Over/Under: Week One

Is it possible to predict the future of the wrestling world? Given that ‘plans change’ might as well be the official motto of the WWE, this might be easier said than done, but in Over/Under, we’re still gonna try!

Each week, we’ll choose five scenarios and then predict how likely they are to come true, by saying whether it’s ‘over’ (i.e. we think it’s over the odds that it’ll happen) or ‘under’ (i.e. we think it’s under the odds). As usual, members of the site @TimWelcomed, @typicalROHfan and @TomBlackett are on hand to embarrass themselves by being the ones to make the predictions.

0.5: The total WWE Title runs Triple H has left.

Tim:

Triple H is known to always want the spotlight. Putting himself in the middle of whatever the hot storyline is at the moment is his thing. He could easily slip back into the title picture but will he? I don’t think he would.

Triple H may be very noticeably egotistical but I think he has good enough sense to not put the strap back around his waist. I might just be delusional and full of hopeful wishes, but I really believe that even he knows that would be too much. I do see him being involved in at least a thousand more storylines, however.
OVER.   

typicalROHfan:

Currently Triple H is in a non wrestling role, both on television and on the business side. That means he can’t possibly have another WWE title run, right? Wrong! You know….. Brock Lesnar, the unbeatable beast of a being? The Game slayed the beast on the grandest stage of them all!

More importantly in that match, the Triple H retirement stipulation was lifted. This means he (or his nanny) isn’t putting away his boots any time soon. Given his reputation and history, would it really shock you if he was the WWE champ again? In fact, I can realistically see this Orton run flopping and HHH getting the title off Bryan or Cena in 2014 so New Age Corporation 2.0 can work, brother. Hide your water bottles because I’m going with the over as HHH will have at least one more title reign.
OVER.

Tom:

This is a tricky one. On the one hand, there’s absolutely nothing stopping Triple H from having another run or two because ‘it’d get great heat, brother’. There’s also really no sell-by date on when a megalomaniac can decide to award himself a belt – if 60 year old Vince can become champion, then why not Triple H in twenty years?

However, I can also see Triple H using his lack of future title runs as evidence that he’s ‘passed the torch’ or whatever, even though I fully expect him to be main eventing over the actual champion at numerous points in the future. Belts don’t mean anything when you’re booking yourself at the top of the card.
OVER.

Summerslam 2014: The day Dean Ambrose wins the WWE Title for the first time.

Tim:

As much as I would like this to happen, I think we still have a few years to wait. Dean Ambrose has everything he needs to be a star but with the way the machine works I see it being 2016 at least.

I hope I’m wrong and maybe something will happen where he blows everyone away and they are forced to put him in the top spot sooner rather than later. As it stands now, I do not see this happening any time soon.
OVER.

typicalROHfan:

I’m conflicted on this. On one hand, Ambrose clearly has superstar potential and has been the leader of The Shield as they faced all of the current main eventers for about a year. On the other hand, The Shield seem to be going in a different direction lately.

Some of the new things going on lead me to believe there will be a split with Seth Rollins leaving as babyface. I consider that to be a great move as Rollins plays a fantastic face and the eventual Ambrose vs Rollins program will rock. However, I think it will take quite some time for that to play off and Ambrose won’t be in the WWE Title picture by Summerslam. I think Survivor Series or even 2015 will be when Dean Ambrose gets his first WWE title reign.
OVER.

Tom:

Yeah, I don’t see this happening. It’d be exciting, but just because of how the WWE machine works, the position The Shield are in at the moment and the number of stories left to tell with their inevitable break-up, Summerslam seems like it’d be way too soon.

I wouldn’t be surprised if Dean Ambrose got a PPV WWE Title match by the end of 2014, but I’d be surprised to see him win it before 2015 at the earliest.
OVER.

January 2014: AJ Styles has his final TNA match.

Tim:

When I think of TNA, I think of AJ Styles. He used to be their hot commodity and even though they’ve booked him horribly the last few years I can not see them letting him get away. I think a huge variable here is that they already look bad releasing who they have.

Can you imagine public perception of TNA if they let one of their biggest home-grown names get away because they couldn’t afford him anymore? They’d look way worse than they already do. I thoroughly believe Styles won’t leave anyway. He has invested too much of his time there.
OVER.

typicalROHfan:

The hot rumor is AJ Styles has signed a short contract extension that will have him obligated to TNA until around November or December. Wrestling websites are saying a longer deal comes down to money for AJ and an educated guess based off the last few months is that TNA is trying to save as much money as possible. More than ever, the possibility of AJ Styles leaving TNA for WWE or another promotion is open.

Maybe it’s more of a mental block but I can’t see AJ leaving TNA. The wrestling world would feel very weird. With all the recent bad press, you’d think losing AJ is one TNA pays the price to avoid and it seems like a better fit for both parties. AJ stays in TNA for as long as he can and gets a $$$ tattoo.
OVER.

Tom:

AJ’s TNA f-f-f-for life. There’s nothing left for him to do in TNA, but what are the realistic alternatives? Given the number of young, talented wrestlers on the indies who don’t have the TNA stink, I can’t see anyone making enough of a case for AJ to bring him in.

Punk’s openly said that he has no interest in wrestling AJ, and while he’s hardly one of the key decision makers, it’s still a sign that there just isn’t that much interest in an AJ Styles WWE run.
OVER.

49%: Percent of matches Primo and Epico will win as Los Matadores.

Tim:

Not a chance. While Primo and Epico are pretty great this has every sign of one of those gimmicks that will have a bunch of fans for the first month and then completely flop and become a joke really fast. I’d love for this to be done right but I just know it will not.

I don’t see them winning anywhere that many matches before they fall into obscurity. They might win 2%. I really hate to be negative like this but I just don’t see it working out for anyone.
UNDER.

typicalROHfan:

4.9% sounds more realistic. This seems like a horrible idea. Unless they bring a live bull (or Bull Nakano) to the ring, nothing good will come of it.
UNDER.

Tom:

Like every other tag team, they’ll get a few wins in their first month or two before being turned into a joke. I just feel sad for Cesaro and (to a lesser extent) Swagger, since I imagine they’ll end up being the only ones to lose to these guys on a regular basis.

That’s not to put down Primo and Epico because they’re both pretty decent, but I just don’t get who this gimmick is meant to appeal to in 2013.
UNDER.

0.5: Number of Wrestlemania main events CM Punk has in his career.

Tim:

This one makes me sad to think about. Not many people deserve to main event Wrestlemania quite like CM Punk. He’s constantly in the most consistent matches and some of the best feuds in WWE history. He has a match with Stone Cold just simmering in the background constantly but it doesn’t look like that will ever come to fruition.

I believe Punk will never main event a Wrestlemania. It’s a dark thought but it just seems to be how it’ll work out. You better believe that I am betting against my heart here. The only way I see it happening is if he leaves for a long time and comes back to put someone over.
UNDER.

typicalROHfan:

More than any other wrestler, CM Punk has elevated himself into a top tier position in WWE. He has achieved a myriad of accomplishments so few wrestlers have but the big thing left on the to do list is main event a Wrestlemania. Really “main event” one, not “win the Royal Rumble and get a title match to open the show and announcers say it’s a main event.”

Unfortunately, I can’t see it happening in the near future. With big match possibilities left for Undertaker at Wrestlemania with Brock Lesnar and John Cena, I think those close the show next two years. After that, WWE’s future is very unpredictable and you never know when CM Punk leaves. He claims he wants to leave so often, maybe he finally does it. The wild card is a potential match with Stone Cold Steve Austin but I can’t see that ever happening. I think the safer bet is CM Punk never having a Wrestlemania main event.
UNDER.

Tom:

I’d be genuinely shocked if Punk didn’t get at least one Wrestlemania event in his career, and the reason for that is thanks to one guy – not Stone Cold Steve Austin, John Cena. Sure, they’ve wrestled a bunch of times in the past, but it’s still open-ended for one more HUGE pay-off, given the “you never beat me / you never beat me clean” dynamic that the two have.

In the past, CM Punk’s made a case for himself and Cena being the Batman and Superman of the WWE universe, and while a lot of that is just Punk being a big nerd who loves thinking of himself as Batman, there’s still some truth to it. The only reason their final ‘rubber match’ wouldn’t be a Wrestlemania main event is if WWE can’t restrain themselves to hold off on doing it then – that’s a big if, but I’m hoping they manage it!
OVER.