WrestleMania XXVII is here! There’s a real retro vibe to this one. Add to that the best of the young talent WWE has to offer, and we’ve got the potential for one of the best PPVs of all time. It airs LIVE on PPV @ 9am, Monday April 4 (Sydney time). Tomo, Adrian and Matt are here to preview the biggest show of the year, so know your role and shut your damn mouth- we bring it in this preview!
United States Championship: Sheamus (c) vs. Daniel Bryan
Tomo
Winner: Sheamus
Sheamus won the US Title off Bryan only two weeks ago. There would be no point to take the title off him at WM27 to give it back to Bryan. Makes no sense! So I’m picking Sheamus retains.
Adrian
Winner: Sheamus
This is a really interesting match. Firstly, I’d just like to say how good it is I think that Bryan is on the card. Terrific to see how much the company values him, after coming through the indies before making it to the big leagues in WWE. As for the match, I can’t see Bryan winning here, even if he will at some point down the track. It still should be a terrific match, and could be the pick of the lot from a work rate standpoint. Sheamus sure has some great opponents in his WrestleMania matches- Triple H and now Bryan!
Matt
Winner: Sheamus
Good way to open the show in my opinion, but as Tomo said, they aren’t going to give the title straight back to Bryan. Sheamus should win even though he has been booked a bit odd lately. After the whole King Sheamus thing, and taking out of Triple H, he was supposed to be the next big thing, but he ended up losing continuously on Raw. A good feud which should be continued after ‘Mania with Bryan finally getting ahead in the end.
Trish Stratus, Snooki, and John Morrison vs. LayCool and Dolph Ziggler
Tomo
Winner: Trish Stratus, Snooki, and John Morrison
You don’t bring in a celebrity like Trish (and whatever Snooki is- she’s a brown haired oompa loompa) to lose at the biggest PPV of the year. But by god do I wish Snooki is put through a table…
Adrian
Winner: Trish Stratus, Snooki, and John Morrison
Well… who thought we’d be seeing Snooki in a WrestleMania match? To be perfectly honest, I’d never heard of her before she turned up on Raw a few weeks back. This could be a lot of fun- Trish Stratus is of course a legend, so there’s no problems there. Snooki’s Lou Thesz press was a lot better than most of the Diva’s efforts in the last few years, so there’s signs that from an in-ring perspective, she might not be too bad! Morrison and Ziggler are fantastic workers, as are Lay-Cool, and with Vickie ring-side, it’s shaping to be an entertaining match. Should be good for the spectacle alone, which is what ‘Mania is all about. Snooki and friends should get the win.
Matt
Winner: Trish Stratus, Snooki, and John Morrison
So I’ve been a little behind the stuff on Raw that doesn’t involve The Rock or The Undertaker, so I would appreciate someone explaining to me what this has to do with anything. I saw the ‘confrontation’ in some bar last week, and it looked quite terrible. Bad for Morrison that he gets stuck with this angle, but at least we get to see Trish back in the WWE! The faces to win easy.
Kane, Big Show, Vladimir Kozlov, and Santino Marella vs. The Corre
Tomo
Winner: The Corre
This match was basically thrown together. Good chance for the veterans to put the young Corre guys over on the biggest stage in the business.
Adrian
Winner: The Corre
So two monsters and a joke tag team take on the current tag champs, Intercontinental Champion and the massive beast that is Ezekiel Jackson. Right. Well I guess they need to get these guys on the card now that there’s no Money in the Bank. I think anything other than a Corre win would be stupid.
Matt
Winner: The Corre
For those that haven’t kept up, they are running an angle which involved The Corre taking out Vladimir Kozlov at Axcess last night, most likely to have Kofi Kingston replace him. This probably has no bearing on the result, with The Corre to grab the win and continue their domination of Smackdown!
Rey Mysterio vs. Cody Rhodes
Tomo
Winner: Rey Mysterio
Rhodes should probably win this match. It would make him look stronger and it wouldn’t really hurt Rey, but I can still see Rey hitting a 619 and winning the match. I’m actually surprised that Mysterio’s actually competing at a WM. Isn’t he usually injured this time of year?
Adrian
Winner: Cody Rhodes
The development of Cody Rhodes has been astounding in the last 12 months. The “Dashing” gimmick was a huge success. I initially thought it was rubbish, but really started enjoying it. The promo with Dusty and Rey was outstanding in establishing this match and showing the more serious side to the new Cody Rhodes. I think he’ll get the win, and go on to bigger and better things this year. Unless Rey’s ego gets the better of him.
Matt
Winner: Rey Mysterio
I’m going with a Rey win here, mainly because I like him more. Cody is definitely one to look out for in the future, and I really like the way he has progressed as a character and not just a wrestler. The whole mask on mask thing is a little cheesy, but surely they won’t take the mask of Rey, would they?
Randy Orton vs. CM Punk
Tomo
Winner: Orton
Great build up for this match. But as per WWE customs, Punk was looking pretty strong on Monday Night Raw leading up to WrestleMania which basically means Orton is walking out the winner. And who isn’t looking forward to Punk getting a massive RKO?! Its about time someone shut him up.
Adrian
Winner: Orton
Terrific build here between the two of them, and so it should. Both are mega over with the fans. Orton is hugely popular, while everyone loves to hate Punk (I secretly love him, but shhh). The New Nexus have been taken out of this one, but I still think there will be shenanigans. Orton to get the win, against all the odds. Perhaps with an RKO out of nowhere~!
Matt
Winner: Orton
This has been done very well, with Punk taking over leading in to Wrestlemania after Randy took out the New Nexus. Randy’s knee problems will probably be a big focus of the match, and it will be interesting to see how they get Randy to overcome this and win, as most people expect. I think Punk is one of the few wrestlers (I’m sorry for calling them that!) that can lose a match and still come out stronger. Still, Randy to win!
Jerry Lawler vs. Michael Cole (w/ Jack Swagger) with Special Referee Steve Austin
Tomo
Winner: Jerry Lawler
Here’s how it’s going to play out. Swagger knocks out Lawler why Stone Cold isn’t looking. Cole covers and Stone Cold begins to count to 3. He stops on the 2 count. Gives Cole the middle finger. Stunner to Cole. Stunner to Swagger. Piledriver by Lawler to Cole. 3 count for Lawler. Crowd and JR go nuts. Celebrate with Stevewisers.
Adrian
Winner: Jerry Lawler
No way is Cole winning this one. This is Lawler’s first ‘Mania match (so Snooki and King make their WM debut on the same night? Something is wrong here) and he won’t be losing. The pay off will be too big. What will be of most interest will be the commentary team post-WM… Will JR return on a full time basis? I sure hope so.
Matt
Winner: Jerry Lawler
Rumour is JR is calling Wrestlemaina, so this would be a perfect way to cap it off, with a victory for The King, and Michael Cole embarrassed. Cole has played the heel role in this feud almost too well, with some insiders saying it is going to his head. I think the Austin appearance makes a Lawler win even more obvious than before.
World Heavyweight Championship: Edge (c) (w/ Christian) vs. Alberto Del Rio (w/ Brodus Clay)
Tomo
Winner: Alberto Del Rio
The last person who won the Royal Rumble but then went on to lose at WrestleMania was Edge. It would be ironic of he retained against Del Rio. However I see Del Rio winning the title and I see Christian costing Edge the match. Then we get the Edge and Christian feud we’ve been waiting to see since Christian returned to the WWE.
Adrian
Winner: Alberto Del Rio
Probably the biggest story that should come from this is the interaction between Edge and Christian. Does their feud start after ‘Mania? As for the result, too much has been invested into the Del Rio character for him to lose this match. After all, this is his destiny. But you already knew that.
Matt
Winner: Edge
I’m going against the grain in this one. Whilst Del Rio has been booked perfectly to take the title, I reckon Edge will come out on top, and this will set the scene for a more surprising Christian heel turn. The title would probably be lost some other way, hopefully to Del Rio, but they will get the title out of the way before the brothers/best friends go at it. Anyway, can’t see why Christian and Brodus Clay would be involved if Del Rio was going to look strong and win clean.
WWE Championship: The Miz (c) vs. John Cena
Tomo
Winner: John Cena
Will The Rock interfere? That’s the huge question looming over this match. A win for the Miz would solidify him as a maineventer but I can still see Cena walking out as champ. He was booked so strongly after Monday Night Raw. God I hope The Rock rockbottoms both of them. I’m calling it right now. Wrestlemania 28. Miami, Florida. The Rock’s hometown. Rock vs. Cena. Lock it in!
Adrian
Winner: The Miz
I’m not tipping this one with a whole heap of confidence, but I think Miz might just slip under the radar and get the win. Remember Orton v Triple H v Cena a few years back? How much chance did anyone give Orton to retain his title? I can see a similar thing happening here, especially with The Rock in the background of this one. Either that, or Cena wins, and he does his thing with Rocky. I have no idea how or what they’re going to do here, but I know that I’ll be watching and waiting to see what they do. I’m sure you will be as well.
Matt
Winner: The Miz
I think either way this match is going to be good, and either way the product is the winner. I’m going with The Miz, mainly because if the Cena/Rock stuff goes ahead as is predicted, then I don’t think a title will be involved. I reckon The Rock comes in to cost Cena, and this sets up stuff later on. If The Miz holds here, he looks very strong, and it sets him up as a true main-eventer.
No Holds Barred Match: The Undertaker vs. Triple H
Tomo
Winner: The Undertaker
Let’s put it this way. Undertaker > Shawn Michaels.
Shawn Michaels > Triple H.
Therefore, Undertaker > Triple H.
There is no way the streak ends at Wrestlemania. 18-0 is about to become 19-0.
Adrian
Winner: The Undertaker
Wow. Talk about a big time match! HBK will be involved in some capacity, and Triple H is one of the biggest ever threats to the streak (even though he lost to Undertaker at WM X-7). That being said, while it will be a terrific match, I never back against ‘taker at WM. And it’s worked out pretty good so far.
Matt
Winner: Triple H
The streak is coming to an end, I can feel it! Just listen to Triple H and how he said its his destiny to end the streak…..Jokes, The Undertaker isn’t gonna lose, even if it’s the boss’s son-in-law. If the epic these guys had at Wrestlemaina X7 is anything to go by, this will be a five star match!
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That’s it for our WrestleMania XXVII preview- we hope it’s a phenomenal PPV, and that you mark out several times throughout the show!
