After a brief hiatus the Talent Exchange is once again here to give you our predictions on the upcoming WWE Pay Per View: No Mercy. Last years No Mercy really didn’t deliver. With the exception of the three WWE Championship matches there really wasn’t anything too memorable. I’m a little shaky on this card. We have two fantastic main events, but after that we’re left with nothing too great. I’ve never been a big fan of having a number one contender match at a pay per view, Big Show vs. Taker could be all right, ECW hasn’t had a good pay per view match since No Way Out, and Candice is the new Cena (I’ll explain later). But this is all my opinion. Let’s see what my man Chris Jacks has to say.

Hey everyone. Yes I am back after my unfortunate absence last month. Now really enjoyed last year’s No Mercy as it marked the end of the Cena era and began the ‘Age Of Orton’ The last man standing match between Triple H and Orton was a MOTY candidate and I also really enjoyed seeing Jeff and Londrick team up against Kennedy, Lane Cade and Trevor Murdoch. However this year’s event may not be quite as enjoyable with only the three title matches holding any great interest for me. I would much rather have a match between R-Truth and Shelton Benjamin for the US title than JBL and Batista and how about next time we actually give Beth Phoenix a credible opponent rather than someone that looks like they have forgotten how to wrestle!

Anthony Predicts: #1 Contender’s Match for the World Heavyweight Championship: Batista vs. JBL

One word people: Snorefest. Now I’m not going to say that Batista is a bad wrestler because he is not. Batista is a great wrestler.. when he wants to be. When it’s a big time opponent like Undertaker or Cena he can put on a great match. However I don’t think he’s going to be wasting much energy trying to make JBL look good or even make the match seem entertaining. As I previously mentioned I’m not a fan of #1 Contender matches at a pay per view. Pay per views are the climax of a storyline that has been built up on TV. Well some people might consider this a no brainer but I’ve put some though into this. If HBK wins tonight it’ll probably be JBL who wins. If Y2J wins I say Batista. I know they could possibly do a Batista vs. HBK option too. But there’s also the Randy Orton factor here. He could break up this match and make himself #1 Contender. I’ve never gotten a match right where I’ve said No Contest but I’m sure I’ll be right.

Anthony’s Predicted Winner: No Contest

Chris Predicts: #1 Contender’s Match for the World Heavyweight Championship: Batista vs. JBL

Now you all know I am a big fan of Batista and his ring work, however I have come to truly despise JBL in recent months and he is well and truly on course to collect my douchebag of the year award come December. He does not belong on Pay Per View and should be focusing his attention on managing an up and coming heel rather than trying to force his way into the limelight the whole time. That being said these two both have pretty hard hitting power house styles so this match should be quite entertaining. However with all of his recent rumblings of discontent I see no way Batista will not be going over clean here and decimating JBL completely. From here I see a long feud with Chris Jericho for the Heavyweight title whilst JBL seriously needs to take a look at himself and ask the question “Do I really belong in the main event?”

Chris’ Predicted Winner: Batista

Anthony Predicts: Women’s Championship: Candice Michelle vs. Beth Phoenix©

This is the sixth Talent Exchange if I’ve done my math right. That means you guys know I’m going to say: I don’t care for Diva matches that much. Now what I meant by Candice being the new Cena is that she comes back wins a match and gets a title shot. Seriously I’d rather see Kelly Kelly vs. Beth Phoenix because one their rivalry isn’t a year old and Kelly, although not the best Diva herself, doesn’t have ring rust like a fence after a thunderstorm. My guess is that Glamerella will continue on. WWE isn’t stupid enough to actually give Candice the title. Are they?

Anthony’s Predicted Winner: Still WWE Women’s Champion: Beth Phoenix

Chris Predicts: Women’s Championship: Candice Michelle vs. Beth Phoenix©

This match and the build up for it has been a complete joke. Unlike Anthony I am a big fan of pushing real women’s wrestling in WWE. However Candice Michelle is about as far from a real women’s wrestler as it is possible to get and her ring work since her return has been atrocious. She is not over with the fans in the same way that someone like Maria or Kelly Kelly is and quite simply does not deserve this spot. This match is going to be a total mess and despite the fact that Beth is head and heels above every other diva right now in WWE, her ability will not be able to save this match. My one hope is that WWE officials will finally understand just how awful and sloppy Candice is and end her ridiculous push. I for one wish Melina a swift and speedy recovery so we can get back to real women’s wrestling and a feud I will enjoy. I see no way in hell Candice will go over here unless WWE pull some sort of angle where Santino costs Beth the belt but I am hoping and praying this will not be the case and if it is then I will boycott all diva matches on RAW until Candice drops the belt. Yes I really do dislike the fact that they are pushing her despite her sloppy ring work that much. She should take a look at Maryse and all the hard work she has put in to improve in the ring before even being able to think she can compete with the likes of Beth ever again.

Chris’ Predicted Winner: Beth Phoenix to retain

Anthony Predicts: Rey Mysterio vs. Kane

“Is he Alive or Dead?” In the WWE Universe this was the question on everybody’s lips. WWE could’ve brought back the masked Kane and attract old fans. Or they could’ve had an artifact like the urn to bring back Paul Bearer. But they just dropped the ball on it. Richard said “He could’ve picked it up at the concession stand”. And that’s absolutely true. Plus if you get beat within an inch of your life you’re not going to be able and be in a scramble match weeks later. I think this match right now is a waste of our time and they should’ve just gone straight to where we know this is going: Inferno Match. Their match on Raw makes this rivalry even more pointless. Ladies and Gentlemen the winner of PWI’s Worst Feud of the Year Award is: Kane vs. Rey Mysterio.

Anthony’s Predicted Winner: Rey Mysterio

Chris Predicts: Rey Mysterio vs. Kane

Anyone who reads Chris Reviews Smackdown will know just how much I despise this terrible angle. WWE had the opportunity to bring back the dominant Kane of old and truly elevate him to a main event level force he has always been due. However this ridiculous and confusing storyline has turned Kane into a bigger joke than ever, saying he sent Rey Mysterio to ‘Hell’ only for Rey to pop up on RAW a couple of weeks later completely unharmed was laughable and I only wish this would be the end of this terrible, terrible feud. However I see this one going for some time as Anthony says ending in an Inferno match where hopefully Kane will FINALLY get his old mask back but by that time I think it will be too late. Anyway as for this match these two are polar opposites in the ring and have no hope of putting on a convincing match. It reminds me of when Rey went against Mark Henry in the Tribute to the Troops in what was undoubtedly one of the worst matches of the whole of last year. Add to this the fact that Rey must unmask if he loses makes this one far to predictable as lets face it WWE are not going to can one of their biggest selling pieces of merchandise. I see myself having to drink a serious amount of energy drink to stay awake during this one so lets just hope it is kept short!

Chris’ Predicted Winner: Rey Mysterio

Anthony Predicts: Big Show vs. Undertaker

The Vickie vs. Undertaker rivalry is just creeping on its one year anniversary. Now some people might be getting tired of this. Me though I don’t mind. This kind of reminds me of the Attitude Era where people had beefs with the GM’s. People are going to have their problems with the higher-ups. Having Big Show put in it kind of gives it a nice little twist since there’s more people to fight with. As the deal with Rey vs. Kane is, it is with this. Big Show vs. Undertaker will be seen again in the near future. Maybe in a Casket or better yet: Buried Alive match. Because of this I see Big Show picking up the deuce and putting away Taker for a few weeks and then fight again.

Anthony’s Predicted Winner: Big Show

Chris Predicts: Big Show vs. Undertaker

It is a hard call over which feud I detest more right now, this or the Mysterio/Kane angle but I am going to go with this one just because it has begun dominating my show over the last couple of weeks and that is something I really do not like. If we have to see that damn video replay of Big Show hitting Undertaker one more time I am going to scream. This feud has no passion and I really hope that this is the end of it although unfortunately I see Vickie and Big Show running things on Smackdown for some time to come and I am sure this will end up being long and drawn out just as a way of giving The Undertaker something to do other than chase the title. I would much rather see him feuding with MVP myself. This match should be passable although apparently Undertaker is pretty banged up right now with his knees causing him some considerable discomfort so it may not be too long. I see Big Show picking up the win here allowing Undertaker to take some time off to recover. No doubt as Anthony says he will be back for more somewhere down the line and it will probably be a casket match with Big Show and Vickie ending up being carted off hopefully for quite some time.

Chris’ Predicted Winner: The Big Show

Anthony Predicts: ECW Championship Match: Matt Hardy © vs. Mark Henry

On June 29th of this year I thought that WWE made a horrible decision by putting Mark Henry at the top of a brand. He’s not a good wrestler and he’s not too good on the stick either. However I, along with many others, was proven wrong. With the introduction of Tony Atlas as his manager Mark Henry rose up to become one of the best WWECW champions as of late. But it’s time to move on to a better champion. Matt Hardy has all the tools to carry the B brand of the WWE. If he feuds with Morrison and Miz anytime soon ECW will finally have a good Pay Per View match. Of course we know that Hardy will win.

Anthony Predicted Winner: Matt Hardy to retain

Chris Predicts: ECW Championship Match: Matt Hardy © vs. Mark Henry

I think WWE dropped the ball big time taking the title from Mark Henry at the Scramble match at Unforgiven last month. Not only had Henry proved to be a solid and enjoyable champion it also meant a less than unconvincing start to the title reign of the heroic face of ECW: Matt Hardy. I would have much rather seen Matt go over clean against Henry in this match and begin his run looking dominant. However that opportunity is gone and I only hope Matt gives a stellar performance here and comes across looking dominant and gets the clean win he needs over the World’s Strongest Former Champion. The match should be good as Henry has really stepped up his game since the triple threat match where he won the title in June and Matt always gives 110% Hopefully after this Matt can feud with John Morrison and Henry can turn his attentions to crushing Finlay and Hornswoggle.

Chris’ Predicted Winner: Matt Hardy to retain

Anthony Predicts: WWE Championship: Triple H © vs. Jeff Hardy

Even before the infamous Nashville incident I didn’t expect Hardy to win. And for all those who want him to win listen to this. What do the reigns CM Punk and Randy Orton have in common? They didn’t start at a major spectacle. That’s why they were not so great title reigns. Jeff Hardy is big. And if McMahon wants his win to be the biggest won in WWE history there’s only one place for it: WrestleMania 25. Triple H may have lost at last year’s No Mercy but he won’t lose his championship this year. My prediction is either he wins or No Contest. Probably No Contest so they don’t make Jeff look too weak. It’ll suck though if there are two though but with Kozlov I can only see that happening.

Anthony’s Predicted Winner: No Contest (Triple H retains)

Chris Predicts: WWE Championship: Triple H © vs. Jeff Hardy

Now we all know that Jeff Hardy is the most over guy in WWE right now. He gets an almost Austin like response every time his music hits and he leaps his way into the arena. Whilst I would love more than anything to see my man Jeff Hardy as WWE Champion I do no think that will happen just yet, not because of his past mistakes or the over blown airport incident but because Jeff Hardy deserves to have a Wrestlemania moment and I see him winning the Royal Rumble and finally grabbing the “brass ring” at Wrestlemaina next year. Now this match should be spectacular. Whilst many people are assuming that Triple H is going to bury Jeff Hardy that is just not going to happen. Anyone who saw Smackdown on Friday would know just how crazy the crowd went Jeff nailed that Twist of Fate and whatever gripes people have about Triple H you cannot say he is not a shrewd businessman and will know that whatever happens here Jeff must be kept looking strong. Now remember a few months back when Batista and CM Punk were battling for the title and Kane came down and attacked them both. Well I see exactly the same thing happening here only this time it will be the undefeated Moscow Mauler: Vladimir Kozlov will attack both guys leading to a double disqualification and setting up a nice Triple Threat match at Cyber Sunday between Jeff, The Game and Kozlov. Hopefully though this match will be given plenty of time and Jeff can prove all of his doubters that he belongs in the main event for the next few years. I think they called it a double DQ when Kane attacked Punk and Batista so I am going with that as well.

Chris’ Predicted Winner: Double Disqualification (and don’t be surprised to see Kozlov leave with the belt!)

Anthony Predicts: World Heavyweight Championship: Chris Jericho © vs. Shawn Michaels: Ladder Match

I’ve said this a couple of times but here it is again: Match of the Year! Judgment Day and Great American Bash were wrestling classics. Unforgiven showed that they can take violence to the next level. If we throw a ladder in there it’s going to be crazy. Both have been in legendary ladder matches. Y2J has won more. Let’s look at some facts though. People complain about ratings being bad at Raw but they were bad when Y2J was champion, not Punk. So is that incentive for a title change? Probably not. But imagine the ratings with HBK as champion. But then imagine the physical stress. Michaels rarely works house shows. As WHC he would have to be at every one. At age 40 something and the career he’s had he can’t do that anymore. Y2J is still young and all though has not had that great of a run yet he can if he held on to it for a while. I’m going to say that Jericho wins but will not be totally shocked (although I will mark out) if HBK wins it.

Anthony’s Predicted Winner: Chris Jericho to retain

Chris Predicts: World Heavyweight Championship: Chris Jericho © vs. Shawn Michaels: Ladder Match

Make no mistake this will be the main event! Watch out Edge and Undertaker as your Match Of The Year may be about to be out done. Yes I am expecting this to be not only Match Of The Year but perhaps one of the greatest wrestling matches of all time to cap of what has been a truly powerful and emotional feud between two of the biggest stars in the wrestling industry today. Michaels and Jericho have done it all and now add the fact that the title is on the line and it involves ladders and we should see something truly spectacular. Michaels has proven in recent weeks that he does not care if he sacrifices and damages his body further as long as he puts on a show like only he can and I expect to see some truly dangerous and jaw dropping spots throughout this match. Jericho is second only to Edge in the heel stakes right now and ever since striking Michael’s wife at Summerslam has been getting some serious heat wherever he goes. I expect to see Jericho pick up a BIG win here to solidify his status at the top and hopefully Shawn will finally take some time off to recover and recuperate. Lance Cade as always will be a factor but make no mistake at the end of this one it will be Jericho grabbing the belt down from the top of that ladder after one of the most dazzling displays of professional wrestling you are ever likely to witness.

Chris’ Predicted Winner: Chris Jericho to retain.

That is all for this edition of The Talent Exchange. Be sure to let us know your picks via the comment board but if anyone says Candice deserves to win the belt I may well delete your comment (only joking but seriously don’t even say it!) And before anyone points out yes I know many of our predictions are the same but this is a fairly easy card to call with the one questionable outcome being Candice vs Beth (don’t even think about a title change WWE!) I hope that you have continued to enjoy our combined efforts and insights into the WWE universe and will join us again in our weekly blogs: One Night Blog on Wednesday and Chris Reviews Smackdown on Saturday. As always if you have any comments or feedback feel free to post on the comment board or drop me an email at a_agreement_called_forever@hotmail.com

Just a little fun game to close I wonder how many times we are going to see the
footage of Big Show striking the Undertaker? I am going to call at least 5 times. Let me know what you think on the comment board

Until next time Hardy’s time is soon but not just yet!

Tags: Batista, Beth Phoenix, Candice Michelle, Chris Jericho, JBL, Jeff Hardy, Kane, Match Of The Year, No Mercy, Rey Mysterio, Shawn Michaels, The Talent Exchange, Triple H