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John Cena, AJ Styles and Dean Ambrose battle for the WWE World Championship at ‘No Mercy.’ (WWE.com)
SmackDown Live‘s latest pay-per-view event is just days away. During the show, which will be broadcast live from Sacramento, California on the WWE Network, John Cena and Dean Ambrose both have their chance to steal the WWE World Championship away from AJ Styles. Plus, Becky Lynch must defend her Women’s Championship title for the first time, Dolph Ziggler may give his last WWE performance ever, and maybe – just maybe – Bray Wyatt will actually win a match.
So who is going to leave Sacramento a champion, and who will leave a loser? Will there be some significant title changes? Or will most of the current champions retain?
Ahead of the show, get in your predictions via the following polls for each match. Have strong opinions about who should win the matches, or any other thoughts on No Mercy? Let us know in the comments section below.
Jack Swagger vs. Baron Corbin
Jack Swagger will face Baron Corbin during the ‘No Mercy’ pre-show. (WWE.com)
During No Mercy‘s kickoff show, Jack Swagger will go up against Baron Corbin. This comes after Swagger suddenly shifted loyalties and made the switch from Raw to SmackDown a few weeks ago. He interrupted Baron Corbin during a recent episode of SmackDown Live, declaring that his Raw contract had expired and he would now be wrestling for the blue brand. Later, Swagger went up against Corbin and won, but the ending of that match was in dispute, as the referee thought Corbin was submitting when he really was reaching for the rope. It’s been a while since Swagger has done anything of much importance, but could he impress by taking down Corbin during this opening match? Or will most viewers use this as a pre-show snack break?
Nikki Bella vs Carmella
Nikki Bella will take on Carmella in a singles match at ‘No Mercy.’ (WWE.com)
Ever since Nikki Bella returned to SmackDown Live following her neck injury, she has been brutally assaulted by Carmella at random moments, including when she isn’t even in the ring. In one particularly contentious episode of Talking Smack, the SmackDown Live aftershow, Carmella came out of nowhere to beat up Nikki Bella while she was being interviewed. That feud continued at Backlash, and during the six-pack elimination challenge, Nikki Bella was eliminated by her nemesis, Carmella. So will Bella be able to defend herself and score a victory? Or will Carmela get the better of her?
Becky Lynch vs. Alexa Bliss
Becky Lynch must defend her Women’s Championship title against Alexa Bliss at ‘No Mercy.’ (WWE.com)
Next up, WWE Women’s Champion Becky Lynch has her first title defense after becoming champion at Backlash. She is the first person to ever hold this new title, and she’s not going to want to give it up after just one month. She especially won’t want to give it up to Alexa Bliss, but Bliss believes she has the skills to take the Irish Lass Kicker down a notch.
“I’ve watched her for years,” Bliss said in an episode of Talking Smack. “I saw her walk in on her first day at NXT. I know her weaknesses. I know her flaws…And I know how to counter pretty much everything that she can do.”
Many fans will of course want to see the fan-favorite Becky Lynch retain her title. But could the WWE be setting up a reign for Alexa Bliss, one of the most talented and charismatic heels in the company?
Heath Slater & Rhyno vs. The Usos
Heath Slater and Rhyno will face The Usos at ‘No Mercy.’ (WWE.com)
It’s been a month since Heath Slater and Rhyno, a.k.a. Beauty and the Man Beast, took home the SmackDown Tag Team Championship at Backlash, the feel-good ending we were all hoping for to a storyline in which Slater was denied success in increasingly hilarious ways. But how long is this reign going to last? Could the Usos be the ones to kick Slater back down to the bottom again? We know they’re quite vicious opponents; just ask Chad Gable, whose knee the Usos targeted and severely damaged during a recent SmackDown episode. Maybe Slater will continue to stumble into success with the help of Rhyno, or maybe his kids will be getting some pretty bad news this Sunday night.
If Dolph Ziggler loses his match against The Miz at ‘No Mercy,’ he must retire from the company. (WWE.com)
Although it’s not the main event, this match between Dolph Ziggler and The Miz is arguably the most high-stakes contest of the entire evening. That’s because Ziggler has put his career on the line; if he wins, he gets the Intercontinental Championship, but if he loses, he has to retire. Ziggler has had many title shots in recent weeks and has failed each time, leading to The Miz mocking him for being unable to achieve seemingly any goal. Most recently, Ziggler had a shot at the Intercontinental Championship at Backlash, but he came up short (although to be fair, that’s mainly because Maryse interfered). This No Mercy match is being pitched as the grand finale to this storyline and Ziggler’s one last shot at greatness. Where is the WWE going with this? Surely Ziggler can’t actually retire, right? Will he win clean and end The Miz’s “never-ending” Intercontinental Championship world tour? Will some sort of shenanigans occur? Or is Ziggler really leaving us?
Randy Orton vs. Bray Wyatt
Randy Orton will face Bray Wyatt at ‘No Mercy.’ (WWE.com)
This has been a bizarre feud to say the least. During the past several episodes of SmackDown Live, Bray Wyatt has been playing mind games with Randy Orton, including leading him down a bunch of spooky corridors only to surprise The Viper with a cardboard cutout of himself with no eyes. Then there was a weird moment when Orton sat down in Wyatt’s chair, only for the video feed to cut back to Wyatt sitting there like nothing happened. Talk about confusing. Either way, this match was actually supposed to happen at Backlash, but it had to be cancelled when Orton sustained a legitimate off-camera injury. So what does the company have planned this time? Even though Orton constantly declares himself a god, he actually very rarely wins any matches. Will he change that this Sunday? Or will we continue to ask why we should be intimidated by a guy who mostly just sits in a dimly lit room speaking in riddles?
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John Cena vs. AJ Styles vs. Dean Ambrose
The main event of ‘No Mercy’ will be a triple threat match between John Cena, AJ Styles and Dean Ambrose. (WWE.com)
No Mercy will conclude with this triple threat match between Dean Ambrose, John Cena and AJ Styles. After being defeated by Styles at SummerSlam and presumably giving up, John Cena finally returned in a recent episode of SmackDown, declaring that he’s finally ready to take back the title and become a 16-time champion. But Styles has proven himself to be a worthy opponent, putting his money where his mouth is when he defeated Dean Ambrose again in a recent SmackDown Live show. Ambrose also defeated John Cena not too long ago, so does Cena really still have what it takes? Can anyone take down AJ Styles? Or will AJ continue to be the face that runs the place, the champ that runs the camp, and so on?
