Wrestlemania 26 Predix!

Beth Phoenix, Eve Torres, Mickie James, Kelly Kelly, and Gail Kim vs Maryse, Michelle McCool, Layla, Alicia Fox, and Vickie Guerrero
Normally, I'd make some sort of joke about how useless the divas are, but there is enough talent here to keep things together. I'm glad to see Beth, Mickie, Gail, Maryse, and even Michelle getting a 'Mania spot. I'm guessing the face divas win, so they get a chance to royally humiliate Vickie and provide a good pop segment for the live audience.

Triple H vs. Sheamus
If Sheamus wasn't Triple H's bestest buddy in the whole world, I'd call for him to get squashed in under a minute (since every recent 'Mania seems to have one of those). I'm guessing we'll get a decent 10 minute bout that won't set the world on fire, but will still give Triple H a victory. HHH has done a lot of jobs at 'Mania, so I can see him wanting to pad his record, and Sheamus is still a newcomer, so he'll have lots of time to shine later.

Rey Mysterio vs. CM Punk
With the stipulation being that if Rey loses, he must join the Straight Edge Society, I see Punk picking up the victory to prolong the angle/feud. I know Wrestlemania is supposed to be the big show where all feuds are blown off, but that hasn't been the case in a looong time. Hopefully they get at least 10 minutes, and these two are hard workers so it should be a solid addition to the midcard. I'm also glad that CM Punk gets to be on Wrestlemania in something other than Money in the Bank.

Randy Orton vs. Ted Dibiase vs. Cody Rhodes
After the solid year that Legacy had in 2009, I'm really glad that Dibiase and Rhodes have 'Mania spots this year. I'm guessing this match will be remembered more for big angle developments rather than match-quality, but the handicap match they had on Raw a few weeks ago was quite good and if they can match that, then we have another solid midcard addition. I see Orton picking up the win here, though I wouldn't rule out a surprise Dibiase upset, especially if WWE still regards him as the potential next big thing.

Money in the Bank: Christian vs Dolph Ziggler vs Jack Swagger vs Evan Bourne vs Kane vs Drew McIntyre vs Kofi Kingston vs Matt Hardy vs MVP vs Shelton Benjamin
Many folks are upset about there being 10 men in this one, but I don't think it really matters due to the trainwreck nature of the "every man for himself" ladder match. Also, it would be bothersome if most of these guys couldn't score a 'Mania spot. What I love is that there are no full-time main eventers here, or anyone who has had a meaningful World title run in WWE (sorry to former ECW champions Christian, Kane, Swagger, and Hardy). A few months ago, I would have pegged Kofi Kingston as the winner, but it seems the office has soured on him and he's lost his push. There is no clear winner in this group, but Christian just barely rises above the rest of the flock. There are lots of storyline opportunities for Christian to be Mr. Money in the Bank, it all depends on whether or not WWE is ready to push him to the next level.

No Holds Barred: Vince McMahon vs. Bret Hart
Come on, when has Vince ever won a match at Wrestlemania? Due to Hart's head condition and Vince's general old age, I can't see this being much more than a quick, nasty squash. Bret Hart wins and everyone gets to have a feel good moment.

Unified Tag Team Championship: The Miz and Big Show (c) vs. John Morrison and R-Truth
It's sad that I'm really hoping that Daniel Bryan gets involved in this somehow, so he can at least have had a 'Mania appearance. This will probably be one of the shorter matches on the card, but should be good while it lasts. Hopefully Morrison and Miz get a chance to play off of their history a little bit. I'm calling for Miz and Big Show to retain, especially since Morrison and Truth seem tossed together just so they could be a part of Wrestlemania.

Streak vs. Career: The Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels
I don't see this being as long as last year's 30 minute classic, due to Undertaker's physical condition, but I still see them pulling out all the stops to have another blockbuster. This could well be Shawn's last match as an active wrestler, so you know he is going to want to leave on a high note. This could be Undertaker's last match too, since he's been flirting with retirement for years now. This is just speculation, but I kind of feel like both men are regretting that they didn't retire after 'Mania last year, as in hindsight it would have been the perfect way to end their careers so they wanted to set up part two to make sure they are satisfied and not regret the way they went out. The stipulations here are perfect, because it's hard to imagine either man losing. Undertaker's streak has never been in more severe jeopardy. In the end, I'm calling for Undertaker to win, keep the streak intact, and go into retirement but open to coming back for certain big matches.

World Heavyweight Championship: Chris Jericho vs. Edge
If it weren't for the fact that a victory here would make Edge a 10-time World champion, I would say he was a lock to win this. I'm not sure WWE is ready to bestow that honor on Edge. Also, even though this is a World title match, there are at least 2-3 other matches on the show that are more anticipated than this, so this one could wind up in the middle of the show. Therefore, it doesn't need to have a feelgood ending. I'm going out on a limb and predicting that Jericho retains and continues to feud with Edge, saving the title switch for a higher spot on a lesser show.

WWE Championship: Batista vs. John Cena
Rumor has it that this match is going to close the show. Therefore, I have a hard time believing that the finish will be anything other than Cena standing tall with the belt. I haven't really dug the build to this match since No Way Out, but it was high-time that these two went toe to toe at Wrestlemania. They are arguably the two biggest new stars of the last five years, so this match really has the chance to define the era the way that Rock/Austin defined the Attitude Era and Hogan/Andre defined the 80's. What is also exciting is that the last time Cena and Batista locked up, it was a great match at Summerslam, which I rated ****. If they can match their last bout, and kick it up a few notches, we could have a classic on our hands.


All in all, this is the best Wrestlemania, at least on paper, since Wrestlemania X-7. Hopefully nothing screwy happens (a match getting bumped off the main show to be a dark match, a match getting less than a minute) and we really do have one of the greatest shows in history. I don't want to get my hopes up, but if there was ever a reason to hope, this is it!