On paper, Judgment Day has a chance to be a solid show – only the two main “Raw” matches, Randy Orton vs. Batista and John Cena vs. Big Show, have cringe-inducing potential. The rest of the card is promising, and Edge vs. Jeff Hardy, Christian vs. Jack Swagger, and Rey Mysterio vs. Chris Jericho, in particular, have 'match of the night' potential. Unfortunately, the build to the show has been lacklustre (with the exception of "SmackDown" on Friday night), and the ratings have slipped considerably, so I doubt too many people will be watching anyways.
WWE Championship: Randy Orton vs. Batista
When ratings slip, the champion usually takes the blame. With “Raw” garnering 3.3s in consecutive weeks, I'm sure some WWE executives are wondering if putting the strap on Orton was the right decision. But make no mistake about it, Orton is not the problem.
The problem is that there's no compelling babyface challengers to his title, or challengers that we haven't seen hundreds of times before. Batista? Really? The roided-up jabroni can barely move around anymore, and the last time he was over was WrestleMania 21.
The bad news: we're likely to see another Batista-Orton match at Extreme Rules in June. Triple H is out indefinitely (although he could return on Sunday); Shawn Michaels is out; and I'm sure they’re holding off on Orton-Cena for SummerSlam, or perhaps next year's WrestleMania. MVP and Kofi Kingston are the only other potential babyface challengers, but I doubt they’ll get that chance anytime soon. (And really, Kingston isn’t ready for that spot anyways.)
So we'll get a unexciting rematch next month, to follow what will almost certainly be a uninspired match this Sunday.
Winner: Randy Orton
World Heavyweight Championship: Edge vs. Jeff Hardy
Almost by default, Hardy has become the top challenger for Edge's title on “SmackDown” following the Draft. There really isn’t any other active Superstar on the roster who, in the fans' eyes, would pose a significant threat to the World Heavyweight Championship. (Besides, perhaps, CM Punk – I'm sure that feud is coming shortly.)
Regardless, the fans always get behind Hardy, and these two have delivered together numerous times in the past. Edge will retain, but Hardy needs to come away looking strong, as he'll be the top babyface on Friday nights until Undertaker's return.
Winner: Edge
ECW Championship: Christian vs. Jack Swagger
Will the 0.9 rating from Tuesday night cause people to panic and reverse course? It can't be good for Christian, who apparently already didn't have the confidence of Vince McMahon. However, these two men have had great matches before, and I expect another one here. I'll pick Christian because a one month reign is just too damn short. Eventually, though, Swagger will win the title back.
Winner: Christian
John Cena vs. Big Show
Superman will win. He always does. I hope, though, that Big Show doesn't come out of the match looking like a fool, because he should be a major part of “Raw,” especially considering the dearth of big-name Superstars on the show.
Winner: John Cena
Intercontinental Championship: Rey Mysterio vs. Chris Jericho
Apparently, Mysterio got banged up (when is he not banged up?) at the “Superstars” tapings Tuesday night, but the match is still on. This match has match of the night potential – they can work the injury into the match, with the marks going crazy for Mysterio's comeback.
On one hand, I suspect that they want to keep Jericho strong for his first PPV match as part of the “SmackDown” brand; but at the same time, the I-C title has flip-flopped so much that I hope they keep the belt on Rey for awhile. I see Jericho getting disqualified, keeping the title on Rey Rey.
Winner: Rey Mysterio
CM Punk vs. Umaga
I'd love to see Umaga pick up the win here, on the way toward building him back up as an unstoppable monster. But with Punk as one of the lone established faces on the “SmackDown” brand (not to mention that he currently holds the MITB briefcase), I suspect Punk will win here.
Winner: CM Punk
John Morrison vs. Shelton Benjamin
Internet reports suggest that Vince McMahon is determined to give some of the younger Superstars on the roster the spotlight in the coming months. We'll see how long that lasts. (How convenient that these reports are surfacing after my most recent article?)
Anyways, Morrison is one of the workers the fed hopes to elevate – and he should be. Expect a Morrison win here, and a solid match, similar to the match they had on “SmackDown” two weeks ago.
Winner: John Morrison
2 comments: on "WWE Judgment Day Preview"
Orton vs The Shaminal - Orton all the way. Why are they even rushing this match? I mean, I am glad the feud may hopefully be over after the PPV, but who has Batiboy beaten to deserve a title shot? Fuck all the backstage stuff and storylines. He hasn't beaten anyone to get a shot this fast.
Edge vs. Jeff Hardy - Given Edge's track record as champ he is either going to get hurt after or during the PPV and lose the belt or Jeff is gonna get screwed by Matt somehow. I will go with Punk cashing in his MITB after Jeff wins and taking the strap.
Christian vs. Swagger - With the ratings taking a massive dump after Christian won the belt, I am looking at Swagger for the win.
Cen vs. Show - Bathroom Break with a run-in and ends the match with a DQ.
Rey vs. Jericho - This one will end in a DG for sure. I dont see Jericho getting that belt and I dont see them having Rey lose right now.
Punk vs. Umaga - Umage with a win that gets reversed when he continues attacking Punk. Bathroom Break wants to do a run-in but it likes the GTS.
Morrison vs. Benjamin - This match could be awesome but the two of them have no chemistry together in the ring. I'm not sure what it is. Morrison for the win.
I see wumaga winning like kane won last ppv, so it gives cm punk a reason to not cash in because he is still "hurt" from his match earlier in the night. similair predictions for the rest though.
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