WWE Beast in the East Live From Tokyo Preview and Predictions

Japan, baby.

Giving their thoughts and predictions on what to expect from the PPV are members of the site @JoeySplashwater, @TimWelcomed and @TomBlargh.

Cesaro vs. Diego

Joey:

Not sure who exactly Diego is but I’ll assume it’s Primo or his tag partner. This will probably end up as the third best match of the night because this is a house show. Both guys will have extra incentive to tear it up as neither usually have singles matches on the other live Network specials aka PPVs.

Interest Level: 8/10
Prediction: Cesaro wins.

Tim:

This doesn’t sound too bad. The former Primo isn’t a bad in-ring competitor at all and with him facing off against Cesaro there’s no reason this shouldn’t be an entertaining match.

Interest Level: 7/10
Prediction: Cesaro wins.

Tom:

What a weird match. Is this happening because they’d already sorted the lads out with their visas when Tyson got injured so they just had to figure out another way to use old Cesaro and Los Matadores? Am I over-thinking this? Anyway, Cesaro with a smaller, somewhat flippy guy sounds alright to me.

Interest Level: 6/10
Prediction: Cesaro wins.

Lucha Dragons vs. New Day (Big E. and Xavier Woods)

Joey:

What the hell happened to the Lucha Dragons and where have they been? Same as Cesaro/Diego except to a smaller extent here.

Interest Level: 6/10
Prediction: New Day wins.

Tim:

Kalisto deserves so much more shine than he gets. Anyway, this should be okay. Hopefully Kalisto and Sin Cara get some of their fun spots in. I hope Bo Dallas isn’t involved in any way.

Interest Level: 6/10
Prediction: New Day wins.

Tom:

Hey, remember the Lucha Dragons? The curse of Sin Cara’s a hard one to shake, apparently. Also, are The New Day tag champs currently?

Interest Level: 5/10
Prediction: The New Day wins.

John Cena and Dolph Ziggler vs. Kane and King Barrett

Joey:

Interest Level: 0/10
Prediction: Poor John Cena. Why couldn’t he just get the week off?

Tim:

THis card is great in its random matches but this one is a dud. Cut costs and leave Kane at home. WE’LL SEE HOW THIS GOES I’M GUESSING IT WILL BE A BORE.

Interest Level: 1/10
Prediction: Cena and Ziggler win.

Tom:

What IS this show??? Is this just what house shows are like now? What is going on? Maybe “The Demon” Kane will set The Zigman on fire (unless Ziggler sets HIM on fire first… with some of his scorching hot improv skills!)

Interest Level: 2/10
Prediction: Cena and his pal Dolph win.

Chris Jericho vs. Neville

Joey:

The match-up should be cool, I guess? Jericho not playing a television character and just trying to have a good match has to be better than what he’s done over the last few years, right? Right? Oh forget it.

Interest Level: 7/10
Prediction: Chris Jericho wins.

Tim:

Hey, look… I’m hard on Jericho a lot and he deserves it. He’s definitely not what he once was but I have to say this match is actually pretty fresh and I’m looking forward to it. It’s a mix of curiosity and hope. I’m for it. Neville has been great on the main roster and a win over a name like Jericho would be pretty cool for him.

Interest Level: 9/10
Prediction: Neville wins.

Tom:

No idea what to expect from this. Judging by Tough Enough promo pics, Jericho looks a bit… weird. Like, he’s evolved into his final Dad form or something. I have no idea how he’ll be in the ring, but Neville’s very good and hopefully he can keep this from turning into the usual plodding Jericho affairs we’ve had to deal with for the past few years.

Interest Level: 8/10
Prediction: Neville wins.

Nikki Bella vs. Paige vs. Naomi for the Divas Championship

Joey:

With it being a house show and a small card, they’ll probably get time and do a good job. STRONG STYLE NIKKI finally comes to Japan.

Interest Level: 7/10
Prediction: Nikki Bella wins.

Tim:

The overdone nature of the Bella/Paige feud has actually overshadowed that Paige is actually doing a bit better in her matches on the main roster. It’s just so tired at this point but hey, Naomi is here and they might get some time. Nikki is a’ite. I’m cautiously optimistic.

Interest Level: 6/10
Prediction: Nikki Bella wins.

Tom:

Joey stole my comments about “Fearless” Nicole coming to Japan to show those punks what TRUE strong style is, oh well. I’m very burnt out on the current Paige/Bellas feud, but I’m actually somewhat curious in this – maybe NXT has just tinted my opinion of multi-women matches, but this could be a good time! But also maybe not!

Interest Level: 6/10
Prediction: Nikki Bella wins.

Brock Lesnar vs. Kofi Kingston

Joey:

MOTY

Interest Level: 10/10
Prediction: Brock Lesnar wins.

Tim:

It’s always fun to watch Lesnar rip someone apart. What’s intriguing about this is that he’s actually going one-on-one with a speedier guy. Great practice for his match with Rollins. This will be a great watch.

Interest Level: 10/10
Prediction: Brock Lesnar wins.

Tom:

Yeah, this is the Brock match I’ve been waiting for. As good as some of his matches have been since coming back, I’m really ready to see him against a more agile guy, and Kofi fits the bill (ESPECIALLY since The New Day are top tier in terms of entertainment value right now). I’m sure it won’t go too long, but I’m assuming the entertainment value will be top notch. I’m also fascinated to see how a Japanese crowd reacts to a Lesnar destruction.

Interest Level: 10/10
Prediction: Brock Lesnar wins.

Kevin Owens vs. Finn Bálor for the NXT Championship

Joey:

There’s no doubt in my mind this will be showcased as a major match and both men will deliver as it’s the reason WWE is even showing this event live on the Network. It’s very weird to see this play out. Kevin Owens beating John Cena was such a big debut that having him lose to someone on NXT may seem a bit counterproductive. Maybe I’m over-thinking it but yeah, I can’t see Owens keep doing NXT with how significant of a role he has on Raw so title change time.

Interest Level: 10/10
Prediction: Finn Bálor wins the NXT Championship.

Tim:

I’m really excited for this one. I feel a bit weird about Owens losing the title with the momentum he has going but it needs to be done. I thought Samoa Joe would be the guy who took it. It’s really cool how many moving parts there are when it comes to Owens though. I’m guessing Bálor walks out champion here? Him winning the title in Japan is a pretty cool situation and the guy is a star, plain and simple. He has an amazing look, a brilliant gimmick that is perfect for WWE, and they’ve done really well at showing what a likable guy he is. This is going to be really good no matter the outcome though. Even if Finn loses this whole thing brought us the documentary that fleshed out his personality to the fans and he desperately needed that.

Interest Level: 10/10
Prediction: Finn Bálor wins.

Tom:

I mean, obviously the match is going to be great, right? The recent Finn video packages have been absolutely fantastic and painted him as just the most likeable guy imaginable. A grown man who is secure enough in himself to be shown putting Lego together on TV is a GREAT FUCKING GUY.

Both guys are ready to leave NXT behind – of the two, I’d guess that the guy feuding with John Cena right now is the most likely to move on, even though Kev still has a Samoa Joe feud to finish up. Having Bálor win the title in Tokyo is about as perfect as you can get though, so I hope they take advantage of it. What’s more, since Owens has been so visible with the NXT title on TV, hopefully it means Finn will get a nice amount of attention on Raw and his main roster debut isn’t too far away. Owens / Bálor rematch for Summerslam, maybe?

Interest Level: 10/10
Prediction: Finn Bálor wins the NXT Championship.