The Rock vs. John Cena
All logical signs to point to John Cena winning this match: it's the classic "torch passing moment" (ala Hogan/Rock), and it's not like Rocky's sticking around after Wrestlemania anyway. Even if the match is in Miami, even if the crowd will be vehemently anti-Cena, you have to think the only logical finish is for Johnny Boy to win clean and have the Rock endorse him afterwards.
That being said, I could see the scenario I laid out on the A1 Podcast a few months ago come to bear - where Rock wins clean and Cena snaps afterwards. They've set the first part of my scenario up perfectly: Cena has been talking about how this match is everything to him, and how if he loses he has nothing. If you wanted to give in to the idea of having Cena turn on the fans, having him lose this match and then attack Rock the next night on RAW (to explain Rocky's absence) makes a whole lot of sense.
But in the end, for a million logical reasons, I think the smart money is on a clean John Cena victory.
Triple H vs. Undertaker (w/ special ref Shawn Michaels) -- Hell In A Cell
Unless the Undertaker has decided to retire and this is going to be his swan song, then there's no reason for Triple H to win here. Because for all the sturm and drang about Hunter as the future of the company, even he's smart enough to know that putting himself over Taker to end the streak isn't the message he wants to send. I suspect that Michaels will play a role but will ultimately not impact the decision, which is that Undertaker wins and HHH is carted out in a reversal of last year's finish.
CM Punk (WWE Champion) vs. Chris Jericho
So much of this finish depends on what Jericho's long-term plans are. If he's going to be around as a regular for the next six months, then it makes a lot of sense for him to win the title here and have Punk chase. If he's only around for the short-term, then I wouldn't bother putting the WWE title on a guy who's leaving as opposed to someone who they're clearly grooming to take over the Edge/perennial main-event-but-not-face-of-company role. But that being said, I expect Jericho to win when Punk makes a mistake to cost him the match, with the idea that Punk gets the title back at Extreme Rules.
Daniel Bryan (World Champion) vs. Sheamus
If Shaemus were more established as a top guy, I'd actually have Daniel Bryan win here just because he's so awesome in his current heel incarnation that there's probably six months more mileage out of him as champ. (you eventually have to beat him, but it doesn't have to be at WM) But I think Shaemus needs this match more - one of the mistakes the WWE did with Del Rio was give him the monster push with the Rumble win, and then beat him at WM. By the time ADR got the belt, he was just a guy instead of someone with momentum. Shaemus needs to win here to keep his momentum, and I'm going to go out on a limb and say that the WWE does the right thing and Shaemus wins clean.
Cody Rhodes (IC Champion) vs. Big Show
The build for this match is classic old-school - unredeemable heel taunts dominant babyface for weeks until he finally gets his comuppeance. I know
that the WWE likes to sometimes change finishes if they think we know what's going to happen, but this is the IC title and I can't imagine it matters all that match if Show wins or not. Now that being said, I can see this feud lasting past WM, so I'll pick the mild upset and say that Cody Rhodes, by some hook or crook, beats Big Show and retains.
Randy Orton vs. Kane
This match was clearly put on the card to give these guys something to do. I don't really care who wins, and I don't think most fans (Orton's opinions aside) care either. Kane is on the wrong side of his career and Orton is ostensibly one of the flagship guys for the WWE in the next five years, so I can't fathom any other finish than Orton winning clean.
Maria Menounos & Kelly Kelly vs. Beth Phoenix & Eve Torres
There's not a lot to this match, it's your random "give the women something to do" contest. It won't be good considering who's on the babyface side, and it'll be short, and if it's anything other than Maria & Kelly winning with Maria getting the fall, I'll be surprised.
Team Johnny (David Otunga, Drew McIntyre, The Miz, Dolph Ziggler, Jack Swagger & Mark Henry)
vs.
Team Teddy (Santino Marella (US Champion), Zack Ryder, Kofi Kingston, R-Truth, The Great Khali & Booker T)
This match has the potential to be a train wreck. There are some good workers in there, like Ziggler and Kofi, and I'm Mark Henry will split a few wigs. But for the most part this seems like a filler comedy match despite the allegedly high stakes. Unless Laurinitis doesn't want to do the TV thing anymore - which I can't imagine - I don't see any other finish than Team Johnny winning. But I'll add a bold prediction to the mix and suggest that someone on Team Teddy defects...and that guy will be Booker T.
