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WWE will present Wrestlepalooza this Saturday on ESPN Unlimited and Netflix from Indianapolis, Indiana with a 7:00 PM Eastern start time for the show. Here is what we think will happen.
CM Punk and AJ Lee vs Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch
Dave: You don't bring AJ back, have her get laid out and then have her lose her first match. You just don't. Plus, you have to show a reason why AJ goes after Becky's belt. AJ should pin Becky.
Mike: They have a ton of momentum with this and honestly it should close the show. All they need to do is have a simple good vs. evil bout with some frenzied action early, Punk taking the heat and AJ getting the monster pop for her hot tag. I say AJ pins Becky to set up title matches. This should be a LOT of fun.
Richard: Does the slightly more than 2 week build for this match help or hurt this match? The reaction to AJ's return was insane, even if it was in Chicago. What happens when the talking stops and the fighting begins? While WWE does the men vs men and women vs women concept for mixed tag matches, if Becky doesn't get a few shots in on Punk and if AJ doesn't do anything to Seth, I would be surprised. Will they do bells and whistles in this match (Bron and Bronson?) to allow for future matches involving these four? How can you have AJ lose in her return to the ring? It is possible, but I think it is unlikely. AJ pins Becky and it sets up an Intercontinental Title feud for them.
WWE Men's Championship Match: Cody Rhodes vs Drew McIntyre
Dave: I guess if they wanted to get the ESPN era off with a surprise they could change the belt here but I don't see it happening. There hasn't been enough build up to flip the Title, even on the ESPN debut.
Mike: This should be a hell of a physical match. I'd never argue against McIntyre being in the top position but given that WWE took the belt off Cody prematurely at Wrestlemania and he thankfully didn't lose his momentum, I'd argue he should retain here. This has a chance to be something really great given how both always deliver on a big stage. This sounds funny to say given it's a WWE title match, but they should go into this trying to steal the show from everyone else.
Richard: It is strange to see the big title match as the third most important match, and some might say least important (because of the implications for the tag match and the crowning of a new champion). There has not been much of a build for this match because after the attack by Drew, Cody didn't return until last week's Smackdown. If this show wasn't so important (first ESPN show), would this be Drew versus Randy and then the winner would face Cody in Australia? On the preview that Bob and I did, he suggested that WWE give the title to Drew. It would be an interesting choice, but I don't know if they do it. You can only have Drew come close so many times without winning the big one (or have the title for more than 5 minutes). I think Cody retains, but it will be a tough fight for him.
Brock Lesnar vs John Cena
Dave: If WWE has someone other than Lesnar in mind to end Cena's run with, John goes over. If they plan to marry these two until John's run ends, he loses.
Mike: Based on the placement of this, my guess is Brock is heading to his private plane 20 minutes after they are done! To me, it comes down to this: Is WWE doing rematches? With Cena just having a few more matches, my feeling is probably not. So, Cena should go over. If not, Brock wins and returns the favor at SNME.
Richard: This match will open the show and my biggest fear is that this will be 'every Brock Lesnar match' with Brock tossing his opponent around like a rag doll with German suplexes and F5s, followed by him bouncing around to allow his opponent to kick out, rinse, repeat for 15 minutes. Now that Cena 'saw the light' and made us forget about March through July, will he lose this match as he progresses to his final match in December? Brock gets too cocky and Cena is able to get the win.
Bronson Reed and Bron Breakker vs The Usos
Dave: I love that we have been seeing the Brons grow outside of Rollins and Heyman's influence. We are building to War Games. We have an ongoing issue with LA Knight. That probably factors in here and The Brons go over.
Mike: The Vision needs to keep being built up, so in my mind, Reed and Breakker should be the victors here. Whether LA Knight gets involved or not remains to be seen, but I think it's too soon to have them taking any losses.
Richard: The next step in a potential War Games match takes place in this tag match. Bron and Bronson have been great since they have been separated from the rest of the collective since they are busy with Punk and AJ. The Usos are the team in turmoil because Jey is starting to turn into Roman (when it was all about him) and Jimmy didn't like being told not to team with LA Knight last week when Jimmy already said no, but then said yes because he is not his brother's subordinate. After the Yeeting, this will probably be an even match for 80% of it and then something happens that causes some tension between Jimmy and Jey (maybe a 'blind tag when the other is ready to win the match' spot) and then Bronson and Bron take over. I could also see a beatdown by Reed and Breakker to set up Roman's return, likely at Crown Jewel (since he is already in Australia)
World's Women Championship Match: Stephanie Vaquer vs Iyo Sky
Dave: I think both of them are awesome. One of them, Iyo, had a running storyline, and it could figure in the match. If it's me, I start the Vaquer era and put the Title on Stephanie.
Mike: Both are tremendous talents and this has a real chance at being something special. I don't know that Naomi could do it at this point, but I'd love if they had her in the crowd reacting to the match. So, who should win? IYO is awesome but is already heading into a story with Asuka, so I'd go all the way with Vaquer. There's something special about her and the crowd loves her. WWE wants to keep pushing internationally, so go with her.
Richard: Finally, the WWE will resolve the women's world title situation after Naomi had to vacate the title due to her pregnancy. My hope for this match is all of the drama and tension between Asuka and Iyo does not insert itself into this match. This should be a very good wrestling match. Stephanie has been on the fast track in the women's division since her debut so it would make sense to give her the title. However, what is the next step for Stephanie once she wins? Iyo was the champion before Iyo and it could be seen as a safe landing for the title. It also opens up an immediate feud with Asuka. Rhea said she was next, and if you give her a title match in Australia, do you want to take the title off Stephanie in less than a month? Maybe they have Asuka convince Iyo to follow her and we get a tag match in Australia with these four women. Give the title to Stephanie. DO IT FOR BOOKER!!!!!!!!!!!!
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