of this one.

Hey everyone. I am in a mega rush to get this done as a power cut in my village has given me very little computer time today! However I agree with Paul, the build for this show has sucked more than anything I can remember in a long time. Survivor Series is supposed to be one of the biggest shows of the year and yet has received less build than the likes of Cyber Sunday in the past! However the matches on the card are strong and this has the potential to be decent and needs to be especially with TNA putting on such great back to back pay per views in Bound for Glory and Turning Point

Paul Predicts: Traditional Survivor Series Elimination Match: Team Morrison (John Morrison, Evan Bourne, Matt Hardy, Finlay and Shelton Benjamin) vs Team Miz (The Miz, Sheamus, Jack Swagger, Drew McIntyre and Dolph Ziggler)

Also known as ten guys they couldn’t think of anything to do with. It’ll be good PPV experience for your McIntyres and your Sheamuses though, and a rare outing for Evan Bourne no less. I would have had no problem with this match had they actually built it properly. However, in the weeks proceeding the show it’s just been Morrison continuing his never ending feud with Ziggler and Miz starting a new one with Jack Swagger. If they had continued what they had started in the buildup to Bragging Rights I’d have been much more looking forward to this. As it is, again there’s mostly good wrestlers in there with many combinations of opponents that will be interesting, and it’ll be cool to see how the new guys get on, live on PPV. I only fear that this wont get much time, which means lots of meaningless quick eliminations. I can see this going to Morrison, getting his win back from last month, possibly due to Swagger screwing around with Miz.

Paul’s Predicted Winner: Team Morrison

Chris Predicts: Traditional Survivor Series Elimination Match: Team Morrison (John Morrison, Evan Bourne, Matt Hardy, Finlay and Shelton Benjamin) vs Team Miz (The Miz, Sheamus, Jack Swagger, Drew McIntyre and Dolph Ziggler)

Of all the matches on the card, this one has received the weakest build and features several feuds (Morrison vs Dolph, Finlay vs McIntyre, Swagger vs Miz) combined in to one and then a bunch of mid carders thrown in for good measure. RAW could have built this no end on Monday if they had given Bourne a US title shot rather than MVP who was not even involved in this match and continued issues between Swagger and Miz but opportunity lost. Equally Miz could have cost Morrison his IC championship against Dolph on Smackdown but once again opportunity lost. This match features some main eventers waiting to happen and some of the greatest hope for the future so should be very good, I just hope this is given enough time. I would say it was time for some payback for Morrison but his team is weak in comparison to Miz’s whose team is loaded with Talent WWE has already shown plenty of faith in (Sheamus, McIntyre, Swagger and Dolph) so I think this one will go to The Miz with probably Morrison’s whole team being eliminated and leaving the Guru of Greatness to take a few men down before finally succumbing to the numbers game.

Chris’ Predicted Winner: Team Miz

Paul Predicts: Traditional Survivor Series Elimination Match: Team Mickie (Mickie James, Eve Torres, Melina, Kelly Kelly and Gail Kim) vs Team Michelle (Michelle McCool, Layla, Jillian Hall, Beth Phoenix and Alicia Fox)

Big juicy dose of who cares here. Faces vs heels, people who I don’t care about vs people who I don’t care about. Let’s face it, the WWE’s women division sucks huge dick right now, especially when the usually reliable Mickie James and Gail Kim have been turning in some downright awful matches. It’s a shame Layla is Michelle’s lapdog because this would have been a cool place to put Natalya in. Although right now it looks like they are just burying Mickie James, what I could see happening is Beth Phoenix turning on Michelle, to create a new contender for her title, and giving the win to the face divas.

Paul’s Predicted Winner: Team Mickie

Chris Predicts: Traditional Survivor Series Elimination Match: Team Mickie (Mickie James, Eve Torres, Melina, Kelly Kelly and Gail Kim) vs Team Michelle (Michelle McCool, Layla, Jillian Hall, Beth Phoenix and Alicia Fox)

There are some glaring omissions from this match in Natayla and also some strange additions in Jillian Hall. However there are plenty of women in this match that can wrestle and as long as the trash is taken out early it could be good if it is given any time. If it is like the diva train wreck last year though it would be awful. I agree with Paul and could see this coming down to Michelle, Beth, Melina and Mickie with Beth turning on Michelle and giving Mickie’s team the win as well as setting up Beth as a contender. Plus Mickie needs to get some payback for all the mean and badly acted tricks Michelle and Layla have been playing on her on Smackdown!

Chris’ Predicted Winner: Team Mickie

Paul Predicts: Traditional Survivor Series Elimination Match: Team Kofi (Kofi Kingston, MVP, Mark Henry, Christian and R-Truth) vs Team Orton (Randy Orton, Cody Rhodes, Ted DiBiase, CM Punk and William Regal)

It’s been really refreshing to see Kofi Kingston being built into a superstar. The segment from the go-home RAW turned a pro-Orton MSG crowd into a screaming frenzy by the time Kofi leg dropped RKO through the table. Now I think this should really go to a singles match eventually, so I again think that Orton wins here. I can see this being a star making performance for Kofi though. I imagine he could be the last member of his team remaining against maybe Orton and Legacy and while he valiantly fights and eliminates DiBiase and Rhodes, in the end it’s too much for him and Orton pins Kofi, continuing his seemingly brilliant set of sole survivor performances. Other interesting things here are how they just dumped other random people in, namely the ECW and Smackdown guys. While they both have feuds, it was clear there was no place on the card for them and the Orton/Kofi deal didn’t have enough players. Really after being pinned in his home country cleanly, Regal vs Christian should be over, and if they want to send Punk back to mid card hell, then he and Truth should be able to feud properly, and not just plumped into this match for no reason. However, on a positive note, it’s mostly good workers in this one, with lots of interesting combinations available that I’d like to see. As I say, I see Randy Orton and his team (however many are left) winning here.

Paul’s Predicted Winner: Team Orton

Chris Predicts: Traditional Survivor Series Elimination Match: Team Kofi (Kofi Kingston, MVP, Mark Henry, Christian and R-Truth) vs Team Orton (Randy Orton, Cody Rhodes, Ted DiBiase, CM Punk and William Regal)

At least this match features four active feuds and despite the fact the match itself has been built poorly, each separate feud has been built really well especially Orton vs Kofi which is the best thing on RAW right now by a country mile! Equally Punk vs Truth has been great on Smackdown and this match is loaded with so much talent it should be very good indeed. It is also good to finally see some representation from ECW on pay per view! Now since this Kofi vs Orton feud began, Kofi has had all the advantages so I am sensing the Viper and his crew may get some payback tonight. I think it mat come down to Orton and DiBiase and Kofi with DiBiase in a position to pin Kofi but Orton demanding that it is he who makes the pin which will further Ted’s face turn and heat up things between Kofi and Orton as well. I am looking for strong showings from Punk and Truth who have been excellent on Smackdown and this is probably the match I am looking forward to most on the card.

Chris’ Predicted Winner: Team Orton

Paul Predicts: Rey Mysterio vs Batista

Now I actually think that this has been built pretty well, especially considering it involved Batista and Rey Mysterio being on the microphone. Batista, as the rest of the internet wrestling community have stated, has been really freshened up by his heel turn as a character, and it suits his style of wrestling and his physique to be a big bad ass destroyer, especially when you’re wrestling the littlest big man himself, Rey Mysterio. What’s also cool to see is Batista involved in a feud not for the title, or not for a title shot, as there is a genuine issue here and both wrestlers have played their characters well. So, I see Tista winning this feud overalll, but will it go to one match or more? Either way Batista wins here. If the feud continues, it’s dead if the babyface wins, unless he does it by fluke. Which I guess is possible. But if Rey has to go out injured and needs to be written out here it would also make sense for Batista to win, unless he loses and takes Rey out with pure fury. But I’m not talking myself out of this one: Batista has it for me.

Paul’s Predicted Winner: Batista

Chris Predicts: Rey Mysterio vs Batista

This match has been built better than the rest of the card put together! Batista has been a revelation since turning heel and despite his very limited in ring capabilities Rey should be able to carry him through this match and I am expecting a good one. Rey has had the upper hand with his humiliations of Batista in recent weeks so I am expecting Batista to win here and probably obliterate Rey in the process. I have read several reports saying Rey is hurting and needs some time off so this could be the prefect time to write him off TV and really make Batista into a truly despised heel at the same time. Plus then is Rey is fit for Wrestlemania you will have a big drawing match that will pretty much write itself! It is only a matter of time before Batista turns his attentions to the title so I am going to enjoy this non title feud involving him whilst it lasts!

Chris’ Predicted Winner: Batista

Paul Predicts: Triple Threat Match for the World Heavyweight Championship: Undertaker © vs Chris Jericho vs The Big Show

Now, how much better would this be if it was Chris Jericho vs Undertaker without the Big Show? A million times better? Correct. For some reason though they gave one of the only first time matches that anyone gives a damn about that they have left away on free TV. Not that I’m complaining. I saw it live. Bully for me right? Anyway, I’m kind of torn on this one as with Rey probably hitting the injury room pretty soon and Big Show actually being a RAW guy, there is so little main event depth on Smackdown that I can’t see where they’re going next. However, I have my suspicions that they will go for a Batista next run as challenger, and of course that means he’d have to face Undertaker for the five millionth time. Since I think we’re going for a partners turning on each other with DX, I’m gonna say that Jerishow cause a little tension but that Undertaker can use this to his advantage and pick apart one of the tag champs to take the win.

Paul’s Predicted Winner: The Undertaker (retains World Heavyweight Championship)

Chris Predicts: Triple Threat Match for the World Heavyweight Championship: Undertaker © vs Chris Jericho vs The Big Show

Now unlike the other title match, at least this one is being taken seriously. And unlike on RAW there are plenty of guys waiting to face Undertaker once this one is over here. A strong showing from Jericho here (and if he avoids taking the pin) would make him a realistic number one contender and you also have Batista, Punk and even Kane waiting in the wings. I think this match will be ok, nothing spectacular as I HATE watching Big Show and Undertaker go at it as they are always so slow and predictable, however any exchanges involving Jericho and Undertaker in this match will be awesome and that should make it half decent. I defiantly see Jericho and Show turning on each other allowing Undertaker to pick up the win. Probably Show will submit to Hell’s Gate after taking Jericho out of a pinning predicament

Chris’ Predicted Winner: The Undertaker (retains World Heavyweight Championship)

Paul Predicts: Triple Threat Match for The WWE Championship: John Cena © vs Shawn Micheals vs Triple H

Now see, I had high hopes for this when announced. No really, bear with me. Triple H vs Shawn Michaels, Triple H vs John Cena, John Cena vs Shawn Michaels are all normally good matches. As are triple threat matches with Triple H and John Cena and Shawn Michaels and Triple H involved, or so history tells me. So, I want some fiery promos to get me excited for this, I wanted some dissension between DX, maybe with John Cena saying things in each guy’s ear, like Samoa Joe did in the lead up to Turning Point. What I didn’t want to see was DX chase a midget with legal action over him buying the merchandise that they constantly try to sell EVERY FUCKING WEEK. What I didn’t want to see was the three participants chilling backstage like the match was nothing. Christ. Anyway, I think DX will either turn on each other here or at least look like they’re going to, maybe leading to a John Cena vs Triple H or Shawn Michaels TLC match next month, after John Cena picks up the win in the ashes of some DX drama during this match.

Paul’s Predicted Winner: John Cena (retains WWE Championship)

Chris Predicts: Triple Threat Match for The WWE Championship: John Cena © vs Shawn Micheals vs Triple H

I agree with Paul, despite the fact that separately these feuds have been done to death, any match involvoing these three is usually very, very good but the build for this match has been a disaster with more focus placed on Hornswoggle than the actual WWE title and then of course John Cena’s STUPID promo where he didn’t realise what kind of match this was! I cannot express my disappointment or disgust at how badly this has been done and what a sham this whole match has become. I just hope and pray we have seen the last of Hornswoggle after Triple H pedigreed him last Monday on RAW! Now with this match WWE have a major problem, it would be idiotic to change the WWE title again so soon but there is literally NOONE who can step up and challenge John Cena if DX are to implode here due to RAW’s terrible attempt at building new stars, unless of course they decide to do Big Show vs Cena AGAIN which would defiantly send me to sleep! So this may be a really stupid call but I am actually going with Shawn Michaels for the win here, perhaps after Hunter takes out Cena but then collapses, Shawn dives in and makes the pin and then on RAW tomorrow we will finally get Triple H turning on Shawn. Despite the awful build I am expecting good things here from the top three workers on RAW.

Chris’ Predicted Winner: Shawn Michaels (new WWE Champion)

So, a lacklustre build accompanied this decent looking card. What is good is that so many guys who wouldn’t normally get a slot on a PPV show are now doing so, and they’re getting it on a big four event. So until next time I have been Paul Smith, and thanks for reading, I’ll see you guys around for The ECW Report

There we go then, another round of picks done. Once again I am sorry for the delay in getting this up but the show only started 5 minutes ago and sadly I cannot control electricity! I hope you all have a great week and I am aiming to be back Tuesday or Wednesday with a considers blog for Survivor Series!

Hello people who read prediction blogs it is I, Paul Smith alongside once again the man from the Blue Blog, Chris Jacks, for another slice of Talent Exchange pie. This time we have another first time ever to follow Hell in a Cell, as we get the inaugural ‘Bragging Rights’. Now, can this show beat Cyber Sunday, traditionally one of the worst WWE shows over the year that has previously only rivalled The Great American Bash in terms of mediocrity? In all honesty the card here doesn’t look fantastic and neither does the fact that over 33% of this PPV (1 hour plus video packages and entrances of a 2hr45min show) is taken up by two wrestlers who I generally find exceptionally boring to watch, in Randy Orton and John Cena Anyway, I as ever will be watching and below you will find my take on what could happen on tonight’s show.

Hey everyone and welcome to another fully loaded edition of the Talent Exchange, this time taking a look at the all new WWE pay per view: Bragging Rights. This pay per view replaces Cyber Sunday, which is certainly not a bad thing as Cyber Sunday was usually a horrible pay per view, remember Batista beating Jericho for the title last year in one of the most over booked matches ever?… anyway whilst there are only 5 matches on the card tonight I am expecting them all to deliver. Sadly the cable in the hotel I am staying at during my cousins wedding does not have Sky Sports, so even though this would usually be a free pay per view here in the UK, if I want to watch it live I am going to have to shell out $40 for the WWE web stream! Nice to see ECW is once again being completely ignored on this show! Yoshi vs Christian would have been a great addition to the card but sadly we have to wait till Tuesday for that one! Anyway lets get on with our picks!

Paul Predicts: Interbrand Champion vs Champion Match: Intercontinental Champion John Morrison vs United States Champion The Miz

The Miz may think he is awesome but he has nothing on us as if you look back to The Talent Exchange from HIAC, you would see that both Chris and I predicted this match would occur. I think this match all ties nicely together with them being former partners on opposing show with the midcard title equivalents around their waists; it makes a very nice fit. Miz has improved beyond all recognition in the last couple of years and Morrison has been awesome for the last three or four, so this should be a very good singles match, and it’s a shame we’ve had to wait so long to get it, but at least both guys have had chance to establish themselves on their separate brands. If this was going to go longer as a feud I would give this to Miz but I suspect that this will be it for now, and as such I’m going for a John Morrison victory, possibly by DQ or count out or something stupid like that, to protect both guys.

Paul’s Predicted Winner: John Morrison

Chris Predicts: Interbrand Champion vs Champion Match: Intercontinental Champion John Morrison vs United States Champion The Miz

This is the match I have wanted to see ever since Morrison and Miz were split up in this year’s draft. Since then Morrison has turned babyface, become the biggest rising star in WWE and had the best TV match of the year with Rey Mysterio, whilst after initially being buried by John Cena, The Miz has come back strong with some excellent performances culminating in his US title win on RAW. This match could well be a vision of a future Wrestlemania main event and I am as excited to see this as I was to see Triple H vs The Rock in their ladder match at Summerslam 1998. As long as this match is given a good twenty minutes it could easily steal the show. If I do end up ordering the WWE Web Stream it will be because of this match. As for a winner I am going to have to go with Morrison as he has been on such a roll recently I do not see it ending here, but even with a Morrison win I am sure the Miz will come out of this looking great as well!

Chris’ Predicted Winner: John Morrison

Paul Predicts: Smackdown vs RAW Diva Tag Match: Team RAW (Melina, Gail Kim & Kelly Kelly) vs Team Smackdown (Natalya, Michelle McCool & Beth Phoenix)

If they’re gonna put the divas on PPV at least having four of the best workers they have in the match makes it a whole lot better than it would be. I think the Divas trade has worked well as before Melina and McCool were stuck in an endless feud on Smackdown but now with Beth and Mickie there, we look to be getting somewhere as far as actual stories go. I’m also certain we’re going to move somewhere into beginning those stories with this match and I think that some bickering on the Smackdown team will lead to the RAW ladies getting the victory, also tying up the best out of three RAW vs Smackdown series they have going on the show. What I do fear is that this won’t get enough time and will end up messy and stupid because they’ll have to get their stuff in in about three minutes.

Paul’s Predicted Winner: Team RAW (Melina, Gail Kim & Kelly Kelly)

Chris Predicts: Smackdown vs RAW Diva Tag Match: Team RAW (Melina, Gail Kim & Kelly Kelly) vs Team Smackdown (Natalya, Michelle McCool & Beth Phoenix)

Kelly Kelly aside these are five of best wrestling divas in WWE and perhaps the world especially Gail, Natalya and Beth. I am actually really excited to see this match as it could be the first time Gail Kim is unleashed and allowed to show the amazing skill she showed in TNA. This match hasn’t been built particularly well and there is some slight dissention in Team Smackdown, with Beth making it clear she has her sights set on the Women’s Championship. How good this match ends up being largely depends on how much time it is given. With Cena and Orton taking up a third of the card I am worried both this match and Miz vs Morrison may be treated as something of an afterthought but hopefully that wont happen. This could be WWE’s strongest diva match of the year but could also be just as bad as the diva tag match from Survivor Series last year (the one where the divas just rushed into the ring hit their finisher and were tossed out) I hope it is the former and we see some outstanding female wrestling action to try and restore some pride in their division! As for a winner I would say Team Smackdown is a far superior wrestling team but the fact is this would give Smackdown the overall Bragging Rights from winning two out of three matches and we all know how much Vince prefers RAW and how small of a priority Smackdown is too him. My head says team Smackdown but my gut says Team RAW so I am going with RAW here.

Chris’ Predicted Winner: Team RAW (Melina, Gail Kim & Kelly Kelly)

Paul Predicts: 7 Man Interbrand Tag Match: Team RAW (DX, Cody Rhodes, Big Show, Kofi Kingston, Jack Swagger & Mark Henry) vs Team Smackdown (Chris Jericho, Kane, Matt Hardy, Finlay, The Hart Dynasty & R-Truth)

Chris gave me the one word that sums this one up for me when I look at it in his prediction: CLUSTERFUCK. There is no way that this is going to be a cohesive match, especially when it probably won’t get a whole load of time due to the Ironman, and especially when Team Smackdown changing two days before means that they pretty much look really stupid. I also have to say this is stupid when they could do this exact same thing at Survivor Series which is based around big multiman tag matches. Due to the nature of this match, I can’t really see it being of any real quality, but if you like seeing lots of stars and sort of stars in a match, then this one could be for you. I personally think that something will go down with Big Show screwing Team RAW and giving the match to Smackdown, to set up DX vs Jerishow for the titles either at Survivor Series or the next show if they choose to extend the feud into a Survivor Series match before doing the title shot. I think your Finlays and R-Truths and probably even Matt Hardys are only in there because they for some inexplicable reason did a four way for the Smackdown title, taking out three of the top talent you could have put in the team to give it some star power. Anyway, I look to The Hart Dynasty to make a name for themselves in their PPV debut, and overall I think Team Smackdown takes this one, but not because they are necessarily the better team.

Paul Predicted Winner: Team Smackdown (Chris Jericho, Kane, Matt Hardy, Finlay, The Hart Dynasty & R-Truth)

Chris Predicts: 7 Man Interbrand Tag Match: Team RAW (DX, Cody Rhodes, Big Show, Kofi Kingston, Jack Swagger & Mark Henry) vs Team Smackdown (Chris Jericho, Kane, Matt Hardy, Finlay, The Hart Dynasty & R-Truth)

I actually have my own theory as to why Team Smackdown was changed for this match. Ziggler is a huge star on the rise and McIntyre and Escobar are two new stars WWE have high hopes for so they did not want to feed them to DX in this match whereas they are more than happy to job out the likes of Finlay, R-Truth and sadly Matt Hardy. Despite the wealth of talent present here I fear this match may turn into a bit of a clusterfuck as there will no doubt be so much interference and brawling outside the ring that it may be hard to keep track of what is going on inside the ring! I do see Big Show turning on his team but I still do not see it as enough to stop Team RAW emerging victorious here as I cannot believe that Triple H would be happy to put the likes of Hardy and Finlay over on ppv. Hell we all remember what he has done to Jericho pretty much every time he steps in a ring with him! The teams may break down and squabble amongst themselves but hopefully there will be enough decent in ring action to make this one worth watching. I am delighted the Hart Dynasty are on PPV and I am looking for a very strong showing from them! I also fully expect DX to get the winning pin with the old superkick, pedigree combination.

Chris’ Predicted Winner: Team RAW (DX, Cody Rhodes, Big Show, Kofi Kingston, Jack Swagger & Mark Henry

Paul Predicts: Fatal Four Way Match For The World Heavyweight Championship: Undertaker © vs Batista vs Rey Mysterio vs CM Punk

Okay so Undertaker’s challengers are a guy he’s beaten twice in title matches successively and only lost the first one due to a screwjob and then two guys coming in off time out, whose only PPV appearance has been not winning the tag team titles. Zuh? Not only that but this match hasn’t even got a story with Batista and Rey barely interacting with Punk or Undertaker outside of the Punk/Tista match a couple of weeks back. This is two separate stories being thrown together for no real reason. I think that in this match Batista turns on Rey, goes heel and sets up that program, but I do not think that that will be a title feud. Where I think this match will actually go depends on Taker’s MRI he was reported to have earlier this week. I think that either Taker can just retain or there will be a big ruckus following Batista’s heel turn and that Punk will sneak in for a fluke pin. Personally, with Taker looking weak and him being put in a four way so he doesn’t have to take the fall (or more specifically so that Rey can) I’m going to go for the former. I also think that it would be reasonable to do Rey taking the fall for Batista, but I am going to bet against that, this time round.

Paul’s Predicted Winner: CM Punk (new World Heavyweight Champion)

Chris Predicts: Fatal Four Way Match For The World Heavyweight Championship: Undertaker © vs Batista vs Rey Mysterio vs CM Punk

This match has not been built very well at all. Batista and Rey were added to the mix for no real reason and have spent the last few weeks sucking up to each other on Smackdown. Undertaker and Punk have continued their issues which were further advanced with their excellent match on this week’s Smackdown. With Long, Armstrong, Punk and Vince all trying to screw The Undertaker I am not sure he will be keeping hold of his belt here, especially since he is in such terrible physical shape. Putting the belt back on CM Punk makes no sense to me, seeing as he only lost it a month ago but WWE Creative have shown no sense with booking recently so perhaps this is not as far fetched as it sounds. Another possibility, albeit an unlikely one, is Batista turning on Rey and pinning him for the win, setting up Batista vs Rey for the title for a few months, whilst Punk and co continue their feud with Undertaker separately. With all the ‘Bromance’ and sucking up Rey and Batista have been doing recently I am really sensing some kind of swerve else all that mushy crap would have been for nothing. The more I think about it the more I see Batista leaving as champion after turning on Rey, as much as I don’t want to see it!

Chris’ Predicted Winner: Batista (new World Heavyweight Champion)

Paul Predicts: Iron Man Match For The WWE Championship: Randy Orton © vs John Cena

Out of all the wrestlers they have, Randy Orton is a guy I can barely stand for one minute in the ring, nevermind an hour. He can put in a decent match character wise very occasionally, but in an Ironman match, you have to be able to wrestle. Something neither Orton nor Cena can do for a sustained period of this length. The only consolation is that this is allegedly the last encounter between these two and if that is the case I don’t know whether seeing them fight for an hour is a bullet I’m willing to take. Of course there is always the Cena leaves RAW if he loses thing which makes this somewhat interesting, as they would have to give away the title again to keep him in it. I don’t know where to go here, but my thoughts are that WWE reasons that Cena = Ratings, and since they are losing people in key demographics such as 18-34 y/o males to Monday Night Football and that they have been beaten one week by The Ultimate Fighter, I have to reason that Cena takes this one, likely from a 2 or 3 fall deficit, that Superman himself will have to overcome in the last 10 minutes of the match.

Paul’s Predicted Winner: John Cena (new WWE Champion)

Chris Predicts: Iron Man Match For The WWE Championship: Randy Orton © vs John Cena

Whoever wins, we loose! Of all the wrestlers on the current roster there are perhaps four or five I would want to watch wrestle for an hour and none of those are John Cena or Randy Orton. This match has been built well with some good work from both Cena and Orton on RAW, props especially to Cena for making it look like last Monday’s clash with Triple H was his last match for the brand. However I do not agree that it is THE rivalry in WWE, both Jericho vs Mysterio and Punk vs Hardy were better in my opinion. I am not looking forward to seeing this, Orton is an excellent heel and plays his role well but he is SO SLOW and BORING to watch in the ring that sometimes I feel it is like watching a match in slow motion. Endless stomps, chin locks, head locks and staring at Cena when he is down is a recipe for a very boring match. Then of course Cena has one of stalest move sets in the company! These two need to do something very different here in order for this match to be entertaining or a success. I think Orton may take an early advantage here and maybe get a one or two falls on Cena but of course there is no way WWE would EVER put Cena on Smackdown or ECW so of course Super Cena will battle back and overcome the odds once again. I think Ted DiBiase could well get involved at some point during this match, perhaps coming down to save Orton but accidentally cost him the title leading to some serious vengeance on RAW next week. This match will almost certainly close the show and could well send all of us British viewers to sleep if it is too slow and boring. However I am really hoping Cena and Orton go out and blow us all away with a fantastic match that will FINALLY put an end to this rivalry once and for all. I think they should have had a loser leaves the brand stipulation just so these two do not meet again for years to come!

Chris’ Predicted Winner: John Cena (new WWE Champion)

Hopefully I can continue my strong showing from Hell in a Cell, but really who knows. With this show not looking particularly amazing, the best I can hope for is that this is bearable and that the matches that look decent actually really deliver. Until next time I have been Paul Smith, and I will see you on Wednesday to see how Yoshi Tatsu does in his quest to become ECW Champion.

Well there you have it, another bunch of predictions. Hopefully I will do a bit better this time round than at Breaking Point! Whilst there are only five matches on the card I do not look for anything else to be added here as Cena vs Orton is going on for so long. I hope you all have a great week and I shall be back next weekend with Chris Reviews Smackdown!

Welcome once again Prediction Enthusiasts to another action packed edition of The Talent Exchange, with I, ‘ECW Guy’ Paul Smith and my accomplice in predictions, ‘The Man That Reviews The Friday Night Show’ Chris Jacks. So WWE has finally decided to be merciless and we now have Hell in a Cell as our early October PPV offering. Personally, I think that the three cell matches, especially not in amazingly heat filled feuds will kill the gimmick as the big draw as it once was, but it will be a while before we can truly see whether that is the case. Bad Cell matches are few and far between, and that is why I am trying to be optimistic towards this show. The lack of an ECW match also shows how important that brand is. So with that said, onto the predictions.

Hey guys. I know I am cutting it pretty fine with this one but I was so exhausted when I got in from work earlier I fell asleep and only woke up a short time ago. My predictions will not be hugely detailed here so I am sorry but things are so busy for me right now and I hope you don’t think any less of me. I always try and give my all but 35 days in a row is seriously hard work… I am not even going to be able to watch the show tonight as I am up at 6am tomorrow so I will have to check out the replay when I get home tomorrow night.

Paul Predicts: R-Truth vs. Drew McIntyre

Well this one is apparently a last minute addition to the card. And at least they’ve built to a PPV match instead of just throwing it on there. Dew must be popular backstage with a PPV debut, a Vince McMahon rub and a lot of promo time for a new guy. What’s also funny is that this must be R-Truth’s first PPV appearance since the Royal Rumble. Poor guy. Anyway, I assume this will be a quick match used mainly to get Drew over, especially with R-Truth getting the upperhand on the beatdowns the last couple of weeks.

Paul’s Predicted Winner: Drew McIntyre

Chris Predicts: R-Truth vs. Drew McIntyre

Despite the late addition the feud between these two has been built really well and Drew McIntyre has impressed the hell out of me on Smackdown. He can talk, has a good look and is very talented in the ring (as seen in FCW) so hopefully this hould be a really good match. There is no way Drew is not going over in this one on his PPV debut!

Chris’ Predicted Winner: Drew McIntyre

Paul Predicts: Divas Championship Match Mickie James © vs. Alicia Fox

Mickie James has been in some of the worst women’s matches I’ve ever seen in the last few weeks, and couple that with a popped implant and the fact that Alicia Fox is still green as hell…I really fear for this match. This is gonna be straight up awful. Hopefully this will go quick or it will really kill the crowd. As for a winner, I don’t think Alicia carrying the women on RAW is a good move now or a good move ever.
Paul’s Predicted Winner: Mickie James (retains Diva’s championship)

Chris Predicts: Divas Championship Match Mickie James © vs. Alicia Fox

This one has train wreck written all over it and this should have been Michelle and Melina instead. Alicia has actually looked pretty decent lately but as Paul pointed out Mickie has been in some of the worst women’s matches ever. That match from RAW on Monday with Rosa rivals Bella vs Bella for worst match of the year. Mickie has backstage heat, implant problems and has had a fairly long (by today’s standards) reign so I see a title change here. Sure Alicia is green in the ring but so was Maryse when she won her first title and she came out ok

Chris’ Predicted Winner: Alicia Fox (New Divas Champion)

Paul Predicts: Triple Threat Match for the United States Champion Kofi Kingston © vs. The Miz vs. Jack Swagger

At least creative has tried to make something of a story with these three guys, and I can only commend them for that even if the actual story has been a little dodgy. The thing is, it’s been a long time since I’ve actually wanted to see a RAW midcard match from a story perspective rather than a ‘this could be a good match’ because of the workers involved. That pattern still hasn’t changed here. Ever since he’s won the title I’ve predicted Kofi losing the title but this time I really really believe it. I think The Miz wins here, just to freshen things up a little bit.

Paul’s Predicted Winner: The Miz (New United States Champion)

Chris Predicts: Triple Threat Match for the United States Champion Kofi Kingston © vs. The Miz vs. Jack Swagger

This has been an enjoyable feud and the US title actually means something again. I am with Luke on the belt stealing thing kind of sucks but I real like the animosity between heels in Miz and Swagger. I actually think Swagger is well above US title status and depending on the result of the WWE title match, may even get a main event run. I see The Miz finally capturing the gold here and possibly having an inter-brand champion vs champion match with John Morrison at Bragging Rights which would be awesome!

Chris’ Predicted Winner: The Miz (New United States Champion)

Paul Predicts: Unified Tag Team Championship Match Chris Jericho & Big Show © vs. Batista & Rey Mysterio

I think that while the actual feud coming in has been lacking this time round with Batista just being ownage and Jerishow just losing all over the place to various different people, the actual match could be one of the best yet of this tag reign. Jericho and Mysterio we know have good chemistry after their incredible feud earlier this year. I also quite like Jericho and Batista’s work and I think of Jericho as one of the few people that can still carry Big Dave to a decent match. And of course for the casual and younger fans they get to see the big Big Show lock up with little rey Mysterio and of course another shot at seeing the battle of the big with Batista. With few other teams for JeriShow to feud with, I see there being a rematch to this so for this match, even while I think Batista and Rey could end up champs again, I’m gonna give it to JeriShow.

Paul’s Predicted Winner: Chris Jericho & Big Show (Retain Unified Tag Titles)

Chris Predicts: Unified Tag Team Championship Match: Chris Jericho & Big Show © vs. Batista & Rey Mysterio

Well at least Batista is not in the title hunt… lets see if he can manage more than two wrestling moves in this match! I think as long as Show and Batista’s involvement is kept to a minimum this has the potential to be a show stealer as we all know how well Rey and Jericho work together. Whilst I do not see anyone pinning Batista on his return to PPV (or any other time for that matter), there is no way Rey and Batista are walking out as champions. It will probably be an innovative KO Punch once again. Perhaps as Rey goes for a 619 or something leaving Jericho to get the pin

Chris’ Predicted Winner: Chris Jericho & Big Show (Retain Unified Tag Titles)

Paul Predicts: Intercontinental Championship Match John Morrison © vs. Dolph Ziggler

While I expect nothing but a great match out of these two, the feud coming in just hasn’t been as solid as I would have expected. The pair’s mic work has just been a little sub par and at the end of the day WWE relies on you to be able to carry a feud with that stuff when you’re on TV once a week. Anyway, Dolph looked strong, pinning Morrison this week and we pretty much know what that means right? I can see this being an enjoyable match with perma-contender Dolph being on the losing side of things once again and I could see that leading to a Miz vs Morrison, US vs IC, RAW vs Smackdown match at Bragging Rights.

Paul’s Predicted Winner: John Morrison (retains Intercontinental Championship)

Chris Predicts: Intercontinental Championship Match John Morrison © vs. Dolph Ziggler

Great minds clearly think alike as Paul has the same thoughts about me for the Bragging Rights match! I actually cannot remember such a tough match to predicts as this! This match has show stealer written all over it and it is great to see John Morrison finally back on pay per view where he belongs. I do not see Ziggler going over here because it is too early into Morrison’s run to end it just yet. The key thing will be to have him looking strong in defeat which I am sure will happen and this feud can then be put on hold till perhaps Survivor Series where Dolph can finally claim the belt and Morrison can be promoted to the main event.

Chris’ Predicted Winner: John Morrison (retains Intercontinental Championship)

Paul Predicts: Hell in a Cell Match: D-Generation X vs. Legacy

Time for young Cody and Ted to cut their teeth inside the Cell then. And apparently DX have never been in Hell in a Cell, according to Jerry Lawler. Which would be okay if he meant as a team but EVEN THEN, he is forgetting (not unreasonably actually) the cell match DX had against the McMahons and Big Show. With their promo last Monday, DX have made this feel all like a big joke, which a Cell match should never be, and that has radically lost my interest in this one. I can’t see Legacy going over in this feud and if there’s any justice this will be the end of the feud and as such I think DX picks up the victory here.

Paul’s Predicted Winner: DX

Chris Predicts: Hell in a Cell Match: D-Generation X vs. Legacy

This is the best feud in WWE right now in my opinion. Ted and Cody look like legitimate stars now and as long as Hunter does not let his ego run riot this should be a very good match and probably one of the best of the night. I actually think DX will put Legacy over here to set up a final showdown at Survivor Series next month. I cannot wait to watch this when I get home tomorrow!

Chris’ Predicted Winner: Legacy

Paul Predicts: Hell In a Cell Match for the WWE: John Cena © vs. Randy Orton

So coming off what was a good match last time round doesn’t change the fact that this feud has overstayed it’s welcome and has been massively overlong and overdone. So having rematch number one million wont help things, especially when youre supposed to really care about a feud to put it in Hell in a Cell (making all of these feuds bad choices to put in there). So while I expect this to be somewhat entertaining (maybe a little optimistically), I don’t know who the winner is going to face outside of the usual suspect of TRIPLE H. All the same, Randy Orton got AA’d on top of a cage and pinned after a tombstone all in one week. He’s a total bitch if he loses this one.

Paul’s Predicted Winner: Randy Orton (New WWE Champion)

Chris Predicts: Hell In a Cell Match for the WWE: John Cena © vs. Randy Orton

Here we come to the worst feud in WWE. I am sick of these two going at it. I am sick of Cena’s same old promos and non selling and I am bored of Randy Orton taking fifteen minutes to walk to the ring! Can anyone see Cena losing this? He always overcomes the odds etc but Orton has been booked as a total pussy and needs some vengeance. Plus we come to the biggest problem with RAW right now: this is Orton’s last shot at Cena whilst Cena is champion so after that who is there to step up and challenge Cena… Jack Swagger is the only other heel of any note on RAW right now but I don’t want to see him fed to Cena. Of course with the interbrand stuff at Bragging Rights the next challenger is not an immediate problem but other than Orton there is no legit heel to challenge for the belt unless of course DX put over Legacy and then Ted or Cody could arguably claim a shot against Cena. Hmm tough call due to WWE’s lack of new stars but would they really switch the belt so soon… I am going with The Immortal John Hogan for the win.

Chris’ Predicted Winner: John Cena (retains WWE Championship)

Paul Predicts: Hell in a Cell Match for the World Heavyweight Championship: CM Punk © vs. Undertaker

So once again we look at the situation of it not looking wise to take the title off CM Punk while he is doing so well and is over as a heel, but also how do you have him beat the legendary Undertaker, a guy most of the fans wont accept as being on the same level as Punk. Interesting situation, and I really don’t think, unless we get another screwjob, there is any way of Punk retaining here. I was nearly swung by the lack of a ‘guaran-damn-tee’ from Rock, which is usually a tell that what will happen will happen, but with everything else, I just have the feeling that Punk loses, which I don’t know, will probably lead to Taker vs Batista Part 793720582 somewhere down the line. This feud hasn’t been quite as good as I would have liked, but at the end of the day, it’s the Hell in a Cell gimmick that is supposed to draw here, not the feuds.

Paul’s Predicted Winner: The Undertaker (New World Heavyweight Champion)

Chris Predicts: Hell in a Cell Match for the World Heavyweight Championship: CM Punk © vs. Undertaker

A lot of people seem to forget Taker put over Brock in HIAC and I see no reason why he wont do the same for Punk here as a win for the only straight edge world champion in history will really cement his place at the top of the pile in WWE. I hope this match headlines and I hope it gets a decent amount of time unlike at Breaking Point. This wont be exactly clean, hell I would not be at all surprised for Vince to come out and screw Taker since he has been hinting he was behind the whole Montreal thing! Hell maybe even Vickie and the debuting Eric Escobar will interfere, who knows, but I do see a CM Punk victory

Chris’ Predicted Winner: CM Punk (retains World Heavyweight Championship)

So there you have it. If I had my way there’d be a double title change at this show, which shows just exactly what I expect from WWE these days. Unfortunately, I wont be able to attend the Live Chat tonight due to a new schedule that would mean waking up three hours after the PPV had ended my time, just to get to University on time. So I may be unable to get to a live chat until at least Armageddon/Tables Ladders and Chairs in December and then we will have to see my timetable for the next semester. Anyway, enjoy the show and see you soon for some ECW action.

I will be not be able to make the live chat either due to my crazy work schedule. Hell I am not even watching the show till tomorrow. This is the first one I have missed live for a couple of years so that sucks. I hope you all enjoy it and have a great week!

Hey prediction fans, it is your favourite British double act back once again with another Talent Exchange, and I am your as always gracious co-host Paul Smith joined again by the Supernova of the Smackdown Universe (definitely running out of these), Chris Jacks. So yeah this year September brings us a PPV that is an actual word in the first ever Breaking Point. This was the best among a selection of woeful names WWE fans were asked to vote on a couple of months ago and it is the first ever submission themed PPV event put on by the company. I have mixed feelings about this as it will be an interesting gimmick and there are a couple of matches I’m interested in seeing, but I can’t see how this is playing to your strengths when you have a roster with two wrestlers approximately that use a submission finisher. Oh well, I am tentatively interested in seeing how this show plays out.

Hey everyone and welcome to another fully loaded edition of The Talent Exchange. WWE Breaking Point is a new concept and one I am very much a fan of with all of the “main events” being submission matches. The fact that the ECW title match is not a submission match and yet DX vs Legacy is says it all really! I am enjoying WWE implementing themes to their pay per views and feel it will help buy rates and attract more casual fans to see these speciality matches. I know I am already psyched for HIAC next month as well as TLC in December! Tonight’s card suffered a major blow when Morrison and Ziggler was dropped as alongside Punk vs Undertaker that was my main incentive to order the show. However the reason given for this is at least a credible one as they want to build a solid feud rather than rush out a pay per view match. Pity the US title and Miz and Kofi do not warrant the efforts from RAW Creative that Smackdown Creative put in with Ziggler and Morrison. On paper the majority of this show seems pretty clear cut with the odd exception so without further ado lets move on to our picks

Paul Predicts: US Title Match: Kofi Kingston © vs The Miz

A lot of people are upset about this getting the green light ahead of Morrison/Ziggler. I’m okay with it as I’m fairly sure it will be a decent match and it gives time for Morrison and ‘Mr Ziggles’ to actually develop a proper rivalry for their bout which is allegedly now scheduled for Hell in a Cell next month. Honestly, I haven’t seen a lot of this feud but from my understanding it’s been about random matches also occasionally involving Carlito and Jack Swagger and Miz declaring his interest in the title, and randomly getting the match here. I’ve usually picked Kofi to lose in his matches but this time I really think he will, as now Miz definitely has a job and he also needs a belt to make his big talk worth taking seriously.

Paul’s Predicted Winner: The Miz (new United States Champion)

Chris Predicts: US Title Match: Kofi Kingston © vs The Miz

Since returning under the guise of the Calgary Kid, The Miz has been on something of a roll and made his intentions for Kofi’s title well known. He missed his chance in a Fatal Four Way match the other week but presumably his pinfall win in the tag match on Superstars earned him another shot. I have to give RAW Creative some credit here they have really done a good job building The Miz back up as a legitimate star after jobbing him out to Cena. Kofi has had a decent US title run without ever really getting much mic time but he has defended the belt and defended it well on numerous occasions and I think the time is right to strap The Miz as he has certainly earned it for all the hard work he has put in since moving to RAW with his excellent anti-Cena promos and then his more recent matches with the likes of Bourne etc. If given a good 15 minutes this could be one hell of a match as both men work a fast paced style that should be well suited to one another. I am going with The Miz here not only because he deserves it but because he is awesome!

Chris’ Predicted Winner: The Miz (new United States Champion)

Paul Predicts: Singapore Cane Match: The Great Khali vs Kane

So, out of everything going on, on Smackdown, this is the undercard match? They seem to have given up on the actual story to this feud and have just random pre or post match attacks, but the weapons should hide some of absolute awfulness that will likely come with this match. Hopefully this will be kept as short and if not sweet as inoffensive as possible. I’m gonna for Khali.

Paul’s Predicted Winner: The Great Khali

Chris Predicts: Singapore Cane Match: The Great Khali vs Kane

The build for this match leading into Summerslam was very good and the match at that show did not suck quite as badly as everyone thought it was going to. However the build for this match has been nowhere near as good with both Khali and Kane pretty much doing what they did before only with the addition of the canes. I have to admit though giving Khali a cane will allow him to hide his incredibly limited and downright awful wrestling skills and hopefully this one will be kept short and to the point. Khali was standing tall on Friday which leaves me thinking (but praying otherwise) that Kane may win this one and the feud will continue but I really, really hope that Khali finally gets some payback and this one is put to rest and more deserving actual wrestlers get a chance on pay per view!

Chris’ Predicted Winner: The Great Khali

Paul Predicts: ECW Championship Match: Christian © vs William Regal with Vladimir Kozlov & Ezekiel Jackson

So we finally get the rematch from their emotional rollercoaster of a match put on at Summerslam. You know the seven second thing they gave ten minutes to two days later on ECW anyway to get to this match. I’ve enjoyed the whole Roundtable thing and this feud has actually been continually booked well and after the match I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, the match should be pretty good, should it actually happen. I don’t think Christian is done with ECW but I also think that to keep this going Regal needs the win here. It might be a bit of a stretch and I’m actually going against my gut and out on a limb instead, and I’m going for William Regal to win here, probably with some Ezekimir Jackslov interference.

Paul’s Predicted Winner: William ‘Bill’ Regal (New ECW Champion)

Chris Predicts: ECW Championship Match: Christian © vs William Regal with Vladimir Kozlov & Ezekiel Jackson

I am hoping and praying that these two actually get a proper match this time and are able to deliver the great, technical match we all know they are capable of. This should really be a submission match especially seeing as how Regal has been employing the Regal Stretch again as of late. I fully expect there to be plenty of interference here as Kozlov and Jackson will make their presence felt and no doubt Dreamer will come to defend his friend. Christian has had a solid if unspectacular second run as ECW champion but I believe ECW Creative are on to a very good thing with Regal’s Roundtable and I think we may see a title change here although personally I would hold this off until HIAC next month. What could save things for Christian would be if a third member joined his crew to even things out against the Roundtable and I think this may be happening tonight giving us some old school faction warfare for the next few weeks on ECW.

Chris’ Predicted Winner: Christian (retains ECW Championship)

Paul Predicts: Unified Tag Team Title Match: Jeri-Show vs Team Cool Aid (MVP & Mark Henry)

Random pairing, but continuing the mirroring of the little and large element in the teams is a good idea, and it’s good to keep two RAW guys warm that they might just one day do something with. I’ve enjoyed Jericho and MVPs RAW matches (indeed I actually just watched that match on this week’s RAW instead of the whole show) and of course Mark Henry vs Big Show is like an explosion of terrible, but I expect Henry’s involvement at all will be kept to a minimum perhaps except doing a half speed hot tag assault on Chris Jericho. Anyway, I can only see a win here for Jerishow, but as I said, it keeps Mark and Montel doing things and also builds up the tag titles to have the champions defeating different opponents along the way, having now beaten the Colon’s, Legacy, Cryme Tyme and if my prediction is right MVP/Mark Henry too.

Paul’s Predicted Winner: Jeri-Show (Retain Unified Tag Titles)

Chris Predicts: Unified Tag Team Title Match: Jeri-Show vs Team Cool Aid (MVP & Mark Henry)

I call them Team Cool Aid because they both wear red and Mark Henry actually bears more than a passing resemblance to the Cool Aid Dude. Anyway RAW has done a really good job building this one up with some excellent one on one encounters between MVP and Jericho which have been the best moments on RAW by a long shot. The exchanges between Big Show and Mark Henry, not so much but still probably the best we were going to get from the two giants. This is another match that really should be a submission match seeing as how Jericho (Walls of Jericho) Big Show (Colossal Clutch) and Mark Henry (Bear Hug) all have submission finishers and I remember MVP using a variety of submission moves when he faced Flair a couple of years ago. However obviously the tag match between DX and Legacy is more of a “main event” than the actual tag title match so there you go. This one should be very good as long as MVP and Jericho work most of the match which I am fully expecting them too. I also expect Jericho to be over as anything seeing as we are in Canada. Big Show and Chris Jericho are doing a great job as tag champions and until Shawn and Hunter decide they want a run with the belts I do not see them dropping them. I expect to see another innovative finish here with Big Show nailing MVP with the KO Punch from the outside in some fashion allowing Jericho to pick up the win

Chris’ Predicted Winner: Jeri-Show (Retain Unified Tag Titles)

Paul Predicts: Submissions Count Anywhere Match: DX vs Legacy

So, Shawn Micahels and Triple H. Submission finishes. Montreal. I smell a rat. There is according to the dirt sheets going to be a screwjob at some point in this show and while it could easily be Punk/Taker, I would say given Shawn’s reputation in these circumstances and how much they like to play off the Montreal screwjob anyway, I’d see it getting put in here. This has the potential to be quite interesting though and while I’m not sure about a submission PPV to start with, submission count anywhere is a gimmick that I’m quasi-looking forward to seeing (perhaps morbid curiosity as much as anything). I can see DX getting screwed in some capacity here and that way Legacy can finally get a win somewhere, anywhere and those green and black scoundrels wont look too much worse for it. Interesting idea that probably wont happen: The Hart Dynasty could screw DX as repayment for all those years ago, leading to a feud between the teams that had been talked about apparently. More likely however, is DX & Batista vs Legacy (inc. Randy Orton) or some kind of variant. I’m gonna remain positive about the match though and pick Ted and Cody.

Paul’s Predicted Winner: Legacy

Chris Predicts: Submissions Count Anywhere Match: DX vs Legacy

These guys had one hell of an outing at Summerslam and I am expecting no different here. The fact that submissions count anywhere mean this one should spill out all over the building and as JR suggested on Smackdown, possibly even into the streets of Montreal. Legacy have looked much better in recent weeks and I think are finally getting some credibility back after months and months of jobbing. The problem I see here is that neither Rhodes or DiBiase use submissions in their arsenal whereas Hunter uses The Indian Deathlock, Crossface and Finger Four and Shawn uses the Finger Four, Sharpshooter and Crossface. All of this points to a DX victory which I think would be a huge mistake from WWE Creative as Legacy really need a win here not only to keep the feud alive but also to make their young stars look like legitimate threats. I am thinking at HIAC we will see Legacy vs DX & Cena HIAC match where the guy picking up the pin will win the WWE title which will feature the implosion of Legacy so I am going to stick by my guns and go with Legacy for the win here perhaps after some interference from a combination of Bret DiBiase, Dusty Rhodes and Ted DiBiase Snr and obviously Shawn tapping out because Triple H would not do the job here.

Chris’ Predicted Winner: Legacy

Paul Predicts: Submission Match for the World Heavyweight Championship Match: CM Punk © vs The Undertaker

Now this is a match I am looking forward to, not only as a wrestling match, but just because as a ’smart’ fan, I have no idea how this is going to go. As somebody who has followed CM Punk for a long time, to see him get to the point of a feud with the Undertaker is really cool. Because in my opinion unless you’re a really tall or big guy (I’m looking at you Heidenreich), you don’t get put in an Undertaker feud if you’re a pile of shit. I’m looking forward to seeing these two wrestle, and although they’ve only really had two weeks or so to build to this match, they used that time effectively. As I said, what makes this interesting is that it doesn’t make sense for Undertaker to go into the next PPV as Champion (Hell in a Cell) as he tends to look better as challenger in that stipulation, plus it should really be too soon for Taker to take the title as CM Punk can go nowhere from that point. However, Undertaker tapping? Ugh, no. He did it once to Kurt Angle. And even then he was pinning Angle simultaneously. Even then he was in Biker mode, where he was actually made to look like a mortal human being, and he didn’t devour people’s souls and all that lovely stuff. So if I had to pick a winner I’m gonna go for CM Punk, but this could well be a less than clean finish, such as Undertaker passing out or getting laid out or just anything so that he doesn’t have to tap.

Paul’s Predicted Winner: CM Punk (retains World Heavyweight Championship)

Chris Predicts: Submission Match for the World Heavyweight Championship Match: CM Punk © vs The Undertaker

Wow here is one match I am really looking forward too. It is fresh and new and never been done before and despite the huge size difference between the two I am expecting some great things in the ring between these two. This match has been built well and at the moment Undertaker has always been one step ahead of Punk which defiantly leads me to believe the Only Straight Edged World Champion in WWE history will be retaining his championship tonight. Many people are doubting whether or not Undertaker would actually tap out to Punk but unlike the WWE commentary team I remember Undertaker tapping to Kurt Angle a few years ago so it could happen. Unlike Triple H and Batista, The Undertaker has no problem putting over legitimate stars and a win over the Deadman would solidify Punk as a main event star for years to come. A win for Taker at HIAC makes far more sense (although I would argue Undertaker does not need the title at all at this stage of his career) so Punk should defiantly go over here but I am not expecting it to be a clean tap but more than likely the Undertaker will be knockout and unable to respond to the referee’s three count and probably after some underhand tactics involving weapons etc. I am not expecting any outside interference here other as Punk has no real allies on Smackdown and seeing as the ridiculous amount of interference likely to take place in the main event this should be kept just as a one on one match. Great things should come from this and I fully expect this to be one of my favourite matches of the year so far.

Chris’ Predicted Winner: CM Punk (retains World Heavyweight Championship)

Paul Predicts: I Quit Match for the WWE Championship: Randy Orton © vs John Cena

Does anybody give a fuck? No? The build to this has been…well…the same build you’d have if these two were wrestling anybody else. Orton cheap shots people with his oily vanilla cronies, and Cena delivers promos about he wont quit and all that dull stuff. So. Another conundrum. Will John Cena utter those immortal words, “I Quit”? I reply with one word. No. Additionally while Cena wouldn’t be my ideal choice as champion, Orton has actually had the belt for a decent amount of time (in WWE terms) and I at least (and I’m sure some others too) have become thoroughly bored by his reign. That damned viper Orton will finally get his comeuppance most likely in John Cena’s clunkily applied version of the STF.

Paul’s Predicted Winner: John Cena (new WWE Champion)

Chris Predicts: I Quit Match for the WWE Championship: Randy Orton © vs John Cena

I am going to be honest I have absolutely no desire whatsoever to see this match. The build has been ok but I am tired of Cena’s lame promos saying he will never back down blah blah blah. You all know I am a big fan of Cena but I am incredibly tired of his character. Randy Orton has had a very dull reign as WWE Champion and I think it is time for a change. I saw a trailer for this match as Cena is billed as “The Unstoppable” John Cena, figures! Besides does anyone really think John Cena will say I Quit??? Unless WWE pull a TNA and recycle their storylines by having Orton beat Cena senseless and play a tape recording of Cena saying I Quit. I am expecting a tonne of interference and a brawl all over the arena between these two. Legacy, Bret DiBiase and DX will probably all get involved at some point but the result I think will be John Cena finally recapturing the WWE title but you know what that might not be a bad thing, Jack Swagger may get elevated here or Batista may turn heel and a heel Batista vs Cena is something I would actually pay money to see. Also an I Quit match without blood will be nothing like as effective as one with blood but the brawl should be a good one but after this and the inevitable rematch at HIAC (as I mentioned earlier I think it will be Legacy vs DX & Cena HIAC match where the guy picking up the pin will win the WWE title which will feature the implosion of Legacy) Orton and Cena should stay far apart from each other!

Chris’ Predicted Winner: John Cena (new WWE Champion)

So, there you have it. We’re all predicted out. Due to my computer being as reliable as British Rail (or your geographical equivalent) at the moment, I may not be in the Live Chat tonight but I should be able to be stable in time for next Wednesday for some awesome ECW action as always. So until next time, stay safe and don”t get arrested, I have been Paul Smith.

Well there you have it. I am both surprised and appalled that once again WWE have completely neglected their women’s division and hopefully this will be rectified next month. Teddy Long promised Vince something excellent on Smackdown so we may see some twist along the way which as long as it is not Batista coming to Smackdown (please, please, please Smackdown Creative do not allow this!) it could be entertaining. I will be back with Chris Considers Breaking Point tomorrow as I am filling in for Richard once again. I hope you all have a great week!

Hey there WNW Stratusphere welcome to the summeriest prediction blog of the, well, summer, The Talent Exchange: Summerslam. My name is Paul Smith and I am once again teaming with the Smackdown Superhero (yeah I’m running out of these), Chris Jacks. As we know Summerslam is the second biggest PPV of the year for a lot of people and over the years the WWE have put on a combination of crapfests, supercards and some just great wrestling so who knows what we’ll get this year. The card doesn’t look as action packed as normal but neither did last year’s and that turned out to be a pretty damn good show. We have a spectacular gimmick match as well as a big main event clash, mirroring last year’s two main events but can they pull off as good a show as last year? The build as with most WWE PPVs post Backlash has ranged from bad to decent to great, usually taking the pattern of RAW to ECW to Smackdown. However, I feel this month RAW has pulled its weight a little more than usual, with them doing really the best they can with an Orton/Cena match with very little backstory, actually putting together a rushed but fairly equal build to DX/Legacy and finally putting on a mid card issue that isn’t a random multi man for the US title. All in all, I look forward to Summerslam this year.

Hey everyone and welcome to another fully loaded edition of the Talent Exchange. I have to admit Sumemrslam has been something of a yearly disappointment to me ever since 2002 but the card for tonight’s show is phenomenal and we have had some really decent build from Smackdown and even RAW has put some effort into two of their matches. The TLC match in particular could be a MOTY candidate and without further ado lets take a look at our picks

Paul Predicts: Jack Swagger vs MVP

If this show wasn’t so full I would have wanted Kofi vs Carlito on here as well especially after their match last Monday night. As it is, I’m pleased the RAW mid card has been given a showcase and both of these guys are good workers with differing styles, but I think the difference will bring a good match. Will the clean cut Swagger defeat lowly crim MVP or will the Ballin’ one show his reformation and beat back the arrogant All American…American? Simple story with what should be a good match to follow it up. I see this feud being blown off here as it has been going a little while now and we all know about the RAW writer’s attention span. Also with my prediction of John Cena going over, I think RAW needs to elevate some heel challengers and that’s why I reason that Jack Swagger will take this one, maybe with a foot on the ropes or something.

Paul’s Predicted Winner: Jack Swagger

Chris Predicts: Jack Swagger vs MVP

I am surprised WWE booked this on again/ off again feud for Summerslam but am pleased that they have. These two have clashed several times on RAW and the results have always been less than impressive due to the lack of time the matches were given. I hope these two get a good fifteen minutes to show the fans what they can do and assert themselves as break out stars on RAW. In my opinion Jack Swagger will go over cleanly here because of all the mid card talent on RAW he seems the one most likely to break out which is a shame for MVP because he deserves much more than what he is currently getting. This should make for a very good match and would be a perfect opener to get the crowd hot.

Chris’s Predicted Winner: Jack Swagger

Paul Predicts: ECW Title Match: Christian © vs William Regal

This came about pretty quickly and I am excited to see Regal back on PPV. This is the best way for him to be utilised, as a snivelling heel getting his big strong associates (Kozlov and now Ezekiel) to do his bidding for him, which I think is more of a cool, old school way to do things. I expect this match to start with a lot of ground work, and some grappling on the mat, probably exchanging wrenches and holds before getting up to some of Regal’s suplexes where Christian can reply with his safe arsenal of high spots. While I wouldn’t expect anything ground breaking this should be an entertaining match and a fresh change up of the stuff we’ve had on ECW lately. Kozlov or Zeke could get involved and maybe Dreamer too or perhaps we’ll see Shelton Benjamin help Christian in a comeback to his face role, as a few of you guys called out in the comments to my blog this week. All the same, I think this is a placeholder feud and I doubt they would have put the title on Christian again if they didn’t want him to keep it a little longer.

Paul’s Predicted Winner: Christian (retains ECW Championship)

Chris Predicts: ECW Title Match: Christian © vs William Regal

I am still somewhat surprised by William Regal being named the number one contender seeing as he was being used to elevate Tatsu only a few weeks ago. However I am pleased my fellow brit is back on pay per view and am really looking forward to this match which will probably be technically very sound. With Regal’s new faction of monsters on ECW I certainly expect them to be involved at some point but hopefully not at the expense of Christian’s title because he deserves a dominant reign and I think it is too early to strap Regal just yet as his push has just begun and his faction have only just really started up. This match could be a dark horse for one of the best matches of the night if it is given enough time.

Chris’ Predicted Winner: Christian (retains ECW Championship)

Paul Predicts: Kane vs The Great Khali

As much as this literally numbs the brain in terms of things I want to actually see, you can’t fault the Smackdown writers. As far as creating a good face vs heel feud they’ve done it. Kane has backed down from actually fighting Khali unless he has the advantage and he has screwed with the Punjabi Playboy’s (ugghh) head by kidnapping Runjin Singh. Hopefully this will go for five minutes max if their WM23 match is anything to go by and hopefully Khali will pin Kane to end this for now. I could see this going another month and another match but I’m gonna be optimistic and give this to The Great Khali

Paul’s Predicted Winner: The Great Khali

Chris Predicts: Kane vs The Great Khali

As I said in this weeks blog this feud has been so well written and I cannot remember the last time a feud went for a good two months without either guy actually being in the ring with each other in some kind of tag match. The only slight blip was Singh being named as Khali’s brother which is about as believable as me saying I am the third Hardy Boy! However as well written and executed as the feud has been this match is going to be absolutely terrible. If they want to keep the feud going I see Kane getting himself disqualified but if they want to end it tonight Khali will defiantly be going over after all the injustices and evilness Kane has inflicted upon him since making his return to TV.

Chris’ Predicted Winner: The Great Khali

Paul Predicts: Unified WWE Tag Team Championship Match: Chris Jericho & Big Show (c) vs. Cryme Tyme

As Y2J has said in media interviews over the last few days, Smackdown has elevated Cryme Tyme and this feud is what has really done it, particularly JTG in his singles match with Jericho. This has been an entertaining feud mic-work wise and I think that an actual honest to God program over the tag titles really elevates them a hell of a lot in time for the eventual DX inevitable tag title reign. I expect this to be a fun, formula tag match and I think we’re supposed to be anticipating the showdown between Shad and Big Show. I think Jerishow are effective as a gloating floating heel tag team right now and while this match will definitely put over Cryme Tyme, I think that the champs retain this time out.

Paul’s Predicted Winner: Chris Jericho and Big Show (retain Unified Tag Titles)

Chris Predicts: Unified WWE Tag Team Championship Match: Chris Jericho & Big Show (c) vs. Cryme Tyme

This is another feud which has been built really well since the match was announced. It has been good back and forth action between the two teams and I especially liked the fact JTG stole a win from Jericho the other week on Smackdown. The fact that the tag team title match will be taking place before the DX vs Legacy tag match is something of a joke but there you go. As much as Cryme Tyme have been elevated as a result of this feud I do not see them winning the titles tonight as Big Show and Chris Jericho are only just getting started rolling and I could certainly see them feuding with DX at some point if they are back for an extended period of time. This should be a very good match and I expect JTG and Jericho to do most of the work with the big men coming in at key moments.

Chris’ Predicted Winner: Chris Jericho and Big Show (retain Unified Tag Titles)

Paul Predicts: Intercontinental Title Match: Rey Mysterio © vs Dolph Ziggler

This feud has not been as well done as I would have liked but through frequent interaction with the still massively over Rey Mysterio, Dolph Ziggler is really starting to get over as a solid heel. What would really put him over the top is defeating Mysterio and facing the likes of R-Truth for that IC title. I think this will be the result because with Hardy seemingly leaving in a matter of days, Smackdown needs as many credible main event faces as they can get and Rey is right up there as seen with his stellar performances in Smackdown main events and the I was really impressed with his performance in the RAW Elimination Chamber at No Way Out six months ago. These guys put together a good match last time out and I think they will top this time round and give Ziggler the upset victory to stabilise him as a hot mid card heel.

Paul’s Predicted Winner: Dolph Ziggler (new Intercontinental Champion)

Chris Predicts: Intercontinental Title Match: Rey Mysterio © vs Dolph Ziggler

Whilst this feud has certainly lost some steam since Night of Champions I am still very high on the work of these two and feel they will have one hell of a match that will hopefully top their match of the night clash from that show. Mysterio doesn’t need to be holding the title at this point and I could certainly see him moving up to feud with Punk at some point in the near future. Mysterio has had a solid run as champion and achieved exactly what he needed too and along with Chris Jericho gave the Intercontinental title some real importance in WWE once again. Ziggler still remains the fastest rising heel in WWE and a win here would catapult him further up the card and allow him to help elevate some of the other mid card talent on Smackdown. In addition his smug promos as champion will be pricless.

Chris’ Predicted Winner: Dolph Ziggler (new Intercontinental Champion)

Paul Predicts: WWE Championship Match: Randy Orton © vs John Cena

Now this match doesn’t seem to really have much of a story other than Orton being a little bitch and Cena not liking that. That’s all well and good, but they actually did this two years ago at the same event with pretty much the same story. Now I don’t really like either of these guys as performers but much like Batista/Cena from last year, when they do a big title clash match WWE quite often can do it right to a relative degree. Now with Hell in a Cell coming soon (and with only really Orton/Triple H seeming appropriate for that) and a PPV where submissions are the order of the day (Orton doesn’t use one barring the dreaded chinlock) signs point to Cena taking this one, and I think Summerslam, much like Wrestlemania is a good place for feel good babyface wins. Therefore, Super Cena will overcome THAT VIPER Randy Orton and take the WWE title.

Paul’s Predicted Winner: John Cena (new WWE Champion)

Chris Predicts: WWE Championship Match: Randy Orton © vs John Cena

RAW has actually built this one up pretty well since Cena won the beat the clock challenge by destroying The Miz. Now despite the fact we saw this very same match two years ago and countless times before and after I actually think these two work incredibly well together, far better than Orton and Triple H or Orton and Batista. In big matches like this John Cena usually brings his A Game and the fact Orton is working with someone he has so much chemistry with will only help matters. I see this as only the start of this feud with DX being tied up with Legacy for the next couple of months so I think Randy will go and get himself disqualified in this one leading into Breaking Point where a submission victory for Cena makes more sense. True the crowd will hate it but I really do think this is just the beginning of the battle between these two

Chris’ Predicted Winner: John Cena via disqualification (Randy Orton retains WWE Championship)

Paul Predicts: DX vs Legacy

So after a long hiatus both Shawn Michaels and DX return in a not so funny skit revolving around Shawn working as a chef. If I was that way inclined I’d wanna get in touch with whoever the dealer is for the RAW Creative team. Both HBK and DX could have come back with a bang but they didn’t, and I feel both of those things if announced in advance would have been a way to spike ratings more than getting in random actors as the guest hosts. Anyway, Legacy beating Triple H and then beating down DX this past week have made this an actual credible feud, and while I don’t actually expect Cody and Ted to win, they go into the match looking like they actually have a shot which will make the match more entertaining and give Legacy the shot in the arm that it needs. I hope this isn’t a total squash but I definitely see DX taking this one.

Paul’s Predicted Winner: DX

Chris Predicts: DX vs Legacy

Aside from the horrible comedy skits with Michaels as a chef this feud has been built really well with Legacy causing Triple H some real problems of late and for the first time in awhile on RAW we have a coherent and logical story that does not involve the WWE title. Despite the awesome beat down administered by Ted and Cody on Monday I do not think anyone seriously believes they have a chance in hell in this match not only because it is Shawn Michael’s return to PPV but because it is DX and they really don’t loose very often. Tonight Legacy becomes the Spirit Squad of 2009 but lets hope they are given a chance to at least look half decent in this match before doing the job.

Chris’ Predicted Winner: DX

Paul Predicts: TLC Match for The World Heavyweight Championship: Jeff Hardy © vs CM Punk

The first ever TLC match took place at Summerslam 2000 fact fans and that was probably the best out of all the big ladder gimmicks the Hardys, Dudleys and Edge and Christian did between them. Jeff Hardy may not always be the strongest wrestler, but when he’s put with an opponent who can put together an exciting match (Edge, and maybe even Triple H) he usually delivers a good babyface wrestling performance. Add in his strong suit off diving off shit into people placed on top of shit and I think Hardy especially when put in there with Punk and the story those two can tell, should have an excellent final wrestling match before his hiatus. Of course Punk has his ladder match experience and while he was never really part of a really big ladder spot in WWE he can definitely do this kind of thing (check out a nearly hour long TLC match he had with Chris Hero in IWA: Mid South if you’re interested and can find it) and I expect him to do some vicious things in the same vein he has been on Smackdown the last two or three weeks. The word goes that Hardy has one Smackdown taping left before he leaves and I think that while it’s speculated WWE might swerve us, I think that winning here would be the better way to put Punk over as the ultimate heel for Smackdown.

Paul’s Predicted Winner: CM Punk (new World Heavyweight Champion)

Chris Predicts: TLC Match for The World Heavyweight Championship: Jeff Hardy © vs CM Punk

Words cannot express just how much I am looking forward to this match! Both Punk and Jeff have really stepped it up a gear and if they top their feud off with an outstanding match here I think they could be in the running for feud of the year. Everything these two have done, be it from promos or multi man matches have been excellent and the fact Matt has returned to the frame has kept things fresh and exciting. This will be the match of the night and potentially match of the year. Whilst this match screams for a CM Punk victory I have a real feeling that Vince will swerve us seeing as how Jeff’s contract status has been such public knowledge on the internet and almost everyone knows he is leaving so what better way to give everyone false hope than keep the title on him only for him to drop it at next week’s tapings but I am going to go with what I would like to happen and really hope Punk comes out on top. Punk will do exactly what he said and hurt Jeff in this match and give him serious storyline injuries which will involve him being written off TV next week. I think Matt Hardy may well get involved here and perhaps even inadvertently cost Jeff the title which would be an ironic twist of fate

Chris’ Predicted Winner: CM Punk (new World Heavyweight Champion)

Well that’s my predictions, hopefully should be a good show. What is likely is that all of my predictions are wrong and a few of you will tell me I don’t know what I’m talking about. I look forward to it. Hope to see Premium members in the live chat tonight and I hope you all enjoy the show. See you tomorrow for WNW’s Summerslam Report and see you Wednesday for an ECW report.

That’s all for another edition of The Talent Exchange. I am sorry my picks are not as detailed as usual but I have had a very hectic weekend. I will not be able to make the live blog tonight as my friends and I are having our annual Summerslam bash. I hope you all have a great week and I will be back next weekend with Chris Reviews Smackdown discussing the fallout from Summerslam

Hello once again prediction fans it is that time of the month (no not that time) as we have The Talent Exchange..Of Champions! You are back with WNW’s very own British Invasion, the team of Paul ‘ECW Blog Guy’ Smith and the Superstar of Smackdown, Chris Jacks, except neither of us are Brutus Magnus, which probably makes us even better. Anyway, Night of Champions, formerly Vengeance is upon us once again, and I think this whole every title on the line thing is one of my favourite gimmicked PPVs. It makes wrestling seem more like sport, and while not obviously genuinely legitimate, it feels more sport-like when people have matches because they want to defend their championship, rather than convoluted stories about kicking family members in the head or you know, sleeping with The Big Show. People have complained about the card, but I actually like it, I don’t mind them rehashing the WM24 main event, just because while it may not have been a classic, they kept it to 15 minutes and it made an entertaining pre-main event the last time they didn’t so I’m willing to give them the benefit of the doubt.

Hey everyone and welcome to another edition of The Talent Exchange! The fact that neither Paul or I are Brutus Magnus defiantly makes us a better British Invasion as so far Brutus Magnus sucks! In the two years this show has been running Night of Champions has delivered and last year’s main event between John Cena and Triple H was one of the best matches of the year. I think tonight’s card is solid with several potential outstanding matches and I am sure we are going to have a title change or two thrown in. As Paul said the fact every title is on the line gives this pay per view a unique feel and makes it far more important than say Cyber Sunday or whatever name it is going by these days.

Paul Predicts ECW Championship Match: Tommy Dreamer © vs Christian

I’ll be honest. I like both of these guys. But I’m bored of covering this feud, they have so little issue left between them that I can’t continually be interested in seeing them wrestle. Christian has been showing signs of a heel turn as most have noticed with some of his remarks to Dreamer, but I don’t expect him to do a full turn here. I expect what will happen is they will wrestle the same match they have for the last couple of months before Kozlov comes down and does something to distract Christian, giving Dreamer the win, putting Kozlov in the title picture and Christian the motivation to go and pursue some non-singles activities perhaps…more on that later.

Paul’s Predicted Winner: Tommy Dreamer (Retains ECW Championship)

Chris Predicts ECW Championship Match: Tommy Dreamer © vs Christian

As always ECW has done a good job building this feud up and Christian gained plenty of momentum when he defeated Vladimir Kozlov cleanly to become the number one contender. This is not so much of an intense rivalry as rather it is simply a case of Christian wanting to be the champion and Dreamer just happens to be standing in his way. Their little exchange on The Abraham Washington Show was decent and I think this could be a very solid opening bout. Dreamer has really come into his own since being actually allowed to wrestle rather than job and has consistently shown he still has it in the ring. Christian performs as well as anyone on the roster and I hope this match is given at least fifteen minutes to blow this feud off in the style it deserves. I see no way Dreamer will be dropping the belt here and am pleased he will hopefully heading into Summerslam still out ECW Champion. This may also be the start of a busy night for Christian…

Chris’ Predicted Winner: Tommy Dreamer (Retains ECW Championship)

Paul Predicts: Six Pack Challenge Match for The United States Title: Kofi Kingston © vs The Big Show vs Jack Swagger vs MVP vs The Miz vs Carlito

So RAW realised at some point over last weekend that they have more wrestlers than Randy Orton and Triple H. They felt guilty for neglecting these other wrestlers for so long, so they called them up gave them some flowers, said sorry for being a jerk, but they’ve had a lot of stuff on their mind and booked this match. I would like to point out how about two of the five challengers actually deserve a title match. MVP has lost twice since the last PPV and that’s it. Carlito beat up his brother who isn’t even over as a singles wrestler and hasn’t wrestled since his Tag Title rematch. The Miz beat Primo Colon after being owned by Cena twice in consecutive nights. That leaves Jack Swagger who main evented (although somewhat poorly) in his first night but then did beat former champion MVP cleanly inside ten minutes. And then as much as it pains me to admit it Big Show has got some issue for some reason with Kofi and therefore somewhat has a right to be there. However, Evan Bourne, you know a guy more entertaining than four of the other challengers and a guy with a clean win over the champion doesn’t get in here because he’s selling injuries from a standard match with Big Show. Whatever. With so little focus on the RAW midcard this could go any way, and they don’t seem to want to get behind Kofi properly so I’m gonna say they will try to elevate Jack Swagger with the US Title.

Paul’s Predicted Winner: Jack Swagger (New United States Champion)

Chris Predicts: Six Pack Challenge Match for The United States Title: Kofi Kingston © vs The Big Show vs Jack Swagger vs MVP vs The Miz vs Carlito

So what do you do when you have the most loaded mid card in professional wrestling. Surely craft logical feuds and storylines with compelling in ring encounters to elevate some of the guys involved to the next level. Well on Smackdown that is the case but this is RAW we are talking about here and so rather than try and build any kind of one on one feud between midcarders they just take all of them and shove them together in one big match. I am not quite sure how a six pack challenge works. Perhaps it will be fought under elimination rules but it will likely be whoever gets the first pin will win the belt. Either way this match is loaded with RAW’s brightest stars (and the Big Show) so if it is given enough time it has the potential to be a very, very good match. I cannot fathom why say Carlito is in this match rather Evan Bourne who is the only guy who actually beat Kofi which on any other show would make him the number one contender but once again normal rules don’t apply when it comes to RAW. I am expecting lots of good spots here in this one and I do expect to see a title change. MVP should really be considered above the US title these days and The Big Show belongs feuding with the likes of Mark Henry. Carlito has done nothing to warrant being in this match let alone winning the title so that leaves Jack Swagger or The Miz. Ceratinly The All American American United States Champion Jack Swagger has a nice ring to it and I would not be surprised if WWE strap Swagger but in my opinion Swagger is already at a higher level than this belt and will more than likely be moving towards the main event if the WWE Championship match goes the way I expect it to. The Miz needs to have his credibility rebuilt and I could not think of a better way than strapping him in this match. It also sets up a potentially awesome one on one encounter between Miz and Kofi at Summerslam so long as WWE don’t forget about their mid carders after tonight. Kofi has had a good run and a feud with The Miz could do wonders for both guys.

Chris’ Predicted Winner: The Miz (New United States Champion)

Paul Predicts: Intercontinental Championship Match: Rey Mysterio © vs Dolph Ziggler

This is interesting, as Ziggler has been elevated very quickly especially considering how much of a joke he was on RAW. Both of these guys have different styles but they both have fluid styles that appear to make for a good matchup after the looks of that tag match 9 days ago on Smackdown. I’m not sure who to pick because it could be a little soon for Ziggler to go over Rey Mysterio on PPV but I also think that he could rise even quicker with an invigorated intercontinental title push under his belt. The thing that makes me want to pick Mysterio is because Ziggler has had the advantage for the last couple of weeks, he got the better of Rey in the aforementioned tag match, he beat Finlay (albeit by countout) this week whereas Rey has been coasting and made to look a little weaker. I think Ziggler will eventually win the championship especially if Undertaker isn’t back soon and Jeff Hardy does leave, because Smackdown is going to need more top babyfaces to go up against Punk. All the same, this should be an entertaining match as I enjoy both guy’s work, but I’m gonna have to pick Rey Mysterio on this occasion.

Paul’s Predicted Winner: Rey Mysterio (retains Intercontinental Championship)

Chris Predicts: Intercontinental Championship Match: Rey Mysterio © vs Dolph Ziggler

This feud has been built very well over the last few weeks on Smackdown with Ziggler, as he has been with pretty much everyone he has faced on Smackdown, one step ahead of Rey the whole time. With Ziggler dominating the build up it would suggest that Rey would be going over here but I think that very much depends on Jeff Hardy’s status and whether or not WWE can convince him to work Summerslam before he takes a break. If Hardy does not work Summerslam then I see Dolph going over here with Rey moving on to feud with CM Punk for the title because as much as we all want to see John Morrison in the main event I am not sure WWE will feel he is ready for that just yet and would probably opt for the veteran Mysterio at one of their biggest shows of the year. However if Hardy stays for one last battle with Punk then I see Rey retaining before losing to Dolph at Summerslam. It is a tough one to call but I am going to go with my instincts and say Rey will retain here as I imagine Jeff will want a decent send off on a big show like Summerslam, perhaps a loser is fired last shot against CM Punk. This should be a very good match and could potentially steal the show if given enough time. Rey Mysterio is one of the best workers in the world today and Dolph has impressed me so much since coming to Smackdown in the draft. He also has some of the coolest theme music in all of WWE! I expect Maria to accompany Dolph to the ring and would not be surprised to see her inadvertently involved at some point along the line as she was on Smackdown. A loss to Rey will not hurt Ziggler and I see him coming back strong and looking for revenge at Summerslam.

Chris’ Predicted Winner: Rey Mysterio (retains Intercontinental Championship)

Paul Predicts: Women’s Championship Match: Michelle McCool © vs Melina

Well I’m sure glad they spent a lot of quality time building to this. Anyway, not much to say here, they had nothing else going on for this title and instead of making a useless title match here, they should have held off on the match last month and given it even more build as it was a decent feud for the Diva’s division but I guess Michelle just had to have that title sooner, so they prematurely blew their wad and put the title on her last month when nobody cared when they could have done it here and had a reason too. I am 90% sure that Michelle has this rematch tied up, but at least Melina is relatively entertaining when she isn’t botching.

Paul’s Predicted Winner: Michelle McCool (retains Women’s Championship)

Chris Predicts: Women’s Championship Match: Michelle McCool © vs Melina

Whilst this match has received no build whatsoever this feud has been going on for months on Smackdown and recently has been part incorporated into the weekly diva tag bout (thank god for Natalya and Eve this week!) Melina is probably the most over diva on the roster and draws great responses wherever she goes but I do not see her recapturing her title here as I think Michelle is in for a long and dominant run. Both of these women are very good in the ring although they have pretty contrasting styles with Melina being all about flashy innovative spots whereas Michelle has become something of a submission worker since becoming a heel. I do not expect this match will be given the time it deserves but hopefully it will be decent for what it is and at least we actually have two decent women’s matches on the card rather than say Jenna vs Sharmell…

Chris’ Predicted Winner: Michelle McCool (retains Women’s Championship)

Paul Predicts: Divas Championship: Maryse © vs Mickie James

This brings us to the only other feud being built on RAW and it’s turned out pretty nicely, I think, especially considering it has Maryse in it. I’ll get heat for that I’m sure. I enjoy Mickie’s wrestling (I mean she even got a semi decent match out of Ashley at RR06) and I enjoy Maryse’s character and they’ve kept this feud simple. Champion is a bitch, challenger is nice and challenger wants to get title. And I think she will. Maryse has had that belt a long time, and she’s done a good job with it but it makes more sense to see what Mickie can do now just to freshen things up and hopefully bring more matches with Beth Phoenix.

Paul’s Predicted Winner: Mickie James (New Divas Champion)

Chris Predicts: Divas Championship: Maryse © vs Mickie James

This is an interesting match that has the potential to be very good if given enough time on the card. RAW has actually built something other than the main event here and given us enough of a reason each week to care about this match. Maryse has the bitch character down to a tee and I think it would not be a wise move from WWE to take the belt off her at this stage. She is very good at what she does and has gotten over in a big way. Mickie James is a great in ring competitor but I would rather see Gail Kim as the lady to defeat Maryse as her return up to this point has fallen rather flat and an awesome match and title win at Summerslam would be the perfect way to rebuild her. I am not ruling out Maryse getting herself disqualified here or possibly just walking out on the match as we have seen her do this before when defending her belt. The Miz could also show up here and help out his potential on screen (but already in real life) girlfriend to finally impress her enough to date him.

Chris’ Predicted Winner: Mickie James via Disqualification (Maryse Retains Divas Championship)

Paul Predicts World Heavyweight Championship Match: CM Punk © vs Jeff Hardy

I, like a lot of people are not just looking forward to this being a great match, but to seeing whether CM Punk’s impending heel turn will be completed tonight or whether he will let it simmer further for a big payoff at Summerslam. I’m not sure here but with Jeff Hardy frustrating management by not telling them whether he will re-sign or not, there is only one winner here. The WWE are milking Hardy’s main event overness while not giving him the ball to run with just in case he doesn’t come back with it. And I praise WWE for that. That’s just good business sense. Anyway, both of these guys have been having entertaining matches over on Smackdown and entertaining promos too, with CM Punk’s ‘challenge’ to the WWE Universe being the closest to full bown heel as we have ever seen him in the company. I believe Hardy’s contract is up relatively soon so I think this may be the last match the two have in this feud, as John Morrison has been being built up for a while now, and with two CLEAN wins over the champion he has more than a right to ask for a title match. I expect Punk to be wily, cunning and sneaky to frustrate the high flying Hardy, and maybe Jeff will break his fan’s hearts tonight by finally snapping with frustration (which JR alluded to at The Bash) and giving up on WWE. Whatever happens, whether Punk turns fully, whether Jeff loses it, I think this has to be a CM Punk win otherwise the IWC has been majorly SWERVED.

Paul’s Predicted Winner: CM Punk (retains World Heavyweight Championship)

Chris Predicts World Heavyweight Championship Match: CM Punk © vs Jeff Hardy

This really should be the main event but seeing as how John Cena has returned to the WWE title picture that pretty much guarantees that match top billing. This feud is the best storyline going in WWE by a long way and CM Punk is the best star of the company right now by a country mile. His promos, ring work and attitude have been flawless and he has taken his character to a whole new level and truly become the world class superstar that all of us who have followed him since his ROH days have wanted him to become. Punk wrestled an outstanding contest with Rey Mysterio this past week on Smackdown and worked as a heel the entire match brining a whole new submission based move set into his arsenal and I look for him to continue with this at Night of Champions. I fully expect that after tonight CM Punk will be a fully fledged heel and I cannot wait to see how it happens. What I would quite like to see is Punk as a Diesel style heel who still acknowledges his fans whilst ripping on everyone else. This should be an outstanding match and defiantly a potential MOTY candidate if both guys are allowed to go out there and give it their all. As for the winner there is no way in hell that CM Punk is walking away without his World Heavyweight Championship. He is on such a great run right now that it would be crazy to take the belt off him and I look for him to have a long and dominant run as champion. As for Jeff this may or may not be his last pay per view appearance for awhile so I hope he gives us one to remember. I defiantly imagine Punk will win this match in some kind of underhand fashion and hopefully tip Jeff that little bit further over the edge and set up one final showdown between the pair at Summerslam

Chris’ Predicted Winner: CM Punk (retains World Heavyweight Championship)

Paul Predicts: Unified Tag Team Match: Chris Jericho & A Mystery Partner © vs Legacy

A lot of talk over who Chris Jericho’s partner will be in this match with the big rumour being that it will be Christian. This is a definite possibility as it would be a way to transition Christian onto Smackdown without a draft, it’s a way to give Christian something new to do and it we know the guy can work a good match. Jericho noted yesterday via Twitter that his partner is EVIL, and this could tease Kane as Jericho was seen talking to him on Friday night. However, I’m gonna leave myself completely open to ridicule and idiocy and a wrong prediction in this one as I am going to stick my neck out and say his partner will be the man formerly known as BIG EVIL, The Undertaker. I go for this because the other three guys in the match are heels, and I think that Jericho could get screwed over by his new partner Taker, leading to a new feud for Undertaker, a new feud for an Edge-less Jericho, and the win would put over Legacy for the first time in who knows how long. So yeah, I am probably totally wrong but you have to take a chance some time right?

Paul’s Predicted Winner: Legacy (New Unified Tag Champions)

Chris Predicts: Unified Tag Team Match: Chris Jericho & A Mystery Partner © vs Legacy

First of all whoever Jericho’s partner is should immediately slap him for Jericho telling the Great Khali he was the front runner this past week on Smackdown. Khali is the worst wrestler on the roster so anyone who is second choice to him deserves to feel pretty mad. Secondly I think this match will sit just between the two title matches as it is one of the most exciting reasons to order the show as we all want to find out who Jericho has chosen for a partner and I think WWE will keep us waiting to find out. As awesome as Paul’s idea is about the Undertaker I fully expect Christian to be revealed as Jericho’s partner as he has done pretty much all he can now on ECW and has proved to everyone what a talent he is and deserves a top run alongside someone like Jericho. I see no way in hell that Legacy will defeat Jericho and Christian as I expect them to have a long and memorable run across both RAW and Smackdown. This should be a good match. Despite the fact they are often buried both Rhodes and DiBiase are solid in the ring and Chris Jericho always delivers whatever the occasion. I am very excited to see how this all goes down.

Chris’ Predicted Winner: Chris Jericho and Mystery Partner (Christian) (Retain Unified Tag Team Championships)

Paul Predicts: Triple Threat Match for the WWE Championship: Randy Orton © vs John Cena vs Triple H

As I said earlier, I was entertained by this last time, so I’m willing for them to give it another shot and as much as I hate to admit it, having Cena in there makes this better, as long as they don’t do what they did at Backlash 2008 and take him out early, as I want to see the issue between all three men, rather than another Orton/HHH match with a twist. The build for this hasn’t been great and admitting the fact that they did this match not long ago didn’t help. They seemed to have gone more for television ratings than PPV buys which in my opinion is a mistake as TV is free, there are going to be people tuning in for all kinds of reasons, something they wont do if they have to pay, which is why they have to motivate people to want to pay to see these matches. In my opinion letting Seth Green main event and having ZZ Top do endless ‘comedy’ segments with Santino didn’t build well enough to this match. The issue should have been focused on, how Cena wants the title, but Triple H wants Orton and how all three men have a conflict of interest. Another thing I didn’t like here was how Triple H said he didn’t even care about the title. This isn’t effective build towards a show that is all about the titles. Anyway, I am conflicted between it making sense to keep the belt on Orton, and betting against John Cena on PPV. I think what could happen here is that they will give Cena the title by having him pin Triple H (it happens sometimes!) who is too focused on Orton to remember about Cena and then have Triple H and Orton wrestle again infinitely until they blow it off at the new Hell in the Cell show in September. It doesn’t sound good but that’s what I see happening.

Paul’s Predicted Winner: John Cena (New WWE Champion)

Chris Predicts: Triple Threat Match for the WWE Championship: Randy Orton © vs John Cena vs Triple H

I am in agreement with Paul, despite the fact this match was done at Wrestlemania 24 it was done very well then and I am expecting it to be done very well again tonight. John Cena in the mix freshens up the worst feud of the year somewhat although it seems inevitable that Orton and Triple H will continue to do battle for the foreseeable future. I don’t think the build for this has been great and I hate the fact Cena and Triple H have been so unified against Orton when really it should have been every man for himself like it was leading in to Wrestlemania 24. Orton’s title run has been lacklustre, he has been booked terribly and looks like a total chump right now and I think a title change here would make perfect sense to freshen up the very stale RAW main event and give Orton and Triple H a chance to battle for personal reasons rather than the title. I think we should see some great spots in this match and as crazy as it sounds I am actually looking forward to John Cena as WWE Champion again as through no fault of his own (I place the blame entirely on RAW creative) Randy Orton looks weak as hell and unless he cheats to win here I see no way he will be retaining his title. Legacy will probably get involved at some point to bury them further as they are take an FU and Pedigree simultaneously. By putting Cena over it gives us the potential of Cena vs Triple H at Summerslam where Orton could cost Triple H the match and Cena could move on to have a championship feud with an up and comer like Jack Swagger or maybe The Big Show if WWE want us not to order their shows.

Chris’ Predicted Winner: John Cena (New WWE Champion)

Well that’s my predictions for this month. I hope we all enjoy the show and I hope I’ll see some of you in the WNW Premium Live Blog tonight. Until next time, I have been Paul Smith

There you have it for another jam packed edition of The Talent Exchange. I will not be part of the Live Blog tonight as I am attending an old school pay per view party with some friends. I hope you all enjoy the show and I am sure the Live Blog will be an entertaining read tomorrow.

Until next time Punk is Smackdown!

Hello everyone, this is your favourite Brits that write for WNW (oh wait) taking a break from eating tea and crumpets in our top hat and tails to bring you The Talent Exchange. I’m Paul ‘The ECW Guy’ Smith with the Samurai of Smackdown, Chris Jacks. This card has more depth to it than normal and as Luke Parks said it probably won’t be as good as it looks on paper. I’m still looking forward to it though as, with Punk vs Hardy, Cena vs Miz and dare I say it Ziggler vs Khali, some first time PPV matches and stories are coming through.

Hey everyone and welcome to another fully loaded edition of The Talent Exchange. Now historically speaking the former Great American Bash is one of the most lacklustre pay per views of the year to the point I cannot actually remember a decent one since WWE re-launched it in 2004. Everything from the “dream” match between Cena and Lashley, to last years diabolical parking lot brawl between JBL and Cena have sucked big time with usually only one or two matches standing out. This year however the card is much stronger and I think this pay per view has the potential to deliver with every match on the card, including for a change the RAW matches!

One thing I will say before we start is that it is very surprising that Edge, John Morrison nor The Big Show are on the card. I do not think Edge has missed a pay per view (excluding time he has been injured) for years and I fully expect The Rated R Superstar to make his presence felt at some point during the evening. I really hope Morrison interrupts whatever promo or segment he is doing in order to advance the awesome feud they began on Smackdown a couple of weeks ago, hell they may even have an impromptu match which would be great. As for The Big Show I fully expect him to make his presence felt in Cena’s match, more on that later. So now onto out picks!

Paul Predicts: Unified Tag Title Match: The Colons © vs Legacy

Well the tag titles have been just as non-existent as before now they’re unified. I get a feeling they’re gonna do a Legacy with all the gold type of deal here and God knows Ted and Cody need something to make sure they aren’t just Batista and Triple H’s little bitches. This should be a decent match but nothing really special as truthfully we have seen them wrestle a couple of times already and it was decent but nothing amazing. The thing is as many of the titles are these days the tag titles are just props, and they have just been on The Colons until it was decided that Legacy needed them again.

Paul’s Predicted Winner: Legacy (New Tag Team Champions)

Chris Predicts: Unified Tag Title Match: The Colons © vs Legacy

If any one match screams for a title change then it is this one. The Colons have hardly defended the belts since winning them and have lost all of the interest and flair they had on Smackdown. This is neither the fault of Primo or Carlito but rather the way they have been booked on RAW. As for Legacy, well this match should have happened months ago as they have been made to look pathetic time and time again at the hands of Batista, Shane McMahon and Triple H. This match has not been built very well but then very little is on RAW that does not involve either the WWE title or John Cena. I am not even convinced this is going to be a very good match as Ted and Cody work quite a slow methodical style which may clash with the high flying antics on the Colons. Nevertheless I am hopeful they will put on a good one and at least for once the tag belts are being defended on pay per view. I certainly see a clean victory for Legacy here in an all too late attempt to re-establish them on RAW. I also expect Ted and Cody will sport new single championship belts come RAW on Monday.

Chris’ Predicted Winner: Legacy (New Tag Team Champions)

Paul Predicts: No Disqualification Match: The Great Khali vs Dolph Ziggler

The number one program in WWE right now, with the rightful champion Dolph Ziggler just killing time before his 10 year reign as World Heavyweight Champion. My Ziggler fetish aside I believe this is good old Nic Nemeth’s PPV singles debut in the character of Ziggler. This obviously isn’t going to be a fantastic match but it’s great to see an undercard feud like this on a PPV. Great Khali like the former Great American Bash has as always been redefining the word Great, but hes better in his lower card undercard comedy face role than as a heel in the main event. I think the No DQ rule means that Ziggler will just use every underhanded way to somehow beat Khali, and then he can go over and maybe feud for the IC title.

Paul’s Predicted Winner: Dolph Ziggler

Chris Predicts: No Disqualification Match: The Great Khali vs Dolph Ziggler

No whilst some may baulk at the idea of The Great Khali on pay per view I am thrilled about this match being placed on the card and it has nothing to do with Khali, rather the fastest rising heel on the Smackdown roster: Dolph Ziggler. This feud, aside from one squash match, has been booked to perfection with Ziggler gaining a number of sneaky victories over Khali as well as several disqualifications. This feud has also established Ziggler as a legitimate star as he has constantly used his intelligence and smarmy heel ways to remain one step ahead and I fully expect him to pick up the victory here and move on to bigger and better things, more than likely the Intercontinental Championship. I am fine with Khali being used in this fashion as despite his lack of wrestling skill he is still huge so any victory over him will help the superstar who gains it. This probably will not be a long match and defiantly will not be a good one but this is all about establishing Dolph Ziggler and I am excited to see where he can go from here.

Chris’ Predicted Winner: Dolph Ziggler

Paul Predicts: ECW Championship Scramble Match: Tommy Dreamer © vs Jack Swagger vs Christian vs Mark Henry vs Finlay

Okay, so as I noted on The ECW Report this pretty much came out of nowhere. Minus Evan Bourne this is pretty much ECW’s main event players shoved into the one match. I enjoyed the Scramble concept at Unforgiven and I enjoyed the ECW title match. Hmm, I think this is the best way to get the title off of Dreamer without completely burying him. I think they’ll want to carry on Christian’s title reign before after the brief interlude of Tommy Dreamer’s nostalgic, romantic win.

Paul’s Predicted Winner: Christian (New ECW Champion)

Chris Predicts: ECW Championship Scramble Match: Tommy Dreamer © vs Jack Swagger vs Christian vs Mark Henry vs Finlay

Some people may not be a fan of Scramble matches but personally I love them. They are tense and exciting to watch as you are left constantly wondering who will manage to keep their interim championship. This match has been built well as ECW title matches usually are, especially with Finlay’s recent tirade of violent antics which is just what his character required! Now I wouldn’t be surprised to see a title change here but I really hope WWE keeps the belt on Dreamer for now, he deserves it and is a hugely popular champion on ECW and I think he should hold the belt until at least Summerslam. I certainly think we may get some interim title changes but hopefully by the end of the match Dreamer will still be standing tall. Pretty much every man in the match would be a capable champion with each offering something different. I hope this match is given the time it deserves and all those involved are given the opportunity to shine. With such a variety of talent on show this could be one of the big hits of the night and whilst I may regret this in terms of the Blog Writers Challenge I am going to go with Dreamer to retain after a hard fought contest.

Chris’ Predicted Winner: Tommy Dreamer (Retains ECW Championship)

Paul Predicts: Women’s Championship Match: Melina © vs Michelle McCool

At least the women’s division is looking half decent now with Melina, Kim, McCool and possibly Natalya in there we should get some relatively decent bouts. These two can do a few things and while both can be a bit sloppy I think they can put together a more interesting match than most combinations in the WWE women’s division. No doubt Michelle McCool wants to be the first Divas and Women’s champion and Melina has a had a strange run, holding it since January and only defending it like 4/5 times. But yeah, I think McCool to take this one.

Paul’s Predicted Winner: Michelle McCool (New Women’s Champion)

Chris Predicts: Women’s Championship Match: Melina © vs Michelle McCool

Words cannot express how thrilled I am that a proper women’s match has finally been booked once again for Pay Per View. Not only that but a match between two very good wrestling divas mean we should be in for one hell of a match. I know many are sour on McCool because of her relationship with the Undertaker but that is not the only reason she is currently at the top of the division on Smackdown. Michelle is very athletic and more than capable in the ring and has a number of awesome moves in her arsenal including the Styles Clash which she calls the Faith Breaker. Melina amazes me each and every week with her flexibility and highly innovative move set, including the Yoshi Tonic (big thank you to Tyler for calling that in last week’s blog) If given enough time, this match has the potential to be something special and I hope WWE allow both ladies to showcase their full potential. This feud has been built very well, highlighted by Michelle’s surprisingly brutal attack on Melina a couple of weeks ago on Smackdown. As for a winner, as much as my loyal reader Jennifer is going to hate me saying this I am going to go with Michelle McCool to become the first ever Diva and Women’s champion as it makes sense for her to hold the belt and face a variety of opponents in Gail, Melina and Maria whereas Michelle is the only viable opponent for Melina as Layla and Alicia are still too green in the ring to be challenging for the belt. I would rather see this honour go to Mickie James as I think she deserves it far more but WWE seem reluctant to pull the trigger on a Divas title match between them and seem quite content giving us endless diva tag matches on RAW instead.

Chris’ Predicted Winner: Michelle McCool (New Women’s Champion)

Paul Predicts: John Cena vs The Miz

A lot of people are calling for a Miz burial here (as in that is what will happen) but I’m not so sure. If they give these two 10 minutes and give Miz a few heat segments this could do wonders for his stock, having a competitive match with THE John Cena. I think this would solidify Miz’ status as a real legitimate upper mid carder who can work some RAW main events when needed. Of course this could just end up being an extended ’skit’ and be total crap but I’m hoping for the former. However, I can only see this going the way of the Cena as I don’t think Miz is at the point of even a dirty win over John Cena.

Paul’s Predicted Winner: John Cena

Chris Predicts: John Cena vs The Miz

First off I want to thank WWE creative for not giving us another Big Show vs Cena match. I do not think either myself or the WNW live blog team could cope with sitting through another one of their “epic” encounters. Personally I am thrilled this match has been booked, The Miz has been awesome on the mic each and every week with the way he has put down Cena and it is only right they now get to settle the score on pay per view. Quite simply though The Miz NEEDS to win this match, Edge, Orton and The Big Show can take repeated losses to Cena because they are established stars but The Miz is not and if WWE creative make the incredibly dumb call of having him defeated cleanly here then he is at a huge risk of being buried before his push has properly started. I see no way in hell The Miz would pick up a clean win as obviously no one can ever cleanly defeat the immortal John Cena, however what I do see here is The Big Show lumbering out and causing a distraction either allowing Miz to sneak a win or more than likely attacking Cena giving him the win via disqualification. What is vital is that The Miz is given the chance to look strong against Cena, much as Morrison did against Edge on Smackdown the other week but I think whilst Morrison could take the loss, the heel Cena bashing Miz really needs a sneaky win to keep his momentum going. We could then get a triple threat at the next pay per view with Miz once again sneaking a victory and then finally blowing off the feud at Summerslam. So as much as it is bound to be a mistake betting against John Cena that is exactly what I am going to do and go with The Miz for a sneaky win after Big Show interference.

Chris’ Predicted Winner: The Miz

Paul Predicts: Intercontinental Championship vs Mask Match: Chris Jericho © vs Rey Mysterio

Mask vs Title is the best way to blow this one off. They needed a Jericho win to keep the program heated and alive. This has been one of the many well booked title stories on Smackdown and the Intercontinental Title has been made to look much better because of it. I think the only way to go here is for Mysterio to go over, keep his mask and give hope to the millions of kids worldwide who demand 619 constantly at live events. Plus Jericho is so over as a heel, it doesn’t make him look bad to lose. It can’t be good business for Rey Rey to lose his mask so I’m going with a Mysterio win.

Paul’s Predicted Winner: Rey Mysterio (New Intercontinental Champion)

Chris Predicts: Intercontinental Championship vs Mask Match: Chris Jericho © vs Rey Mysterio

What could I say about this feud that has not already been said! The matches have been outstanding, the promos have been off the charts and the interference and sneak attacks both innovative and entertaining. Quite simply this has been the feud of the year so far in WWE with both men proving outstanding. This most recent match has been built up so well on Smackdown with Mysterio putting his mask on the line in order to shut up Jericho once and for all and expose him as a hypocrite. Rey’s sneak attack on Jericho a couple of weeks ago was almost as good as Jericho’s own attack on Rey which was topped off later with some great commentary from Jericho during the Punk vs Mysterio match and the Rage in a Cage match this week was just icing on the cake. This will almost certainly be the match of the night and will almost certainly make it into my top ten matches of the year so far in WWE. If anyone can top Undertaker vs HBK then it is these two and I hope this match is given enough time to truly deliver to its full potential. Now as for a winner I see this one going only one way, whilst WWE surprised us and went with Jericho last time, I see no way Mysterio will be giving up his mask for good as it remains a source of huge revenue for WWEShop.com and children the world over purchase these masks in support of Rey. In addition I do not think Rey unmasked would work for WWE as it did nothing for him in WCW and Vince is not about to make that mistake. So I am going with Rey for the victory to recapture the Intercontinental title and move on to feud with the rising Dolph Ziggler whilst Jericho will then be free to feud with either Morrison or insert himself into the Smackdown main event. My personal favourite option would be WNW reader Y2A’s awesome idea about Jericho being on the verge of victory when the lights go out and Undertaker tells Jericho he is watching him allowing Rey to get the win and in the process begin to set up Undertaker vs Jericho at Summerslam.

Chris’ Predicted Winner: Rey Mysterio (New Intercontinental Champion)

Paul Predicts: World Heavyweight Championship Match: CM Punk © vs Jeff Hardy

CM Punk is looking a hundred times the champion he did on RAW this time last year, and I’m really pleased about it. I never really looked at him as a main eventer in WWE and I’ve never been more pleased to have been proved wrong. Having him up against uber-face Jeff Hardy is a clever way to ensure he gets over as a heel if they choose to book him that way. His borderline heel actions and his looking like he doesn’t know what’s happening to him is class. I’m hoping they’re gonna solidify Punk’s title and his heel status by have him beat Jeff in a screwy fashion.

Paul’s Predicted Winner: CM Punk (Retains World Heavyweight Championship)

Chris Predicts: World Heavyweight Championship Match: CM Punk © vs Jeff Hardy

If any match other than Jericho vs Mysterio is match of the night then it will be this one. This has the potential to be one hell of a title match and it is nice seeing some fresh faces in the main event! Jeff Hardy can work a great match with anyone and Punk has been nothing short of outstanding recently. This match has been built very well with Punk constantly reminding Jeff that in no way does it say MITB should not be cashed in against Jeff Hardy, and if anything I wish Punk had played slightly more of a heel in the build up to this. CM Punk has been playing something of a tweener of late and I fully expect to see him booed beyond belief on Sunday night which may further his heel turn. I really like Punk’s current character of just calling it straight and telling it like it is and not really caring what people think of him one way or the other. As Richard reported Punk’s heel turn very much depends on Jeff Hardy’s future as without Hardy or the still injured Undertaker it would leave only Mysterio and Morrison as the top faces on the brand which whilst I am fine with that I am not sure WWE creative would be. Regardless I do see Punk somewhat cheating his way to victory here perhaps rolling Jeff up with a handful of tights or nailing him with a foreign object whilst the referee is distracted. Either way it is far to soon to be ending Punk’s title reign as he has been booked so well so far and has so much to offer as Heavyweight Champion. I would also like to see this feud continue along with Punk’s heel turn and hopefully by Summerslam we will have ourselves a Punk titled Hardcore Straight Edge vs a Hardcore Screw Up match. They have so many possibilities with Punk as a heel against Hardy and I cannot wait to see this develop.

Chris’ Predicted Winner: CM Punk (Retains World Heavyweight Championship)

Paul Predicts: Three Stages Of Hell Match for the WWE Championship: Randy Orton © vs Triple H

So Triple H has been in all of these then. The first one was the best match of 2001 and the best format of this match Normal match, Street Fight, Cage match. The one against HBK in 2002 had the potential to be the best match of that year, but it just wasn’t. I think the three matches they have picked here are not very good. Falls count anywhere is just a hardcore match and stretcher matches are just stupid. Plus RKO and HHH can’t have a good match. They just don’t work somehow. I’m not looking forward to this especially but I would definitely like to be pleasantly surprised by this. I expect (and hope) Randy Orton will win this match as I expect they’ll want to stretch this out through Summerslam or maybe even up to No Mercy as this is now Hell In The Cell, and having Triple H win would kill this once and for all.

Paul’s Predicted Winner: Randy Orton (Retains WWE Championship)

Chris Predicts: Three Stages Of Hell Match for the WWE Championship: Randy Orton © vs Triple H

Credit where credit is due, this match has been built very well on RAW. The Last Man Standing match from Monday was the highlight of the show and probably the best match these two have had together since No Mercy 2007. Whilst this feud has been done to death I am not opposed to seeing this match as I feel the Three Stages Of Hell stipulation is something we haven’t seen for some years and certainly has the potential to be something different and entertaining. Unlike Orton and Batista, Orton and Triple H usually bring it when they are in the ring together and I think this should be an epic encounter and hopefully the final chapter in this seemingly never ending rivalry. My loathing of the decision to take the belt off Orton at Extreme Rules is well documented and I do not think there is any way The Age of Orton should come to an end at the hands of Triple H. It is time for something new and different and I say time to promote MVP into world title matches (you may recall I have been saying this for about a year!) I am tired of seeing the same old faces in the RAW main event and feel the brand really needs to start establishing new stars and MVP is the best of the bunch right now in my opinion. As for this match, well it seems fairly obvious that all three stages will come into play but if I was booking the match I would have Orton intentionally disqualify himself from the first stage by relentlessly wailing on Triple H with an assortment of weapons, whilst this would give Triple H the opening win, it would allow Orton to weaken him and take full advantage in the following stages. A match like this really calls for some brutality and blood especially considering the nature of the feud but we all know that that is not going to happen. Maybe WWE will reconsider their PG programming when a kid sees Triple H nail Orton with a sledgehammer to no effect and then nails his mate and tells his parents that he saw it on TV and the other guy didn’t bleed! Whatever happens Orton should and will retain his title.

Chris’ Predicted Winner: Randy Orton (Retains WWE Championship)

Well that’s it for my Bash picks. I hope you have a ‘bash’ watching it, and that you’ll come in and chip in your thoughts on the live blog and join me again for The ECW Report next week. Until next time, I have been Paul Smith

So there you have it, another round of picks from us. Let’s hope I continue my recent strong run and perhaps even sneak into the lead in the WNW blog writers challenge! I will be present in the live blog with my usual analysis to chat with all of you and then I will be back next weekend with more Chris Reviews Smackdown. I hope WWE delivers on what has the potential to be a very strong pay per view!

Until next time The Miz NEEDS to beat John Cena!

Hi homies this is your favourite predicty duo checking in again with an EXTREME Talent Exchange. I am as always Paul Smith accompanied by the Sultan of Smackdown himself, Chris Jacks with some more hot pickings. So Extreme Rules isn’t quite as extreme as it could be, you know with the parental guidance rating, lack of blood and a four way match being considered an extreme stipulation as well as it being Judgment Day Part 2. But still as someone who grew up watching attitude era WWF and WCW too, I love gimmick matches unlike say guys like Richard, I like guys pretending to fight with some weaponry thrown in there too. Plus the card looks good with two ladder match Gods facing off in one, an entertaining looking fatal four way plus the return of the vaunted strap match and more Rey/Y2J to boot. So anyway, gushing aside, I’ll hand you to Chris.

Hey everyone and welcome to another action packed edition of The Talent Exchange bringing you our picks for yet another WWE Pay Per View, this time the former One Night Stand which thanks to the PG Era is now known as Extreme Rules. I have a problem with how this pay per view is dubbed ‘the one night of the year WWE goes extreme’ seeing as they have a brand called Extreme Championship Wrestling but there you go. I also do not like how each match is dubbed as career threatening and/or shortening as cage matches have become somewhat commonplace in WWE these days and I would rather have seen something like a Hell in a Cell match for the WWE Championship.

Historically this pay per view tends to deliver each and every year. One Night Stand was always on e of my favourite pay per views as I am a huge fan of hardcore gimmick matches and we have seen some truly memorable moments over the years such as RVD beating Cena for the title in 2006 and Edge temporarily banishing the Undertaker last year in a brutal TLC match. However due to WWE’s PG policy it remains to be seen how successful a hardcore gimmick pay per view will be with no blood. Some douchebags were even attempting to wipe the small smearing of blood from Randy Orton last Monday so who knows what will happen if someone gets busted open big style tonight. However on paper this pay per view should be spectacular with several potential show stealing matches and some of the matches are also very unpredictable so without further ado here come our picks.

Paul Predicts: Fatal Four Way Match for the US title: Kofi Kingston © vs MVP vs Matt Hardy vs William Regal

I’m actually looking forward to this as they have such a diverse set of styles and are actually all decent to good workers. I would guess with the title change the other night that this will help solidify Kofi Kingston as champion but it’s WWE so who really knows. This is definitely the best thing on RAW right now by a million billion miles. I expect Kofi to win by some sort of mishap by the brothers Dimm, Regal and Hardy. I wouldn’t expect MVP to take the fall either especially considering he is allegedly taking Kennedy’s supposed program at some point.

Paul’s Predicted Winner: Kofi Kingston (retains US title)

Chris Predicts: Fatal Four Way Match for the US title: Kofi Kingston © vs MVP vs Matt Hardy vs William Regal

Quite what is extreme about a fatal four way match I don’t know but this match has plenty of potential. I am a big fan of multi man feuds for the lower tier titles and I wish we had seen a triple threat match for this belt a few months ago between Shelton, Chavo and MVP. Kofi Kingston and MVP had a great match this past Monday on RAW and I will be interested to see them working together again. Matt Hardy always performs although he has recently been hampered by his cast. Major props to him for battling on through the injury and I think he will add plenty to the match. Regal is one of the most underrated workers in WWE and works a solid technical style that should mesh very well with MVP and provide the perfect counter to Kofi’s high flying antics. As for the result well seeing as how Kofi just won the belt on Monday I cannot see another title switch happening here as I expect the alliance between Matt and Regal to break down allowing Kofi to sneak the win

Chris’ Predicted Winner: Kofi Kingston (retains US title)

Paul Predicts: Hog Pen Match: Vickie Guerrero vs Santina Marella

This match is full of shit in more ways than one. I really don’t care about this, sorry.

Paul’s Predicted Winner: Vickie Guerrero

Chris Predicts: Hog Pen Match: Vickie Guerrero vs Santina Marella

The mere fact this match is taking place is an insult to all of the hard working wrestling women of WWE. Michelle McCool and Melina have a pretty good feud going right now on Smackdown and they should have had this spot instead of this uncomedy crap. Santino Marella is great but I do not like the Santina gimmick at all and am especially dismayed at the way Beth has been repeatedly humiliated throughout this angle. This is not even a match, I do not know how you win a hog pen match but I imagine Santina will win and be once again crowned Miss Wrestlemania and Vickie will get slimed as in Vince’s mind that’s entertainment.

Chris’ Predicted Winner: Santina Marella

Paul Predicts: Samoan Strap Match: CM Punk vs Umaga

I fear what will happen since Punk just won clean. But seriously they have to put him over on PPV once right. Right!? Who knows. Another question. Exactly what is so Samoan about this? Anyway I imagine the main story will be much like their other matches, Punk has to duck and dive around while somehow having to find a way to counter Umaga’s weight to move to touch each corner. It should be interesting to see a strap match anyway as it’s been a while for me. I’m gonna do what I’ve stupidly done every other Punk PPV match so far and just say that he needs the credibility.

Paul’s Predicted Winner: CM Punk

Chris Predicts: Samoan Strap Match: CM Punk vs Umaga

Umaga has proven time and time again just what a versatile worker he can be and how he can put on just as great a match with Jeff Hardy or CM Punk as he can with John Cena or Triple H. This feud has been built very well with momentum swaying between both guys as Punk has certainly had Umaga’s number in recent weeks including his spectacular win via the GTS this past Friday on Smackdown. Umaga’s initial beat down on Punk when he first challenged him to the match was one of the most savage in recent memory and despite the fact Umaga suddenly spoke in English and the commentators acted like nothing out of the ordinary was happening, it hasn’t hurt the feud as both Punk and Umaga have been on fire. Apparently the way to win this match is to beat your opponent senseless and then touch each of the ring posts. To put it bluntly CM Punk needs to win here to build back some of his lost momentum but WWE have a history of booking Punk very badly on Pay Per View and I do not see that changing in this match. Anything other than a CM Punk win would be a terrible call from creative but I think Umaga may pick up another win and then this feud finally be blown off with the case on the line at The Bash next month.

Chris’ Predicted Winner: Umaga

Paul Predicts: No Holds Barred Match for the Intercontinental Title: Rey Mysterio © vs Chris Jericho

Fun stuff, this, with Jericho in the Rey-Rey mask being particularly good. I don’t think Jericho or this feud if they choose to continue it, can take another clean Rey win so I think the dastardly Jericho will do something nasty and terrible to hurt all of Rey’s fans, despite it being a hardcore match anyway. And by the way I probably would have looked forward to this more if this was the submission match and if Cena/Show was the no holds barred match. Just a thought.

Paul’s Predicted Winner: Chris Jericho (New Intercontinental Champion)

Chris Predicts: No Holds Barred Match for the Intercontinental Title: Rey Mysterio © vs Chris Jericho

This match will probably be one of the best if not the match of the night. Jericho and Mysterio had the second best match of the year so far at Judgement Day and I think this is going to be one hell on an encounter. Rey has proved time and time again he can have a good match with almost anybody and Jericho is on the top of his game right now. This feud has been built so well with some excellent work from both guys especially Jericho dressing as Rey and attacking him on Smackdown, that was one of the must see moments of the year so far. I have a major problem with Rey’s mask being put on the line as it makes the result something of a forgone conclusion as every wrestler who has ever threatened to take Rey’s mask in WWE has failed and I think Jericho will do exactly the same. Vince is not about to give up on one of his best selling pieces of kiddie merchandise and I think the mask is an integral part of Rey’s gimmick. This should be a phenomenal match with plenty of brawling around the ringside and hopefully plenty of weapons involved. However partly due to the probably heel wins in the two main events I see Rey picking up the win here once again and retaining his Intercontinental title. Unfortunately I also see this as the blow off to this feud so let’s hope Jericho and Mysterio give us one to remember.

Chris’ Predicted Winner: Rey Mysterio (Retains Intercontinental Champion)

Paul Predicts: Submission Match: John Cena vs The Big Show

God this will be tedious. So both Cena and Big Show know one submission move and this entire probably twenty dreadful minutes will be dedicated to Cena not being able to lock on his ‘STF’ and escaping Big Show’s deadly camel clutch. Well I have learned my lesson and seen that it’s stupid to bet against Cena on PPV no matter how much it makes sense, so John Cena will find a miracle, get the STF and get the win.

Paul’s Predicted Winner: John Cena

Chris Predicts: Submission Match: John Cena vs The Big Show

Is anyone over the age of 12 interested in seeing this match? The match between Cena and Show at Judgement Day was appalling and I do not see this being any better. I do like the fact that creative went with a submission match here as the only story to come out of the last match was that Cena was unable to lock in the STFU on Show so that was a rare moment of clarity from the RAW team. However this match will be twenty minutes of Show pounding Cena all over the ring with Cena repeatedly trying to lock in the STFU but being unable to do so whilst at the same time refusing to give in to Show’s “dreaded” Camel Clutch. It is a bad decision to bet against John Cena unless it is a title match so in the end though I see Cena overcoming the odds once again and somehow managing to lock the STFU on Show perhaps with the help of some rope or a chain. Show will then demand one more match with Cena at the Bash, a match he knows Cena cannot win, this time being a Knockout match and we can probably all already guess the outcome of that one as well.

Chris’s Predicted Winner: John Cena

Paul Predicts: Hardcore Triple Threat Match for the ECW Championship: Christian © vs Tommy Dreamer vs Jack Swagger

I have really enjoyed this program, and as I said in my blog I think this has been the best booked title feud of the three with no disrespect meant to Hardy/Edge, it’s just this has been really good. I actually don’t know where they will go with this except that I’m assuming that Swagger won’t win and will go onto feud with Finlay. I’m gonna take a shot in the dark, I’m gonna take a risk and say that Tommy Dreamer will become two time ECW champion and then probably drop the title back in the rematch.

Paul’s Predicted Winner: Tommy Dreamer (New ECW Champion)

Chris Predicts: Hardcore Triple Threat Match for the ECW Championship: Christian © vs Tommy Dreamer vs Jack Swagger

This is another feud that WWE have built really well. Tommy Dreamer’s slow burning retirement storyline has made for some very entertaining viewing on ECW over the months whilst Swagger insisting he is part of the mix has also been a solid angle. Christian is a very worthy ECW champion but I would love to see Dreamer pick up the win here just for a pure feel good moment and finally give this ECW original the recognition he deserves. However Vince has proved time and time again that he does not give a crap about the original ECW and will take any opportunity he can to dump all over it so I would not be at all surprised to see Christian retain his title here. I am not sure how good a hardcore match will be without any blood but Dreamer and Christian have enough experience that this should still be a very solid match hopefully with plenty of classic old school ECW spots from Dreamer. If any title were to change hands tonight I would see it happening here and I hope for once Vince does right by the original ECW and gives Dreamer one more moment of glory in the twilight of his career.

Chris’ Predicted Winner: Tommy Dreamer (New ECW Champion)

Paul Predicts: Steel Cage Match for the WWE Championship: Randy Orton © vs Batista

The extreme steel cage that gets thrown on RAW once every three weeks. Anyway, frankly this has been abysmal and that’s Flair included and after seeing these guys tee off twice I have no interest in doing it again. They just don’t click which is a shame because with the right opponent both of these guys are way more than capable of having a great match as long as it’s with the right opponent. I think they’ve done too much to let Orton lose now, and Batista has his infinite title shots cheat code anyway so it won’t be his last dance either way. Orton wins either due to Triple H or Ric Flair heelishness or possibly accidentalness.

Paul’s Predicted Winner: Randy Orton (retains WWE Championship)

Chris Predicts: Steel Cage Match for the WWE Championship: Randy Orton © vs Batista

I cannot explain why Batista and Randy Orton do now work well together. I have gone back and watched their Armageddon and Judgement Day matches and for whatever reason they just seem to have no chemistry in the ring whatsoever. They should do seeing as they have so much history of working together but for whatever reason they do not seem to gel and I cannot imagine Batista was happy his title match played second fiddle to Cena vs Big Show last month and I hope the same does not happen again tonight. I have hated the way Batista has been booked to dominate Legacy and repeatedly destroy Cody and Ted as it makes them look weak and pathetic and Orton has been booked so badly lately he has lost the psychotic appeal that made him such a hit when he was hunting down and annihilating the McMahons. I also hate how Randy has been constantly on the run from Batista as Orton should not be a whiny wimp of a heel rather a strong dominant one that wins because he is that damn good in a similar role to Triple H used to be in Evolution. I am not expecting anything from this match so hopefully I will be pleasantly surprised and these two will finally put together a decent show. I would expect to see Triple H perhaps cost Batista a victory here seeing as Big Dave cost him at Backlash and we all know how much Hunter carries a grudge. Maybe Triple H will storm to the ring and smash through the cage allowing Orton to escape. I don’t know but I certainly do not expect to see Orton picking up an unassisted win here as Batista does not loose cleanly very often.

Chris’ Predicted Winner: Randy Orton (retains WWE Championship)

Paul Predicts: Ladder Match for The World Heavyweight Championship: Edge © vs Jeff Hardy

First off this will be awesome. While Jeff can be a little repetitive in straight up singles matches he always brings the goods for the ladders. I grew up at like 9/10 years old watching these two beat the crap out of each other in the triangle ladder match and TLC I+II. Personally it’s just a lot harder to get behind a title change to Jeff Hardy right now. I don’t know why though but that’s just the feeling I get. All the same I can’t wait to see this and maybe you never know I might get a surprise.

Paul’s Predicted Winner: Edge (retains World Heavyweight Championship)

Chris Predicts: Ladder Match for The World Heavyweight Championship: Edge © vs Jeff Hardy

This has in my opinion been the feud of the year so far. Jeff and Edge connect so well in every match and every promo segment they have together. Their match at Judgement Day was spectacular and I am expecting this to be even better. Jeff promised us a ladder match for the ages on Smackdown and I really hope they deliver one. It is strange to think that despite the many, many ladder matches these two have been involved in they have yet to face each other one on one with this stipulation until tonight. This should feature plenty of insane spots and high risk moves and both men are so innovative when it comes to gimmick matches that I truly believe we are going to see things in this one that we have not seen in ladder matches before. As for the outcome well with Hardy’s contract status still up in the air and due to the fact that Edge is long overdue a decent and long run with the belt I see The Rated R Superstar retaining his championship here probably fairly cleanly as well unless Matt Hardy decides once again to cost his brother the championship. I see this as the blow off to this feud which is a shame as I would happily see them go till Summerslam but I think Rey Mysterio may get a shot at Edge following this and that should be pretty decent to say the least. As for Jeff a possible feud with either Jericho or Dolph Ziggler seems a likely possibility.

Chris’ Predicted Winner: Edge (retains World Heavyweight Championship)

Well everyone I hope you have an EXTREME night when watching Slightly Edgy Rules. No in all seriousness this show should deliver in some places and I hope to see you in the live chat tomorrow and on Saturday for The Smackdown Report.

That is all for another edition of The Talent Exchange. As you know I am away at Download Festival next weekend so Paul and I are swapping roles next week so I will be back on Tuesday with a special one shot of Chris Reviews ECW which will encompass my Extreme Rules thoughts and then the week following next we will be back to normal. I look forward to chatting with many of you in tonight’s live blog and I hope you all enjoy the pay per view however you are choosing to follow it and I look forward to reading you picks via the comment board.

Until next time can Jeff Hardy and Edge give us the greatest ladder match of all time tonight???

So here we are again, and good [insert your time of day here] prediction fans it is your two favourite wrestling bloggers in history, me, Paul Smith once again rolling with Sgt of Smackdown himself Chris Jacks. Judgment Day is normally kind of a drag because it doesn’t ever really feel too significant with Wrestlemania stuff usually concluded by now and with Extreme Rules ahead, the thing to bear in mind here is that most of these matches will be the first and not the last in any programs the WWE wishes to extend. Thankfully though, there is the possibility for some good action from the look of the card which makes up for the lack of proper build, particularly on RAW, and with three PPVs after this one before July gets out, it’s hard to get excited about anything other than the possibility for great wrestling.

Hey everyone and welcome to another jam packed edition of The Talent Exchange. Traditionally Judgement Day is a filler pay per view with nothing too note worthy happening and instead signalling the beginning of extended summer programs. I have been doing terribly with my predictions since Wrestlemania so lets hope I can do a bit better this time around!

Last year’s Judgement Day was a pretty forgettable affair. Triple H retained the WWE Championship against Randy Orton after a cage match and The World Heavyweight Title remained vacant after Undertaker defeated Edge via countout. The best match on the card was Shawn Michaels defeating Chris Jericho at the start of their feud of the year. This year’s card is better in my opinion as every match, yes even Randy Orton vs Batista, has the potential to deliver. So without further ado her goes come our picks

Paul Predicts: CM Punk vs Umaga

Predictions for this one are tough to call as with Punk looking good on Smackdown and this being Umaga’s true return program you can make a case for both of them needing protecting and with this being in Chicago, WWE loves to job people in their hometown (Punk) but also sometimes loves the feel good pop of a hometown victory. There is also the chance that Punk loses so that we don’t expect him to cash in later in the night but WWE has been doing their all to go against the grain and keep fans guessing so I think they will probably leave fans guessing. As I said both men need protecting really but who knows after they went with Kane going over last month then doing absolutely nothing. I think Umaga goes crazy and Samoan and other generic stuff and gets DQ’d. Should be an interesting clash of styles though.

Paul’s Predicted Winner: CM Punk (via disqualification)

Chris Predicts: CM Punk vs Umaga

This match has been built around Umaga stopping CM Punk from cashing in Money In The Bank by repeatedly running in and laying him out just as he is about to cash in. I think these two will deliver a solid match as Umaga works well with just about anybody, he had a solid feud with Jeff Hardy last year and I think Punk’s high flying kick work will work well against Umaga’s power game, and lets not forget for a big man Umaga is incredibly agile! I am still fuming over WWE jobbing out Punk to Kane at Backlash, especially considering Kane has gone on to do NOTHING. Punk needs a victory here to build some momentum leading into him cashing in MITB but WWE seem to not like booking Punk to win on Pay Per View, plus this is in Punk’s hometown and we all know how much Vince likes to have people lose in their hometown, Cena in Boston, Edge in Toronto etc and this is Umaga’s return show as well so as much as I do not want to see it I see Umaga winning here, setting up a match between the two at Extreme Rules with the briefcase on the line.

Chris’ Predicted Winner: Umaga

Paul Predicts: Intercontinental Title Match: Rey Mysterio © vs Chris Jericho

Having seen this exact match in person complete with Jericho’s Smackdown promo before it, I can tell you I’m looking forward to seeing how this ends up going down. It’s great to see two main eventers feuding over the midcard title, as it gives so much credibility to whichever person they want to push with it next and gives the IC title a much needed boost in the arm to make it relevant again. With the seemingly blurred line of upper mid card and main event on Smackdown at the moment I look forward to this program continuing and the ones that succeed it. Booking wise this has worked well especially considering the last minute setting up of it all. As far as the result goes Rey Rey’s injury at the tapings makes it interesting. Will he fight through this match and then take time off AGAIN or has he shaken it off and will he continue to wrestle. And if he does will he win or lose? Well I’m a little light on face victories here and I really think they will build towards Chris Jericho losing the plot and going crazy, and to go to that Rey gets the victory here but I’m less confident on this one than I have been the others.

Paul’s Predicted Winner: Rey Mysterio (retains Intercontinental title)

Chris Predicts: Intercontinental Title Match: Rey Mysterio © vs Chris Jericho

If I had to pick one belt to change hands tonight it would be this one, however based on the fact that I think this will be a heel victory heavy show I think Rey may sneak a victory here to cheer up the kids. It is a shame as I would like to see Jericho as a record nine time Intercontinental champion but I do not see it happening tonight. It is great to see the belt being defended on the show and especially with two main event calibre talents like Rey and Jericho involved, as Paul analysis, by just having the belt fought over by guys like this will add prestige to the title and make the next up and comer to win it much more of a big deal instead of the belt being used as a prop like it was on RAW. The feud between the two has been built very well with Rey costing Jericho a shot at the title and laying him out on several occasions. This should be a very good match as both men are phenomenal in ring performers. I look for plenty of cheating and whining from Jericho which will eventually lead to his undoing and I expect to see him eat 619 and get pinned cleanly.

Chris’ Predicted Winner: Rey Mysterio (retains Intercontinental title)

Paul Predicts: John Morrison vs Shelton Benjamin

Unless this was added on Smackdown this seems a little last minute. Nevertheless it should be a great match marking both men’s returns to singles action on PPV especially for Morrison, and it will also Morrison’s PPV debut as face unless you wanna be picky with the APA Bar Room Brawl thing he was involved in with his real name when he was on Tough Enough years ago. Anyway, I’m thinking this program has only just begun and with Morrison looking strong on Superstars and Smackdown this week I have to look toward a Shelton Benjamin win here, hopefully to take this feud to another PPV or two and maybe even eventually a number one contendership match if we’re lucky. Having both of these men on Smackdown has worked wonderfully as both have had the chance to work with better workers that they would on RAW, against other athletic competitors. Both have a similar acrobatic element to their style but Morrison’s is complimented with other high flying, impact based offence whereas Benjamin uses more submission and mat based work that comes from his amateur wrestling background. As I say I expect Benjamin to get the W here maybe with a Charlie Haas assist or distraction in order to continue this further.

Paul’s Predicted Winner: Shelton Benjamin

Chris Predicts: John Morrison vs Shelton Benjamin

Morrison on Pay Per View once again is something every WWE fan wants to see. These two are currently embroiled in an intense feud that has already featured some great matches. Their athletic and agile styles compliment each other perfectly and both are solid wrestlers as well. I think this could be the end to this feud with Morrison moving on to better things so I look for him to pick up a big win and continuing his push. Charlie Haas may play a part in this match as he has been accompanying Benjamin of late but I look for Morrison to overcome the odds whatever The Worlds Greatest Tag Team throw at him. If it is given enough time then this could be the match of the night as both men will deliver a hugely entertaining display that is sure to feature some jaw dropping spots!

Chris’ Predicted Winner: John Morrison

Paul Predicts: John Cena vs The Big Show

Does anyone really want to see this again? While in theory it’s been interesting to see Super Cena look vulnerable (searchlights and camel clutch looking things being Kryptonite apparently) he still made Miz look stupid, and made the younger fans confused by no selling his ‘internal injuries’ during post show dark matches and house shows. While obviously it would be too much to take him off the lineups he could at least sell his injuries. Anyway, again, as the title scene will no doubt be dominated with the Evolutioners and Cena having dominated it since his return, it makes sense for another booking 101 move of having Show decimate Cena with his KO punch and then have Cena get his win back in a few weeks in a knockout match or something.

Paul’s Predicted Winner: The Big Show

Chris Predicts: John Cena vs The Big Show

I take back what I said earlier, not every match on the card will deliver as this match is going to suck, plain and simple. The whole match will be based around Big Show punching, headbutting and stomping John Cena all around the ring and considering Cena is still ‘injured’ he will be selling like crazy. I am dreading Big Show dominating for fifteen minutes only for Cena to hulk up and hit the FU out of nowhere for the victory because if you remember that is exactly what happened with JBL and Cena last year. There will be plenty of bear hugs and nerve holds of doom from Show and I pray this match is not before the two main events as it may well send me to sleep! I think John Cena and Big Show will feud for the next few months so WWE simply MUST give Show the win here to give him any sort of momentum and credibility, If Cena can beat him at 60% then how is Show ever going to stop him at 100%? Whilst history has shown it is always a mistake to bet against John Cena on pay per view that is exactly what I am going to do here and give the win to Big Show to further the feud and set up a decent gimmick match at Extreme Rules next month.

Chris’ Predicted Winner: The Big Show

Paul Predicts: ECW Championship Match: Christian © vs Jack Swagger

This has been kind of by the numbers booking over on ECW as it kind of has to be with no real story other than rematch clause in the balance. However, with these two tied 1-1 in entertaining title matches there would be some kind of anticipation for this if you enjoy the work. Personally I feel that with Swagger probably just killing time until being added to the mid card on one of the other shows that putting the title on him instantly after Christian just fulfilled all his momentum to win the thing would be a bit stupid. Additionally Tommy Dreamer waits around the corner and his last match (possibly) would be better served being had with a veteran of sorts over at Extreme Rules and within the context of Dreamer’s story a face vs face feud makes more sense to me. Expect a good feud ending match between these two with Christian this time getting a truly conclusive clean win to end all of Swagger’s ‘IT’S NOT FAIR’ based whining.

Paul’s Predicted Winner: Christian (retains ECW Championship)

Chris Predicts: ECW Championship Match: Christian © vs Jack Swagger

These two are gold together in the ring. Every singles match they have had has been top notch and they stole the show at Backlash. The build to this match has been pretty good with Tommy Dreamer entering the picture, it has made for some entertaining ECW viewing. The Peep Show segment from ECW this week was particularly good! This should be another outstanding match between the best of ECW and I look for this to blow off their feud as I see Christian facing Tommy Dreamer in an Extreme Rules match at erm… Extreme Rules next month. Swagger may well go on to feud with Evan Bourne which would be something to see! So Christian should be retaining his championship here and finally shut Jack Swagger up in what also could be the match of the night.

Chris’ Predicted Winner: Christian (retains ECW Championship)

Paul Predicts: WWE Championship Match: Randy Orton © vs Batista

A win against Batista could really solidify Orton’s reign atop a pretty lacklustre RAW scene at the moment. This feud has been built as well as possible between two guys who for my money have very little to offer either in the ring or on the mic. Heel wise Orton is a solid yet a little boring worker and after their fairly average match at Armageddon, I don’t see this being that great either. Booking wise these things are usually better, but this one hasn’t because they decided to build more to that money match of Shane vs Orton instead of this one, where Batista just made everyone look stupid. I guess that would be the prophetic getting back of the heat for the loss that I’m almost certain will come here. Maybe a backfiring Triple H interference or a Legacy interference will screw the Demon from the Deep, but another scenario I could see would be Batista going mad and getting disqualified and then this going to a street fight at Judgment Day-With-Gimmicks, Extreme Rules. Whatever way this goes Randy Orton hasn’t punted a bazillion people in the head for a damp squib of a one month title reign.

Paul’s Predicted Winner: Randy Orton (retains WWE Championship)

Chris Predicts: WWE Championship Match: Randy Orton © vs Batista

There is no way in hell Randy Orton is losing the title in this match. He is due a long title reign and Batista will just be the first of many scalps for RKO as he kicks the second Age of Orton into full swing. I think this could be a decent match, Batista and Orton know each other very well and should deliver a solid match. I certainly think outside interference will come into play here. Batista has already shown that he is more than a match for Legacy single handed but he may not be prepared for a vengeful Triple H returning to wreak some havoc on the Animal for costing him the title at Backlash. There might be some referee bumps here allowing Legacy to pounce on Batista only for him to hulk up and destroy them but Triple H will cost Batista the win here and distract him allowing Orton to hit the RKO out of nowhere for the win and Triple H and Orton will have a big stare down to end this match and hopefully this feud as I have not been entertained and would much rather see Triple H vs Batista and someone new facing Orton, MVP anyone?

Chris’ Predicted Winner: Randy Orton (retains WWE Championship)

Paul Predicts: World Heavyweight Championship Match: Edge © vs Jeff Hardy

This feud has been booked oddly with Edge seemingly having problems with Punk and Jericho more than he has Hardy but Hardy has punked out Edge at pretty much every corner but as the rest of post-Draft Smackdown has been fun to watch. Unfortunately if we are to believe Jeff Hardy’s contract status is up in the air, the fact that the World titles have bounced around so much recently and with Judgment Day’s sequel coming up for rematches in three weeks, I can’t seriously look for Jeff to win the title here. Plus I predicted retentions of all three titles last month with all of them changing so if I invert it this time round I should get at least one right surely!? Anyway, Edge will do his usually cheating to beat Jeff and hopefully build to an encounter containing some combination of L, with a dash of C and possibly some T for good measure for Extreme Rules down the line.

Paul’s Predicted Winner: Edge (retains World Heavyweight Championship)

Chris Predicts: World Heavyweight Championship Match: Edge © vs Jeff Hardy

This has been a strange feud as Edge has been more occupied fighting off Chris Jericho and CM Punk than he has dealing with his number one contender who has always popped up at opportune moments to lay Edge out when he least expects it. Once again history suggests that betting on Edge to retain his title is a bad move but I cannot see WWE giving him yet another month long reign. As over as Jeff Hardy is, I would much rather see him take the belt in a TLC match at Extreme Rules or perhaps for once give Edge a decent title reign? Jeff has shrugged off his losses to Matt and is the undisputed most over guy on Smackdown and as long as he signs a new contract I look for him certainly to have another title reign before the year is out, I just do not see it happening here. WWE could always swerve us and have CM Punk cash in but as I discussed in my Smackdown blog, Punk needs to do the RVD thing and challenge for the title properly rather than just cash in when his opponent is down as that immediately makes him a weak champion. This should be a very good match, Edge and Jeff never disappoint and I still remember their great match from Saturday Night Main Event last year and if this is half as good as that we will have one hell of a match. I do not expect any outside interference and for once expect to see Edge go over cleanly albeit with a bit of cheating, unless of course Jericho gets involved but I really hope WWE do not overbook this one and give us a clean finish, especially considering what is probably going to go down in the WWE title match.

Chris’ Predicted Winner: Edge (retains World Heavyweight Championship)

Well there it is, as a show it is just filler, and not really too special and with a whole night of stipulation matches only too close ahead, I can’t really feel any weightiness in this show. There is potential for four good matches here though (Edge/Hardy, Punk/Umaga, Benjamin/Morrison and Rey/Jericho) and I look forward to watching the matches even if I’m not intrigued about possibilities for angle advancement. I’ll see you guys on Sunday for the Live Chat and on Wednesday for The ECW Report. Enjoy the show.

I am very surprised we have no divas matches or segments on the card and would not be at all surprise if one was added as filler between the two main events but with a seven match card the divas may be reduced to dark match status for this one. I will be partaking in WNW’s live blog and really look forward to chatting with all of you as the event unfolds. Please let us know your picks via the comment board and I will be back on Saturday with more Chris Reviews Smackdown.

Until next time The Age Of Orton is upon us once more!