Previewing and predicting Sunday’s WWE No Mercy pay-per-view.
On Sunday night, the WWE No Mercy pay-per-view will take place. This is SmackDown’s second live special since the Brand Extension began in July. The show will see every title from the Blue Brand on the line, including a star-studded main event.
The headlining match will see AJ Styles defend the WWE World Championship against Dean Ambrose and John Cena. It’s a battle of arguably the top three Superstars on SmackDown and Ambrose and Cena’s interactions have been the story of this build. They haven’t gotten along, and even stated on SmackDown and Talking Smack that they aren’t each other’s biggest fans. That animosity could be taken to the next level at No Mercy, but could it get in the way with going for Styles’ title?
This match and six others will be seen at No Mercy. There should be plenty of action seen on Sunday, so let’s take a look at predictions for each contest.
Baron Corbin vs. Jack Swagger
Baron Corbin vs. Jack Swagger is probably the most recent feud that developed on SmackDown. It was even the last match to be added to No Mercy. There hasn’t been much build to this, but we did see something happen between the two.
On the go-home episode of SmackDown, Swagger seemingly defeated Corbin via submission. However, it appeared that The Lone Wolf never tapped, but was trying to stretch his arm to the ropes. It gave The Real American a cheap win and momentum heading into No Mercy.
Swagger and Corbin could both use the win here. Neither were doing much before this program, so a victory could propel one of them in the right direction. Maybe the winner targets the Intercontinental Championship. It would make this feud look like it’s worth something, unless there’s a plan to continue it for the rest of October.
Despite getting a fresh start on SmackDown, Swagger hasn’t really done anything for a few years. There’s more potential in giving Corbin the win and letting him move onto something bigger. He’s done little since WrestleMania 32 and that never-ending Dolph Ziggler feud, so let’s see what he can do with a PPV win.
Prediction: Baron Corbin defeats Jack Swagger
Credit: WWE.com
Nikki Bella vs. Carmella
Nikki Bella returned at WWE SummerSlam after nearly seeing her career end from a neck injury. She joined the SmackDown brand, but hasn’t seen immediate success. The Total Divas star didn’t walk out with the SmackDown Women’s Championship at Backlash, and has been beaten around by her No Mercy opponent, Carmella.
The Princess of Staten Island started off with a thud when she debuted in July. Her entrance didn’t draw much of a reaction, and fans didn’t seem to care what she did in the ring. So, Carmella turned heel and has since targeted Bella for pinning her at SummerSlam.
It leads us to Sunday where these two will go head to head. The finish of this shouldn’t end the feud, and could even see the winner getting a future title shot. Both could benefit from this, but Nikki will walk out of this as the winner. Total Bellas premiering recently likely factors into this. It shouldn’t, but WWE promoting one of the stars of their hopefully-successful show wouldn’t be surprising. A storyline could even come from this for the E! program.
Prediction: Nikki Bella defeats Carmella
Credit: WWE.com
Randy Orton vs. Bray Wyatt
It seems like Randy Orton and Bray Wyatt have feuded for months. While this has only been for six weeks, they still haven’t wrestled each other one on one. They were supposed to at Backlash, but The Viper not being cleared to compete from a concussion stopped this. Wyatt ended up facing –and losing to– Kane.
Following the September pay-per-view, Wyatt and Orton have continued to have a war of words and tried chasing each other backstage. There has been little fighting, though, which should make this match a bit more anticipated for No Mercy. The issue is both could use the win.
Since returning from injury in July, Orton has wrestled one high-profile match, which came at SummerSlam. Brock Lesnar memorably defeated Orton via TKO and cut open his head. So, the Apex Predator is in need of something to bring him momentum.
Wyatt desperately needs a PPV win, though. He hasn’t won at a live special since July 2015 at Battleground, defeating Roman Reigns of all people. The fallout has seen The Eater of Worlds get embarrassed at WrestleMania 32, injure his calf and do pretty much nothing. It’s been a story of his WWE career with continuous big-match losses.
Unfortunately for Wyatt, I can’t see him getting the win at No Mercy. The booking track record just isn’t there, and WWE may want to make up for Orton’s SummerSlam loss.
Prediction: Randy Orton defeats Bray Wyatt
Next: Intercontinental Championship Match
Credit: WWE.com
Title vs. Career MatchThe Miz (c) vs. Dolph Ziggler
Potentially the match with implications equal to or greater than the WWE World Championship bout will see The Miz battle Dolph Ziggler for the Intercontinental Championship. It’s not just the title, though — it’s Ziggler’s career that’s on the line too.
No Mercy could see the end of a 12-year stay for The Showoff in WWE. He’s had a few roller coaster years with the company, most notably his horrendous Rusev feud and losing big matches throughout 2016. This includes against Triple H, Dean Ambrose, AJ Styles and to Miz, multiple times. Ziggler felt his career was at an impasse and needed to act on it.
On the other hand, the A-lister has had one of the most memorable title runs of 2016. He has stepped up his in-ring game and cut some fiery promos. This “never-ending” title reign has lasted since the Raw after WrestleMania 32, but will it come to an end at No Mercy?
It’s a tricky pick between someone who’s had a phenomenal title reign and a Superstar who’s putting his career on the line. When the final bell rings, though, it will be Miz retiring Ziggler. How about that addition to the former’s resume?
Prediction: The Miz defeats Dolph Ziggler
Next: SmackDown Tag Team Championship Match
Credit: WWE.com
SmackDown Tag Team Championship MatchHeath Slater and Rhyno (c) vs. The Usos
Heath Slater was recently battling to earn a job on SmackDown and became one of the hottest acts in WWE. He would indeed earn a contract by teaming with Rhyno and winning the SmackDown Tag Team Championship tournament. The Man Beast has been there for the ride, and won his first tag title in the process.
The Usos have gone through a change in recent weeks. They turned on Chad Gable and Jason Jordan, injuring the former’s leg and taking them out of the Backlash tag tournament finals. Despite not winning, Jimmy and Jey earned another shot against Slater and Rhyno.
The natural progression of this storyline would indicate that The Usos are going to win at No Mercy. They would move to face Gable and Jordan for the tag titles at Survivor Series and go from there.
However, what about ending the title run of Slater and Rhyno so soon? Well, they had a nice story leading up to Backlash, but momentum has arguably faded since the grand victory. The One Man Band is no longer an underdog. Not being one has led to him losing the spark that got him over with the fans, so seeing him move back to this role makes sense. Plus, The Usos have the momentum and, as noted, are on their way to feud with American Alpha. They’ll walk out with the SmackDown Tag Team Championship.
Prediction: The Usos defeat Heath Slater and Rhyno
Next: SmackDown Women's Championship Match
Credit: WWE.com
SmackDown Women’s Championship MatchBecky Lynch (c) vs. Alexa Bliss
After going through a year of chasing, Becky Lynch finally got her championship moment at Backlash. She was the lone survivor of Six-Pack Challenge match and won the SmackDown Women’s Title.
Alexa Bliss is getting her first main roster one on one title shot at No Mercy. She’s risen to the top of SmackDown’s female heels with his character work and improving in-ring prowess. It’s a spot that could have gone to Eva Marie, especially with the way she got built up before her suspension. Despite the 30 days being up, she has yet to return to WWE programming.
Lynch vs. Bliss should be the start of a multi-month feud, so getting a finish here may not be guaranteed. The Irish Lass Kicker is only one month into her title reign too. Unlike Heath Slater and Rhyno, she should be seen as one of the top women in WWE, and deserves a long look with the belt. At the minimum, it should be around two months. Maybe Bliss wins it eventually, but for now, No Mercy should be about Lynch.
The match should be a good one, though. Bliss has already pinned Lynch two, proving she may have somewhat of an edge. We’ll see if that’s the case at the PPV, but it shouldn’t be the Five Feet of Fierce’s night yet.
Prediction: Becky Lynch defeats Alexa Bliss
Next: WWE World Championship Match
Credit: WWE.com
WWE World Championship MatchAJ Styles (c) vs. Dean Ambrose vs. John Cena
The main event feud of No Mercy features three of WWE’s top stars and arguably the best SmackDown has to offer. It’s also AJ Styles’ first PPV defense of the WWE World Championship.
This program developed after Styles won the world title via low-blow on Dean Ambrose at Backlash. The latter man looked for immediate revenge two nights later, and John Cena even came back looking for his own against The Phenomenal One. Cena hadn’t been seen since his loss at SummerSlam.
This Triple Threat feud has mostly seen tensions between Ambrose and Cena soar. Despite their good guy status, these two haven’t gotten along and traded fists on nearly every interaction. While Styles has been involved, it’s seemed like the story is about these two Superstars. That hasn’t taken away from anything, though, as the intense promos have captivated this program, including Cena’s from Talking Smack.
Styles has already successfully defended the world title against Ambrose and got his one on one rematch out of the way. So, if the former NJPW star can walk out unscathed at No Mercy, he may be looking for a new opponent. Given that he’s not even a full month into his title reign, this may be the case.
No Mercy is Styles’ match to lose. It would be surprising to see a title change so soon, and the story between Cena and Ambrose may be good enough to branch out on its own. We’ll also have to wait for The Face That Runs the Place to get that illustrious 16th world title win. It will happen eventually, but not on Sunday.
Prediction: AJ Styles defeats Dean Ambrose and John Cena
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