This coming Sunday we will find out who will face Brock Lesnar for the WWE Universal Title. With six matches announced and possibly a Kickoff Show match happening as well, lets see what we have in store.
RICH SWANN & SASHA BANKS VS. NOAM DAR & ALICIA FOX
The Swann and Dar feud is ready to be over. Same can be said for Fox and Banks too I suppose. If this feud is to continue you would think Dar & Fox would win. Plus, with Cedric Alexander returning and constantly being asked about Fox and having Swann get revenge for him (in a storyline that makes zero sense seeing that Alexander dumped her) you figure he is getting involved in this somehow. Alexander, whose been more aggressive since returning, could turn on his friend and do that by interfering here but I suspect any turn regarding Alexander happens at a later date. I think Swann & Sasha become victorious here and move on to something else though. Its time for Dar & Fox to get their comeuppance. BAYLESS’ PICK: RICH SWANN & SASHA BANKS
WWE CRUISERWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP SUBMISSION MATCH: AUSTIN ARIES VS. NEVILLE (C)
With Aries making Neville tap out this past Monday on RAW, he now holds the edge over Neville heading into their submission match. This will be their third PPV match too and I suspect this one will also be just as entertaining as the previous two were. I really see Neville retaining here though. There is still a lot of mileage left in his current run and at some point you’d figure they would pay off his other storyline with TJP and give him a title shot. I see the match playing out as Aries’ knee, which has been targeted for a long time by Neville & TJP, ends up being too much to overcome. I also think TJP will interfere at some point on Neville’s behalf. BAYLESS’ PICK: NEVILLE
RAW TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP STEEL CAGE MATCH: CESARO & SHEAMUS VS. HARDY BOYZ (C)
The Hardy Boyz have beaten Cesaro & Sheamus in every opportunity leading up to this match. Usually, that is a sign that the other team will be winning at the PPV. On one hand, the babyface side of the RAW Tag Team Division has no depth. However, another loss for Cesaro & Sheamus would be damaging and since they’ve had a fairly recent heel turn, they could use a big win to make them more of a threat. I suspect a very good match with the Hardy Boyz doing a few crazy stunts but at the end, Cesaro & Sheamus become victorious. Having the Hardy Boyz chase for the titles could make for some good TV too. BAYLESS’ PICK: CESARO & SHEAMUS
RAW WOMEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP KENDO STICK ON A POLE MATCH: BAYLEY VS. ALEXA BLISS (C)
I really hope this match turns out good because their feud has been lackluster. The “This is Your Life” segment this past Monday night was just brutal. The story is that Alexa has been taunting Bayley about not being able to get “extreme.” I think match is very important to Bayley and her character. She needs to come out of this not looking like an idiot. The handling of her character on the main roster has been terrible and a bad performance will end up being quite damaging. At the end, I think Alexa somehow retains the title but Bayley does show some anger and gets “extreme.” I really hope they can have a good match with this not-so exciting stipulation. Having Alexa lose the title this soon just does not make any sense to me at all. You could have Nia Jax help Alexa retain. BAYLESS’ PICK: ALEXA BLISS
WWE INTERCONTINENTAL CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE MATCH: THE MIZ W/ MARYSE VS. DEAN AMBROSE (C)
The stipulation here is that the title can change hands on a disqualification. Here is a feud that started on Smackdown then carried over onto RAW after the “Superstar Shakeup.” I’ve liked this feud and think both guys play off of each other well. With Miz asking for this stipulation, I have to think that his plan is to have Maryse or someone else interfere to help him win the title. I think his plan ends up succeeding and we could have something happen where another person costs Ambrose the title and those feud end up feuding together. Maybe Elias Samson? BAYLESS’ PICK: THE MIZ
FATAL FIVE-WAY UNIVERSAL CHAMPIONSHIP #1 CONTENDER MATCH: ROMAN REIGNS VS. SETH ROLLINS VS. FINN BALOR VS. BRAY WYATT VS. SAMOA JOE
I think this has the potential to be a great match. I do not see Roman Reigns winning since the reported plan is for him to face Lesnar at WrestleMania. I also do not see Bray Wyatt winning here, even if at one point a Wyatt vs. Lesnar match was in the works. I think a Wyatt vs. Balor feud takes place after this show. That leaves either Samoa Joe or Seth Rollins. Out of those two, I see Rollins winning the match. There is history there since Rollins cost Lesnar the title at WrestleMania 32 and they can play that up leading into the next show, “Great Balls of Fire.” Maybe Joe and Reigns can feud after this show too. I think Rollins winning here makes sense. BAYLESS’ PICK: SETH ROLLINS
