No Mercy is this Sunday! And with predictions and rumors flying, the staff of Ringside Intel decided to get in on the action. Here are our predictions for the No Mercy pay-per-view!
Brock Lesnar (C) vs. Braun Strowman for the Universal Championship
The biggest match of the night is undoubtedly Braun Strowman vs. Brock Lesnar for the WWE Universal Championship. With Strowman‘s recent “monster”-handling of the Beast Incarnate, this match looks be Lesnar’s biggest challenge yet – literally.
Sandra:Â I believe Lesnar will retain. A while ago, I wrote a post on how Brock Lesnar is going to retain until WrestleMania, where he will lose the title to Roman Reigns. Unless the WWE has changed their plans – something that rarely happens – Brock Lesnar will retain at No Mercy. No matter how much I want to see Strowman with the title, the WWE will likely still go ahead with their original plan.
Katie:Â I’m gonna go ahead and say that Braun Strowman gets the win on Sunday. WWE has booked him stronger against Lesnar than they have anyone else before, and a loss would completely undo all of that effort. Besides, it’s high time Raw had a champion that was actually around so fans will stop forgetting the Universal Championship even exists.
Hunter: I think Brock retains, but there will be some shenanigans involved. Braun is in such a strong position right now. I don’t think a loss would harm him, but if he does lose, I wonder what is next for him. I want Braun to win. The crowd is ready for him. But Vince might not be.
John Cena vs. Roman Reigns
Another big match on the card for which is the match between John Cena and Roman Reigns – and, surprisingly, it has way more hype than Strowman vs. Lesnar. Cena and Reigns have pulled no punches facing off against each other on the mic, and they likely won’t in the ring, either.
Sandra: Whether John Cena brings out the best in Roman Reigns or not, I believe Reigns will win the match. There is no reason for Cena to take the win unless the WWE is looking to bury Reigns. Of course, another possibility is a tie, although I have no idea how the WWE would deliver that. Double count-out maybe?
Katie: This is the match I’m most excited for and I honestly can’t believe I’m saying that. Neither of these guys is particularly beloved by the WWE Universe, and yet they’ve had us hanging off their every word. That’s fantastic. It will definitely be a hard-fought match, but I think Reigns has the edge here; he needs the “W” far more than Cena, and a loss would achieve nothing after all the part-timer smack talk he leveled at The Champ.
Hunter:Â Roman wins a 30-minute knock-down, drag-out classic. These two know how to deliver on a big stage. I can’t remember the last “bad” PPV match either of them had. There’s a reason they are the top guys. Expect this one to be a match of the year contender.
Dean Ambrose & Seth Rollins (C) vs. Cesaro & Sheamus for the Raw Tag Team Championship
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUkbccvecv8
After three long years, Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose finally reunited and captured the Raw Tag Team Championship at SummerSlam. They’ve been a highly entertaining duo, both in the ring and on the mic – but will they be able to successfully defend their titles against The Bar on Sunday?
Sandra: It seems pretty evident that Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins will retain. There is not much else for the pair to do at the moment, and they have not done much with the Raw Tag Team Championship so far. So, I assume the WWE has something planned for the pair down the line.
Katie: Rollins and Ambrose retain. It’s simply too early to take the titles off of them, especially considering their popularity; and while I don’t have anything against Sheamus and Cesaro, having the titles bounce back to them would be disappointing. There are other tag teams waiting in the wings for Rollins and Ambrose to compete against.
Hunter:Â Rollins and Ambrose retain. They’re too popular not to have the belts. They worked out all their issues and are back to what made the Shield great. I’m still holding out hope for a Shield reunion. We’re due.
Alexa Bliss (C) vs. Sasha Banks vs. Bayley vs. Nia Jax vs. Emma for the Raw Women’s Championship
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AnBEzsRCcok
The fatal four-way for the Raw Women’s Championship became a fatal five-way on Monday when Bayley made an unexpected return from injury. In other words, the odds are not in the favor of champion Alexa Bliss. Can Little Miss Bliss walk out unscathed?
Sandra: My prediction might seem a little out there, but I believe either Emma or Nia Jax will take the title from Alexa Bliss. Even though Alexa has been an outstanding champion, it could be time for another woman to take the crown; and out of Emma or Nia, I would prefer to see Emma. The reason for that is simple: because a rivalry between Emma and Nia Jax is on the top of my list at the moment! If Emma steals the win from Nia during the pay-per-view, we have a long line of interesting storylines coming up.
Katie: While a case could be made for any one of these women emerging victorious, I’m basing my prediction off of the fact that Asuka is soon to debut on Raw – and once she does, she will undoubtedly be thrust into the title picture. Prior to her injury, Asuka was the most dominant WWE champion in decades; she will require a formidable opponent. WWE has been trying for a while now to build up Nia Jax as a force to be reckoned with, and having her win the championship on Sunday would be a perfect way to set her up as Asuka’s first challenge on the main roster.
Hunter: the focus of this match won’t be who wins. It will be about the relationship between Sasha and Bayley. I think Banks is on the verge of turning on and attacking her best friend. Especially if Bayley costs Sasha the win. I’m gonna surprise everyone here and say Emma wins. But only because she will be the one to drop it to the debuting Asuka in a few weeks. We’ll get three feuds out of this match, ideally. The third will be Alexa vs Nia.
Finn Balor vs. Bray Wyatt
Undoubtedly the storyline with the least luster, it’s not hard to forget that Finn Balor is still feuding with Bray Wyatt. Will we finally see the end of this rivalry at No Mercy?
Sandra: Unfortunately, I think this rivalry will go on for a while because I believe Balor will lose against Wyatt on Sunday. I also believe they will face each other one more time for Balor to take the win. It’s unfortunate because Balor could be doing something far better with his time – like going after the Intercontinental Championship.
Katie: I seriously wish this feud would end. Nothing against Bray Wyatt, but Finn Balor could be doing far greater things – and it does seem that WWE is (VERY) slowly pushing him toward those greater things. For that reason, I think Balor gets the win. It’s time to put the nail in the coffin of this feud.
Hunter:Â This match has my “fantasy booking” brain running wild. Especially with the inclusion of Goldust/Dustin Rhodes. I think Bray wins and Goldy joins his side.
Neville (C) vs. Enzo Amore for the Cruiserweight Championship
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VroWyp5GEpk
It simply doesn’t seem right that this match is happening, yet here we are. While Enzo Amore is reportedly highly unpopular with his fellow wrestlers, he remains a fan favorite. But does he possibly stand a chance against Neville?
Sandra:Â Neville will retain the title, but I also believe it will be a dirty win. Ideally, the win should be clean; this to separate the skill of the cruiserweights from Enzo Amore’s (lack of) skill. I’m not saying Enzo is a bad wrestler, but his in-ring ability is not quite on par with the cruiserweights just yet.
Katie:Â I refuse to even entertain the possibility that Enzo Amore could unseat the King of the Cruiserweights. Neville retains.
Hunter: Yea. I think this is going to be a squash. We’ve been watching Enzo’s hazing over the last few weeks on TV. I think he gets destroyed and embarrassed once again.
The Miz (C) vs. Jason Jordan for the Intercontinental Championship
After The Miz rightfully complained on Monday night that he didn’t have a title defense for the second pay-per-view in a row, Raw General Manager Kurt Angle set up a six-pack challenge to determine Miz’s opponent at No Mercy – and Jason Jordan won. Could Angle’s “son” pull off the upset of the evening?
Sandra: I adore the Miz as a person and as a wrestler, but I believe his title reign is coming to an end. With Maryse expecting a baby, the WWE might be looking for a way to write him off for a while. Winning the Intercontinental Championship would also be a great boost for Jason Jordan. Of course, it is possible that the WWE stretches the rivalry for a bit, but the end result will still be Jason Jordan with the Intercontinental Championship.
Katie:Â As much as I love The Miz when he has the Intercontinental Championship, he seriously doesn’t need that title anymore, and a loss on Sunday wouldn’t hurt his momentum at all. A loss for Jason Jordan, on the other hand, would be pretty detrimental. For that reason, I’m predicting a major upset and a new Intercontinental Champion.
Hunter:Â Miz is a few months away from breaking the record for the longest combined reign of all time. I think the Miztourage will cause shenanigans and cost Jordan the match. The Miz’s run is too good to ruin. Though, when he does eventually lose, the meltdown should be incredible to behold.
What are your predictions for the No Mercy pay-per-view? Post your unsalted opinions in the comment section below!