Smark Out Moment

WWE has gotten rid of the Fatal 4-Way pay-per-view and replaced it with what seems to be just a temporary name of Capitol Punishment. Considering how this is in Washington, D.C., and how I doubt they'll have this concurrent ppv there every year from now on, I doubt we'll be seeing a 2012 version of Capitol Punishment.


WWE Championship: John Cena (c) vs. R-Truth
R-Truth has been more interesting in the past few weeks than he was all the previous years combined in my eyes. That being said, I still don't think he's great in the ring, and since Cena isn't exactly HBK, I'm not really looking forward to the in-ring action between these two, but it's something different, so they may surprise me. R-Truth doesn't have a shot at winning the title.

PREDICTION: John Cena retains.


World Heavyweight Championship: Randy Orton (c) vs. Christian
I think this Christian heel turn is incredibly short-sighted on WWE's part and I'm not a fan of it. I've wanted Christian to turn heel for a long time now, but I think this is the absolute worst time to do it when you've got low ratings and no faces on the brand. Seriously, the 3 people fighting for top face underneath Randy Orton are Daniel Bryan, Ezekiel Jackson, and Sin Cara. You think if Orton goes out on an injury you'll be able to rely on these guys to sell ppv main events? I like all 3 of them, but no, they're not ready yet. Mark Henry's heel turn has been on rough terms since the beginning and now Christian has effectively killed it. I don't see the point in it other than to force those Christian fans that preferred him as champ over Orton to have to accept Orton as the champ. Reminder, I like Orton better and think he works much better as the champion but I still thought that Christian should have kept the title up until Over the Limit. Anyway, this feud is getting old for me and the heel turn helps it a little, but in the process, ruins the rest of the brand for the foreseeable future and I think it'll have a ton of negative consequences.

PREDICTION: Orton still retains. C'mon. If they were serious about Christian as champ they wouldn't have had him drop the title so fast. For those that think they might have looked at the backlash and changed their minds, I think this main event feud is consolation for that, not another title win.


Alex Riley vs. The Miz
I'm still hesitant about the Alex Riley face turn as I think he's a natural heel, but I'm willing to give it a shot. At the very least, they're starting him off with some momentum, having him feud with the Miz. This match could be the sleeper match of the night. I expect the Miz to come out on top, since Riley stands to gain something even if he doesn't necessarily win the match. The feud will continue after this and Riley can get a win later on.

PREDICTION: The Miz wins.


Intercontinental Championship: Wade Barrett (c) vs. Ezekiel Jackson
Ezekiel Jackson as IC champ seems like it might work on paper but I have my doubts. Still, I like Zeke, and I think Barrett deserves a little more at this time in his career than the midcard. I'm hoping Zeke wins here but under the condition that they have a plan for him to feud with someone outside of the Corre and make it worth the while.

PREDICTION: Justin Gabriel and Heath Slater somehow cost Wade Barrett the title and Ezekiel wins, and then WWE has no idea what to do with him for the next few weeks/months.


Alberto Del Rio vs. Big Show
I'm not interested in this feud. I think it has no feet to stand on and that these two won't work well together in the ring.

PREDICTION: Big Show wins.


CM Punk vs. Rey Mysterio
I'm even less interested in this than the Alberto/Show match. This was clearly rushed and is nothing but filler.

PREDICTION: CM Punk wins with the help from Nexus.


United States Championship: Kofi Kingston (c) vs. Dolph Ziggler
Now THIS is a match I do want to see. I like both Kofi and Dolph and I think they work well together. This has the potential to be the match of the night if they give it the proper time. Kofi isn't really doing much with the US title so it wouldn't hurt for Ziggler to win it, though I'm not sure they'd have a plan in motion for that, either, unless Ziggler eventually feuds with Alex Riley over it (which I would love to see), so I'm hoping for Ziggler to come out on top here.

PREDICTION: Dolph Ziggler wins the title unless they want to stall it for a few more weeks.

If anything, a Kelly vs Brie Bella match. Nothing else.