WWE Championship Match: AJ Styles (c) vs. Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn
I can’t remember ever seeing a handicap match like this. Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn partner up to take on AJ Styles for a chance at becoming the first ever co-WWE Champions. We are all wondering how that would go, which adds to the mysteriousness of the situation. Obviously, it would be unfair for AJ to lose his title in a 2-on-1 scenario, so the repercussions would be equally interesting as the match itself.
What I Hope Will Happen:
I hope AJ wins and retains because I feel like having co-WWE Champions would lessen the prestige of the title. With commissioner Shane McMahon and GM Daniel Bryan constantly meddling in the feud between these three wrestlers, it’s hard to imagine that doesn’t continue in some fashion. I’d like to see Shane screw over Owens and Zayn, driving Bryan even more crazy since he feels they’ve already been treated unfairly.
What Will Actually Happen:
I’m 56% sure the exact scenario I just detailed will happen, where Shane McMahon uses his power to make sure Owens and Zayn don’t walk away co-champions. The other 44% is the chance Daniel Bryan helps Owens and Zayn win. If you add up those numbers, I’m 100% certain this match will end in some kind of interference involving McMahon and Bryan.
Universal Championship Match: Brock Lesnar (c) (with Paul Heyman) vs. Braun Strowman vs. Kane
This match sounds so bad. Brock vs. Braun, good! Kane, the worst. If WWE thinks viewers are dumb enough to believe Kane has a chance in this match, it needs to reconsider every decision it’s ever made. I’ve touched on how poorly WWE reads its audience at times and this is one of those instances. Brock is a huge draw. Braun is a huge draw. There’s literally only one wrestler who can mess this up, and they added that exact guy.
Can you tell I don’t like Kane? He’s very big. Good for him. He’s also very old and very boring and has not won a big match in probably ten years. His sole purpose in this match is to take the pin so Brock or Braun doesn’t have to take a clean loss.
What I Hope Will Happen:
Brock and Braun team up early and absolutely pummel Kane for five minutes. When Kane is laying in the corner recovering, they slug it out for a few minutes and Brock hits the F-5 on Braun (because it would be ridiculous to watch). Brock throws Braun out of the ring, then remembers Kane is still in the match and F-5s him eight times in a row, pins him, and keeps his title until Wrestlemania where he faces the winner of the Royal Rumble. And then F-5s Kane again for good measure.
What Will Actually Happen:
We are going to get way too much Kane in this match. Recent triple threat matches lead me to believe that either Braun or Brock will be hurt early on, to the point where I am questioning if they are legitimately injured. My gut tells me it will be Braun – if they use him minimally in this match, they can bring him back in the Royal Rumble later in the night. Brock will toss Kane around for a while with a series of suplexes as people forget Braun is there. Braun will recover, make a final push, and fall short as Brock pins Kane to keep the title.
