Wrestlemania XXIV Predictions

The Super Bowl of pro wrestling, uh I mean sports entertainment, comes your way this Sunday night from the Citrus Bowl in Orlando, Florida. I originally had started a post in which I wrote my own script for Wrestlemania 24, but I found it to be too hard because I have no idea where the storylines could go and that's what makes this year's Wrestlemania so exciting for me, that it is so unpredictable. I've read that as of a few months ago the W.W.E. wanted to add more of a surprise element to their pay-per-views to keep the fans guessing, which of course means more pay-per-view buy$. I hope they stick with it and that they do throw us a few curveballs Sunday night. So here are my predictions for Wrestlemania XXIV which also includes what I think will be the order of the matches:

24-Man Battle Royale
It was announced on the E.C.W. show Tuesday night that the 24-man battle royale will be the "dark match," although not so dark. You will be able to see it on wwe.com, but it will not be seen as part of the pay-per-view purchase as originally planned. The winner will get a shot at Chavo Guerrero and the E.C.W. Championship. So who do I see winning the battle royale? Your guess is as good as mine. I’d love to see Kane win it and then beat Chavo for the belt. But who knows? The only other reasonable choice is Tommy Dreamer. My pick: Kane.

Money in the Bank
The opening match of a pay-per-view sets the stage oftentimes for the rest of the event. That’s why I like the idea of having the Money in the Bank ladder match kick the show off. I’d also love to see Matt Hardy come out as a surprise, but then they would have to explain why he did not qualify for the bout as the other seven participants were required to do. Wrestling storylines are not always fully explained though, so it could possibly happen. Maybe, Hardy costs M.V.P. the match, thus renewing their rivalry. It’s hard for me to pick this one, but I will go with CM Punk. Hopefully, he will be moving to Monday Night Raw when the W.W.E. holds their draft at the end of April. Mr. Kennedy says he will cash it in if he wins, but I doubt the W.W.E. would have Kennedy face the winner of the triple threat match at the end of the night. So I'll stick with CM Punk.

Finlay vs. JBL
After M.I.T.B. I think they will have JBL (John Bradshaw Layfield) square off with Finlay. I fully expect Horngswoggle to show up to help out his “father.” This match is a “Bellfast Brawl” so it’s going to be bloody! But there is so much that needs to be explained in this storyline. How did JBL find out that Finlay was Horny's dad? What was the agreement between Mr. McMahon and Finlay? As I previously stated, not all holes are filled when it comes to wrestling angles. Incidentally, I know many fans are on the watch for Honswoggle. Maybe we should establish our own "leprechaun watch" like they have in Tipperary, Ireland. Click here for some laughs.

Bunnymania
Next will be the “Bunnymania” bout - whatever that means! Ashley and Maria I believe will score the win over Melina and Beth Phoenix with in all likelihood Maria pinning Melina. Remember this is a "lumberjill" match so there will be plenty of divas surrounding the ring making sure no one in the match tries to escape. I'd prefer Victoria to fight Beth Phoenix, but since that isn't in the cards I'll be most interested to see if Mickie James (above left) shows up. She hasn't been on television in nearly two months!

Batista vs. Umaga
Umaga takes on Batista in what has the potential to be a really good bout. Umaga, it seems, either squashes Lilliputians like Brian Kendrick and Paul London or loses to legit stars. I’d love to see the "Samoan Bulldozer" get a win over Batista, even if it is by some kind of screwjob. Again, with the W.W.E. draft coming up in late April, I would guess that based on all the rumors going around that Umaga is destined for the Smackdown roster. Wrestlemania would be a good spot to start a feud between the two.

E.C.W. Champion Chavo Guerrero vs. Kane?
Up next will be the E.C.W. Championship being defended by Chavo Guerrero against Kane. For the life of me I don’t understand why the “Big Red Machine” is so underutilized, but he is. Give him the E.C.W. Title and make him an unstoppable type like Big Show was when he held the belt is what I would do. Of course, all this predicates on Kane winning the battle royale.

Big Show vs. Floyd Mayweather
Next, I’m betting will be Floyd Mayweather vs. Big Show (Mayweather gets sent flying by the Big Show on the right) . I have no idea what type of match this will be. Boxing? Wrestling? Judo? Kung fu? Good? Bad? No clue. This could be great or it could be a real dog. I see it ending in mass chaos, that hopefully won’t turn real. Rumors abound that 50 Cent will be in Mayweather’s corner. What would really throw things into a tailspin would be if “Psycho” Sid came out and confronted Show. I’ve been reading for a while now that Sid wants to come back, putting him in this spot would set up a real good feud between Sid-Show. We shall see or perhaps could we see Show's buddy Hulk Hogan come out? Never say never...

The Undertaker vs. World Heavyweight Champion Edge
Edge will try to end the streak of The Undertaker, 15-0 at Wrestlemania. This streak is too lucrative for the W.W.E. to end, so ‘taker will go home with the World Championship and his winning streak intact. I’d like to see no outside interference from the "Edgeheads," because Edge doesn’t need it to enhance his character. We could have a four-star match on our hands.

John Cena vs. Triple H vs. W.W.E. Champ Randy Orton
I have no idea who is going to win this one either. Cena is busy filming a movie in New Orleans and Triple H’s wife Stephanie McMahon is due to have a baby in September. Does that mean he won’t be on the road much in the late summer and the rest of the year? I think Orton wins this one with the help of Triple H. I'm betting that Hunter will turn heel and this will kick off a long feud between HHH (Hunter Hearst Helmsley) and John Cena.

Shawn Michaels vs. Ric Flair
Having the Michaels-Flair match last allows for Orton to be victorious, if Michaels-Flair is not the finale, then I doubt the show would end with a heal champion. Regardless, as soon as this match was rumored on the Internet and then became finalized, I knew that no matter what else was on the card, I would be ordering Wrestlemania.

Ric Flair’s career started before I was born and the "Nature Boy" had to overcome an airplane crash to go on to become a 16-time World Champion. Michaels always brings his best and you can bet that he will do all that and more in a match that will end his idol’s career. But wouldn’t it be great to see Flair win? They could sell it that Shawn Michaels did not have his head or his heart into it. I’m really torn on this one.

But it is painfully obvious that we've reached the point that Ric Flair is way past his prime and is nothing like what he was when he would do his classic interviews on World Championship Wrestling on Superstation TBS. But I hate seeing good things come to an end. Yet, all things must pass! I can only imagine what the scene will be like when the match is over and all the guys come out from the back. It will be emotional, no question about it. Yes, would I love to see Flair basking in the glory in front of 75,000 people after a victory, of course. But look for H.B.K. to win a classic and the two shaking hands when it is all over.

So long Naitch!

Keep it in the Ring!