WrestleMania 27 Predictions

Before I get into the predictions, a quick note about an interesting development that took place during a house show in Champaign, IL last weekend. Apparently in the finish to a Daniel Bryan vs. Sheamus match, Bryan actually took a chair shot to the head. Very interesting and puzzling as well, I'm not sure why they would have decided to do that, and it would be interesting to know whether or not they had permission to do it. Perhaps foreshadowing of events to take place at Mania? We'll see.

So that time of year is almost upon us. A momentous occasion for pro wrestling fans everywhere, and bloggers such as myself; WrestleMania weekend!

It will kick off on Saturday evening, with the Hall of Fame induction ceremony. Headlining the class of 2011, is the 'Heartbreak Kid' Shawn Michaels, and I've got to say; I find it unfortunate timing that he is actually involved in an angle with his inductor, Triple H, at the moment. I truly hope that they will decide to put ALL kayfabe aside, and I won't have to see any staged displeasure from Hunter because HBK doesn't believe he can defeat the Undertaker.

If we can avoid that, the Hall of Fame ceremony is always great to watch, just to see the Superstars in a completely genuine atmosphere, and also to see the legends of the business be given the recognition they so deserve.

Now, without further ado, let's get down to the business of WrestleMania 27; which promises to be a big one. For the first time since WrestleMania 19, both The Rock and 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin will be on the show, and that right there is more than enough to sell out the entire arena. Let's break down the matches.

8-Man Tag Team Match:

Kane, Big Show, Santino Marella & Vladimir Kozlov vs. The Corre (Wade Barrett, Ezekiel Jackson, Justin Gabriel & Heath Slater)

***

All I can say is: Oh, how the mighty have fallen. Wade Barrett was just recently a main eventer, Marella was a credible wrestler for all of maybe two or three weeks in his entire WWE career (despite being a very talented wrestler), and both Big Show and Kane are multiple-time world champions in the WWE. And they've all washed up on shore to take part in a piss-break match. I've got to give this one to The Corre, since age is at least on their side, and they would get a lot more mileage out of the victory than the other side.

Winner: The Corre (Wade Barrett, Ezekiel Jackson, Justin Gabriel & Heath Slater)

United States Championship Match:

Sheamus (c) vs. Daniel Bryan

***

Possibly my personal favourite on the card. At WrestleMania, where all the barriers are removed, talents like Daniel Bryan and Sheamus can steal the show in a heartbeat. This is just a nice, one-on-one matchup with not a lot of angles surrounding it (which makes it hard to predict) that will just be a lot of fun to watch. It reminds me of Chris Benoit vs. MVP from WrestleMania 23, which was also for the US Championship, which was just a great, straightforward wrestling match.

Winner: Daniel Bryan

6-Person Mixed Tag Team Match:

John Morrison, Trish Stratus & Nicole 'Snooki' Polizzi vs. Dolph Ziggler, Layla & Michelle McCool (w/ Vickie Guerrero)

***

First and foremost, who gives a shit? That being said, it's clear that Morrison and Ziggler will have to steal the spotlight on this one. They'll give Snooki her Lou Thesz Press, and I pray that's all they give her. Ziggler and Morrison could actually put on a brilliant match one-on-one, it's a shame they chose to soil that matchup. With Stratus being back, Snooki being a celeb-aspect to the match, this one seems like a no-brainer to me.

Winner: John Morrison, Trish Stratus & Nicole 'Snooki' Polizzi

Singles Match:

Rey Mysterio vs. Cody Rhodes

***

I'd be lying if I said I was up on my Smackdown!. I caught a bit of this feud, when Mysterio had apparently ruined Rhodes' beautiful face with a 6-1-9, but didn't see much after that. Mysterio is on his way out, and especially now that he can pass the torch to Sin Cara, and Rhodes is a talented up-and-coming heel who could use the heat. The question is whether or not they need a match that will just make the fans happy. But I'd be disappointed to see them do that to Rhodes.

Winner: Cody Rhodes

Singles Match:

CM Punk vs. Randy Orton

***

Another fine matchup between two competitors that have likely been holding back on network television, and will have a phenomenal match on the big stage. The 'Nexus Factor' in this matchup worries me, and I have visions of a DQ, though I can't decide which side yet. Obviously I'm leaning towards Punk being DQ'd due to interference from all of the recovered 'puntees', but on the other hand I can also see Orton dishing out a handful of RKOs and picking up a pop-worthy win. Orton is a pop-machine these days, even though I find his viper-like demeanor incredibly forced and way over the top, and I don't think they'd pass that up.

Winner: Randy Orton

Singles Match:

Jerry 'The King' Lawler vs. Michael Cole (w/ Jack Swagger)

Special Guest Referee: 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin

***

This one is actually posing some problems for me. First there's the issue of the WWE's plans for Michael Cole. If they really want to establish him as a mega-heel, seems to me there's no better way to do it than have him somehow manage to thwart two beloved WWE legends. However, when Austin is on the card, fans are paying to see Stunners. They're paying to see Stunners and a beer party. And the WWE very rarely (if ever these days) denies them of their desire to see that, this is another one that seems fairly obvious to me.

Winner: Jerry 'The King' Lawler

No Holds Barred Match:

Triple H vs. The Undertaker

***

The match of all matches. One that I'm sure a lot of the younger or less knowledgeable fans might think is "years in the making", but it is actually a WrestleMania rematch. Taker and Triple H went one-on-one at WrestleMania 17 and, obviously, Taker reigned supreme. It's nice that it worked out to be not only ten years later, but also that at this point in time, Triple H and The Undertaker are two active wrestlers that have been in the WWE the longest. Whereas previously it was two Superstars going at it, this time it will be two legends. I've said it for years, and I'll say it again: IF the streak is to be ended by someone, it will be an up-and-comer who has a huge amount of potential, and the win will be used to establish his legacy in the business. Nobody benefits from Triple H going over Taker. Not a single person. It is not going to happen. I will be interested to see what sort of role HBK plays in the match, though.

Winner: The Undertaker

World Heavyweight Championship Match:

Edge (w/ Christian) (c) vs. Alberto Del Rio (w/ Brodus Clay)

***

Some interesting elements here. Is it time for an Edge/Christian feud again? It seems like the WWE is high on Del Rio these days, making it hard for me to believe he won't win the strap. And it seems like a convenient option to use Christian as the catalyst to launch Del Rio to the top and also pull Edge out of the picture, since I don't see much potential value in a re-match between the two. It's time for guys like Edge to take on feuds that can still be interesting, while not tying up the main event, in an effort to let some younger talent shine through. And an Edge/Christian feud would still be appealing in my opinion, and could possibly get mileage out of a couple PPV's after Mania.

Winner: Alberto Del Rio

WWE Championship Match:

The Miz (c) vs. John Cena

***

Here we are. The main event. This is very simple: At the conclusion of WrestleMania 27, John Cena will be fully locked into a feud with The Rock. The Rock is not going to be a contender for the WWE Championship, making perhaps the biggest match on the card the most predictable. The Miz deserves to be in the elite group of wrestlers who have retained their world title at WrestleMania, and that's exactly what I think he's going to do. I'm seeing a downed referee and a Rock Bottom, possibly followed up by a People's Elbow. I find it refreshing to think we could have two young, talented Superstars on top of both brands, with wide open feud possibilities at the closing of the show. Cena has had MULTIPLE WrestleMania moments, probably more than he deserves. No way that he is walking out of the Georgia Dome with the WWE Championship.

Winner: The Miz

***

So there it is, my WrestleMania 27 predictions. Questions, comments and insults are always welcome. Happy WrestleMania weekend everybody!