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Over the Limit is this Sunday, and it’s shaping up to be a pretty solid card. WWE has produced really solid events since TLC last December, and for all intents and purposes, this card looks like it could continue the trend for at least another month. The card has been set and, as of tonight, finalized for the show. I am going to run down the card for you, as well as give you my predictions for the show.
Pre-Show Match (Exclusively on WWE.com): Kane vs. Zack Ryder WWE brought back the pre-show match last month (albeit online, instead of the televised pre-show), and it was reported to get a pretty solid hit count when all was said and done. As a result, Vince McMahon plans on featuring these before every PPV for the foreseeable future, and this month’s match is Kane/Ryder. Honestly, don’t expect much here. Neither guys are doing anything right now (which is especially a shame for Ryder, who is very underrated), and while I would love to see Ryder win, it’s just not going to happen. Expect a Kane win here-likely via chokeslam-in a relatively short match.
WWE Divas Championship: Champion Layla vs. “The Glamazon” Beth Phoenix Layla shocked everyone last month when she won the title from Nikki Bella in an open challenge, as most were expecting Kharma to be the one taking the belt (rumor is Layla was given the role simply due to too many people expecting Kharma). Layla defeated Nikki to become the first-ever Divas Champion from the UK, and has been fairly dominant since, looking good in her matches. Layla has appeared to have improved drastically in the ring since before her injury. Although Phoenix would be the smart choice to put the belt on to prep for a feud with Kharma, WWE seems bent on keeping Layla as champion for at least a little while, so she should retain here.
WWE Tag Team Championship: Champions Kofi Kingston and R-Truth vs. Jack Swagger and Dolph Ziggler Despite being thrown together as a team, Kingston and Truth have gelled rather nicely. Teams with chemistry is something the WWE is severely lacking right now, so the smart move would be to keep the belts on the champions for a while and continue to build them as a legitimate tag team threat. Although the challengers are both former World Champions, I don’t see them taking the belts right now, especially with reported plans in the works for the former champions, Epico and Primo, to take back the belts down the road under the new direction of AW and the All World talent agency. Kingston and Truth retain here, with them giving the former champions a rematch at either No Way Out or Money in the Bank.
Fatal 4-Way for the World Championship: Champion Sheamus vs. Alberto Del Rio vs. Chris Jericho vs. Randy Orton Originally meant to be a one-on-one between Sheamus and ADR, the match was changed to a four-way a couple weeks back, with Jericho being added due to pinning Sheamus in a tag team match and Orton being added for no reason other than “just because”. This match has really been thrown together, and it was more or less because Jericho and Orton had nothing else to do for the PPV. Although ADR will probably become champion once again, I don’t see it happening here. Orton has no need to win the belt again right now, and Jericho is rumored to be leaving WWE for good in a couple of months, so is the least likely to win the match. Sheamus was reported to be in for a lengthy title run, so I don’t see any reason to have him drop the belt here. Sheamus retains.
WWE Championship: Champion CM Punk vs. Daniel Bryan It doesn’t get much better than this. Two of the absolute best wrestlers in the world fighting over the biggest prize in the sport? This will easily be a show-stealer and possibly even “Match of the Year” when 2012 is over. I just hope they are given ample time, as this match deserves at least a half-hour. Regardless, you should see plenty of chain wrestling, counters, hard strikes and submissions being traded throughout. Punk and Bryan have faced each other many times over the past decade or so, both on the independent circuit and in WWE, and they have never disappointed. Don’t expect any less here. Although Punk is likely to retain, I would be fine with Bryan taking the title as well. Either way, there will really be no losers in this match, if their past is any indication.
Grudge Match: John Cena vs. John Laurinaitis; if any contracted wrestler interferes, they will be fired; if Laurinaitis loses, he will be fired as WWE General Manager While most people will go the easy route and say “John Cena will dominate and win”, it’s not likely to happen. Although Cena will dominate the match due to Laurinaitis not having been an active wrestler in 12 years, he’s not winning here. On Monday Night RAW this past Monday, Cena announced the added stipulations to this match, pretty much giving away the ending. It was made clear that no contracted Superstar can interfere, and on that same night, The Big Show was storyline fired from the company. As a result, expect Show to cost Cena the match here, as he can’t be fired twice. Show’s reasoning will likely be something along the lines of Laurinaitis telling him he could have his job back if he helped him beat Cena, leading into a feud between Show and Cena for the next couple months.
There is also a rumored Champion vs. Champion match between WWE United States Champion Santino Marella and Intercontinental Champion Cody Rhodes, but this hasn’t been confirmed. There also may be a couple of squash matches involving the likes of Brodus Clay and Ryback like at Extreme Rules last month, but for now, this is the final card.
