Tagged under: AJ Styles, Baron Corbin, Dolph ziggler, Kevin Owens, Money In The Bank, Sami Zayn, Shinsuke Nakamura, WWE
By @TrueGodImmortal
Smackdown is bringing back the MITB PPV this year as an exclusive, and they've announced two matches so far. One, the WWE Champion Jinder Mahal (wow....) will defend against Randy Orton, who will be looking to have his rematch. However, despite that horrible match, what we will see that's sure to be a lot of fun is the 6 Man Money in The Bank Ladder Match, featuring what some of us have christened the new "Smackdown 6". Baron Corbin, Sami Zayn, Kevin Owens, Dolph Ziggler, AJ Styles, and Shinsuke Nakamura will do battle in a few short weeks for the most important briefcase in WWE, the Money In The Bank briefcase. So, with the match official and the participants announced, who will walk away with the win? Let's take a look at each participant.
*Baron Corbin
-I think there's a huge chance that Corbin will walk away with the victory and the briefcase, as his momentum continues to dwindle with back to back losses to Sami Zayn after losing a feud to Dean Ambrose. With that behind him and knowing WWE booking, Corbin is definitely a favorite to walk away with the briefcase, and if I'm being honest, I could very well see him cashing in the same night or perhaps at Battleground (the next Smackdown PPV) or on a summer episode of Smackdown. If this were to be case however, it would totally ruin the plans that I thought WWE had of Orton vs Styles for the WWE Title in a huge dream match feud, and puts Corbin in the driver seat that I don't think anyone wants him to be in.... yet. Though, in a weird scenario, we could see Corbin cash in, win, then drop the belt to soon to be returning John Cena..... which sounds oddly realistic. No one wants that, which means WWE will likely do it.... of course.
*Sami Zayn
-All of a sudden, Zayn is building momentum up after being reduced to a talented jobber these last few months. The move to Smackdown hasn't paid off yet minus two wins over Corbin, but he's still painted as the underdog. So, as the underdog, he'd have to have a shot to win this briefcase, right? Right? Not at all. There's literally no chance that Zayn walks away with this briefcase and I think he truly has the lowest odds possible of winning the briefcase of all the competitors honestly. If Zayn does win, I suspect he'll end up in that rare club of stars who lost their MITB cash in.
*Dolph Ziggler
-Right below Zayn is Ziggler in terms of who has the smallest chance of winning. Ziggler and Zayn are in the match to fill out the rest of the lineup and make the match more exciting and intriguing. Will Ziggler have a chance to win? Who would he feud with over the title? Nakamura? Orton? Owens? Styles? While those matches aren't bad to watch, Ziggler hasn't been a viable option in a while and is only in the new Smackdown 6 to fill his role as the good worker who can sell for guys. He's the WWE veteran in this "new era" and he will end up selling for all of the guys involved in this, which could end up being a lot of fun to witness, but he has no chance to win and he shouldn't anyways.
*Kevin Owens
-Surprisingly, I think Owens has a great shot at winning this match even as the US Champion and my reasoning is simple: Owens vs Orton in the future for the title. Now, don't get me wrong: I think there's a chance he doesn't win, but I do think if he won, it would easily make him the biggest heel on the brand, and since we know Jinder Mahal is a novelty act sure to fall off in the next few months, what better way to make Owens the man in the WWE by giving him the briefcase as well as the US Title. Truthfully, I think Styles vs Owens will happen again and Styles will take the US Title from him, which will see Owens move up into the WWE Title picture if this was to happen. Owens cashing in to beat Orton or someone else who holds the belt would be amazing to witness and his crowning would put him in the driver's seat again.
*AJ Styles
-In any other match, I'd say Styles would be the smartest choice for winning this match but something tells me he will end up getting a title shot soon anyways. AJ vs Nakamura is the match we need for Wrestlemania and I think the WWE could do one of two things, and that's pull the trigger early at SummerSlam, or let Styles begin another lengthy title run and start the Nakamura push to the main event and an eventual Royal Rumble win. It makes so much sense that I don't see Styles winning this match, but still getting a title shot very soon, likely at SummerSlam. It makes so much sense, but unfortunately with WWE, that means you won't see it happen. I'd love AJ to win, but something tells me he doesn't get the briefcase here.
*Shinsuke Nakamura
-Nakamura should be your favorite. Though I think he won't win, I do think he should be the favorite. He's the hottest thing in the WWE right now and the biggest star on Smackdown next to AJ Styles. The fact that Nakamura has come in and instantly gotten over is a testament to his greatness, but the reality is, Nakamura is on a path to greatness with the WWE Title sooner than later and a briefcase win would put him square in the driver's seat.
So who wins? My pick? Corbin or Owens. I think the heels of tomorrow need to win, as I can't see Styles or Nakamura winning, but if they did, I'd not be mad at it. I just hope we get Styles vs Nakamura at Wrestlemania 34 for the WWE Title. It might be the biggest matchup possible for the Smackdown brand. However, we have a MITB match to look forward to, and it should be one hell of a contest to witness.
-True
Tagged under: AJ Styles, Baron Corbin, John Cena, Kevin Owens, Nakamura, Randy Orton, Shinsuke Nakamura, Smackdown Live
By @TrueGodImmortal
Shinsuke Nakamura is being positioned for a run as the face of Smackdown. That's right, soon, Nakamura will be the face that runs the place. He makes his main roster in ring debut at the Smackdown PPV Backlash against Dolph Ziggler, which is sure to be a solid match, but the real bread and butter for Nakamura will come in the feuds he has going forward AFTER this one. Sure, Nakamura and Ziggler could go a few more months, though I doubt it, but there are opponents that the entire world is waiting to see him face. Today, we look at the Smackdown roster and pick the top 5 Nakamura opponents on the roster.
5. Baron Corbin
-Are you shocked? You shouldn't be. Corbin is a rising star and though I could have put Sami Zayn on this list, the truth of the matter is that we've seen that match already and both men are faces. Corbin is a heel that has very few redeeming qualities, making him the perfect opponent for Nakamura as he rises up the Smackdown ranks. I'd like to see Corbin and Nakamura battle it out for the US Title during the fall with Corbin mostly coming up short in his attempts to take the title away from Nakamura. You may be confused by that statement since Nakamura is not the U.S. Champion. Stay tuned.
4. Randy Orton
-I would love to see this and I suspect we will. More than likely, our first encounter of Nakamura vs RKO will be wasted on a random put together main event on Smackdown much like Styles vs Orton was. Still, I think Orton would step his game up to keep up with Nakamura and that they would have likely have one of the most engaging matches that Nakamura could have. Orton going for a RKO on Nakamura would be amazing, if only for the job Nakamura does selling it.... and subsequently kicking out for it before he gets the victory (because Orton shouldn't go over Nakamura).
3. John Cena
-This is probably the biggest marquee match of them all, and if I had to be honest, I'd do this one at SummerSlam. Cena has made quite the living recently putting over people at SummerSlam, whether it was CM Punk (2011), Daniel Bryan (2013), Brock Lesnar (2014), Seth Rollins (2015), or more recently, AJ Styles (2016). Why not continue that streak by having Nakamura and Cena in a larger than life dream match that could already be an instant MOTY candidate. Nakamura and Cena being put into a big time matchup would honestly be the only match that could rival the main event I expect in Styles vs Orton for the title. Nakamura vs Cena is a Summerslam or Wrestlemania caliber main event, and I can only hope we get that one day soon.
2. Kevin Owens
-So remember when I said Nakamura should defend the U.S. Title against Corbin? Well, here's the thing about that. Nakamura will be the one to defeat Owens for the U.S. Title before Owens moves up to the WWE Title picture where he belongs. In the midst of the Jinder Mahal nonsense, Owens has been a shining spot. I see Nakamura and Owens feuding into the summer after AJ Styles loses the match at Backlash. Nakamura and Owens would give us some match of the year candidates that would lead to Nakamura taking the US Title, likely at SummerSlam.
1. AJ Styles
-I don't even need to say much about this one. It's the inevitable. This match needs to happen, likely at Wrestlemania 34. The two best wrestlers in the WWE. Nakamura vs AJ Styles. In front of 80,000 people. Give them 25 minutes to go out there, hopefully for the WWE Title, and this match would be a true classic. Let Nakamura win the Royal Rumble, with Styles holding the WWE Title, and let the story build itself. It would be the greatest thing the WWE has done in some time.
-True
Tagged under: Baron Corbin, Cena, Finn Balor, John Cena, Samoa Joe, Shinsuke Nakamura, Wrestlemania, WWE
By @TrueGodImmortal
John Cena, love him or hate him (I mostly hate him), is a legend in professional wrestling. He's been at the top of his game for the last few years, and despite missing a prime opportunity to have a Wrestlemania classic with The Undertaker this year, Cena has virtually done it all in the WWE. With that being said, as he enjoys his current part time role in WWE while earning more Hollywood fame, what is left for him to do? He won title no. 16, and has recently just got engaged to his girlfriend Nikki Bella, so what else is next? Let's take a look at a few things that could possibly be next for Cena.
*Match With Roman Reigns
-This is likely going to happen between Summerslam and Wrestlemania 34 in some form of Smackdown vs RAW match. The smartest thing to do for WWE would be having this match at Wrestlemania 34, and keeping both men out of the title picture. I'd hope Cena wins this one, but this would be another forcing of Reigns and another victory in a row. Still, this has to happen. It's the old vs the new superman essentially. The ultimate clash.
*Feud With Finn Balor
-I would like to see Finn turn heel and somehow end up in a feud with Cena. You could bring the Club into it or not, but Cena needs to feud or have a match with Balor at some point before walking away. Now that he's part time, there are limited opportunities for Cena matches and feuds, but this is one that needs to happen. I feel like the crowd would be electric for this and the match, at a Summerslam or Survivor Series or Mania, would be a huge draw.
*Putting Shinsuke Nakamura Over
-Nakamura is reportedly in the role of Cena now in terms of dark matches to keep people around for 205 Live after Smackdown ends. With that being said, the ultimate showman in Nakamura against the biggest name in the WWE over the last 10 years or so is a match that we need. Preferably at Summerslam, I think this match would be huge and honestly draw attention not just here in the US, but especially overseas. Imagine Cena vs Nakamura in Brooklyn for Summerslam or in front of 80,000 strong at Wrestlemania. That energy, the crowd, and most of all, that match would be electric. If there's one thing that Cena definitely should do before 2018 ends, it is put Nakamura over, which he probably wouldn't have an issue doing. Cena vs Nakamura. Just imagine how big that could be.
*Giving Baron Corbin His Biggest Feud
-Truthfully, there's no other match or feud for Cena on Smackdown that we haven't seen before minus perhaps a possible Sami Zayn feud. However, Cena vs Sami doesn't have that much of an appeal to it. We've seen AJ vs Cena plenty of times, and Cena vs Owens a few times, so the only feud that would appeal in terms of putting a young heel over on the brand is this match/feud. Corbin is improving and is due for a big push, so what better way to elevate him than to have him take on the veteran that is Cena. Cena vs Corbin probably wouldn't spawn a classic match, but the feud itself is enough to spark interest for just about any fan of the product. This is likely to happen anyways before 2017 closes out.
*Long Awaited Samoa Joe Feud
-If there's one feud that we have all wanted, it's this one. Samoa Joe. John Cena. One on one. This could very well be his Wrestlemania bout on a RAW vs Smackdown deal, similar to how he could end up battling Finn or Reigns. Regardless, this is the most intriguing match of them all for him, besides Nakamura. Joe is a tough fighter, a submission guy, and they have their own history with each other from years ago. The story built in this would easily work and the promos could be good as well. The match would be a lot of fun to witness as well, and if this feud were to spread out over a few months due to a brand change for either man, this could end up as a feud of the year candidate in WWE. Samoa Joe vs John Cena, Wrestlemania 34. Book it WWE.
*Win WWE Title No. 17
-This doesn't really need to happen, but knowing WWE, it just might. This would elevate Cena beyond Flair in the record books, and while I don't want that... it might be possible and I could see it happening. This might be the feud that WWE does when they go with Cena vs Corbin and let Cena put Corbin over for the belt. This could be something we see at Mania 34 after Corbin wins the Rumble (just a thought). Whatever the case, knowing WWE, this could be a reality sooner than later.
There's not much left for Cena to do, but these 6 possibilities all seem like they could very be a reality within the next year or two. At that point, it might be time for Cena to hang up the boots completely and move onto Hollywood. Will he? Who knows, but there aren't many new challenges for Cena at this point. What's next for Cena? I guess we have to stay tuned to find out.
-True
