PPV Preview: TNA Bound for Glory 2015

TNA has had a big of a tough time of it over the last couple of years, haven't they? I mean, both of their last two PPV's (outside of the One Night Only franchise) have had to deal with TV being taped prior to the event and working (for the most-part) outside of storyline. Now whilst the build to this event has been mediocre, at best, with the majority of screen time taken up by the TNA vs. GFW feud over the last few months, at least the majority of matches have recieved at least some build on Impact Wrestling over the last few weeks. But is it worth cheeking out on Sunday night? Let's have a look.

TNA Knockout's Championship - Gail Kim (C) vs. Awesome Kong

TNA TV and PPV Record

Gail - Win - 56.1% Loss - 42.2% Draw - 1.7%

Awesome - 62.9% Loss - 35.2% Draw - 1.9%

Two stalwarts of TNA Knockout's division, these two have had the matches that put the Women's division on the map back in 2007 and 2008. Can they recreate that seven years later? I'm not too sure. It's a shame that TNA gave the match away on TV back in April, as the first clash between the two since August 2008, could have been a pretty decent draw, had the booking been done right. To be fair to TNA, they've done a decent job of keeping them apart since Awesome returned at the start of the year, even if the feuds with Taryn Terrell and her Dollshouse, haven't quite hit the spot. 

The action here needs to be the hard-hitting style that the two are known for, with plenty of avenues for storytelling and call-backs to previous matches. There's potential to present a rich and compelling bout here. The goal posts for mainstream women's wrestling have been moved over the last twelve months and TNA needs to hit this out of the park in order to keep up with what has been presented elsewhere. I think the winner is actually less important, than the actual match quality here. Please don't fill this contest with bullshit from the likes of the Beautiful People or the Dollshouse.

Prediction - Awesome Kong wins her 2nd Knockout's Championship

TNA World Tag Team Championships - The Wolves (C) vs. Brian Meyers (bka Curt Hawkins) & Trevor Lee

Richards - Win - 61.2% Loss - 37.0% Draw - 2.7%

Edwards - Win - 62.3% Loss - 36.1% Draw - 3.2%

Myers - Win - 25% Loss - 75% Draw - 0%

Lee - Win - 50% Loss - 50% Draw - 0%

This match has a lot of potential on PPV. The two teams passed the Tag Titles back and forth on Impact Wrestling during the TNA vs. GFW feud, but now without the shackles of that damp squib of a storyline, The Wolves and Lee & Myers are more than capable of producing a stand-out tag team contest. Davey Richards and Eddie Edwards have proven their worth to TNA since jumping from Ring of Honor at the start of 2014, with a string of impressive outings with the likes of The Hardy Boyz, Team 3D and The Dirty Heels, whilst Trevor Lee has been putting on a string of impressive performance in PWG. The former Curt Hawkins, Brian Meyers was somewhat of a tag team specialist in WWE, here's hoping that Meyers shows us his best performance to date here.


In terms of who is coming out of the show with the belts, I'm pretty certain we'll see The Wolves holding onto the belts that they only won on the 9th September edition of Impact Wrestling (Taped 29th July). The Wolves have BEEN TNA's tag team division for the last two years and it's a shame that TNA has been unable to produce a realistic challenge for their biggest PPV of the year. As much faith as I have in this match being good, without any depth in the tag team division it's difficult to find a reason to actually care about who walks out with the belts.

Prediction - The Wolves retain

Singles - Eric Young vs. Kurt Angle

Young - Win - 51.3% Loss - 47.3% Draw - 1.4%

Angle - Win - 53.0% Loss - 39.8% Draw - 7.1%

Kurt Angle's first match since unsuccessfully challenging Ethan Carter III for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship the 8th July edition of Impact Wrestling (Taped 27th June), again it's a real shame that this match wasn't announced until this week's Impact Wrestling. There could have been some real legs in seeing Young preparing for a rematch with Angle over the last few weeks, after the two's fiery feud earlier in the year (Highlighted with their "I Quit" bout). Both men have had strong 2015's with Young finally stepping up to a role as a top tier talent for the promotion and Angle has impressed against Bobby Lashley, Austin Aries and Ethan Carter III.


With this supposedly being Angle's last match for the promotion, that does make the outcome a rather interesting one. On one hand, does TNA want to send Kurt Angle out on top, winning his last match before heading into the sunset? Or would they like to give Eric Young some bragging rights, heading into the rest of the Autumn with a huge chip on his shoulder? There's potentially to set up Young as the first challenger, if TNA decides to have Ethan Carter III drop the title on the show. However, this being TNA, I'm thinking we'll see Angle get the win in a competitive match.

Prediction - Kurt Angle

TNA World Heavyweight Championship - Ethan Carter III (C) vs. Drew Galloway (bka Drew McIntyre) vs. Matt Hardy

TNA Record (TV and PPV Only)

Carter III - Win - 65.4% Loss - 30.8% Draw - 3.8% 

Galloway - Win - 72.7% Loss - 27.3% Draw - 0%

Hardy - Win - 49.0% Loss - 51.0% Draw - 0%

Many will wonder why I haven't put the World Heavyweight Championship match at the top of this preview and it's quite simple...I honestly don't care about this match. I was much more interested in an EC3 vs. Galloway one on one clash, than I am now with the addition of Matt Hardy and Jeff Hardy as Special Guest Referee on this week's Impact Wrestling. It seems almost inevitable that we'll see either Matt or Jeff turn on one another or some more over-booking, whilst I'm not convinced Matt Hardy should be main-eventing anything in 2015, let alone what is supposed to be the biggest PPV in the companies arsenal. I feel the addition of Hardy is to allow Galloway to win the title, whilst keeping EC3 undefeated. Either way I don't see Carter taking a pinfall or submission in Charlotte on Sunday.

TNA King of the Mountain Championship - Bobby Roode (C) vs. Bobby Lashley

TNA Record (TV and PPV Only)

Roode - Win - 51.8% Loss - 45.3% Draw - 2.9%

Lashley - Win - 65.6% Loss - 32.8% Draw - 1.6%

These two men provided some of the highlights of Impact Wrestling in 2014, with two stellar matches on the 17th September and 29th October editions of the show. I'm not getting my hopes up for the two to put on a similar contest here, for the sheer fact that those two previous encounters main evented their respective shows and were over the World Heavyweight Championship. The King of the Mountain Championship has yet to earn any prestige since being introduced at July's Slammiversary PPV, and hasn't actually been given any real significance....surely the King of the Mountain is the World Heavyweight Champion? Not expecting the pair to stink out the joint, but neither am I expecting a stand out contest.

Prediction - Bobby Roode retains

Bound for Gold Gauntlet - Abyss vs. Aiden O'Shea (bka Jay Bradley) vs. Chris Melendez vs. Eli Drake (bka Shaun Ricker) vs. Jessie Godderz vs. Mahabali Shera (bka Khoya) vs. Mr. Anderson vs. Robbie E vs. Tyrus (bka Brodus Clay)

TNA Record (TV and PPV Only)

Abyss - Win - 52.3% Loss - 41.9% Draw - 4.9%

O'Shea - Win - 30.8% Loss - 69.2% Draw - 0%

Melendez - Win - 33.3% Loss - 66.7% Draw - 0%

Drake - Win - 50.0% Loss - 50.0% Draw - 0%

Godderz - Win - 25.5% Loss - 73.5% Draw - 1%

Shera - Win - 41.2% Loss - 58.8% Draw - 0%

Anderson - Win - 48.2% Loss - 53.8% Draw - 3.5%

Robbie E - Win - 28.1% Loss - 70.7% Draw - 1.2%

Tyrus - Win - 40.0% Loss - 60.0% Draw - 0%

      Trying to care about this match is pretty hard, considering it's recieved no build up on television (it was announced on ImpactWrestling.com last week) and features (with the exception of Mr. Anderson and Abyss) guys who I honestly couldn't care less about. There's a shot at the World Heavyweight Championship on the line, but again Anderson and Abyss are the only names that I could possibly see getting a shot at the title and being convincing in that role. However, with the rumour that TNA will be taping some television in India soon, I have a feeling they'll have the god-awful Mahabali Shera win and build to a title match in his homeland. 


Prediction - Mahabli Shera wins a shot at the TNA World Heavyweight Championship

TNA X Division Championship Ultimate X - Tigre Uno (bka Extreme Tiger) (C) vs. ??? vs. ??? vs. ???

TNA Record (TV & PPV Only)

Uno - Win - 38.3% Loss - 61.7% Draw -  2.4%

A random Ultimate X match for the X Division Championship with no build and no opponents announced....it's no wonder that the X Division isn't thought of as highly as it was ten years ago. I'm sure this will be fine, but it certainly shows a lack of creativity, which is worrying for the biggest show of the year.

Prediction - Tigre Uno retains 

Finally...

You know something? There's a lot of potential on this show...Awesome Kong vs. Gail Kim, The Wolves vs. Meyers and Lee, Angle vs. Young...even the World title match if booked correctly. But I've become especially cautious over TNA's PPV's over the last few years, especially after Slammiversary failed to capitalise on it's promising card. The company needs something to jump start them after a turbelent 2015, let's hope that Bound for Glory can do just that. Let us know what you're looking forward to over on Twitter and Facebook.

Event Preview: WWE Live from Madison Square Garden

Just two week's removed from Night of Champions, WWE bring us Live from Madison Square Garden, a special WWE Network only event. Essentially, this is a broadcast house show, with the addition of the appearance of Brock Lesnar...but what does the actually look like? Is it worth checking out tomorrow night? Here's ATPW's look at it.

Intercontinental Championship - Kevin Owens (C) vs. Chris Jericho

Owens retained over Ryback by count-out on Thursday Night Smackdown

WWE TV and PPV Records

Owens - Win - 52.4% Loss - 38.1% Draw - 9.5%

Jericho - Win - 45.8% Loss - 48.9% Draw - 5.3%

Man, I couldn't care less about Big Show vs. Brock Lesnar (hence why you'll find it somewhere further down this preview) but I am excited for this one. Let's skim past that Jericho has a title match, despite taking the pinfall in his last televised WWE bout, and think about just how good this match could be? Whilst Jericho's last feud with Bray Wyatt failed to deliver on the promise, Jericho did have a superb bout with Randy Orton, before his bout with Neville was one of the standout's of the Beast in the East PPV. There's little possibility of ring-rust, as he's been all over the house show circuit for the last year, so I'd expect that Jericho will be able to go move for move with the Intercontinental Champion. 


     Obviously, putting the title on the line could be where the match struggles the reach the upper echelon of this years bouts. That might be a strange thing to say as usually a title will elevate certain bouts, but in this case, I feel it makes it clear who would be walking out as the winner (Just as most house show title matches do) and therefore make it harder to buy into any of Jericho's near falls. Maybe WWE will throw a curve ball and have Jericho win, that would certainly get a huge reaction from MSG and could potentially lead to the rumoured feud between Jericho and Dean Ambrose. Perhaps we could even see Owens' current rival, Ryback, get involved? But I still think we'll see Owens walk out victorious after a hard-fought, physical bout.

Prediction - Kevin Owens retains

United States Championship Steel Cage - John Cena (C) vs. Seth Rollins

Rollins escaped attack from Kane on Thursday Night Smackdown...just.

WWE TV and PPV Record 

Cena -   Win - 67.6% Loss - 27.0% Draw - 5.4%

Rollins - Win - 52.3% Loss - 43.1% Draw - 4.6%

Rollins and Cena always deliver, I can't remember these two ever having a bad match when lined up opposite together. Their bouts at SummerSlam and Night of Champions both delivered in terms of wrestling action, so without the need to particularly continue any on-going stories we should get their best match yet at Madison Square Garden. Add that we'll have a Steel Cage around the ring and non of the Authority shit that clouded Rollins last cage bout with Randy Orton in April and this bout should close out the show in style. 


Similar to the Jericho vs. Owens bout, I'm pretty sure that we'll be seeing Cena walk out with the title, but we may get an added twist as having your World Heavyweight Champion job clean for the second match in a row would be a very strange move, even for WWE. I wouldn't be surprised if we get some involvement from Kane here. It'd be pretty cool to see the Big Red Monster emerge from under the ring with the Steel Cage still up or perhaps even just his music playing to give Cena the advantage...before Kane turns up to get him some of the Architect.


Prediction - John Cena retains

Singles - Sheamus vs. Randy Orton

Orton destroyed Bo Dallas on Monday Night RAW this week.

WWE TV and PPV Record

Sheamus - Win 63.5% Loss - 32.6% Draw - 4%

Orton - Win - 52.4% Loss - 40.5% Draw - 7%

This is pretty uninspired choice of match, isn't it? I seem to be saying the same thing in each prediction over the last few months, Sheamus and Orton are more than capable inside the ring, but it's clear that neither is creatively inspired when facing each other. Therefore we've had a series of very similar matches across TV and PPV over the years. I don't know why WWE haven't slapped a gimmick on this and just had them have a New York Street Fight or something like that. Whack out a few weapons and freshen up the match, if this is the one that they want to have. It really doesn't matter who wins here, but seeing as it's technically a house show, Orton will be getting the win.

Prediction - Randy Orton wins

Singles - Brock Lesnar vs. The Big Show

Big Show's hoping this match will be better than his tattoo

WWE TV and PPV Record

Lesnar - Win - 64.6% Loss - 30.3% Draw - 5.1%

Show   - Win - 53.4% Loss - 39.2% Draw - 7.4% 

If you saw my RAW review then you'll know that I'm not interested in seeing this match. I think it's a real waste of one of Lesnar's singles matches (just like his contest with Kofi Kingston turned out to be on Beast in the East) when you've got a young and hungry roster, that would all benefit from a competitive loss to Lesnar, at the moment. I kind of get the idea that this might draw in a casual fan, but it's been a match that's been offered so many times (Only last year's Royal Rumble being the latest one) that I don't feel that there is any actual drawing power in it...other than the fact that it's Brock Lesnar in a match. I expect a watered down version of their Royal Rumble clash, going a little shorter and with a Big Show flurry but Lesnar mostly dominating before picking up the win. I'm not holding out for an Undertaker appearance or a Paul Heyman heel turn.

Winner - Brock Lesnar wins

Tag Team Championship - The New Day vs. The Dudley Boyz

To build this match...Kane destroyed everyone on Thursday Night Smackdown...

WWE TV and PPV Record

Kingston -    Win - 52.0% Loss - 46.5% Draw - 1.5%

Big E -          Win - 60.3% Loss - 38.2% Draw - 1.5%

Woods -        Win - 40.2% Loss - 57.3% Draw - 2.4%

Bubba Ray -  Win - 49.9% Loss - 46.4% Draw - 3.7%

D-von - Win - Win - 50.4% Loss - 45.8% Draw - 3.8%

Any chance to see The New Day at the moment is a chance that must be taken. The lads on fire, with a string of impressively entertaining performances both in and out of the ring, whilst The Dudley Boyz offer an interesting foil. This is the most likely title change of the night for me, with the match being the most heavily promoted title fight on the card, as well as New York being the rumoured location of Dudleyville. I'm expect the crowd to be loud for this one, especially if it opens the show (which I would go for) with plenty of antics from the New Day and The Dudleys going nuts on their comeback. Also expect some angle to build for to a Tables Match in two weeks at Hell in a Cell. It's just a shame that both teams had to put Kane over on Smackdown this week, before such a big match.

Prediction - The Dudley Boyz win the WWE Tag Team Championship

Singles - Dolph Ziggler vs. Rusev

Is there anyone Ziggler hasn't been trying to put his dick into?

Ziggler - Win - 44.1% Loss - 52.6% Draw - 3.3% 

Rusev -  Win - 70.1% Loss - 26.5% Draw - 0%

My main complaint about Rusev and Ziggler's Night of Champions bout was the it lacked the drama level that the feud had provided, with the pair treading water until Summer Rae's interference. This is an opportunity to help provide that, without the need to drive the storyline. Whether they decide to do that or simply rehash the Night of Champions bout I'm really not sure, as it's clear that without Lana this pairing doesn't have any legs in terms of on-going feud. Rusev has proven in the past that's he's capable of top quality action and we know that Ziggler can tell a great story, so I'm hoping the pair go down that route, and work some psychology into the bout. Ziggler wins, because he's a babyface.

Prediction - Ziggler wins.

So, that's it for you. What do you reckon? Stacked card of action or a waste of time? Hit us up on Twitter and let us know if you're watching and what you make of the card.


Personally, I think there is a lot to look forward to in terms of in-ring action, even if there'll most likely be a lack of consequences in terms of what we see on RAW, with the exception of the two matches that have been promoted fully on television. Remember to have some fun with it while you're watching anyway, that's what wrestling is all about. See you here on Sunday for the review.

PPV Preview: WWE Night of Champions 2015

I really wanted to start this article by taking the piss out of WWE for having the gimmick of the PPV be that all titles in WWE (excluding NXT) are defended, when most PPV's feature all titles being defended because they only have five championships...and then I checked and it's actually been an entire year since all the titles were defended on PPV. Whether that be through design (Brock Lesnar holding the WWE World Heavyweight Championship for a good portion of that time, Nikki Bella sparingly defending her Diva's title on PPV) or sheer coincidence (Daniel Bryan and Ryback's injuries as WWE Intercontinental Champion) it's still pretty cool that WWE have actually come through on the gimmick for the first time in quite a while.


Let's have a look down the card and see what WWE could have in-store for us from Houston, Texas. 

Odds at the Bookies

Rollins - 1-10 (Paddy Power)

Sting - 8-1 (skybet)

Sheamus to Cash in - 5-4 (bwin)

There was dirt-sheet talk and social media buzz that this match wouldn't be going on last, which of course caused quite a stir. Personally, I don't buy into it and seems to be another attempt to get some heat on John Cena (more on that a bit later), because his matches have been fantastic over the last six months and we needed a new reason to hate him.

The quality of this bout all comes down to how ready Sting is to main event a WWE PPV in 2015. If his fit and ready, then Rollins is very capable of carrying the majority of the bout, whilst the Icon has a series of flurries of offence to keep things interesting. We saw on Monday Night RAW this week that Sting can potentially go in short bursts, but it's yet to be seen if he can handle a fifteen minutes plus main event style bout.


Obviously, the outcome of this match will have a lot to do with the outcome of Rollins' other bout, opposite John Cena. Personally, I can't see Sting walking out of the event with the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, but that doesn't mean that he won't win the match, as we have Sheamus waiting in the wings with the Money in the Bank briefcase. Personally, I can't see Sheamus cashing in at Night of Champions, because WWE has pushed that it could happen way too hard on TV over the last few months, which is usually a sign that the cash in is little way off yet. I'm hoping we see Rollins able to pull a victory out over the veteran, whilst also hopefully setting up a Sting feud for WrestleMania season somewhere in there as well.


Prediction - Seth Rollins retains

Odds at the Bookies

Ambrose/Reigns/??? - 12-1 (bWin)

The Wyatt Family - 1-6 (Paddy Power)

We've seen The Wyatt Family able to get the upperhand on Roman Reigns (and then Dean Ambrose) over the last few months, by simply adding a new member to the group. Part of me thinks that we could see that happen once again at Night of Champions. There's rumours of a Sister Abigail joining the group, although that isn't something I'm particular interested in seeing. In kayfabe, it's hard to look past the Family winning this one, thanks to the fact that they will almost certainly be more familiar with each other than whoever Reigns and Ambrose chose as their partner. WWE's strong push of Braun Strowman over the last month would suggest that we'll be seeing the Family picking up the win no matter what, or at the very least we'll see the big man very well protected in the six man.

Favourite Mystery Partners

Corbin - 5/2

The current bookies favourite. All to do with WWE supposedly spoiling things on their website, but I've only see screenshots (and I'd imagine most people have as well). I'm really hoping it's not Baron Corbin, because the guy just isn't very good. As replacement for Seth Rollins, Baron Corbin couldn't be further from fitting the bill

Bryan - 3

Can you imagine the pop if Bryan walked out as the third man? If his fit and ready, I can't think of a better choice. I'm hoping for Bryan but I'm not expecting it. A three man would be a good way to protect Bryan upon his return, but I'm not sure having to bump for the green Strowman would do him much good.

Rowan - 3

If it's Rowan that is the partner, then I've got a feeling we'll see a double swerve with Rowan rejoining the Wyatt Family to finish the match. Rowan's babyface run earlier in the year clearly didn't work and the last time we saw him he was partnering with Harper...so it really wouldn't make a whole lot of sense for him to come out as a babyface. But this is WWE...

Jericho - 4

He's been working a handful of house shows opposite Luke Harper over the last few months and he has unfinished business with Bray Wyatt after their feud last summer, so perhaps Chris Jericho could be the one to step up and join Ambrose and Reigns. He's someone who wouldn't be hurt by letting the Wyatt Family go over and would be more than able to bump around for Strowman. Jericho may be the best option out of the top four favourite guys.

Outsiders

Kane (6-1) has been off TV since Seth Rollins attacked him before Battleground, personally I think it would be a waste of his return pop by having him in this match. Cesaro (14-1) is someone who would fit into the Shield, style-wise, but WWE haven't exactly treated him like a star over the last few months. Randy Orton (14) would be a bit of a disappointment after it was teased he was the partner a few weeks ago and then go taken out by the Family. The Rock (14-1) would be a huge moment for the feud and play nicely into the theme of Family, whether WWE would decide not to announce The Rock's first match in over two years, I don't know. Samoa Joe (20-1), Brock Lesnar (33-1), Mark Henry (50-1) and Seth Rollins (50-1) are even more unlikely candidates.

Odds at the Bookies

Rollins - 9-1 (Unibet)

Cena - 1-12 (Skybet)

I'd be very surprised if we see Seth Rollins walk out with both titles and this match would seem to be the one that he is most likely to lose. The pair had a good match at SummerSlam until the finish, so I'm expecting that this could take the Match of the Night award, pretty easily. It will be interesting to see how Rollins is presented, as he wrestled almost as a babyface at SummerSlam, and with the gimmick of the night, he could easily end up garnering a lot of crowd support here. If that's not what WWE want they will have to be very careful in their booking of this one.


I'll throw this out there as well, what happens if Sheamus cashes in his Money in the Bank briefcase at the conclusion of this one? How will that effect the main event?


Prediction - Cena regains the United States Championship.

Odds at the Bookies

New Day - 10-1 (bWin)

Dudley Boyz - 1-5 (betfair)

How cool has it been to see The Dudley Boyz back in WWE? How cool has it been to watch The New Day recently? Both sides have looked motivated and have bought a new energy and focus to the tag team division, alongside the likes of The Prime Time Players and the Lucha Dragons. I'm surprised this bout wasn't made a tables match, simply because of the focus on the Dudleys using tables all the time. However, maybe we'll get to see a return match with that gimmick down the line. The Dudleys momentum would suggest they're winning the titles at Night of Champions, but I'd expect that we'll see some heel miscommunication that will cost the New Day their titles. 


Prediction - The Dudley Boyz win the WWE Tag Team Championships.

Odds at the Bookies

Neville & Lucha Dragons - 10-1 (bWin)

Stardust & The Ascension - 1-41 (bWin)

This Kick-Off match actually stands out more than a good portion of the regular PPV card. The new team of Stardust & The Ascension is an interesting one, with the trio all kind of floating around recently, trying to find something that sticks, there's an opportunity for them to become a good mid-card act if they are booked in the right direction. Neville and the Lucha Dragons have had some success since coming to the main roster at the end of March. There is talent here to make this an entertaining opening bout, if they are given the time to perform their best stuff. 


Prediction - Stardust & The Ascension win

Odds at the Bookies
Ryback - 10-1 (bwin)
Owens -  1-6 (betfair)


     Their programme hasn't exactly set the world on fire, mainly due to it being pretty stop and start. The two should be capable of working a decent bout, with Owens leading the contest. This needs to be a completely different bout from the matches Owens has had with Cena and Cesaro on PPV, as I don't think Ryback is capable of working that sort of style. This bout needs to heavily focused on the storytelling, and there's a real chance to have Owens working the big bad heel role in this one. Whether the crowd will accept Owens as a heel and Ryback at a babyface in this situation I'm not entirely sure. Owens winning the title may very well get a big face reaction..


Prediction - Owens wins the Intercontinental Championship

WWE PPV Record

Ziggler - 1-4 (betfair)

Rusev - 12-1 (bwin)

Couldn't care less about this match, if I'm honest with you. Ziggler and Rusev have had two matches on TV recently, first the double countout finish at SummerSlam and then a DQ finish on Monday Night RAW...so why is this another normal singles match? Obviously, the plans were heading towards the mixed tag team encounter and then Lana got injured. The strong soap opera style to the storyline hasn't been my cup of tea, and it's made me less interested about all four of the performers involved in the match. The bookies are convinced that Ziggler is going over here, but I'm not sure where that leaves the storyline (which doesn't feel like it's over) to go.


Prediction - Rusev wins

WWE PPV Record

Nikki - 8-1 (bwin)

Charlotte - 1-6 (betfair)

The reaction to Nikki becoming the longest reigning Diva's Champion in history was fantastic. Look all over the internet and people were furious. Of course, that's exactly what WWE wanted. Were they particularly bothered about AJ Lee holding the record, I'd guess not, did they know that it would win people up no end? Of course, they bloody did. Did I think the finish was particularly creative? Not really. But the rest of the match was, I thought the pair did a good job in between the ropes. There's an opportunity to put on a better match here. On the Kick-Off show I'd have both PCB and Team Bella banned from ringside and allow Nikki and Charlotte to put on the best possible bout that they could.


Prediction - Charlotte wins the Diva's Championship

Finally...

This PPV has a fair amount of intrigue from me, but it's more to do with the outcomes and potential surprises than it is about being interested in the match card that WWE has put together, if that even makes sense. I suppose what I mean is that I'm more looking forward to seeing how the matches play out, rather than thinking that the content of the matches will actually be that good. I've got a feeling that this PPV will end up being a much better watch live, than it will be when I watch it back on Blu-Ray a few months later.

WWE Fastlane 2015 Preview

It's the B Pay-Per-View to end all B Pay-Per-Views, WWE Fastlane! The anticipation is about as warm as Lucy Beale's body and you could cut the tension with a spoon. Hopefully this preview get's you a little bit more hyped for the show...but probably not.

Singles Match for the Number One Contendership to the WWE World Heavyweight Championship

Daniel Bryan vs. Roman Reigns

Norman Smiley ain't having any of Bryan's shit.

Head to Head Record - Bryan, 1 win. Reigns, 1 win.

In an attempt to garner some support for Roman Reigns, WWE put him in a storyline opposite the most popular babyface in the company. It's a risky decision...but it could pay off. Reigns and Bryan seem to have chemistry when opposite each other, as well as an odd-couple tag team as demonstrated on Smackdown last week and hopefully that will feed into their contest here. Reigns will need to put in a performance of his career to quell the "smart" fan uprising against Reigns that was seen during his Royal Rumble victory, if he's going to go over Bryan and head to WrestleMania. A dusty finish would almost seem like the easy option for WWE, having Bryan compete in the Triple threat at WrestleMania, whilst still allowing Reigns to win the title, by keeping that vocal section of the fanbase happy. 

Prediction - Roman Reigns wins, fans say Bryan "carried him".

Face to Face Confrontation

Triple H and Sting

Naitch forgot to flush again.

Face to Face confrontation. A confrontation that will happen face to face. Sting and Triple H will look at each other for the first time since...last month. LAST MONTH! FACE TO FACE CONFRONTATION! LAST MONTH! Triple Aitch will most likely pull out one of his long meandering promos, and reference the Monday Night Wars and such other things. Eventually Sting will arrive and there'll be some WrestleMania challenge thrown down. FACE TO FACE! CONFRONTATION! 

Prediction - There will be a FACE TO FACE CONFRONTATION!

Singles Match for the United States Championship

Rusev (C) vs. John Cena

Rusev have boo boo spot.

Head to Head Record - FIRST TIME MEETING

John Cena's spent most of the last month taking the piss out of Rusev's accent and Lana's breasts, because he's John Cena and can do what the fuck he likes. Suddenly being portrayed as the old man veteran of the roster, whilst Kane and Big Show whizz about like spring chickens, Cena has been having trouble with his eye as of late, so expect that to be a large focus of the match on Sunday. Rusev's proved he's best when given a good story to tell in the ring, see his SummerSlam bout with Jack Swagger, so Cena's eye injury and the fact that Cena is the first real threat to Rusev's undefeated streak should provide enough for these too to put on, at least, a decent match. Although, I wouldn't expect a squeaky clean finish just yet.

Prediction - Cena wins via Countout, Rusev retains the United States Championship.

Singles Match for the Intercontinental Championship

Bad News Barrett (C) vs. Dean Ambrose

Who knew Dean Ambrose was a Manchester United fan, eh?

Head to Head Record - Barrett, 1 win. Ambrose, 2 wins

When he's not engaging in bants on Twitter with Wayne Rooney, Bad News Barrett is loosley involved in a feud with Dean Ambrose over the Intercontinental Championship. Ambrose has become obsessed with joining the "Wall of Champions" in WWE HQ, seemingly forgetting that he held the United States Championship for almost a year.These two have the potential to put together a very good match indeed, with their brawling styles matching up nicely, whilst still being different enough to make an in-ring battle an interesting watch. Neither man can really afford to lose this one so close to WrestleMania, but Ambrose's failure to win a PPV match since the break up of The Shield means that it needs to the Lunatic Fringe who goes over here.

Prediction - Ambrose wins, to gain his first ever Intercontinental Championship.
 

Six Man Tag Team Match
Dolph Ziggler, Ryback & Erick Rowan vs. Seth Rollins, Big Show & Kane

 

Is Rowan checking out Ziggler's arse?

Head to Head Record - FIRST TIME MEETING

Nothing says "We have no idea what's going on?" more than a six man tag team match announced the day before the PPV! Essentially a rehash of the Survivor Series main event, with some loose build up on television over the last few weeks, but nothing particularly substantial. I guess there's the intrigue on the situation between Big Show and Kane, although I genuinelly couldn't care less about guy. Why have a Ziggler vs. Rollins match on Raw and then this match on Pay-Per-View? I'm sure the match will be watchable, six man tags usually are in WWE, but I just don't really understand why it's on PPV.

Prediction - Ziggler, Rowan and Ryback pick up the victory.

Tag Team Match for the Tag Team Championship.

The Usos (C) vs. Cesaro & Tyson Kidd

The return of Natalya's farting gimmick.

Head to Head Record - Usos, 1 win. Cesaro & Kidd, 1 win.

I have hope that this match is going to be an improvement on the build to this match. The Usos seem to be being pushed as a modern day Team Extreme with Naomi by their side, whilst Cesaro, Tyson Kidd and Natalya are involved in some kind of kinky three way of sorts. These teams can certainly string together an entertaining tag match, if given enough time, it would be nice to see this one go, at least, ten minutes. Hopefully the involvement of the Diva's is kept to a minimum, as whilst Natalya and Naomi may be two of the strongest on the roster, their involvement will almost certainly detract from what could be a physical tag team tussle. I'm not sure WWE is that invested in the Kidd and Cesaro tag team going forward following a mixed bag of luck of the past few months, so I can't really look past The Usos in here.

Prediction - The Usos retain the Tag Team Championship.

Singles Match for the Diva's Championship

Nikki Bella (C) vs. Paige

Nikki Bella cutting another incredible promo.

Head to Head Record - Nikki, 0 wins. Paige, 2 wins.

        Paige says she's an Anti-Diva, The Bella Twins say Paige isn't an Anti-Diva. That's the long and short of it, but at least they've had time to build up an actual feud. Nikki has improved slightly in-ring over the last year or so, but like all Diva's pay-per-view bouts this will be harmed by a lack of time and a lack of crowd investment. WrestleMania tends to feature the Diva's in some kind of multi-person fracase, so it doesn't really matter who wins here.

Prediction - Nikki Bella retains the Diva's Championship

Singles Match

Goldust vs. Stardust

Gold...always believe in your soul.

Head to Head Record - FIRST TIME MEETING

With Stardust finally turning on his brother on this week's Raw, thanks to Dusty Rhodes attempting to get involved in the pairs crumbling tag team. Personally, I was hoping we'd get to finally see these two go at it at WrestleMania, but hey ho, maybe we'll get a gimmick match at The Show of Shows? It's time for Stardust to cash in on all the promise we'd seen from him during his feud with The Authority in 2013 and break out of the shadow of his brother.

Prediction - Stardust wins.

Finally...

Whilst I wouldn't say I'm looking forward to Fastlane, there are a number of matches on the card that could prove sleeper hits. Barrett vs. Ambrose would be the standout amongst the possiblilities, due to the similar styles of the performers and the fact that the match could go either way. Many of the matches are dependent on the length of time they will recieve, so hopefully Sting and Triple H's confrontation is kept fairly concise to give the regular performers the best opportunity at putting on a good match. It's the last stop before WrestleMania, so hopefully we'll see a few twists and turns thrown into the PPV as well, with Seth Rollins, Kane and Dolph Ziggler all conspicious by their absence on this card.

Enjoy the PPV, look out for coverage on our Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, before our full review goes live on Monday.