By Don Murphy, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@DonThePredictor)
WWE presents another “Saturday Night’s Main Event” special, emanating from Tampa, Florida at Yeungling Center. The same venue will host NXT Battleground and Monday Night Raw over the next several days. Of note, WWE hasn’t officially advertised an appearance by Jesse Ventura, but past reports have cited that he would be at all of the Main Event specials this year. Historically, the show has been a vehicle to set up or advance storylines that will be paid off at a later date, usually at the next big PLE. Looking at this lineup, this seems to be the play here. It’s not bad on paper, but nothing jumps off the page as being particularly notable, aside from one of John Cena’s final network television appearances as an active wrestler. Given this, I’ll be interested to see how this show does in the ratings, given that it’s a holiday weekend and from a wrestling standpoint, the next five days are stacked. That said, let’s run down the card!
Jey Uso vs. Logan Paul for the World Heavyweight Championship. I think that Logan Paul makes sense as the first challenger for Uso’s title. I also think it’s smart to put this on network TV, as I’m not sure it would be a major driver of PLE buys. I like the hook that the winner faces Gunther on the June 9 episode of Raw from Phoenix, Arizona. Some may say that the hook is giving away the outcome to this match, but they’ve done a good job establishing that Gunther has issues with both. Despite this, I don’t think there’s any reason to take the belt from Uso at this time, given that it’s his first defense. Unfortunately, this means we’re getting yet another Jey vs. Gunther match. These matches are usually fine, but I’m ready to move on, so I hope this is the end. As for Paul, I have no concerns that he won’t easily be able to get his heat back.
Don Predicts: Jey Uso retains the World Heavyweight Championship.
WWE Champion John Cena vs. R-Truth in a non-title match. This is going to go one of two ways. I’d like to see Cena destroy Truth, resulting in a stretcher job. This sets him up as a dangerous heel rather than just being mad at the fans. What I think will happen will be a slightly more competitive match, and in the end, we may see a brief glimpse of Cena starting to question his current approach. Time will tell.
Don Predicts: John Cena defeats R-Truth.
Seth Rollins and Bron Breakker vs. CM Punk and Sami Zayn. This program is in its early stages, and the match will likely set up whatever these four are doing at Money in the Bank. There’s no reason to think the heels won’t go over here as they’re still being established. The only newsworthy item that may come out of this would be if they introduce a new member.
Don Predicts: Seth Rollins and Bron Breakker defeat CM Punk and Sami Zayn.
Drew McIntyre vs. Damian Priest in a steel cage match. McIntyre has noted that he is suffering from an injury where he can’t turn his head all the way. This will likely impact the output from this match, though I’m sure it will be fine. If McIntyre needs to take some time off, it would be logical to write him off here. Priest needs a big win, while McIntyre definitely has room to absorb.
Don Predicts: Damien Priest defeats Drew McIntyre in a cage match.
Be the first to comment