Smackdown is up again on Sunday as they bring back old WWE PPV No Mercy! 8 (?) matches on the card and it looks better than Backlash. I haven't decided if that's a good or bad thing as Backlash was a surprisingly solid show all around. Can Smackdown strike gold twice? Let's talk matches!
In a pre show match, the reigning pre show king Baron Corbin will face Jack Swagger in a rematch from Smackdown. This will be Corbin's FOURTH pre show match since joining the main roster in April. I'm a huge fan of Baron Corbin as I've been a fan since he burst out at NXT Takeover Fatal Four Way. He has the look and size that Vince McMahon loves but it just doesn't seem like he has the backing. This should be a nice kick off to the event and if we're going off of Corbin's Backlash kick off match with Crews, then it will be a surprisingly good match. I don't know why WWE continues to give shots to Swagger but his Smackdown PPV debut won't go his way as Corbin will walk away with a cheap victory.
Curt Hawkins will make his debut because...yeah, I don't know or care why.
The Usos, now as heels for the first time since their debut, will challenge Beauty and the Man Beast on Sunday for the Smackdown Tag Team Titles in a rematch from Backlash. I like Heath Slater. I like Rhyno. I like the comedy dynamic they have but how are they the champions of a division that features The Usos, American Alpha, The Hype Bros, Breezango and The Ascension? It just seems....wrong. I understand they were giving Slater his contract and to end that little storyline but now it's time to actually build this division back to where it needs to be. It starts on Sunday, with The Usos winning the Smackdown Tag Team Titles and making their feud with American Alpha about the tag team titles. THAT'S the feud that will propel those tag titles to a greater level. The Usos will defeat Beauty and the Man Beast on Sunday, ending their Cinderella story as Rhyno takes time off to finish his campaign and Slater stays in the mid card. They will also become the first team by default who has won the Raw and Smackdown Tag Team Titles. Slater already became the first person to hold both when he won at Backlash.
In her PPV singles match debut, Carmella has the opportunity for a major upset when she faces Nikki Bella in a heated grudge match. I didn't think I would be actually looking forward to this but I'm really invested in this rivalry. It's no secret that I'm a NXT mark and I want all the people from it to succeed in some way or another. Carmella wasn't too high on my list but after what she's been doing to Nikki Bella, I want nothing but the best for her. She's has pinned her in the 6 Pack Challenge and in a tag match and has attacked her on multiple occasions. This is unfortunate for her as this is all leading to a Nikki Bella win on Sunday. Come on, it's just like anyone VS Nikki's boyfriend. You can get the upper hand in any match, just as long as it isn't one on one. Carmella will have a great showing but ultimately fail as Nikki Bella will be victorious on Sunday.
Bray Wyatt will face Randy Orton in a match that was suppose to take place at Backlash but due to Orton taking Lesnar' barbaric elbows to his head, he had a concussion and was unable to compete. Now, they have their first one on one match at No Mercy. Wyatt doesn't win feuds, it's been proven throughout his career. He's lost to Kane twice in the past month. He WILL NOT defeat Randy Orton. My prediction stays the same from Backlash, an Orton victory. Looking forward to the match but it will end the suspected way. Unless, that is, Sister Abigail finally makes her TV debut....
Dolph Ziggler VS The Miz XVII at No Mercy for the Intercontinental Championship. This time, if Dolph Ziggler loses, his WWE career is over. Usually, when someone puts their career on the line, this is a telltale sign that they will walk out with the victory. With Ziggler, I don't think that will be the case. Ziggler has had a good run, one that will always make a fan desire more as he was used incorrectly for so long. Reports suggest he will move to a backstage role after this Sunday and focus on his stand up comedy. Ziggler is a funny guy and at 36, he still has his entire life ahead of him. It will be sad to see him go, but he's going. The Miz has been on a career resurgence and looks to make that a bigger deal when he's the one who ends Ziggler's career. It will be another great match between the two but The Miz will prevail and retain the title again. Thank you for the memories Ziggler.
In a highly anticipated match, a main event of the show if you ask me, Becky Lynch will make her first defense of her newly won Smackdown Women's Title when she faces upstart Alexa Bliss in an all NXT alumni match up. Outside of the Four Horsewomen, Alexa Bliss was always a favorite of mine from NXT. Something about her body type man....oh, sorry. BESIDES that, she has an awesome finisher and her small but angry gimmick is great. It's good to see in the first one on one SD Women's Title match, they went outside the box, not giving any established stars, like Nikka, Nattie or Naomi the first shot. I think this will be an impressive match for the division and as a whole. Both are NXT trained so they don't have that prissy diva style of wrestling. These two are looking to put out a statement, especially after Raw's fantastic match between Sasha and Charlotte. While Alexa will put on the match of her life in her biggest match of her career to this point, I don't see Becky, who had to scratch and claw just to get to this point, lose the title this early. Alexa will definitely become champion at some point, but it won't be on Sunday. Becky Lynch will retain by submission.
AJ Styles will make his first PPV title defense against two heavy hitters; former WWE World Champion Dean Ambrose and the man trying to tie the record for 16 World Title reigns, John Cena. Should be an easy title defense right? I feel like Ambrose is now on the outside looking in as the bigger feud is Styles/Cena. Styles, of course, defeated John Cena at SummerSlam CLEAN. Cena has not gotten a one on one victory on Styles. Ambrose as champion was bland and nothing like the guy who chased the title for so long. To solidify his claim as the Face that Runs the Place, Styles really needs a good win here. I make predictions based on what would happen next. We all know Cena will be taking a hiatus soon to film American Grit for Fox. Styles is on too hot of a role to lose at his first PPV. Or maybe, he will. Cena is chasing immortality on Sunday. With one more World Title win, he has #16. As Cena says, if he does it, he enter the conversation for greatest of all time. Not only would it provide WWE with a new record for their golden boy, it could set up the main event for Survivor Series, or, co-main event if the rumored Goldberg/Lesnar match happens. There's nothing wrong with a Styles/Cena III, especially if it involved the WWE Title this time. They could use it as a way to make Styles even greater. Could you imagine if Styles was the one to end Cena's 16th reign and get a 3rd consecutive victory over him? I don't know what happens to Ambrose. He was Smackdown's #1 draft pick so it's unlikely he'll move down too far. Maybe a feud with Baron Corbin? Push some other talent.
While I think the Styles/Cena III thing is a great idea and will most likely happen, it will probably be with Styles as champion. AJ Styles will retain his WWE Title on Sunday, most likely pinning Dean Ambrose.
No Mercy looks to be a good show. A career VS title match, a first ever meeting between two of Smackdown's top stars and two awesome main title matches boost the show. Can't wait!
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