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411 PPV Roundtable Preview – WWE Over The Limit 2012

May 19, 2012 | Posted by Stephen Randle

Introduction:

With Raw and Smackdown suffering under the soft-boiled tyranny of John Laurinaitis, things look bleak all over, and things seem like they might be coming to a head this Sunday, as WWE presents Over The Limit. Not only has Big Johnny’s manipulation resulted in a Fatal Four-Way for the World title, as Sheamus defends against Alberto Del Rio, Randy Orton, and Chris Jericho, but he has presented WWE Champion CM Punk with a unique challenge in the form of a man who many think matches up better with Punk in terms of wrestling skill than anyone in the world, Daniel Bryan. Meanwhile, Johnny Ace himself managed to get himself into a match against a battered John Cena, but may have outsmarted himself, as the WWE Board of Directors has taken seemingly every precaution to keep this match a fair one-on-one contest, which one would think bodes badly for Laurinaitis.

Plus, the WWE Tag Team and Divas championships will be on the line, and maybe a few surprises. In any event, the 411 Staff is here with their predictions for the PPV this Sunday, so let’s see what they think.

The Staff

Stephen Randle, The Wrestling News Experience

TJ Hawke, Views From Hawke’s Nest

Aaron Frame, The Wrestling Framework

Robert S. Leighty Jr, From The Bowery

Greg DeMarco, The Wrestling 5&1

Michael Weyer, Shining A Spotlight

James Wright, The Heel Report

Michael Ornelas, The Contentious Ten


Zack Ryder vs Kane

YouTube Pre-Show Match

Stephen Randle: Hey, it’s the epic blow-off to a feud that was over two months ago and which Kane dominated from “go”! Which means it’s time for Zack to sneak out a cheap win that apparently justifies all the shit he waded through as a reward for getting over without WWE Creative’s help. Hey, remember when Matt Hardy tried to convince the Internet that getting squished by Kane repeatedly was actually helping his career? If only we’d seen the signs in time…

Winner: Zack Ryder

TJ Hawke: Zack Ryder is the internet champion so it kind of makes sense that he is put in the internet-only match. Seriously though, I expect there to see solid heat for this match, and as long as they keep it short, the match itself should be fine. Kane wins. LOL.

Winner: Kane

Aaron Frame: I would like to see Zack Ryder get a win here but I have to be realistic here. There’s no way that Ryder will go over Kane. Well, cleanly. Unless they have some sort of outside interference that distracts Kane allowing Ryder to get the from behind victory, Kane is going to kill Ryder. Again.

Winner: Kane

Robert S. Leighty Jr: We finally get a proper match for their “feud” from the winter, and it’s the pre-show match. Just of the record I like the idea of a pre-show match and glad to see that they have started showing them again. As for the match, I guess Ryder should be happy he is back on the card for a PPV, but damn this could get ugly. With everything that Kane did to Ryder earlier in the year, you would think he gets something back here, but I look for him to receive another ass kicking.

Winner: Kane

Greg DeMarco: So this is the blow-off to Ryder-Kane? If so, then color me disappointed. Honestly, the WWE’s mishandling of Ryder’s popularity is disappointing. We’re already back to Santino as US Champion and Ryder with virtually no role. Bah. It should be obvious what happens here.

Winner: Kane

Michael Weyer: The burial of Ryder continues here and man, it’s amazing to see how far the guy has fallen so fast. He’ll do his best but it’s pretty clear Kane’s the victor here to continue his semi-regular monster push and poor Zack ends up the victim.

Winner: Kane

James Wright: This is actually a pretty interesting match, if only for the fact that its position of being a pre-show on the internet means that there is actually a possibility of Ryder winning. Ryder can’t buy a victory on Raw or Smackdown right now but on Superstars he has always been king. Internet shows are good to the Long Island Iced Z so I wouldn’t be surprised if the WWE finally let Ryder get his revenge over Kane in this non-televised match. It’s a bit of a cop-out on their part as Ryder vs. Kane a few months ago could have drawn some decent heat had it been booked right, but they decided to bury Ryder instead so the guy deserves at least some kind of justice.

Winner: Zack Ryder

Michael Ornelas: I really like the pre-show idea. I didn’t like it last month, but you know, it gives us another match, so I’m okay with it. As far as this match goes, I really feel like this should have been a WrestleMania match, but then Orton had nothing to do, so Ryder got put on Team Teddy. All in all, I want Ryder to bring some aggression that Kane isn’t expecting (as I would have booked a Mania match similarly), but given that this feud doesn’t have any steam anymore, I foresee it just being an extended squash match…which is a shame. I’d love to be proven wrong though.

Winner: Kane


Layla © vs Beth Phoenix

WWE Divas Championship

Stephen Randle: So somehow this is a feud, but whatever, it’ll be on the decent end of Divas matches since at least Layla can work. I sense that we may see the return of Beth’s one weakness: the dreaded roll-up finish!

Winner: Layla

TJ Hawke: They both work hard, but I assume this match will not have a lot of heat, because most Divas matches don’t (especially on PPV). A title switch would be nice, but I think Layla keeps it a little bit longer.

Winner: Layla

Aaron Frame: Honestly, at this point, I really just don’t care. Layla is going to win.

Winner: Layla

Robert S. Leighty Jr: You have to think Phoenix vs. Kharma is coming soon, but do they want Phoenix as the champ or challenger in that match? Layla just returned so I guess keep the title on her until Kharma kills her dead.

Winner: Layla

Greg DeMarco: So apparently John Cena and Beth Phoenix take the same drugs see the same masseuse take the same vitamins, because Beth’s horrific ankle injury is now healed! It’s a miracle! Beth is the better wrestler, and it makes the most sense for her to be champion. But look at the flip side…why move the belt from Beth Phoenix to Nikki Bella to Layla back to Beth in the span of less than a month? If Kharma feuds with Beth upon her return, the title doesn’t need to be involved.

Winner: Layla (still Divas champion)

Michael Weyer: Hard to see a title change so soon after Layla’s return to win last month so she retains and poor Beth is left out in the cold again.

Winner and STILL Divas Champion: Layla

James Wright: I’m not sure why WWE creative are having such a tough time with Kharma’s return but I’m guessing that they put the title on Layla for a reason (maybe) so I don’t see her giving it up just yet. All I will say is that if Beth wins this match the whole thing will seem like a joke and just an underhanded way to pointlessly rob Beth of the record for longest Divas title reign, which would make absolutely no sense. So against my better judgement I am going to give the WWE the benefit of the doubt and go with the champion to retain, for now.

Winner: Layla

Michael Ornelas: WWE is trying to come up with a storyline to get Kharma back on TV. Personally, I think debuting her during the obligatory Divas Championship match on PPV would be the best way to make an impact. Have her destroy both ladies and further wound Phoenix’s ankle injury. Then you can feed Layla to her (sadly, as I love Layla and think she’s actually very unappreciated in the ring).

Winner: No contest


Kofi Kingston and R-Truth © vs Jack Swagger and Dolph Ziggler

WWE Tag Team Championship

Stephen Randle: When all else fails, in a division where nobody’s really getting pushed, take a look at which team could have more potential match-ups. And since most of the “tag division” is heels, that means Spice World takes the victory.

Winner: Kingston and Truth

TJ Hawke: All four guys are talented, and I think they could have a really good 8-10 minute PPV match. Dolph will take some wacky bumps, Kofi will fly around, Swagger will get pinned, and we’ll all have a good time. If Vickie gets to cut a promo before the match, this match may have really great heat.

Winner: Kofi & Truth

Aaron Frame: Here’s a match that I think has the potential to be awesome if given enough time. TrueKing is going to have their work cut out for them as ZiggSwagg are going to bring their A games. In a kayfabe sense. Outside of that, I believe WWE is going to keep the titles on TrueKing. Just a hunch.

Winner: TrueKing

Robert S. Leighty Jr: An honest to God tag title match on a WWE PPV? I am rather impressed. This could be a lot of fun if given enough time to work. Kofi and Truth just got the titles so no need to switch them yet, but I would love to see these teams feud for a while. I wouldn’t be shocked if the heels won to give them something to do, but I will stay with Truth Boom?

Winner and Still Tag Champions: Truth Boom

Greg DeMarco: Well what do we have here? A WWE Tag Team Championship match on a pay-per-view? I do believe it is! it must suck to be Primo & Epico right now—a real tag team complete with a manager—losing their titles on RAW and doing nothing since. They have to watch a makeshift team defend against Swagger & Ziggler, a team who has potential but also has one guy that everyone wants to see challenging for singles gold instead. My guess is that he real “money” (if this division has any money making potential) is in Kofi/Truth vs. Primo/Epico, so the faces go over here.

Winners: Kofi Kingston & R-Truth (still WWE Tag Team Champions)

Michael Weyer: Great to see the tag titles finally defended on a PPV and in an actually good match too. Kofi and Truth have clicked surprisingly well so they could go further. It’s tempting to go with Swagger and Ziggler as new heel champs but I think WWE will want to continue the feud a bit longer so Kofi and Truth keep the belts and hope this program elevates the division a bit.

Winners and STILL WWE Tag Team Champions: Kofi and Truth

James Wright: This is just another filler tag match. Swagger and Ziggler seem to be always be being thrown at any pairing of face tag champs until a newly assembled team of heels comes along to take the belts. The ‘Penny’ belts are the new hot-potatoes in the WWE so I wouldn’t be shocked if they changed hands, but going off their track record I’m going to say that the team of Ziggler and Swagger come up with a big fat zero.

Winner: R-Truth & Kofi Kingston

Michael Ornelas: WWE has a secretly great tag division right now, they just need to invest some time into it and push it. I could see this one going either way, but I foresee the champs retaining.

Winner: Kofi Kingston & R-Truth


John Cena vs John Laurinaitis
No Countout, No DQ, No One Allowed At Ringside, No Special Referees,
Any Superstar Interfering Is Fired, And If John Laurinaitis Loses He Is Fired

Stephen Randle: Hey, just pile on the gimmicks so you can swerve us when Johnny wins. Can’t imagine who no longer fits the profile of an employed WWE Superstar who might be willing to do a favour if it gets him his job back. Yes, it’s time for another Big Show heel turn, folks! Hey, didn’t Johnny already have a giant stooge to do his dirty work? Whatever happened to that guy?

Winner: Johnny Ace

TJ Hawke: I’m assuming that Big Show returns and reluctantly helps out Johnny Ace. I hope this doesn’t go too long. Call me crazy, but I strangely think this match is going to work. Johnny Ace is still a pretty young guy (as far as retired wrestlers go), and he hasn’t had to do a real match in a dozen years, so his body shouldn’t be that beaten up. He’s got a ton of heat, and there will most definitely be a lot of smoke & mirrors, even before the finish. I wouldn’t say I’m looking forward to this, but if it ends up being a fun segment of a match, I would not at all be surprised.

Winner: Johnny Ace

Aaron Frame: Should I care more that Cena is going to get his hands on Johnny Ace than I am? It seems like this has been rushed and the stipulation is just a feud killer. If they were trying to do some kind of new era Mr. McMahon kind of thing, they’ve failed horribly. Unless there is a damn good reason, like Cena being jumped before the match, I don’t see Ace walking out of this one.

Winner: John Cena

Robert S. Leighty Jr: Well, Big Show was just fired on RAW and thus is no longer a contracted WWE Superstar. He also needs a way to get in the good graces of Big Johnny to regain his job, so you do the math. As a personal note I have never been a Cena hater and feel he gets dumped on a lot for no reason, but that whole “loser” bit with Johnny was so annoying I was hoping someone would punch him in the face. Cena’s douchebag, super joke character has been rather annoying and can’t see how anyone can cheer for the guy. I actually felt bad for Laurinaitis on Monday and that’s not the reaction they probably wanted. For all the anti-bullying stuff, Cena has been the biggest bully around in 2012 which is just crazy. Anyway the match won’t be great, but hopefully can pull something decent out before Show does the run in to save Johnny and both their jobs.

Winner: Big Johnny

Greg DeMarco: John Cena, who looked in the mirror and healed his own arm (maybe Triple H needs to take those vitamins!), is going against a non-wrestler in what will likely be the main event of the program. Now, if Johnny Ace gets fired, we’re left with no figurehead. And heaven knows we can’t allow that to happen, wrestling companies wouldn’t know what to do without a figurehead! The stipulation says that any superstar who interferes is fired, right? Well, it’s obvious that Brock Lesnar and The Big Show are no longer WWE Superstars from a storyline perspective. I’d say Big Show returns to earn his job back.

Winner: John Laurinaitis

Michael Weyer: Sheesh, we have enough stips here? Sadly, that just proves Laurinaitis is going to win, too much against him not to overcome it (especially the fired bit). All that pretty much means Johnny sneaks a win thanks to interference from someone. So Cena will kick his ass around a while but finally lose via cheating and we’ll marvel at how he can job to Ace but not to Brock.

Winner: Johnny Laurinaitis

James Wright: This is another match where if one person wins it undermines everything that has been done for the other over the past few weeks. So having said that I can’t see Cena winning unless WWE creatives really are masochists and they like destroying what they have spent months developing for no real reason. My guess is that Big Show will interfere to earn his job back, or heck Hawkins and Reks might still count as guys not employed as Superstars so they could have a run in as well…oh and Brock Lesnar of course. Basically expect this one to be completely over-booked, in spite of the ridiculous amount of stipulations to stop that from happening. But then again what else would you expect with this type of match?

Winner: John Laurinaitis (by Shenanigans)

Michael Ornelas: Big Show isn’t under contract, so he can’t get fired. I see him interfering and helping John Laurinaitis win. That’s actually a very good technicality, and I think Show as a reluctant baddie can be good for him right now. I just hope they keep him badass like Henry last year. Don’t feed him a loss until SummerSlam at the earliest. As far as the match goes…the shorter the better.

Winner: Johnny Laurinaitis (by Shenanigans)


Sheamus © vs Alberto Del Rio vs Randy Orton vs Chris Jericho
World Heavyweight Championship

Stephen Randle: Part of me thinks that the only reason for Jericho to be in this match is to win the title unexpectedly, because otherwise what else is he going to do, but I don’t think WWE’s thought about it from that perspective. On the other hand, they do appear to have lost all faith in Del Rio vs Sheamus in a one-on-one feud, so maybe they’ve decided Jericho would be best to put over the Celtic Warrior before he heads off on a Fozzy tour. Screw it, I’m going to take a chance.

Winner: Chris Jericho

TJ Hawke: I could totally see the WWE doing a title change here just to be unpredictable, but I’m hoping Sheamus retains. I’m sure this match will be good, but if given time, I’m sure they could all put together a great match.

Winner: Sheamus

Aaron Frame: Okay, so, they either A) legitimize Sheamus as the WHC or B) turn Sheamus in to a transitional champion for one of the other three. I’m thinking option B. For some reason I just feel that ADR might walk away with the title. I think WWE is going to want to try ADR as champion again since his last reign was cut short. Then again, that might have him pegged as injury prone so they may very well not do that and instead give Orton another title reign. Flame me all you want, I’m going out on a limb and saying ADR gets the win.

Winner: ADR

Robert S. Leighty Jr: This is much better than just a Sheamus vs. ADR match that most had figured was coming and I am grateful for that. Sheamus as a face hasn’t worked all that great for me, but at least he is still an ass kicker which is fine. Jericho’s latest run is coming to an end, and hopefully Christian gets bumped back up once he returns from injury in his place. As for the match all four of these men are pros and will deliver a very solid to very good match. Sheamus’ run still has some legs to it, so I will pick him retaining by getting pin on Jericho.

Winner and Still World Champion: Sheamus

Greg DeMarco: Sheamus’s title run has largely been a disappointment, mainly due to the fact that his title win was quickly forgotten, and that John Cena has occupied the main event for nearly all of 2012. And when your main event is occupied by a non-champion, it’s really hard to also have two champions running around. But this match has seen an expert level build, and I am excited for what these four men will do. I was looking forward to Sheamus-Del Rio and Orton-Jericho, but I can take this now knowing that the two pairings are likely to happen soon. Sheamus needs this win, Del Rio doesn’t need to lose, Orton won’t lose, so Jericho gets pinned.

Winner: Sheamus (still World Heavyweight Champion)

Michael Weyer: Always tough to pick four-way battles as Sheamus isn’t exactly tearing it up with his title run so far. Some might go with him retaining but I think WWE can take advantage of this to switch the belt over. And since Orton’s planned run was cut short due to injury, this is a good way to make up for it as the Viper takes the title once more with a sneak RKO for another run at the top to push himself more.

Winner and NEW World Heavyweight Champion: The Viper

James Wright: Now I might be going out on a limb here, but I really think that the guys in the back, at least Triple H anyway, see big things for the Great White. The 18 second win at Wrestlemania wasn’t a punishment for the man or anything like that, it was supposed to show just how dominant the Celtic Warrior could be. Of course everything backfired and the ‘wrong’ guy went over and since then the WWE have been trying to garner credibility to Sheamus’ title reign. That being said this looks to be a good way to do it, after having a great 2-out-of-3 falls match with Daniel Bryan at Extreme Rules, Sheamus gets to defend his title against three of the best superstars going today. I see the Great White coming out on top in a dominant fashion, probably with Jericho eating the pin, further adding to grumblings about his return not being all it was cracked up to be, because apparently helping to put younger main event talent over isn’t good enough anymore.

Winner: Sheamus

Michael Ornelas: I think Sheamus will manage to get out of this with the belt, even with the shoulder injury he’ll be selling. The talent in this match could very well give us the match of the night too, if it weren’t for the WWE Championship match.

Winner: Sheamus


CM Punk © vs Daniel Bryan
WWE Championship

Stephen Randle: The real problem with the Mania 18 second debacle is now it’s in the back of everyone’s heads as a way they can screw us out of a good match that some people might want to see, at least for another month. I think AJ interference is implied, and it wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world to see Daniel Bryan as WWE Champion, with Punk chasing for Summerslam.

Winner: Daniel Bryan

TJ Hawke: A twenty to thirty minute match between these two on PPV could be a MOTYC. A twelve to fifteen minute match with a stupid AJ Lee related finish is also possible though, and that would be very annoying. I hoping for the former, but I am expecting the latter. They will probably make the best of the situation though. I don’t see why Daniel Bryan would win this match.

Winner: CM Punk

Aaron Frame: I’m hoping that this will be the one match that they get to go all out in and just wow us. I have high hopes for a PPV match between the two. If their TV matches can be considered only a fraction of what they’ll bring to OTL, be prepared to see one badass match. I don’t think they’re ready to take the title off of Punk at still and Bryan wouldn’t be the guy to beat him for it. I’d like to see Bryan win, but again, it just doesn’t seem like it would actually happen.

Winner: CM Punk

Robert S. Leighty Jr: This is the selling point for me, and I expect an absolute classic. The WWE has actually done a great job on WWE.com with the history between these two and how nobody could have seen these two men battling for the WWE Title on PPV. Their TV matches have been great and I expect even more on PPV as they should be given plenty of time and free reign to tear the house down. Punk’s had a great reign as champion and I don’t see any point in him dropping the strap before SummerSlam, so Bryan isn’t going over here, but I am sure both men will come out of this match for the better.

Winner and Still WWE Champion: CM Punk

Greg DeMarco: This is the match that makes this the pay-per-view event for the internet fans. These two men will likely get some good time—far more than they’ve gotten during their build. Seriously, can we at least get a good promo? The backstage interaction between Punk and AJ on RAW seems to clue us in a little, and it makes sense to me. AJ’s getting Punk disqualified—giving D-Bry the win.

Winner: Daniel Bryan by disqualification (CM Punk retains the WWE Championship)

Michael Weyer: If this isn’t a MOTY candidate, I don’t know what will be. I’m terrified WWE might short-change them with time or throw someone else into the mix but even they should be smart enough to know this is the selling point of the PPV for fans. These two should put on a real classic given the right amount of time and blow the roof off with the fans. Tempting to go with Bryan but Punk should win here and we can only hope it’s the start of a fine series of matches between them.

Winner and STILL WWE Champion: CM PUNK BABY!

James Wright: If this match isn’t the main event then I’d better see a Lesnar appearance in the Cena-Laurinaitis match to justify why it should take precedence over what should be one hell of a wrestling match. To be honest I would be fine with this match not being the main event as long as it gets the time it deserves. Punk and Bryan are both super over right now so there is no excuse not to give these two men the spotlight they deserve. The WWE knows what these men can do and that at least a good amount of the WWE audience want to see this thing turn into an established feud and not a one time deal so hopefully they will actually deliver here. The whole rest of the PPV can be filled with run-ins and squash matches as far as I’m concerned if this match is given its just time and status. As for the winner, I neither know nor care, but I’m guessing this one could go to a no-contest just like their other recent matches.

Winner: The Fans

Michael Ornelas: I’m really hoping this is a feud and not a one-off match. If it’s a feud, AJ helps Bryan, but gets him DQ’ed in the process. This will further her psycho storyline that I’m absolutely loving, and it gives us yet another match between Punk and Bryan on PPV. Hopefully this match gets a bunch of time before the assumed screwy finish, AND I hope the screwy finish is done in a way that makes sense and doesn’t take away from the match that happened up until that point.

Winner: Daniel Bryan (but Punk retains)

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