WLH PPV Prediction League - Prizes To Be Won

Every WWE & TNA PPV anyone who enters the prediction league has to predict the result for each match on the PPV, if you get the result right, it's 2 points for you in the league the first counting of points will be after the WWE Summer Slam show in August and then after the final PPV of the year. The winner of the league will have a choice of a DVD of their choice from a list to be determined. I must say, don't want to annoy any American readers but this is for UK readers only for a DVD, any American readers that take part will get a PAYPAL payment instead.
Obviously, you don't have to predict for every PPV but the more PPV's you do, the better chance you have of getting more points.

Email ALL predictions to wlhstu@aol.co.uk

Thanks to Kyle @ http://ineedwrestling.com This is the line-up for the PPV so far.

* Abyss(c) vs Brian Kendrick - TNA X-Division Championship Match
* Ultimate X: Alex Shelly, Robbie E, Amazing Red, Shannon Moore. #1 Contender's Match for X-Title
* Rob Van Dam vs Jerry Lynn
* Christopher Daniels vs AJ Styles
* Samoa Joe vs Kazarian
* Zema Ion vs. Low Ki vs. Austin Aries vs. Jack Evans for a TNA contract.
* Doug Williams vs TBA. Open Challenge

Buy 3 ROH DVD's Get 1 Free!!!!

http://wlhdvdsales.webs.com/ROHmasters.htm are having a sale at the moment, buy 3 ROH DVD's and get 1 FREE. DVD's are priced at £9.99 and £19.99 the higher priced ones are those that are OOP (Out Of Print). Most have been viewed but there are many that are still sealed. The cheapest one out of the 4 will be the free DVD. Please visit the site to see the full list of ROH DVD's available.

Do You Need To Know The Wrestler To Like Their Matches?

I was listening to a podcast today, who won't get any publicity here so many will know who I mean but anyway, the discussion of ROH came up and as they are not avid fans because there is not a TV deal here in the UK (or anywhere for now) and the product is not readily available to the masses (like WWE & TNA which are available on TV here via cable or satellite) but although the matches are good, because we don't know the characters and the story behind them it's hard to get into the product, sorry, complete garbage!

The example I am going to use won't even be an American company, hell won't even include an American wrestler. Anyone who follows me on twitter will know the other day I posted a Youtube link to a match from New Japan Pro Wrestling and it was 'Prince' Fergal Devitt vs. Kota Ibushi. This match took place on June 18th and it was Devitt's IWGP Jr. title that was on the line. Now, my whole point is, these guys don't really have larger than life characters and I don't understand the Japanese language so the commentators can't put the matches over to me but what took place in the ring is what hooked me in, this match, this WRESTLING match was off the charts and it was just awesome. I just can not agree with the idiots saying "because we don't know the characters we can't get into the product".

I am sure there will be people reading this who will be thinking that's the whole point of wrestling, the drama' the spectacle, oh this persons partner turned on them, this guys girlfriend cheated on them with another wrestler so these type of things add to the matches. But again, to sound like a broken record, no you don't need all that jive to have a great or even good wrestling match and Devitt vs. Ibushi proves that.

Below is the match in full from Youtube, sorry if you're reading from the WLH app (http://mappin.com/app/WLHBlog) because YT videos won't play via the app.

Any comments please send in to the email address which is wlhstu@aol.co.uk



Follow me on twitter @WLH_Stu

PWG DDT4 DVD Review By Ken Drabek

Contrary to popular belief, tag team wrestling still exists. If you are simply a WWE fan, this notion may come as a bit of a surprise to you.

The focus has clearly shifted away from tag team competition in wrestling’s mainstream. These days, tag team matches are simply booked to further storylines involving singles wrestlers, usually pairing two faces together to face their respective rival heels.

Thankfully, promotions like Pro Wrestling Guerrilla exist and offer up some of the best tag team wrestling in the world today. Their annual DDT4 (Dynamite Duumvirate Tag Team Title Tournament) event showcases the most exciting and scintillating duos in the business today.

The 2011 edition was the first DDT4 tournament to not feature the tag team champions in competition. Instead, this year’s tournament would determine which team would become the number one contenders for the belts, held at the time by the team of El Generico and Paul London.

DDT4 2011 kicked off with the makeshift team of Brandon Gatson and Willie Mack taking on perhaps the most legendary team in PWG’s history, The Young Bucks, who TNA fans may know as Generation Me.

GenMe built their reputation as one of the most dynamic and exciting teams in wrestling today while competing in PWG. They held the PWG World Tag Team Championships for nearly two years during their first reign and have gone on to become players in both the tag team and X division in TNA wrestling.

Willie Mack is awesome. At first glance, you wouldn’t think that this pudgy, rotund dude would be very athletic but Mack moves with incredible speed for a man of his size and his aerial ability is very impressive. Gatson is a powerful kid with a hard hitting style who has a ton of potential.

This was a good way to start the show, pitting one of the most well known teams in PWG against a makeshift duo of up and comers. After a spirited back and forth affair, the teamwork and experience of the Young Bucks proved to be too much for Gatson and Mack and advanced to round two when Mack ate a sick super kick from Nick Jackson.

Johnny Yuma and Johnny Goodtime, the RockNES Monsters, against Davey Richards and Eddie Edwards, the American Wolves, was up next.

This match served as an example of one of Southern California’s top rising teams proving that they had the chops to hang with one of the most highly regarded tag teams in all of professional wrestling over the past few years. Yuma and Goodtime were able to match Edwards and Richards for the majority of the contest, showing exactly why they are one of the most buzz worthy teams on the independent scene today.

Even though the RockNES Monsters proved a whole lot, they still fell short. Richards and Edwards nailed Goodtime with a nasty power bomb/lungblower combo. Edwards then slapped on the Achilles lock and Goodtime was left with no other choice but to tap out, allowing the Wolves to move into the second round.

The third first round match featured The Cutler Brothers against one of the tournament favorites, Chris Hero and the PWG World Heavyweight Champion, Claudio Castagnoli, collectively known as the Kings of Wrestling.

Unlike the previous match, which was a fast paced battle, this one started off at a much slower pace. The teams spent a good chunk of the first few minutes feeling each other out before the pace began to pick up. Much like the last match though, the younger team proved that they could hang with the more well established names.

The Cutlers stock has risen steadily over the year but they are nowhere near the level of the Kings of Wrestling, who at the time of this event were still in the midst of their nearly year long reign as the ROH World Tag Team Champions.

In the end, Hero and Castagnoli isolated Dustin Cutler and nearly knocked him out with a giant swing/dropkick combination followed by a roaring elbow and a big boot. That was enough for the 1-2-3 and the Kings of Wrestling were on to the semi-finals.

The final match of round one turned out to be perhaps the most entertaining bout of the entire event. Kevin Steen and Akira Tozawa, who have been called the Nightmare Violence Connection, squared off against The Briscoes in another battle featuring a rather makeshift team against modern day tag team legends.

Tozawa is beyond over with the PWG faithful in Resada. Anything he does, they eat up and ask for more. The charisma and excitement that Tozawa brings is always entertaining but for some reason it is always especially so when he steps into a PWG ring.

The teams did a great job of mixing in some humor with the hard hitting action and both teams appeared to have victory within their grasp several times. The highlight of the match was a hilarious spot between Tozawa and Mark Briscoe, involving some redneck kung fu and a whole lot of shouting.

Tozawa was able to reverse a Doomsday attempt by the Briscoes, escaping to the top rope while Steen reversed the roles and set Jay up in the Doomsday position. A flying leg lariat from Tozawa brought Jay down to the mat and spelled the end for the Briscoes in DDT4 2011.

Second round action kicked off with The American Wolves taking on the Young Bucks.

The Bucks have really kicked it up a notch as cocky, arrogant heels in PWG since achieving a degree of success with TNA. They really played up their extremely confident personalities against the fan favorite team of Richards and Edwards.

I’m probably starting to sound like a broken record here, but this was another really good match. There was a hilarious nut shot spot that was easily one of the comedic highlights of the entire night.

This one was easily on par with their previous clash in ROH, if not just slightly above it. The Bucks were able to sneak out the win and advance to the finals when Max/Matt countered Edwards’ Achilles lock with a roll-up for the pinfall.

The second semi-final match pitted the Kings of Wrestling against Kevin Steen and Akira Tozawa.

This turned out to be one of the most anticipated meetings of the entire tournament, as it marked the first time that Tozawa and Hero had been in the same ring with each other since their critically acclaimed war during the 2010 Battle of Los Angeles, PWG’s annual singles tournament.

Unfortunately for Tozawa, he winds up on the brunt end of a ton of punishment from both Hero and Castagnoli during this one. Much like the BOLA classic, Tozawa shows his incredible fighting spirit and the fans’ support helps him rally back.

The Nightmare Violence Connection are a hell of a team and they gained a ton of credibility by picking up the victory over the then ROH World Tag Team Champions and advancing to the finals of DDT4 2011. Tozawa scored the pin when he caught Hero in the magistral cradle.

Before the tournament final, Joey Ryan hit the ring and announced that he was holding the first ever Joey Ryan Invitational Gauntlet. Whoever survived a series of matches would have to then go up against Ryan, who was the current number one contender for the PWG World Heavyweight Title at the time.

Ryan Taylor picked up a win over fellow Fightin’ Taylor Boy, Brian Cage Taylor, to kick off the gauntlet. “Pretty” Peter Avalon wasted no time jumping Ryan Taylor from behind, giving him no time to rest after a decent little back and forth match.

Avalon ended up with the win after a roll-up with a handful of tights. He was then confronted by one of PWG’s best female talents, Candace LaRae. She was ready to fight him one-on-one but Joey Ryan chose the opportunity to take advantage of the situation. He leveled Avalon with a super kick and told LaRae to make the pin.

I’m not too sure what pitting Ryan against LaRae does but it was a noble attempt to further Ryan’s sleazy persona by showing how opportunistic he can be, and of course by showing that he has no issues with putting the boots to anyone who steps into the ring, man or woman.

Ryan gets the win, even though LaRae did put up a fight. This didn’t exactly give Ryan a huge boost of momentum heading into his upcoming Championship match at the next PWG show, but it was an entertaining segment before the tournament finals nonetheless.

The Young Bucks and The Nightmare Violence Connection both made it through two difficult matches to reach the DDT4 2011 final. Just more win away from a shot at the PWG World Tag Team Championships.

The match was a total brawl at the start as they paired off and battled their way through the crowd. Tozawa ended up injured after the Bucks nailed him with a DDT from the apron to the floor, much like what they did to Alex Shelley in TNA.

Tozawa had to be taken to the back, leaving Steen at a serious disadvantage against the determined Bucks.

Max and Jeremy, or Matt and Nick, worked over Steen and busted him open. After several minutes, Tozawa triumphantly returned and the Legion Hall in Reseda went nuts. Madness ensued from that point on, there were tons of near falls and close calls.

The Young Bucks eventually hit their trademark More Bang For Your Back on both men at once, picking up what a lot of fans considered a shocking victory. They were the new number one contenders for the PWG World Tag Team Championships, the very belts that they held longer than anyone else ever has.

After the much, they cut a great heel promo as the crowd chanted “This is Bullshit” and “This is Awesome” back and forth. The Bucks closed out the show by dedicating their win to Dixie Carter, which drew the ire of the PWG faithful.

DDT4 2011 showcased some of the best tag team matches I’ve seen all year. It is definitely worth checking out if you are a WWE fan who misses quality, meaningful tag team wrestling. While they may not be getting as much love in the mainstream, PWG proves that tag teams are alive and well.

Follow Ken on twitter @alieneight

Ultimate Warrior - Karma Collects (Full Version) Shaun Nichols Gives His Views

This is the Warrior's full sixty minute rant against Terry Bollea (Hulk Hogan), watching this it's difficult to know if the Warrior is talking directly to the viewer or Hogan or indeed either or both at the same time. The full thing is conveniently split into 9 different sections each lasting between 2 and 8 minutes long. And to a certain degree reminded me of the videos that serial killers tape before they go out to execute their plans. He's set in what looks like his basement talking directly to the camera.
I'm sure a lot of people have seen the several minute trailer in which basically covers his main talking points. The Warrior starts by saying that he's grown up and he is no longer immature like he was in his WWF heyday but Hogan as yet to grow up and that he's still a fool doing idiotic things. He then talks about some of Hogan's 'dirty laundry' such as Hogan smoking pot everyday to the point where he might rival Rob Van Dam in his use. Warrior also claims that Hogan used a lot of cocaine and something that he called re-juvination juice which he got a lot of WCW wrestlers onto and apparently caused Kevin Sullivan to overdose.
He also brings up Hogan's hair extentions, well he was really going out on a limb there. More thoughtful was his comments on how Hogan behaved concerning his comments about Randy Savage, especially concerning how he was burying him on a recent interview saying he was a hermit but at the same time saying that he was pleased that he had reconnected with Savage. Warrior says that Savage had invited Hogan to a BBQ but Hogan had declined thinking it was beneath him. Also one of the main reasons that Savage moved away from the spotlight was that he was caring for his father Angelo who was in very poor health which was true.
Warrior also states that basically both Hogan and his wife Linda both slept around and that Hogan had even offered Warrior a chance to sleep with Linda which is something that Warrior said he declined. Warrior alsio said that it's that perverse attitude which leads Hogan to ripping on Savage for being so protective of Elizabeth in the locker room. Saying that the boys at the time were all adulters and sexual perverts and Savage was only doing what any right thinking husband would do. Let's be clear, Savage was extremely possesive of Elizabeth and was constantly paranoid of what she was doing while he was on the road even to the point of checking the miles clock on her car and buying her TV meals for one so she didn't have to go out.
Warrior thinks that Hogan and Linda caused the break up of Randy's marriage but if I was that paranoid about my relationship with my wife, I'm sure lots of her friends would be telling her that she needs to break away so I don't see this as a major criticism of Hogan. Warrior rips on Hogan's parenting skills saying that he was only concerned with his career and that he should have instilled a work ethic into Brooke especially and by taking shortcuts that's why Brooke's career died. Surely as a parent if you can help your child be successful then you would, hence the well known saying 'it's not what you know, but who you know'.
He also talks about the Summerslam 1991 PPV event but still can't bring himself to admit that he held up Vince for money before agreeing to go out for the main event. And the subsequent court case of 2008 that the Warrior bought and how cowardly Hogan was by saying that he couldn't remember clearly what happened before the event.
Hogan is an easy target, by living his gimmick and telling just ridiculous stories that are very easy to prove that they aren't true. It's not difficult for Warrior to pick at Hogan and call him out at things but you have to wonder what the point of this is. His main point is that someone needs to call out Hogan for all the things that he's done, he also drops Tiger Woods, Mel Gibson and Arnold Schwarzenegger names as other people that are destroying society. But why do they? Hogan's biggest fans will see this as a sign that Warrior is just a bitter old man who resents the fact that he wasn't able to extend his career past the glory days which ended 20 years ago. Other fans will be aware that a lot of the time Hogan is full of shit and basically you should just assume he's lying unless you can prove otherwise.
A lot of Warrior's points are repeated over and over again and frankly 60 minutes is a long time to watch someone rip on somebody else. For those wrestling fans that want to see Hulk Hogan get buried for an hour you'll no doubt enjoy it but everyone else should stick to see the trailer that the Warrior released first. Better yet if you want to see a wrestling personality verbally destroy another then stick to Jim Cornette ripping on Vince Russo it's far more entertaining.

The 1st Andre Baker Memorial Show Report By Paul Dyer

Wanted to apologise for the lateness of this column, between a dislocated finger and a fried motherboard it’s been a tough month!

Over 12 years ago, February 6th 1999 to be exact (I’m anal, I keep records!), on a cold and very wet night in Birmingham I saw the stiffest wrestling match I have witnessed in my 28 years as a fan. Steve Logan’s K-Star Wrestling had a working agreement with Hammerlock Wrestling, to use some of their wrestlers on Logan’s shows.
This particular night, the show was basically a Hammerlock show except the opening match between two of Steve’s students. Hammerlock stalwarts such as Jon Ryan, Sebastian P. Sterling, Dean Champion, Rob Carlin and not to mention future NWA World Heavyweight Champion and “Deal or No Deal” veteran Gary Steele all competed on the show. The main even that night was something special, something that I’d not seen live before, it was pure violence masquerading itself as a “fake” wrestling match. That night Jonny Moss and Alex Shane wrestled a no contest with Justin Richards and Andre Baker. I’ve seen shoots that were not as hard hitting as this match, it was a total Japanese strong style match taken to the limit. Hearing the thud of every punch and forearm shot echo through St. Teresa’s nightclub sent shivers down my spine and makes me 12 years later, smile with fond recollections.
This was my first and unfortunately the last time I would ever see Andre Baker work. The agreement with K-Star fell apart and I never made the trip down to Kent, something I now regret. Andre trained nearly every single wrestler on that show and trained them very well. All the guys were competent professional wrestlers, some were green but you could see the potential and some were extremely good to where you couldn’t see the mistakes that invariably creep in through a match, which to me is the ultimate compliment to Andre’s training. Andre passed away at the young age of 45 last year and on the 21st May I attended the 1st Annual Andre Baker Memorial Show.
My day began too damn early for my liking as I met THE Phil Jones for the drive down to Maidstone from a somewhat sunny Cardiff. Wrestling geekdom ensured as we listened to various wrestling themed podcasts on the way, including my personal favourite the Bryan & Vinny show from F4WOnline/WrestlingObserver.com, we slightly “cooled it up” with the new Beastie Boys album “Hot Sauce Committee Part Two”! Finding the elusive Travelodge was a chore but we’re two grown men of reasonable intelligence and not to mention we had a homicidal Satnav, so after lucking into finding it and I truly mean lucking out we set out for Motepark Leisure Centre.
When you go to a smaller show you never know what the setup is going to be like, whether the PA system is going to work effectively or whether the ring will move 4 inches every time someone takes a bump. But this setup was well produced, nice ring and the video screens were a very nice surprise. The show kicked off with the ringing of the timekeeper’s bell 10 times with all the wrestlers coming out and everyone standing and then a really well put together tribute video played, kudos to those involved in the production of that. After a very nice speech by MC Dean Ayass we had the first match in the Andre Baker Memorial Cup pitting Hammerlock veterans Jon Ryan and Paul Tracey against each other. Ryan came to ringside with “the advisor to the stars” Mike White and let me tell you it took a real talent to get the crowd to boo after such an emotional and well done opening but White’s skill on the mic accomplished it and then some. The match was very well done by both guys and featured lots of liberal interference during the course to setup the piledriver finish that put the dastardly heel into the final.
Second match of the night featured two more Hammerlock vets as the babyface duo Jonny Moss and Danny Garnell went at it. Another fine match, only marred slightly during the opening few minutes as the crowd didn’t know who to cheer for. Whether planned or on the fly Garnell switched to subtle heel and the match started to really pick up, both are quality performers and it showed in this very nice match. The finish came as Moss, using a variation of Andre’s sunset flip powerbomb to the outside for the countout win. I have to give Jonny huge credit for this as he protected Danny all the way using his own legs so he didn’t even touch the floor on the initial bump.
Mayhem ensued as the Hardcore Tag match went on next. Seek 'n' Destroy against Jimmy Havoc and Kurrupt was a wild, hard hitting brawl that took place all over the ringside area and in the crowd. A very good brawl ended as Tony McMillan was powerbombded on a car door, yes a car door! I’ve been watching a long time and it takes a lot to surprise me but this did it! The wrestling side of the evening took a back seat for a little while as Gary Steele was inducted into the British wrestling hall of fame. Gary looked in good shape and seemed genuinely appreciative of the reaction the crowd gave him after many years out of the business.
The obligatory battle royal occurred with Exodus, Devilman, Muscle Manson, Team Ireland (I marked out for one of these guys as he had the best “Boogie Nights” tache ever!), Guy Thunder, Jay Steerling, Anton Green, Umar Ibrahin, Michael Bishop, Mike Mendoza, Majik, T-Bone and Iron Jekkle all competing. It was decent enough for what it was with Team Ireland dominating until the end until the surprise entrance of Gary Steele (still in his street clothes!) eliminated all three members and was declared the winner.
The strangest match of the evening as Majik took on John Richie. The match was contested under old school rules with public warnings being in effect which lead to a very strange finish. Richie playing the monocled heel got disqualified and seemed visibly furious including getting out of the ring and calling everyone amateurs to the ring announcer. Could have been working but this seemed genuine from where I was sitting. Up to the finish the match decent enough with both playing their roles well and having the crowd going. In another nice moment on the show Andre was inducted into the British hall of fame which included some of his family members accepting on his behalf.
Now we come to the easy match of the night and the reason for my travel to Kent, Zack Sabre Jr versus then IWGP Junior heavyweight champion Fergal “Prince” Devitt.

This was a fantastic match from bell to bell with some nice flying mixed with the New Japan Pro Wrestling (if it’s good enough for Punk it’s good enough for me!) strong style thrown in for good measure. This was (and I usually dislike giving match ratings but what the hell) an easy ****1/4 match with the finish being a Bloody Sunday (Lifting single underhook DDT) for the pin. My only gripe with the match was Sabre chewing gum all the way through the match and Fergal has in the past too, guys this is meant to be hard hitting and “real”, chewing gum detracts from what you’re doing, knock it off! With the next statement I do not mean to say that anyone on this isn’t a good worker but the difference between Fergal and everyone else on this show was evident. He is unbelievably smooth and always on point during the match, and that truly is the difference between a good worker and a fantastic worker. I highly recommend you getting a hold of the 2011 Best of the Super Juniors and watch Fergal do what he does best.


After a great match we come to this! It was just an awful match, from start to finish. Hugh Munges & Devin Byrne beat Tank & Cell (it was a strange thing to hear people chanting his name!). Before the match officially started Cell tried a dive over the top rope onto Munges and Bryne and crashed and burned. That really didn’t help as they were already in the unenviable position of going out after the previous match, this well and truly killed the crowd. I took this opportunity to go for a much needed bathroom break so if you really want to know what happened buy the DVD.
Last match of the show was the finals of the Andre Baker memorial tourney with Jonny Moss against John Ryan. Another fine match including Dean Ayass running into thwart the devilish Mike White as Moss won with a top rope hurrcanrana. After the match the ring filled with the wrestlers and Andre’s family as the show closed. I was highly entertained with the show and it certainly was well worth the trip down.

If you are on twitter please follow Hammerlock wrestling @Hammerlock and while you’re at it mine is twitter.com/theszbien

Paul Dyer

Stu's note: I want to personally thank Rob Brazier of Last Chance Photographs for supplying the pictures for this report. Please visit Rob's page to view more photo's from this show and other shows he has worked on http://www.flickr.com/photos/lastchancephotographs/sets/72157626700899391/

WWE Money in the Bank 2011: Could This Be the PPV of the Year? By Richard Ciancioso

Unless you have been hiding under a rock recently, you have seen the classic CM Punk worked shoot promo from Monday Night Raw this past week. It was pure genius by Punk and the WWE to let Punk go out there and just talk about whatever was on his mind.
This promo has made the excitement for the upcoming Money in the Bank pay-per-view on July 17th more then any PPV I have seen in a very long time. It looks like it is going to be not only the PPV of the year, but maybe the best PPV in a very, very long time.
There have been five matches officially announced as of today and there is a reason to watch every single one of them. I am going to go over each match, analyze and predict them, and then, tell you what I think would be the best thing to happen.
The first match we're going to go over is the Kelly Kelly vs. Brie Bella Divas title match. Now I know the IWC is in an uproar that Kelly Kelly has the Divas title and someone more "deserving" like Natalysa or Beth Phoneix does not have it. I think it's time for everyone to get a dose of reality.
Kelly Kelly was in Maxim's Top 100. She is the most marketable woman on the roster. She is young, attractive and is not a complete botchamania in the ring. Why wouldn't the WWE put their title on her so they can market her and get her name out there even more. The young girls' want to be her, and the teenage and older guys want to look at her.
I love the Bella's heel turn that they have done recently and it was smart to put the title on them when they started it, but I am almost positive the WWE has Kelly Kelly come out on top of this match. It would make no sense for them to take the title off of her to soon. The only thing I can see happening is that Beth Phoenix gets frustrated for not getting a title shot and turns heel by costing Kelly Kelly this match.
Winner: Kelly Kelly

The next match we are going to talk about is the SmackDown Money in the Bank match. The participants are Cody Rhodes, Kane, Wade Barrett, Daniel Bryan, Sheamus, Sin Cara, Heath Slater and Justin Gabriel. I believe there is a good mix of power guys and high flyers in this match to make it extremely exciting.
The addition of Heath Slater and Justin Gabriel is a smart move by the WWE. They are going to be able to make the match very exciting. They are also going to be trying to make sure Wade Barrett does not get the briefcase as well, so this should be a compelling storyline within the match.
To me it almost seems a given that Cody Rhodes is going to win this match. There is a slight chance that someone like Wade Barrett could win the match, and I wouldn't mind that in the slightest. I believe Wade Barrett needs a push like the briefcase would give him after the WWE botched the Nexus angle. Sheamus does not need the briefcase to be in the main event title picture, so it makes no sense for him to win the match.
The rest of the guys have no chance of winning. Kane won it last year and is on his way to retiring, Sin Cara is not even close to main event level ready yet, Slater and Gabriel are there for spots and Daniel Bryan is not as good as people think he is. I do not want to hear how he would make a great Money in the Bank winner and would make a great world champion. He has his place in this match I agree. He can work a great match and make sure he does not screw anything up. But he is not a future world champion, he cant draw money.
Winner: Cody Rhodes

The other Money in the Bank match is for the Raw brand, and it features wrestlers Alberto Del Rio, The Miz, Alex Riley, Jack Swagger, Rey Mysterio, Kofi Kingston, R Truth and Evan Bourne.
This match to me is going to be the more interesting Money in the Bank match out of the two at this show. You have the Miz-Riley feud, R Truth and his conspiracy theory and Alberto Del Rio's destiny. I am looking forward to this match more then the SmackDown one for sure.
With the Miz winning last year's Money in the Bank match and his feud with Alex Riley still ongoing, it almost seems like there is no chance that he will win it again this year. I tend to agree with that assumption as I believe that Riley has a better chance if winning it then Miz does. I do not think that Riley is ready for a world title push yet though, and I hope the WWE builds him up slow and continues his feud with the Miz. It will get him more time to connect with the audience and more experience in high profile feuds.

R Truth has a decent shot to win this match as well, but I think the WWE will continue his conspiracy theory character and have him come really close to winning but come up short in the end. This will let him have a high profile in the match and continue his main event push at the same time.
In my opinion Swagger, Mysterio, Kingston and Bourne have no shot at winning the briefcase. Swagger won it at Mania two years ago, and his push to the main event did not work out that well, so I don't think they will have him win it for a second time. Mysterio doesn't need the briefcase because he can be in the main event scene without it and doesn't need the push from it.
As far as Kingston and Bourne go, they are in the match for their high-flying moves and spots. Many people think Bourne should be in the main event, but he just doesn't have the mic skills or connection with the crowd that a main event player should have.
Alberto Del Rio is the guy that should win the briefcase for Raw. He won the Royal Rumble and was pushed to the moon. He had displayed the perfect blend of charisma, in-ring ability and mic skills to be a huge name in the WWE. He has already been in high-profile feuds with Edge and Rey Mysterio, so he has a great track record.
Now it is his time to shine. He has already had a great ladder match with Christian so he is not new to this type of match. I can see Del Rio snatching the briefcase from someone like R Truth's grasp and claiming it. This would help R Truths conspiracy theory character a lot.
Winner: Alberto Del Rio

Now we move onto the World Heavyweight Championship match pitting the champion Randy Orton against "The Ultimate Complainer" Christian. Christian has had numerous opportunities recently to defeat Randy Orton for the championship but has come up short every time. The most recent time he had his foot under the rope when the ref counted to three. Since that match, he has complained that he should get another rematch because he was screwed.
I love Christian more then most people. He is one of my favorite wrestlers of all time. He has also had a great feud with Randy Orton recently that has given us some of the best matches of the year. But this has to be the last time these guys have a match, no matter who comes out on top.
I think that somehow Christian is going to pull this one off. He will find someway to beat Randy Orton by interference or by doing something illegal himself. Either way, I see Captain Charisma coming out on top in this one.
One thing I can see happening is that Christian will beat Orton for the title by some illegal means. He is celebrating in the ring, and then, Orton performs the RKO on Christian and leaves him laying there. Orton then leaves, and you see Cody Rhodes walk down to the ring with a smug look on his face. He then performs Crossroads on Christian to become the NEW World Heavyweight Champion.
Winner: Christian (possible cash in by Rhodes)

Here is the match everyone has been waiting for. Ever since the classic worked shoot promo on Monday Night Raw last week, fans have been waiting for this match to happen. No one knows what is going to happen, and everyone has their opinions on what the result will be. All I know is that it is one of the most anticipated matches in a very, very long time.
When this match was first announced, everyone thought that Cena was going to win for sure and that Punk was just going to leave the company and that was that. Now, there is a semblance of doubt in every fan's mind on what is going to happen whether they admit it or not. Will Punk win and walk out as Champion? Will Cena then be fired? Will Cena just crush Punk, and that is that? Those are the questions that Punk's promo has brought to the forefront in this match.
This match is in Punk's hometown of Chicago, so you know the fans will be booing Cena and cheering Punk loudly. There is not telling what could happen. Screw job angles, run ins and everything under the sun have been discussed by fans this week on what is going to happen, and that is the beauty of it. No one knows. This is what makes wrestling so entertaining, when the line between reality and fiction is blurred.
I personally think the WWE is going to pull somewhat of a swerve on all of us and have Punk walk out champion. Now what happens after that is up to the imagination of all the wrestling fans out there.
But at least for the first time in a while, I can honestly say that I am anticipating one of the best PPV's that I have seen in a while. Now sit back, grab a damn beer, and in a few weeks' time, enjoy one of the most anticipated PPV's in a long, long time.
Winner: CM Punk