HeadLocker — Jay Shannon
My No Mercy Predictions
Our resident philosopher, Jay Shannon, breaks out his crystal ball and tea leaves to try and sort out WWE’s October Pay-Per-View
The WWE is back with yet another PPV that will either be fantastic or awful. The Smackdown prior to No Mercy actually looks better than the PPV. That being said, I do think the matches will be strong and exciting. I want to go through them one-on-one and try my best to predict the whos, whats, and hows of this mid-level PPV.
Rey Mysterio v. Kane
The Backstory: Kane supposedly attacked Rey a few months back and left him for dead. The only thing different about Rey is he has a few more really ugly tattoos. This match has the strange stipulation that if Rey loses, he has to unmask. Current fans might think this is shocking, but it’s really not. In WCW, Rey had to lose his mask. I was actually surprised when Rey came back with his mask on.
Prediction: It’s hard to believe that WWE Marketing would kill a cash cow like the Rey masks. If Rey were to have to unmask, the masks would end up pulled from the merchandise tables and the web site. Plus, the mask makes Rey unique among the others in the company. Since Rey is getting set for a big push, it would make no sense for him to be squashed by Kane and forced to unmask. It would seem impossible for Rey to overcome the much larger Kane. Rey will find a way to upset the monster. After the match, Kane will likely destroy Rey.
Predicted Winner: Rey Mysterio
Grade: B+
Beth Phoenix v Candice Michelle (Women’s Championship Match)
The Backstory: Beth Phoenix sent Candice to the disabled list with a cracked collarbone. Candice wants revenge. Beth has been less dominate in recent months, since getting hooked up with Santino. Candice wants to take the Women’s title to further humiliate the women that hospitalized her. Beth wants to dispatch the former Playboy Playmate.
Prediction: The key to this battle is going to be Santino. Since Unibrow-boy isn’t defending his I-C title, he’s surely going to get involved. On Monday night, Santino received a mystery call from someone. I’m willing to bet my pet cat, EvilEarlenie, that the call came from Candice. Santino, being a typical hormone-induced male, would likely be swayed by the Playmate’s beauty. Santino might even turn on Beth for the chance to get close to the bunny. The end will come by way of the Candy Wrapper or the Glamaslam. I think Santino will cost Beth the title.
Predicted Winner: Candice Michelle (New Champion)a
Grade: C-
Batista v JBL (Number One Contender’s Match to the World Title)
Backstory: JBL has whined about wanting to be the number one contender. Of course, C.M. Punk beat him twice, including on the night Punk won the World championship. Batista has a legitimate claim to the title, since he basically handed the belt to Punk. Batista attacked and destroyed Edge around ringside and put the cherry on the pain sundae with Spinebuster in center ring. Punk then swooped in and took the belt. Both men want Chris Jericho‘s World title.
Prediction: When it comes to making my choice for this match, I had to look at where the two men might go from here. If Batista were to lose, he could step into a feud with Kane over his litle buddy, Rey Mysterio. If JBL loses, he might as well just hang up his boots. JBL has really failed since coming back. Yes, he’s won some high-profile battles, but he just doesn’t seem to have the same fire that he did over on Smackdown. JBL has to win this one. JBL has had issues with Chris Jericho, in the past. Another round of battles between them would make sense. If Shawn were to win the belt, it would be a clasic White Hat/Black Hat battle. Batista will get his shot at the World title, just not now.
Predicted Winner: JBL
Grade: B+
Big Show v Undertaker
Backstory: The Undertaker sent Edge into the depths of Hell at Summerslam. Edge’s on-screen wife, Vickie Guerrero, was upset that her main squeeze was sent through the mat and apparently toasty-fried. Vickie brought in Big Show to get revenge on The Deadman. Undertaker is wanting to take souls, while Big Show wants to break bones.
Prediction: This is my swerve match of the night. I would normally side with ‘Taker to annihilate Show with relative ease. That’s not going to happen, at least not at this minor PPV. This is the appetizer. Survivor Series will serve up the main course. Vickie and/or Edge will get involved in this one. Undertaker will likely try to attack Vickie. When he takes his eye off the prize, Big Show will attack like a 500-pound vulture and upset ‘Taker.
Predicted Winner: The Big Show
Grade: B
Matt Hardy v Mark Henry (ECW Champion)
Backstory: At the last PPV, Matt Hardy won the ECW championship during the Black Brand’s edtion of the Championship Scramble. Mark Henry is an unhappy camper because he was never pinned during the match. He lost his belt through no fault of his own. That’s enough to sour anyone’s attitude. Mark wants the belt back and he’s ready to shred Matt to get it.
Prediction: If Mark Henry really thinks he’s going to regain the ECW title, I suggest he listen to the words of Aerosmith: Dream On. Mark has been a mid-level card talent for his whole career. I was surprised that Mark won the title. I was happy to see him finally get a chance to wear gold that he actually won. He once held the European title, which was given to him.
Matt is in the middle of the strongest push of his career. He really needs a dominant victory over Henry to validate his run as champ. If Matt were to drop the belt to Mark, it would damage his career in much the same way it short-circuited Chavo Guerrero’s. The only possible twist that I could see in this match would be if Tony Atlas tried to interfere and it backfired. Henry could then attack Atlas. This could open the door for Atlas to bring in one or more of the FCW crew to protect him. Regardless of how it ends, the outcome is still going to be the same.
Predicted Winner: Matt Hardy
Grade: B-
Triple H v Jeff Hardy (WWE Champion)
Backstory: Jeff Hardy has come close to winning the WWE title on a couple of occasions. This is being touted as Jeff’s last chance at the title. Triple H has basically been unstoppable in recent months. This match is going to be energetic, if not easily predictable.
Prediction: This has to be one of the easiest picks in my history of doing this. Triple H has set himself up as untouchable. With his family connections, Triple H won’t drop the belt until either he wants to or he gets injured. Jeff is also skating on thin ice with the WWE. His recent run-in at an airport has to make the Head Office nervouse. Jeff already has two strikes against him. They don’t dare put the belt on someone who might end up run out of town on a rail. Knowing how Michael Hayes and Triple H likely think, Vladimir Kozlov and/or The Great Khali will likely do a run-in and cause the match to end in a No Contest. It’s a lousy ending, but it’s my thought on the most likely outcome.
Predicted Winner: No Contest (Triple H keeps the strap)
Grade: C (A for the Action, F for the Finish)
Shawn Michaels v Chris Jericho (World Heavyweight Championship Ladder Match)
Backstory: This whole thing got started way back at Wrestlemania 24. Shawn sent Ric Flair into storyline-retirement by besting the Nature Boy. That led to a battle betwwen Batista and Shawn, because Batista was ticked off that Shawn didn’t job to Flair. During their big battle, Shawn faked a leg injury to catch Baista off-guard. Shawn then nailed Batista with Sweet Chin Music to take out The Animal. Chris Jericho then criticized Shawn for his under-handed antics. Jericho got all Holier Than Thou on Shawn for swerving Batista. That led to a serious of battles between the two.
Jericho seriously injured Shawn during one of the battles. Shawn came to Summerslam to announce his retirement. In a indirect rip-off of a TNA storyline, Jericho (playing the Robert Roode role) went to strike Shawn (previously known as Booker T). Instead, JeriRoode struck Sharbecca and “broke her jaw”. That led to Shooker T wanting revenge in one of the most brutal of matches. No, it’s not a Hell in a Cell match, an Inferno Match or even a First Blood match. They will compete in the life-threatening Ladder Match (sarcasm dripping).
Prediction: The announcers teased that D-X could rule the world after this match, if Trip retained and Shawn won. I take that as an almost sure lock that it won’t happen. It would make more sense for Shawn to hold the belt. With Randy Orton returning, he would get hotter heat if he went after Shawn than Jericho. If JBL were to win the Batista/JBL battle, he would do better in a feud with Shawn, instead of Jericho. JBL did the feud with Jericho to death, already. Batista might still want to get revenge on Shawn for the whole Flair situation.
This one is really tough for me to call. I can’t imagine the WWE putting the strap on Jericho, only to have him drop it to Shawn this quickly. On the other hand, if Shawn were to win, he and Triple H could hold the belts until Wrestlemania, where they could have a D-X Championship Face-off to see which DXer is the most dominate. I love and hate these kinds of battles. It’s so tough to pick a winner. I searched for my Fitzgeralds Casino Dollar Token to flip on this one, but it’s missing, again. Well, I’ve always heard that in a championship battle, always bet on the champ. Since this is a minor league PPV, I’m going to have to stick with Jericho to retain.
Predicted Winner: Chris Jericho
Grade: A+
Final Thoughts: This PPV isn’t going to be much more than the opening act of a bigger drama. I doubt seriously that the top three titles will change hands. The women’s title will switch, most likely. This is going to be another example of why the various wrestling companies really should cut back on their PPVs. The WWE (and TNA) run too many PPVS. There just isn’t enough time to build up a good storyline, anymore. This should be an acceptable PPV, but nothing spectacular.
Final Grade: B+
— Jay Shannon
[email protected]
(10/03/2008)