Predictions from the Faculty Lounge
PPV: WWE Judgment Day (May 17)
Written by: Anthony J. Valvo
Predictions by: WrestleView.com staff and readers
Well, it is that time again, students. I know, it is a Sunday Morning or Afternoon and you want to enjoy your weekend before yet another school and/or work week. But that will not stop the WrestleView Faculty, as we provide our predictions for the next WWE PPV, which is simply known as ?Judgment Day?.
Judgment Day means what it means ?The Day of Final Judgment?. Well, after our previous predictions from ?WWE Backlash?, it was judgment day for our initial Dean of WrestleView, Joe Baiamonte. After a recent strong showing of 5-1 at Backlash, we have a new Dean of WrestleView, and it is Mr. ECW David Stephens. The question will be can he hold onto the title? Or can Mr. Baiamonte reclaim his rightful title (if he posts his picks and as of 1AM EST, he has not), which he held on since TNA’s February PPV, Against All Odds. Also, with a few other columnists climbing higher to the top, anything can happen between now and the next few PPVs. So, on with the Faculty’s predictions for Judgment Day 2009:
**It appears that as of 2:00 AM EST (that late) and completed with this piece, former Dean Joe Baiamonte did NOT provide picks for the PPV. So, Dean Stephens appears to be the defending champion by default. If he posts them late morning, he will be in. As of now, Joe’s record will be 0-0. Sorry, Joe**
**By the way, the following comments are by columnists of WrestleView.com and does not express the main WrestleView.com staff and its affiliates.**
Before I go on with the current predictions for the upcoming pay-per-view, here are the standings as of the Backlash PPV, April 26, 2009:
**WrestleView Fans predictions are based on and the average prediction from the dozens who send me their picks. Hence the 24-20 record. **
1) David Stephens (That’s a Wrap and ECW Recaps)…..28-16 (Present)
2) Joe Baiamonte (Baiamonte’s Casa)…..27-17 (Excused)
3) WrestleView Students…..24-20 (Present, as Always)
4) Josh Boutwell (Viva La Raza! and TNA Recaps)…..23-21 (Present)
5) Matt O’Brien (Notes From the Nosebleeds)…..22-14 (Present)
6) Anthony Valvo (From the Desk of Mr. V)…..22-22 (Present)
7) Jose Marrero (Wrestling Rumblings)…..21-23 (Present)
8) Phil Chroniger (On Second Thought…)…..19-20 (Excused)
9) Josh Piedra (The Shoot)…..12-12 (Present)
10) Sean Hurley (The Sharpshooter)…..8-13 (Present)(Welcome Back)
11) Doug Lackey (Reality From Ringside)…..4-4 (Present)(Welcome Back)
12) Mike Klubnik (Stylin’ and Profilin’)…..3-5 (Excused)
13) Ryan Droste (Ask WV)…..0-0 (Excused)
First, let’s go over the non-title matches, enjoy!
Shelton Benjamin vs. John Morrison
David S. – This one is simple. I’m inherently biased to stars that do the Shooting Star Press in one fashion or another. JOHN MORRISON
Josh B. – MORRISON. He has been on a roll and needs to continue so, this should be a GREAT match between the two best athletes in the ‘E’.
Matt O. – JOMO
Anthony V. – This one is not a tough one to predict in my eyes. Don?t get me wrong, I think that both men are underrated right now and deserve to be battling for titles, but with Jeff’s uncertainty and Taker’s absence, this is the perfect time to elevate another face to go along with Punk and Morrison. So I will take JOHN MORRISON in a high quality match with lots of daring maneuvers.
Jose M. – Shelton is on his way down and John is on his way up give the win to MORRISON. Maybe after Rey and Jericho are done he can position himself for a IC title run.
Josh P. – This just seems like a throwaway match to get Morrison over as a singles competitor and nothing more. JOHN MORRISON.
Sean H. – SHELTON in a good one.
Doug L. – MORRISON via clean end. If there is ever a time to give the push to JMo, now would be a great time. Definitely see Haas interfering and JMo getting the best of the World’s Greatest.
Consensus – The WrestleView faculty worked overtime because the WWE decided to make this a match after I sent out the e-mail ballot. Shame on them! Well, despite all that we the faculty predict that the Shaman of Sexy, JOHN MORRISON to win an almost unanimous 7-1 vote over the man known as ?The Gold Standard?.
The Big Show vs. John Cena
David S. – Cena is going to get his revenge on The Big Show after being chucked into the light at Backlash so I’m going to pick Cena. WAIT! That’s just what they’ll be expecting. THE BIG SHOW
Josh B. – CENA. This is going to be pretty horrible, of course Cena will ‘sell’ the injury all match long and then he’ll amazingly pick Show up and drop him in the F-U for the win.
Matt O. – BIG SHOW
Anthony V. – Gosh, I think this one will be that of a typical quality match. However, it could be solid for both men. They do work well together. I am going to surprise the WrestleView staff and go with JOHN CENA, but Show does dominate the contest.
Jose M. – BIG SHOW just needs this one more. You can always give the win back to Cena later but Big Show has been doing a lot of jobs on PPV lately he needs a win.
Josh P. – Another hard one to really predict because The Big Show has been given too much attention, but then again, he got the rub at Judgment Day and Cena has been made to look weakened by all of this. I think The Miz will find a way to interfere in this match, but not necessarily cause the DQ, but it will affect John Cena in a way where I think Cena is going to lose. THE BIG SHOW
Sean H. – CENA. Please God don’t let Big Show win.
Doug L. – JOHN CENA via clean end. I definitely see The Miz playing a part in this match. Trying to pester Cena then maybe bringing a chair into play, backfiring, Cena cracking Show with a ‘very tepid’ chairshot on his hand covering his head.
Consensus – The WrestleView faculty had a difficult time with this selection. Some of the professors believe that the Big Show will destroy an already torn up John Cena. Yet, then again, John Cena can overcome the injuries one more time and the take a break to film a movie that the Miz will obviously come up with a clever review for. Either way, the faculty could not make a decision on this one. With a vote of 4-4, this match is a PUSH (no advantage).
CM Punk vs. Umaga
David S. – The only match I’m throwing pennies up for as I don’t have a clue. Probs Mr. Mustard in the Lounge with CM PUNK
Josh B. – UMAGA. Sleeper match of the night in my opinion, this could really good. Punk hasn’t exactly been on fire lately and I think Umaga needs a big PPV win to start getting his momentum back.
Matt O. – UMAGA
Anthony V. – This match can go either 15 minutes or 2 minutes. If it is a short match, Umaga wins it, if it is long, Punk wins it. Either or, it should be a fun contest. I will go with my gut and say it will be a moderate match and say UMAGA gets the pinfall here.
Jose M. – Umaga just came back and well CM Punk has the briefcase which will always keep him in the mix of things. The way I see it is if CM Punk does happen to cash in his briefcase and win the title at this PPV no one will remember that he lost to Umaga the same night. Sort of like Chris Jericho with Shawn Michaels last year or Edge with Ric Flair when he first won the title. Give it to UMAGA in this one.
Josh P. – I said it with Kane about the WWE not wanted to make their Money in the Bank look weak, but Kane beat Punk anyway. Umaga need someone to go through to build up some momentum and I see CM Punk doing the job here once again. UMAGA
Sean H. – UMAGA
Doug L. – UMAGA via complete annihilation of CM Punk. There is law in WWE: If you are performing in your hometown and it is within the United States, then you will get beaten down in some form. Besides, Mr. Ooga Booga needs to get back into the main event fray somehow.
Consensus – The one actually surprised me, as I thought it would have been a closer vote. Remember, this is a blind ballot, (no one seen these picks until they are posted on the site). So we predict no love for the hometown hero and by a vote of 7-1, UMAGA will defeat the Chicago Made Punk (or Cookie Monster Punk, whatever the CM stands for). However, if the majority of the faculty misses on this, do not be surprised if the Dean of WrestleView berates us on the next ?That’s A Wrap!?.
Now that we got the non-title matches out of the way, let’s go on with the meat and potatoes of the card, shall we?
Intercontinental Championship Match
Rey Mysterio (c) vs. Chris Jericho
David S. – Ahem, pretend I have Santino’s accent. I predict MYSTERIO! (Wondering why I didn’t spell it phonetically to match Santino’s pronunciation? It’s because I told you to PRETEND I have it, I clearly don’t)
Josh B. – MYSTERIO. Man, I really love this matchup and as much as I hated to see Rey leave RAW, he’s really been on since rejoining Smackdown, that match this week with Benjamin on Superstars was awesome. I think this feud may be a little longer than just a one month deal and if so it should mean great TV.
Matt O. – CHRIS JERICHO
Anthony V. – I don?t know if Rey’s injuries are legit or not, but somehow I see Jericho getting ?disrespected? again. REY MYSTERIO wins the match, but Jericho dominates.
Jose M. – This is going to be the beginning of something that will probably take us into the Summer but I really think Misterio is going to take this match somehow. Jericho can always get his heat back after the match but I am giving this one to REY.
Josh P. – This one is another tough call. Does Jericho, at this point, really need the IC Title? I think Jericho should be challenging for the World’s belt, to be honest, but at this point a heel vs heel angle wouldn?t be that great of an idea. The fact that Jericho did such a great job with the legends might call for him to be rewarded and since he’s been getting more attention than Rey Misterio these days, I?m going to say that Rey will become a transitional IC Champ. NEW IC CHAMP: CHRIS JERICHO
Sean H. – Don’t watch Smackdown all that much so I don’t know how the feud is progressing, however, I’m gonna go with my gut and say…REY.
Doug L. – REY via DQ and retains. While I’m sure everyone is looking forward to this match the most, I have funny feeling about how this ‘epic’ might end. I sense a dud ending in the mix… Jericho losing his cool, a mishap of some sort, or potentially Kane lumbering down to beat on Rey like the good old days.
Consensus – The faculty thought long and hard on this Intercontinental contest. Well, in that case now matter how you say it (in English or ?Satino-ish?), by a vote of 6-2 we believe that REY MYSTERIO will find a way to sneak a 619 on the disrespected Chris Jericho. I guess I know why Jericho continues to call us hypocrites and parasites?..
ECW Championship Match
Christian (c) vs. Jack Swagger
David S. – Please don’t be the curtain jerker, please don’t be the curtain jerker, please don’t be the curtain jerker. CHRISTIAN retains
Josh B. – CHRISTIAN. Can’t have him drop the belt so soon, should be a great contest though.
Matt O. – JACK SWAGGER
Anthony V. – I actually enjoy Christian as champion right now, but I also like Jack Swagger’s progress throughout the year. Since next month is the Extreme Rules match and I expect Tommy Dreamer to fight a storyline character that he ?respects?, I will say CHRISTIAN defends in the match of the night. FYI: I think Swagger wins it at the Great American Bash, regardless of who is champion.
Jose M. – This is going to upset people but I have SWAGGER regaining the title in this match. The Tommy Dreamer storyline is going on for at least one more month and I think it means more if Dreamer goes after a heel in pursuit of the title rather than Christian so I am picking Swagger to regain the title and maybe next PPV we will have a threeway or a straight Swagger vs. Dreamer.
Josh P. – I am not sure on this one because I think that Vince put the belt on Christian just to satisfy the fans. Jack Swagger has been getting better and better each and every week and I think that they may just end up putting the title back on him, but, as with the Backlash predictions, I wished against hope and it came true so I am going to do the same here. CHRISTIAN
Sean H. – CHRISTIAN. Funny how people thought/think McMahon “hated” Christian, had something against him and wanted to see him fail, and yet, Christian is the ECW champion. In that case, I wish McMahon had something against me.
Doug L. – CHRISTIAN via clean end and retains. With Dreamer potentially still in line to win the strap (while I love the idea of him as ECW GM), Mark Henry still viable, and Kozlov slowly making his rise to the upper echelon, there’s no reason not to take the title away from Christian this early.
Consensus – Ah, the only ECW match on the card this month. The faculty members do believe it will be a very good contest. Though a couple of our professors will not be surprised one bit if Jack Swagger becomes a two-time ECW Champion, the majority of the faculty will go with Captain Charisma, CHRISTIAN, retaining the ECW Championship by a vote of 6-2.
World Heavyweight Title Match
Edge (c) vs. Jeff Hardy
David S. – Well, Jeff Hardy is currently painting his face. Clowns paint their faces, but so do mimes. Now mimes can’t talk which means they can’t call moves in the ring. On that note, has there ever been a mute(real not kayfabe) wrestler? What about blind or deaf? Wasn’t Zach Gowen blind? Oh he was missing a leg. Really a fascinating story. So yeah definitely EDGE
Josh B. – EDGE. The Rated-R Superstar ain?t about to drop the belt to a guy that’s contract is coming up in June.
Matt O. – JEFF HARDY
Anthony V. – Incentive for Jeff Hardy to re-up with the WWE? I think so. Then again, they don?t have much of a choice when the other top 2 faces are on the card. I am going with the obvious outcome on this one (since my predictions need a boost) and say that both will destroy each other and EDGE wins by a spear in desperation and falling on Jeff accidentally. It’s quite possible that CM Punk cashes it in, but it would be the 2nd time he won a title in his hometown (I think he won the IC belt in Jan., not sure though). Another hometown win would be too tacky.
Jose M. – I don?t really think people care about this match as much as what is going to happen after the match is CM Punk really going to attempt to cash in his briefcase? I would say if Jeff Hardy would resign the smart money would be to have him win this match and have CM Punk as a heel cash in the briefcase and build up to a CM Punk vs. Jeff Hardy match up in the future. However because Jeff hasn?t signed that probably wouldn?t happen here. I pick EDGE to somehow win the match and retain and well whatever happens after the match happens.
Josh P. – am not so sure that the WWE wants to put the title back on Hardy, especially after he had requested some time off from the WWE. This may actually serve to be a way to set up a Jeff Hardy injury story where he gives it his all, but comes up just a little bit short. EDGE
Sean H. – EDGE
Doug L. – JEFF HARDY via clean end and new champion. Everyone has been reporting this so I have no reason to go against them. I have no problem with Jeff keeping the belt warm for The Great Khali… BAAAAAAAAHHH!!!
Consensus – Jeff Hardy’s recent contract rumor did not stop two guys from picking him as the new champ (Khali? Seriously? haha). However, most of the WrestleView faculty expect another successful title defense by the Rated R Superstar. With a vote of 6-2, EDGE keeps the World Heavyweight Championship for yet another few weeks. Then again, there is a particular briefcase that could rotationally be cashed in by some wrestler from Chicago.
WWE Championship
Randy Orton (c) vs. Batista
David S. – I predict a win for the Rated R Superstar, wait. I’m confused..oh WWE Championship. Umm, ok. Why think up new logic? I’ll just pretend Orton is Edge and pick him. So ORTON for the win, because I don’t want to analyze the match due to my inability to stay focused at the moment.
Josh B. – ORTON. I don’t see Orton dropping the title this early, not looking forward to this at all but Orton gets the win by cheating somehow.
Matt O. – BATISTA
Anthony V. – I need not to go in depth on this one. RANDY ORTON wins this contest.
Jose M. – OK here goes nothing. I am going to go with RANDY ORTON by DQ. The reason I pick a DQ is quite simple we have the Extreme Rules PPV coming up very soon and I have the funny feeling this match will happen again with well…Extreme Rules. Legacy interferes, Batista goes crazy probably picks up a chair and well ref catches him and that’s the match.
Jose M. – OK here goes nothing. I am going to go with RANDY ORTON by DQ. The reason I pick a DQ is quite simple we have the Extreme Rules PPV coming up very soon and I have the funny feeling this match will happen again with well…Extreme Rules. Legacy interferes, Batista goes crazy probably picks up a chair and well ref catches him and thats the match.
Josh P. – Randy Orton busted his ass to finally defeat Triple H to become the WWE Champion. I don?t think that the WWE is going to let Orton lose this championship just yet. Batista may be a top contender, but him coming back and winning a title this soon, especially after a title change, is something I can?t really see. RANDY ORTON
Sean H. – ORTON. I’ll puke if they put the strap on Batista. There’s no way they’re taking the belt off of Orton, my girlfriend’s favorite wrestler.
Doug L. – RANDY ORTON via cluster. of stuff and retains. Alright, take your pick. Legacy coming down to interfere. Batista losing his cool again. Shane hobbling with crutches to whack Legacy around. Finally, Triple-H walking down the ramp to pull off what he is great at… the double cross! Not because he’s siding with Orton, but because that was supposed to be his title shot.
Consensus – Almost a clean sweep again, with the faculty heavily picking RANDY ORTON with a 7-1 vote. We assume that the WWE would not have Orton drop the belt after persevering though one of the most dullest WrestleMania Main Events of all time. Will this match be more exciting than we predict? Who knows?
**BREAKING NEWS: It appears when I woke up this morning I checked my e-mail and the former Dean of WrestleView.com, Joe Baiamonte, has returned and apologized for being tardy. So at 8:00 AM EST, I received Joe’s picks. The new consensus will be in parentheses. Here they are:
John Morrison vs. Shelton Benjamin: MORRISON WINS (Morrison 8-1)
Big Show vs. John Cena: BIG SHOW (Big Show 5-4)
CM Punk vs. Umaga: UMAGA WINS (Umaga 8-1)
Rey Mysterio vs. Jericho: REY WINS (Rey 7-2)
Christian vs. Swagger: CHRISTIAN WINS (Christian 7-2)
Edge vs. Jeff Hardy: EDGE WINS (Edge 7-2)
Orton vs. Batista: ORTON WINS (Orton 8-1)
**As always, the WrestleView fans can e-mail me their predictions by sending them to mistervwv@yahoo.com. Since I have more e-mail this week than I ever had, do not expect a reply if you lost the predictions game. If you are the winner of the predictions game, those students will get an e-mail of congrats and a gold star in the next column of ?From the Desk of Mr. V?. I know, I know, this reward is much bigger than whichever team wins the Stanley Cup. Why you ask? The reason is because the winning team does not have to return it! And for those who e-mailed me your homework, thank you in advance. Expect those e-mails to be replied by Wednesday.
Current Leaders for the current Judgment Day Picks from the WrestleView Students:
Randy Orton
Edge
Christian
John Cena
Chris Jericho
Umaga
John Morrison
Well, Sunday School is at an end. Thanks for reading the article once again class, and please push your chairs in and leave in a single file line. Until next week’s TNA Sacrifice Pay Per View, you are…DISMISSED!