Commentators around the internet are claiming that Wrestlemania 26 is going to be too predictable, and in their infinite wisdom they give a few ideas as to the swerves (surprises) which they think could occur in order to help make this year’s flagship event better.
From the things I’ve read, these people don’t know what they’re talking about. Not only do their predictions not seem extremely likely, their swerves don’t seem to make a lot of sense either (not that all swerves need to make sense).
For the Money In The Bank Ladder Match, Christian is listed as the expected choice to bring home the briefcase with the guaranteed title shot. Although he’s the odds-on favorite, I’d hardly say it’s a lock. Not with Kofi Kingston, MVP and 7 other competitors in that match. Though some of the guys have less chances than others to come away with the victory (as we’ve explained a few times elsewhere), I don’t see any reason why Christian would be a prohibitive favorite to the point where you go into that match EXPECTING him to win it. And in past Wrestlemanias when someone is a prohibitive favorite to win the Money In The Bank, what happens? They lose. Edge was UNDEFEATED AT WRESTLEMANIA, and he was unable to win the match. Some say that a botched spot injured Edge causing them to have to change up the outcome of the match, but Edge didn’t have to take any time off due to the match, so I don’t think they had to switch the ending mid-stream. This year’s Money In The Bank match at Wrestlemania 26 might have a couple of favorites, but there’s no one wrestler out of the 10 who I would say is the EXPECTED choice.
As far as predictability is concerned, I think most people would think Triple H is going to beat Sheamus, but from what I hear, Trips might be taking some time away from the business for a few months, starting right after Wrestlemania, so this would be a big chance to give Sheamus some huge credibility. That said, there have been plenty of times in the past where someone is rumored to be taking time away from the ring following an event and they never miss a beat. I’d call it 50/50 odds on Triple H / Sheamus winning that match.
One site I read said that “most fans expect” Big Show and The Miz to win the tag title match at Wrestlemania “with Morrison turning on Truth”. Really? REALLY? MOST FANS expect that John Morrison is going to turn heel again, turning his back on R-Truth, a guy whom he has been building a friendship with?! Where are the hints? I haven’t seen them.
That same article mentions the possibility of The Miz turning his back on Big Show, letting Show get beaten by Morrison & Truth. Seriously?! Why would The Miz, who has spoken ad nauseum (term used redundantly, as most people think The Miz causes nausea anytime he speaks) about how he’s awesome BECAUSE HE’S A DUAL CHAMPION, be willing to abandon a match AT WRESTLEMANIA with one of his championships on the line, letting his partner lose the tag titles? Not going to happen. The reason the aforementioned article thinks the Miz could do that would be so Morrison and Truth could build tension in their interpersonal relationship, eventually splitting.
I know the WWE has a history of disregarding the tag team championships and treating it like a second-class (or third-class) championship, but come on, they can do better than that.
I do agree that it’s very likely that Randy Orton will win the Triple Threat match against his former Legacy team members, but I ask what purpose this would serve? Everyone already knows that Randy Orton was the alpha male in that group, a point they belabored repeatedly since that group was formed. The WWE has been hinting at the notion that they intend to push (increase the credibility / stature) of Ted DiBiase Jr, so why wouldn’t he pick up the win here? With all the possibilities in this match (Orton winning, DiBiase winning, DiBiase and Rhodes working together to defeat Orton, all three completely parting ways), the only thing I wouldn’t expect to happen would be for Orton and DiBiase to somehow re-form an alliance. What you shouldn’t expect to happen would be for Cody Rhodes to find a way to end up as a “face” (good guy) after the match. He doesn’t work very well as a “face”, and if he’s not aligned with either DiBiase or Orton, I would expect that his WWE tenure doesn’t last too much longer. The best thing to possibly happen to Rhodes for the sake of his career would be to have something of a minor injury which keeps him out of action for a couple months, allowing him to burst back onto the scene around SummerSlam or Survivor Series with a fresh start, plugging him back into a heel role somehow while allowing Orton and DiBiase to work on things apart from him for a time.
One of my favorite matches coming at Wrestlemania 26 is likely to be when C.M. Punk takes on Rey Mysterio. The match was likely to be a great performance by both competitors anyway, as they’ve both put on 5 Star matches in their career, but the stipulation is what makes it something to look forward to. If Rey Mysterio loses, he has to join the Straight-Edge Society. I could easily see WWE extending the life of this feud by having Mysterio be an unwilling participant in the group (which is the route I’d take), but I could just as easily see Mysterio beating Punk and celebrating with his family, having C.M. Punk use the “if I win, you join my group” gimmick to feud with someone else down the line.
One interesting thing in the article by Bleacher Report contributor Anakin Cane (I hope that’s his real name) is that Joey Mercury might return to WWE and get involved in the Rey Mysterio vs C.M. Punk match. I’d find it interesting if he did, because with his life story of drug addiction, I could see this as a good fit for him, angle-wise. In all actuality, he could probably use a Straight Edge lifestyle in real life, so pairing him with C.M. Punk could be a very good thing (since Punk actually lives the Straight Edge lifestyle). This was the first I had heard of a potential return for Joey Mercury (real name Adam Birch), though. Because he’s from the Washington D.C. area, I’d cheer him on in a return, especially if he’s aligned with C.M. Punk. I always thought Mercury was a quality in-ring performer and I was sad to see him leave WWE.
I don’t buy into the notion that John Cena will definitely beat Batista at Wrestlemania. I think it’s very possible that WWE thinks Batista is doing great with his new gimmick and that they’ll keep the belt on him past Wrestlemania. The options for feuding partners if John Cena is holding the belt aren’t as plentiful as if Batista remains champion, especially with Kofi Kingston moving up the card, MVP deserving an opportunity and Randy Orton turning face recently. It might shock some if Batista retains the belt, but not me. I don’t expect anything other than Undertaker vs Shawn Michaels to be the final match of the night, and so the WWE wouldn’t even have to weigh their options of John Cena winning the belt as a nice moment to end the show on, as it will likely be in the middle of the card.
Any notion of John Cena turning heel again are mostly dismissed by me. John Cena is the most marketable guy in WWE, and with all the merchandise he sells to adults (men AND women) and kids, I don’t see them making him a heel anytime soon. It COULD happen, but if they were going to do this, it would’ve happened a while ago.
Let’s say this here and now: anything other than a submission victory for Bret Hart is a failure, unless of course Bret gets Vince McMahon to tap out to the sharpshooter, and an initial victory is overturned because Bret won’t release the hold. Anything other than those outcomes is unacceptable. The feud between Bret Hart and Vince McMahon needs to be taken to fruition, even if Bret Hart is going to stick around during the tour in Europe or as an authority figure on Smackdown. This is the most predictable part of the Wrestlemania 26 event, and it NEEDS to happen.
Speaking of Canadians, Chris Jericho is very likely to lose the World Championship to Edge at Wrestlemania, and Vegas would probably put the odds at 2:1, maybe even 3:1 for Edge to bring home the belt. I would be alright with either scenario, though, as Jericho just recently got the belt and I prefer him as champion instead of being the guy chasing the belt. Edge has plenty to do other than be World Champion, namely teaming up with Christian to reform their legendary tag team before becoming a heel once again, and there are plenty of guys on the roster who Jericho could defend against (though most of them are on RAW, but that’s what the DRAFT is for).
One of the least likely scenarios I’ve heard predicted is that Jericho would win the match, retaining the belt, and Christian (having presumably won the Money In The Bank match earlier in the show) shows up, cashes in his guaranteed title shot, Edge hits a spear on Jericho and allows Christian to become champion once again. I don’t think WWE would cluster all that into one night, and it’s unlikely that more than half the current WWE Universe fans know of the prior association between Edge and Christian, so springing it on them like that would be wasted.
Most people likely believe that Shawn Michaels will defeat The Undertaker, ending The Streak and saving his career. I don’t think you should rule out the idea of Shawn Michaels’ career ending this weekend. He’s had a good run and there’s always the chance that his retirement doesn’t have to be permanent. Personally, I don’t think Shawn Michaels should be the one to end the Undertaker’s streak. His career is Hall of Fame worthy as it is, and if WWE decides to have someone break Undertaker’s streak (which personally I think would be a bad idea), it should be someone who has much to gain by getting that huge victory on the biggest stage.
While some people think they know what’s going to transpire at Wrestlemania 26, they’re just fooling themselves to think the show is overly predictable, and the swerves I’ve heard people mention are either highly unlikely or would be completely illogical or ill-timed. It should be a great event, though, and I’m going to sit back and enjoy it.
