After a long gap of eight years, WWE is set to bring back No Mercy as a brand specific pay-per-view of SmackDown. Monday Night Raw has had their fair share of limelight thanks to Clash of Champions a couple of weeks back and this would be the platform for the blue brand to deliver before Survivor Series arrives.
The pay-per-view will be headlined by a triple threat match between Dean Ambrose, John Cena and AJ Styles for the WWE championship, with Cena’s pursuit of the Ric Flair’s record being the main subplot. While this is the biggest draw of the pay-per-view, the career vs. title match between Dolph Ziggler and The Miz is equally compelling. With the show almost here, check out the complete match card analysis and predictions.
Jack Swagger vs. Baron Corbin
The latest addition to the No Mercy card, Jack Swagger vs. Baron Corbin is an important match for both the superstars. Swagger just came to SmackDown after his forgettable run on Monday Night Raw, whereas Corbin has been trying to come up with a credible feud in the SmackDown mid card.
A hard-hitting match could be expected due to the physical style of these two. The result could go either way, but Swagger is likely to be protected. As WWE would also prefer to keep Corbin protected, a win for him could be on the books, but it would be a tainted win so that Swagger also gets an excuse to push forward the feud.
Prediction: Baron Corbin wins
Curt Hawkins returns
After weeks and weeks of vignettes, Curt Hawkins is set to make his in-ring return at No Mercy. No opponent was announced for him and there are a lot of questions circulating in the WWE universe about this. There are two ways in which WWE could pull this off:
- They could bring him in and let him face Kane or someone similar. Hawkins could lose and be a comedic jobber. But then again, WWE already has Bo Dallas and Heath Slater to do the role, so the chances of this happening are low.
- WWE could feed a jobber to Hawkins and let him get a pay-per-view win under his belt. Hawkins could then be pushed as a credible mid-card contender who has a blend of seriousness and ridiculousness.
Carmella vs. Nikki Bella
Along with building up the Becky Lynch vs. Alexa Bliss championship feud, WWE carefully threaded this storyline in the Women’s division. For a newcomer like Carmella, having a pay-per-view slot alongside an experienced Nikki Bella is a great platform to showcase her talents.
The feud might even have championship implications as the winner of Alexa Bliss – Becky Lynch match would need a challenger after No Mercy. A win would turn out to be a big boost for Carmella, but the pendulum might swing in Nikki’s direction.
WWE obviously sees her as the better draw and building up her as the next title challengers would sound more like the WWE creative team.
Prediction: Nikki Bella wins
Heath Slater and Rhyno vs. The Usos (SmackDown’s Tag Team championship)
The heel run of Usos has been a success story so far. Not only are they showing their flexibility, but the fresh approach has managed to grab everyone’s attention as well. At No Mercy, they will be challenging Rhyno and Heath Slater for the Tag Team championships. The Slater – Rhyno pairing seemed like a great idea initially but once the free-agent gimmick of Slater died, the team seems to have lost its purpose.
This offers WWE the ideal situation to give the heel Usos a bigger push. Usos having gold opens up the door for a Usos vs. American Alpha championship feud. As Usos have heat from the fans, everyone will be rooting for them to lose the titles, helping Jason Jordan and Chad Gable to go over as top baby faces in the process.
Prediction: Usos win
Randy Orton vs. Bray Wyatt
If any match at No Mercy puts WWE in a difficult situation, it’s this one. Randy Orton is coming off a forgettable feud with Brock Lesnar. These two were supposed to face off at Backlash, but unfortunately, due to Orton’s injury problems, the match was called off and Kane stepped up instead.
The match at No Mercy, however, looks set to happen, leaving WWE with a tough decision to make. Orton and Bray desperately need a win to bounce back from their disappointments. As both the wrestlers are in a similar situation, it could go either way. However, Randy has more chances of winning as his match against Lesnar was the only horrific chapter that he had recently.
Prediction: Randy Orton wins.
Becky Lynch vs. Alexa Bliss (SmackDown Women’s championship)
Becky Lynch won the SmackDown Women’s championship in her last pay-per-view outing and her first major defence will come against Alexa Bliss at No Mercy. Throughout the buildup, WWE gave special care to keep Alexa on a strong position and this, in turn helped her to show the WWE Universe what she is capable of.
But taking away the title from Becky in her first major defence itself would be a wrong decision. The SmackDown women’s division is still in its infancy in comparison to the Raw’s Women’s division and fast title changes would be something that WWE will avoid.
Nevertheless, expect a strong showing from both the superstars as they are following up the instant classic that Charlotte and Sasha Banks delivered on Raw.
Prediction: Becky Lynch retains
Dolph Ziggler vs. The Miz (Career vs. Title match for the Intercontinental championship)
This has been a beautifully crafted feud from WWE. Miz, as a performer was put to good use by the creative team. The air of authority and the heelish tactics of Miz were there to be seen and this uplifted Dolph Ziggler as well. People would be dying to see Ziggler defeat Miz, and producing such emotions is where the success of storytelling lies.
Taking away the championship from Miz at this point is a long shot, so despite having his career on the line, Ziggler is unlikely to win. He could take a much-needed break from the tight schedule or show up on Raw as a result other than Miz’s victory might not happen on Sunday night.
Prediction: The Miz retains
John Cena vs. AJ Styles vs. Dean Ambrose (WWE Championship match)
As mentioned in the introduction slide, this is the biggest draw for the pay-per-view. Styles will be defending his championship against The Cenation leader and the Lunatic Fringe but he comes in as the favourite. There are two reasons for this: John Cena equaling the record of Ric Flair is something that WWE would save for a big pay-per-view.
Secondly, Dean Ambrose is set to take a break from WWE to film a new movie, meaning that a win for him is out of the picture. This leaves Styles as the clear favourite even though WWE could pull off a bold decision and give Cena a win.
If we can be sure about anything, it is the quality of the match as all three men will deliver.
Prediction: AJ Styles retains
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