WWE Capitol Punishment 2011 Predictions
Raw and Smackdown invades the nation’s capitol, Washington D.C., and I mean that literally. Most of the matches on the card you’ve seen for free on television. What’s the difference this time? You have to pay. Hooray for illogical booking! At least the show itself will be good, quality-wise. That and some of the matches are still fresh (such as Orton/Christian) or were done quickly before (Cena/Truth). Will you cough up $45 to see them? I don’t know. What I do know is that I’ve got some predictions to make.
World Heavyweight Championship
Randy Orton vs. Christian
Despite taking place for free on Smackdown and at Over the Limit last month, this contest still seems fresh. That has to do with the fact that Christian is a newly minted heel (which sounds strangely delicious). He’s got an edge (not Adam Copeland) to him that should hopefully regain him the World Heavyweight Championship. If not that, a concussion might do the trick.
Even with Orton possibly not being able to compete after Capitol Punishment, I still see the Viper walking out the champion, unfortunately. Since his condition right now is a concussion, he could easily take a few weeks off from wrestling and simply cut promos (which may work out for the better in the long run). Once Money in the Bank strolls around, he’ll be good to go for another title defense.
If that’s the case, I would have inserted Sheamus into the match to keep the Orton/Christian feud going strong and avoiding redundancy. The Celtic Warrior already has a non-title victory him. There’s no reason he should have beaten Christian to be added to the match. Hell, by adding him, you’d add more fuel to the fire for Christian’s disdain with Teddy Long.
Of course, having Christian win would shake things up a bit and prevent the feud from getting stale. Though it’s a much better possibility this time around, I can’t see it happening. I do see him wearing the World title again shortly, but not right now. It took Edge a few months to win back the WWE Championship. I expect the same for Captain Charisma.
Winner: Randy Orton
WWE Championship
John Cena vs. R-Truth
For a transitional title feud, this match has generated quite a bit of interest for me. I don’t expect it to be a mat classic (far from it). But, both men (especially R-Truth) have busted their asses off to pique my curiosity and give us something fresh (which is always a good thing). There’s also a hint of uncertainty, as whenever it feels as if Cena is going to have an easy title defense, he ends up losing (see: Sheamus at TLC 2009).
The next chapter in the “Chronicles of Little Jimmy” will hopefully turn out well for R-Truth. In this edition, entitled “Prince Cena”, the conspiracy victim looks to climb to the top of the mountain. Standing in his way is a man who’s constantly doing a Five Knuckle Shuffle. R-Truth may want to bring some Kleenex and kryptonite.
As I mentioned earlier, it’s a long shot that R-Truth will walk out of Capitol Punishment with the WWE Championship. However, it’s not impossible. As somebody on the forums mentioned, he could win the title here and lose it the next night on Raw. Since it’s Fan Appreciation Night (they make the card and stipulations), they could easily vote in for Cena to get another title shot, which he ends up winning. Truth adds this to his list of conspiracies against him (which has Chris Jericho’s name scratched off at the top and replaced with R-Truth) and keep their feud going.
Though this would be interesting, I don’t see it happening. It’s a possibility, but not a good one. R-Truth has gotten the best of Cena the past few weeks, which usually means his time is up (and Cena’s time is now).
Winner: John Cena
Teacher vs. Student
The Miz vs. Alex Riley
I never would have guessed that The Miz’s next feud after John Cena would be with Alex Riley. My guess was Rey Mysterio was next in line for the Awesome One, as those two haven’t had much interaction in their careers. Hell, I would have guessed Hornswoggle before Alex Riley. Maybe I expected Miz’s next feud was going to be with someone of a smaller stature, if you catch my drift.
I also never would have guessed that Alex Riley would be getting the type of pops that he does. The fact he got a chant last Monday on Raw on Piper’s Pit astounded me. In a good way, of course. I think it’s a plus for both he and The Miz, as these two younger stars have proven they’ve got what it takes to make it in the WWE (though Riley still has a way to go).
Who picks up the victory here is puzzling. Alex Riley would benefit the most from it, as he needs to keep his newfound momentum going. The Miz needs to strike back from his crushing loss to John Cena and prove he isn’t a one-hit wonder. Losing to a rookie (so to speak) won’t help matters.
Alex Riley needs the victory more, as The Miz should be able to keep his heat, no matter how many times he loses. Losing here may just benefit him more, as his reactions when he whines and complains about the loss should be gigantic. He also helped a lot in getting Alex Riley over. Giving him the win here would be a good way of fully doing so.
Winner: Alex Riley
Intercontinental Championship
Wade Barrett vs. Ezekiel Jackson
Why this match doesn’t have a special stipulation added to it baffles me. We’ve seen them clash at Over the Limit last month and for free on Smackdown a few weeks ago. The only difference this time (outside of having to pay to see it again) is that Heath Slater and Justin Gabriel have vowed to not interfere. I’ll take any type of gimmick; Street Fight, Steel Cage, Blindfold, Kennel from Hell, Drag Racing. I don’t care, anything would make more sense than another straight up singles match!
I shouldn’t complain too much. It’s nice to see gimmick matches not overtaking every feud and PPV. It’s also refreshing to actually see a feud over the Intercontinental Championship. And I mean a serious one, not one simply thrown together to give two people something to do.
At this point, there’s no reason for Ezekiel not to win the title. He’s “lost” due to interference twice and finally has Wade one-on-one. The crowd seems to be reacting to him and now is the best time to pull the trigger and see if he can get over completely.
This also frees up Wade Barrett to move back into the main event scene. Considering how dismal Smackdown’s main event scene is, this is a top priority. Wade had his downgrade and has proven he deserves to be back in the World title picture. Getting the Intercontinental Championship off of him is one step into that direction.
Winner: Ezekiel Jackson
Grand Theft Auto: WWE Raw
The Big Show vs. Alberto Del Rio
I’d like to know how The Big Show recovered from having his leg run over by a car in such a short time. It’s been what, four weeks since the “accident” occurred? Granted, this is the same man who fell off a building onto concrete and later returned to wrestle in the main event. Unless you count The Giant as a separate person.
It doesn’t matter whether or not you do. The fact of the matter is The Big Show’s back and he’s looking to rip Alberto Del Rio’s head off. I would have waited and had Kane duke it out with Destiny’s Child at Capitol Punishment instead. But, that’s just me. And nobody listens to what I have to say. Unless you’re still reading this. If so, thank you!
Normally, I’d go for the safe bet and choose The Big Show as the victor. He’s the one returning for vengeance (which has it’s sights set on Night of Champions). However, Alberto Del Rio needs to prove himself now that he’s lost a few high profile matches to Edge and Christian. If the rumors are true and he and Cena are set to clash at Summerslam for the WWE Championship, a victory here needs to happen.
Winner: Alberto Del Rio
We’ve Got Nothing Else Better To Do
CM Punk vs. Rey Mysterio
Somebody on the Raw Creative team must have noticed that neither CM Punk or Rey Mysterio had anything to do at Capitol Punishment and randomly threw them into a match together. Sure, they had a match the other week on Raw and have been at each other’s throats again. To me, it seemed that was building towards Rey Mysterio vs. Mason Ryan. I guess not.
At least we know this match will be another classic and most likely steal the show (though Orton/Christian should give it a run for it’s money). Both men should feel they have something to prove, as they’re basically afterthoughts right now on Raw (unless the top face or heel needs somebody to devour). Seeing what they’ve done in the past, I expect nothing less than a four-star match from them.
Predicting this match is also tricky, as there’s no clear beneficiary from this match. Both men need the victory, but don’t have anything in store afterward, from my viewpoint. They’re just coasting by until something better comes along. Since he’s been on a PPV losing streak, I’d say the victory should go to CM Punk. That same losing streak leads me to choose Rey Mysterio, though, as he’s a safer bet.
Winner: Rey Mysterio
United States Championship
Kofi Kingston vs. Dolph Ziggler
No, you haven’t been transported back into 2010. You’re still in the year 2011 and yes, Kofi Kingston and Dolph Ziggler are once again clashing over a midcard title. This time it’s the United States Championship and is taking place on the Raw brand. Talk about invigoration! That WWE Draft sure did shake things up!
As is the case with CM Punk vs. Rey Mysterio, we’re at least guaranteed a good match. These two have tremendous chemistry and always put forth a good effort. I expect nothing different here. Though they most likely won’t achieve it, I do see them attempting to steal the show. If anything, they’ll get the crowd off to a hot start.
All signs point towards Dolph Ziggler walking out as the new United States Champion. He, just like many others, needs to reinvent himself (which does not mean change your hairstyle) after a flimsy main event run (if you can even call it that). Winning the United States Championship can help with that. Besides, what else is there for Kofi to do. Feud with Jack Swagger again?
Winner: Dolph Ziggler