| Royal Rumble Match
Prediction: Rey Mysterio
Last Eliminated: HHH
After thinking about my prediction of Orton & Booker's favor storyline playing out, I decided to go out on a limb here and go with a surprise winner. Mysterio has become a bonafide top tier guy on Smackdown, and I think he's ready to headline. Whoever they have him face at Mania is pretty much a guaranteed good match, and he's stayed over consistently throughout his run with WWE. So, why not go for it? Go balls-out, WWE!
WWE Championship
Edge (c) w/ Lita vs. John Cena
Prediction: Edge by pinfall after a spear
WWE obviously made the right decision by putting the belt on Edge. He's one of Raw's few true heel characters, and he plays the role well. Having him drop the belt back to Cena after just 4 weeks would be a joke. Cena's been exposed by the fans as someone who simply isn't as entertaining as he thinks he is, but they seem to like him better since he dropped the belt, so why mess with that? Plus, if Rey wins the Rumble match (or anyone on Smackdown, for that matter), then Raw has close to 2 months to build up to a #1 contender, so they'll have a chance to build up to their main event at Mania.
World Heavyweight Championship
Kurt Angle (c) vs. Mark Henry w/ Daivari
Prediction: Angle by submission w/ the ankle lock
I can understand WWE wanting to feed Henry to Batista, but Kurt has nothing to gain from this match. He's WWE's top talent today and while he'll get a passable match out of Henry, I'd rather see him give a rub to someone with a future in the company (of course, Smackdown's running skimpy on non-injured guys that fall into that category). So, whatever, Kurt rules - plain and simple.
The Boogeyman vs. JBL w/ Jillian Hall
Prediction: Boogeyman by pinfall after a front powerslam
Well, WWE's done a great job of hiding the Boogeyman's weaknesses, that being his ringwork. His gimmick-heavy squashes have been surprisingly entertaining (I can't believe I just said that). I expect more of the same here. I think WWE needs to do something different than just his normal worms spot here. The biting off of Jillian's ridiculous "blemish" was a start (and a much needed change for Ms. Hall), but I think they need to take him to the next level in this match. JBL doesn't need the win and really won't get anything from it here, so I say the Boogeyman will take it.
Special Referee: Trish Stratus
Mickie James vs. Ashley
Prediction: Ashley by pinfall after a roll-up
Here's where the wrestling industry pays off for not being so kayfabe as it used to be. Talent-wise, Mickie is lightyears ahead of WWE's Diva Search winner (though she still leaves a bit to be desired). However, storyline-wise, Trish needs to count the 1-2-3 to the benefit of Ashley to have Mickie go crazy and set up for their Wrestlemania payoff match. So, this one's textbook.
Cruiserweight Championship Invitational
Kid Kash vs. ???
Prediction: Whoever the opponent ends up being.
Why WWE is booking a "mystery opponent" match with zero hype is ridiculous to me. I predict that, since the CW division is a joke anyways, and Kid Kash hasn't exactly been pushed prior to or after winning the title, that whoever surprises him as his mystery opponent will take the gold. I predict that it'll be someone who's a known name, so maybe The Miz or Sonny Siaki will get called up. Either that, or someone already on the roster who is being pushed even worse than Kash is. Either way, Kash loses the gold. |