No Mercy returns to WWE for the first time since 2008 as a SmackDown-specific show on Sunday night ...
WWE will run its No Mercy special on WWE Network Sunday night, amidst heavy competition from the NFL and a presidential debate. Who would have figured that pro wrestling would be the most sophisticated thing on television Sunday night?
No Mercy will be SmackDown's second brand-specific show on the network. It also represents the return of the No Mercy brand, which was a regular pay-per-view for WWE until it was shelved in 2008. The last installment of No Mercy was headlined by Chris Jericho against Shawn Michaels in a ladder match for the WWE World Hvt. Championship.
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1. Jack Swagger vs. Baron Corbin
Corgin still has more stock on the roster than Swagger, and Corbin has the potential for a big future. He's been botched a little bit, from a booking standpoint, but this could be the first big win for him on a path back to upper-midcard status.
Prediction: Baron Corbin
2. Nikki Bella vs. Carmella
Bella has been used really well since her return to television, helping put over some of WWE's younger talent in that women's division on the SmackDown side. From a prestige standpoint, Bella gets an easy win here, but something tells me that she's on board building some new stars in that division and this could be a statement win for Carmella, over someone WWE has protected really well over the past few years.
Winner: Carmella
3. Randy Orton vs. Bray Wyatt
Orton needs a win over someone established, especially after the beating he took at SummerSlam. I expect Wyatt to look strong in this match, and certainly competitive, but at the end of the night I think Orton needs a win here more than Wyatt does, and it's probably easier to protect Wyatt in a loss than it is Orton, who was so visibly dominated only a little more than one month ago.
Winner: Randy Orton
4. Dolph Ziggler vs. The Miz for the Intercontinental Title
The stipulation here is that Ziggler will be forced to retire if he doesn't beat Miz for the title. Considering that Ziggler, as far as we know, is under a contract and recently signed an extension, it would lead us to believe that he gets a win here over the Miz, who has been very good as champion. No matter what happens here, I just hope that they give Miz something to do that's worthwhile, because he has really started to gain some traction as a heel during this IC run, particularly the stuff he did with Ambrose.
Winner: Dolph Ziggler
5. The Usos vs. Heath Slater & Rhyno for the Tag Titles
WWE never expected Slater to get over the way that he did, and giving him a run with the tag titles was a nice reward. But I don't think Slater is in WWE's long-term plans, and the Usos as heels definitely are.
Winner: The Usos
6. Becky Lynch vs. Alex Bliss for teh Women's Title
This is the biggest lock on the show, as far as I'm concerned. There's just no way that WWE has Bliss walk out of No Mercy with the women's title. In some ways, this showcases the real lack of depth in the division on the SmackDown side. If Bella remains out of the title picture, this title picture should really only focus on Becky and Natalya.
Winner: Becky Lynch
7. AJ Styles vs. John Cena vs. Deam Ambrose for the WWE Title
Winner: WWE has been playing up John Cena as a potential 16-time champion, and that would certainly be a big deal. In some cases, WWE wouldn't draw attention to something like this unless their plan was to put the title on Cena. However, with Cena's schedule somewhat limited, and rumors he might be in line for more television work, it might not be the wisest move to put the title on Cena right now.
That being said, he certainly would "do the right thing" if he came down to that. He's a company man. And playing devil's advocate, maybe WWE would want Cena making these media rounds as "WWE Champion."
But people still associate Cena with WWE, and it's not like he needs to be champion for that cross-promotion to work. WWE should be more concerned with their live event attendance, and if Cena can't make all of the shots, keeping the title on Styles is the right move, so he can feud with Ambrose for the belt on house shows.
Winner: AJ Styles