WWE Great Balls of Fire 2017: Matches & Predictions

Ladies and gentleman, that WWE 2K17 dream match simulation you put together is coming true.

Two of Raw’s most dangerous competitors are going to tear the house down at Great Balls of Fire. The main event of this inaugural WWE PPV will be Universal Champion Brock Lesnar returning from a long hiatus to face Samoa Joe. This 1st-time meeting is one of the most interesting feuds to grace WWE TV in a long time. The undercard features a grudge match between Bray Wyatt and Seth Rollins, a Cruiserweight Championship bout between Neville and Akira Tozawa and a major Ambulance Match between Roman Reigns and Braun Strowman.

Now that the card for Great Balls of Fire is in place, it’s time to predict who’ll win and leave this new event as champion.

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Alexa Bliss (c) vs. Sasha Banks (WWE Raw Women’s Championship)

Predictions & Winner: Now that Miss Bliss has moved on from her horrendous feud with Bayley, she’s now set to take on Miss Banks. Sasha Banks fought tooth and nail to get that #1 Contendership role during a grueling Women’s Gauntlet Match. It’d be hard to fathom Banks falling to Bliss so soon after braving the dangers of such a tough match against the rest of Raw’s women’s roster. I’m going to go out on a limb here and pick Banks to be the one who finally puts an end to Bliss’ reign as the undisputed queen of Raw. This title change will truly blossom into a longtime feud that I predict resulting in back and forth title changes over the next few months (just picture something similar to the Charlotte vs. Sasha Banks storyline).

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Seth Rollins vs. Bray Wyatt

Predictions & Winner: I thought Bray’s victim of the month was going to be Finn Bálor, but it looks like Elias Sampson caught Finn’s attention instead. So now Bray has decided to try and terrorize Rollins instead. I have no issue with this new beef since Rollins is always ready to deliver a good to excellent match against whoever’s put against him. Bray has turned into damaged goods once again ever since he’s been moved to Raw (anyone else remember Bray’s WWE Championship reign? Seems like it happened ages ago). I think Bray’s gonna get another one of those pity wins he tends to get on a PPV against a big time opponent. Anyone’s who paid attention to Bray’s career knows he’s handed a big victory every now and then to make it appear like he’s still a contender. This is done just to mask the fact that he’s not as big of a player as he’s made out to be. So Bray gets the win, then I’m guessing he moves back to making Finn’s life a living hell.

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Neville (c) vs. Akira Tozawa (with Titus O’Neil and Apollo Crews) (WWE Cruiserweight Championship)

Predictions & Winner: The Titus Brand has added an international Superstar to its ensemble – Cruiserweight great, Akira Tozawa! Anyone’s who ever been up on Dragon Gate knows how cool Apollo Crews (the artist formerly known as Uhaa Nation) and Tozawa were and still are. So it’s a trip to see both men back together again under the WWE/Titus Brand banner. I thought Neville was going to drop the strap to Austin Aries during their past rematches, but it just wasn’t meant to be. You won’t hear any complaints from me about that because “The King of the Cruiserweights” is one of the best heels/champions on Raw. And to be quite honest with you all, Tozawa’s great but he’s a little too lower on the Cruiserweight totem pole. Which means Neville will do away with him without breaking much of a sweat.

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Enzo Amore vs. Big Cass

Predictions & Winner: I damn near cried myself to sleep when Owens turned the way he did on Jericho earlier this year. Imagine how heartbroken I was when Big Cass was revealed as the man who destroyed his own tag team partner backstage. Enzo’s reaction during that whole ordeal felt so real, plus his solo promo all about Cass’ betrayal was as amazing as I thought it would be. But let’s just point out the obvious here – Big Cass is the one who’s being primed for big things in the future. He’s a tall powerhouse who has a ton of upside on Raw, so picking him as the winner here is just a forgone conclusion. Enzo may get a few spirited offensive moments here and there during this match, but Cass is going walk all over him straight to a victory. I can totally see Cass continuing to assault Enzo after the final bell, leading to Big Show coming out to stop it from going on even further. Show vs. Cass at SummerSlam? Yep, that’s a safe bet.

Cesaro and Sheamus (c) vs. The Hardy Boyz (Jeff Hardy and Matt Hardy) (30-Minute Iron Man Match for the WWE Raw Tag Team Championship)

Predictions & Winners: A 30-MINUTE IRON MAN MATCH? Is anyone else burnt on on this feud or is it just me? The tag team division on Raw’s pretty anemic at the moment, which is why these two teams have been the focal point for so long. The matches between them haven’t been all that bad, but watching any combination of these men compete against each other is beyond stale at this point. I’m not sure I can stand to watch them go at it for 30-minutes straight, but whatever. Cesaro and Sheamus are going to retain here. And if the ongoing rumors about The Broken Hardys gimmick finally being usable by the WWE are true, then this loss will play a big part in forcing that dark change in Matt and Jeff.

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The Miz (c) (with Maryse, Bo Dallas and Curtis Axel) vs. Dean Ambrose (WWE Intercontinental Championship)

Predictions & Winner: Here’s another feud that has caused me to yawn every time they lock up. The Miz is even more entertaining now that he’s rolling with an entourage, but I think it’d be an even more fun act against someone other than the guy he beefed with on the other brand. I wish I cared about this title rematch, I really do. But I’m so ready for someone new to become The Miz’s foil. Maybe The Titus Brand can politic Apollo Crews into a #1 Contendership spot against The Miz. Oh wait, I was supposed to pick a winner for this match first. Miz. Just give it to The Miz. And for God’s sake, please get Dean Ambrose and The Miz far away from each other for a while.

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Roman Reigns vs. Braun Strowman (Ambulance Match)

Predictions & Winner: “I’M NOT FINISHED WITH YOU YET!” Braun Strowman has grown into one of the best acts on Raw. Watching him bulldoze guys and stay on Roman Reigns’ heels like a jilted lover is pure comedy at times. And it’s refreshing to see Roman Reigns tap into his cockier side more and get a lil bit heelish in his ways. Reigns as a tweener is just way more exciting to watch these days. Strowman vs. Reigns is the type of feud that I didn’t expect to love so much, but it’s quickly turned into one of the finest wrestling highlights for 2017. The Ambulance Match that was reportedly supposed to happen at Extreme Rules before Braun got injured is now happening here. Strowman’s been destroying Reigns more than anyone else has these days and I don’t see that trend coming to a close here. Strowman will get the win and possibly move on to the face the Universal Champion at Summerslam.

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Brock Lesnar (c) (with Paul Heyman) vs. Samoa Joe (WWE Universal Championship)

Predictions & Winner: Dreams do come true. Ever since I began following Samoa Joe since his ROH days, I’ve always imagined him going to war with Paul Heyman’s monstrous client. Now in the year 2017, we’re actually going to see a more seasoned Samoa Joe take on an even more dangerous Brock Lesnar. And this 1st-time matchup will be for Raw’s top prize – the Universal Championship. As soon as the bell rings, you should also expect to witness World War III erupt in the squared circle. Joe and Lesnar will exchange numerous strikes, suplexes and also take their clash to the outside. Joe will even take an F5 and kick out (this match needs an amazing near-fall and that’s the perfect one to go with). Joe will come ever so close to vanquishing Lesnar, but he’ll just come up short in the end. Lesnar will win here, but he’ll walk away a bruised and battered champion. This main event has to be a MOTY contender. His next challenger will be even more of a threat – BRAUN STROWMAN! Strowman vs. Lesnar at SummerSlam has me all giddy with excitement now that I’m picturing it.

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