2018 marks WWE’s latest PPV globe trotting trek.
Back in April, the biggest wrestling federation in the US made the trip over to Saudi Arabia for the Greatest Royal Rumble. And come October 6, they’re off to the region dubbed “down under” for another major event. Australia is getting treated to a mega card packed with Hall of Fame talent and your favorite current Superstars. You can look forward to seeing The Undertaker, Triple H, The Shield, John Cena, and more competing at the first ever WWE Super Show-Down. There’s going to a lot of marquee bouts to look forward to for this major Australian special event.
There’s a lot of ground to cover for the inaugural WWE Super Show-Down PPV, so let’s get right into our preview and predictions for the announced match card.
Cedric Alexander (c) vs. Buddy Murphy (WWE Cruiserweight Championship)
WWE
Predictions & Winner: *looks up Buddy Murphy’s birthplace* Welp…WE’RE GETTIN’ A NEW CRUISERWEIGHT CHAMPION, FOLKS! If there ever was a perfect opportunity to finally crown Buddy Murphy as the new champ of 205 Live, it’s most definitely this one. Ever since Murphy migrated from NXT to the all-Cruiserweight show, he’s blossomed into one of its most standout performers. Cedric Alexander has done an admirable job as champ – his title defenses against the likes of Mustafa Ali, Hideo Itami, and Drew Gulak have yielded top-notch performances.
But I reckon that Alexander’s reign is coming to a close here. Not only does Murphy hail from Australia and deserve the big hometown victory, his stature on 205 Live makes him even more worthy of such an honor. Alexander and Murphy will give the live crowd a match to remember. And once it reaches its epic conclusion, Murphy will finally overcome Alexander and take his spot as the definitive top star on 205 Live. Australia’s very own Buddy Murphy is finally winning the big one!
The New Day (Big E, Kofi Kingston and/or Xavier Woods) (c) vs. Cesaro and Sheamus (WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship)
WWE
Predictions & Winners: So Cesaro and Sheamus are back in the tag team title picture for a major international event. When The Bar were feuding with “Woken” Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt a few months back, they clashed at the Greatest Royal Rumble. Their Raw Tag Team Championship bid was a failure, however. Now that both men have been traded over to SD Live, they now find themselves going head to head with the Blue Brand’s tag team title holders.
This match has a high possibility of stealing the show. The New Day are just a master class in tag team wrestling and have proven that they can have a good match with any and all duos. They even gave the Bludgeon Brothers their best match, for God’s sake! So I know and you all know that they’re more than capable of putting on a show with the excellency that is The Bar. I’m already envisioning Cesaro and Sheamus playing the role of the defeated here like they did at the Greatest Royal Rumble, however. The New Day shall prevail!
Becky Lynch (c) vs. Charlotte Flair (WWE SmackDown Women’s Championship)
WWE
Predictions & Winner: Becky finally realized her dream of recapturing the WWE SmackDown Women’s Championship. After shedding her happy go lucky nature and embracing her more volatile side, she developed a mean streak that pushed her towards championship glory. Now Charlotte is on the challenger’s side of things as she gets into a rematch with her former best friend.
I’m expecting Becky and Charlotte to get plenty of time to compete here. Since the women’s portion of the roster were unable to compete at the Greatest Royal Rumble, most of them have a chip on their shoulder. I’m sure Becky and Charlotte will go above and beyond the call of duty during their international title bout. Becky just got her hands on the SmackDown Women’s Championship, so a loss to Charlotte shouldn’t be expected here. Becky’s retaining and going on to Evolution to defend her title, while Charlotte will probably lock up with a past women’s division legend.
John Cena and Bobby Lashley vs. Kevin Owens and Elias
WWE
Predictions & Winners: A lot of WWE fans referred to the Greatest Royal Rumble as a glorified house show. And I tend to agree. WWE Super Show-Down looks to be heading along that same route when it comes to wrestling show descriptions. This tag team match is all the proof in the pudding you’ll need for that sentiment.
This “Superstar babyface duo vs mid-card heel team” is the type of match you should be used to witnessing at an MSG house show. This one’s easy to predict, folks – Cena and Lashley are going to simply thrash Owens and Elias for the easy win. Gotta send those Australian fans home happy with a big Cena victory, right? Right.
Asuka and Naomi vs. The IIconics (Billie Kay and Peyton Royce)
WWE
Predictions & Winners: Sigh…oh Asuka. She’s another case of an NXT main-roster callup who’s been given the dirt worst treatment ever since she switched to SD Live. Watching a less talented “performer” like Carmella hand Asuka loss after loss was pure torture. And it’s even more disappointing to see her in a less prominent position within the Blue Brand’s women’s division. I never thought I’d see her competing in a tag team match like this one, but here we are.
So Naomi’s been having issues with the “Mean Girls Club” of WWE, Billie Kay and Peyton Royce. In a shocking turn of events, Asuka ended up being the one coming out to back Naomi during a heated exchange between her and The IIconics. Weird, I know. So because of all of that, we’re getting the random pairing of Asuka and Naomi against Australia’s home country heroines. Just like Buddy Murphy, I see the crowd being super hot for Kay and Royce. And I get the feeling that WWE will do The Iiconics a favor by giving them the big win in front of their Australian brethren.
Ronda Rousey and The Bella Twins (Nikki Bella and Brie Bella) vs. The Riott Squad (Ruby Riott, Liv Morgan, and Sarah Logan) (6-Woman Tag Team Match)
WWE
Predictions & Winners: If you would have told me that Ronda Rousey would end up in a tag team match with The Bella Twins as her partners, I would have laughed in your face and KO’d you with a Kinshasa. Truth is stranger than fiction these days, especially in the world of professional wrestling. Rousey, Nikki Bella, and Brie Bella are all buddy buddy as the super babyface trio. I understand WWE’s reasoning for booking this – Rousey’s mainstream appeal coupled with that of The Bella Twins is a surefire way to garner extra media coverage of this event.
Just by looking at who they’re booked against, it’s pretty evident that Rousey and The Bella Twins are winning here. Sure, The Riott Squad won’t go down so easily. This one will go back and forth for a good amount of time. Rousey and Ruby Riott are clearly the most talented of the bunch, so this match will probably be more entertaining than your usual throwaway 6-woman tag. But we all know how this one’s going to end – with Rousey and The Bella Twins having their hands raised high as the ultimate victors.
The Shield (Dean Ambrose, Roman Reigns, and Seth Rollins) vs. Braun Strowman, Dolph Ziggler, and Drew McIntyre (6-Man Tag Team Match)
WWE
Predictions & Winners: So I figured that WWE would blow everyone’s minds and give us a Wyatt Family reunion for this 6-man tag. Strowman obviously needs backup in order to combat the threat of The Shield. Bray Wyatt’s strange union with “Woken” Matt Hardy has come to an end. Plus Luke Harper’s been left to fend for himself due to an injury sustained by his Bludgeon Brothers brethren. Booking The Shield vs. The Wyatt Family for this event would have been something special. But this bout is sticking to featuring nothing but Raw Superstars. Which isn’t a bad thing at all considering the talent being placed in the spotlight.
Rollins’ summer opposition have chosen to partner up with Strowman and offer him the aid he needs. Because of that storyline development, I’m very much looking forward to this match. The crowd will be pretty hot for this encounter, even more so since it’s taking place in an international setting. Expect plenty of hot tags, strongman feats by Strowman, slick offense by Ziggler, impactful maneuvers handed out by McIntyre, and efficient teamwork from The Shield. This big PPV return bout for the trio of Dean Ambrose, Roman Reigns, and Seth Rollins will conclude with them all claiming victory.
Daniel Bryan vs. The Miz (#1 Contendership Match for the WWE Championship)
WWE
Predictions & Winner: I’m happy to see this major 2018 feud continue after an amazing matchup at SummerSlam. Daniel Bryan and The Miz have developed an intense hatred for each other ever since their NXT Season One paring in 2010. Miz got the first singles victory in their revisited beef, so it makes all the sense in the world for both men to meet up for a second meeting.
And this time, the stakes have been raised a lot higher – whoever walks away from this match with the win will be crowned as the new #1 contender for the WWE Championship. I think that honor will be going to Daniel Bryan. But I foresee Bryan getting involved in a hard-fought matchup against the current WWE Championship holder, only to lose that match due to Miz’s outside interference. Their feud will continue and be brought over to Survivor Series for a Traditional Survivor Series Match. But before we get to all that, Bryan and Miz are going to put on another classic “down under.”
The Undertaker (with Kane) vs. Triple H (with Shawn Michaels)
WWE
Predictions & Winner: I…don’t want to see this match. Now you all know that this bout won’t even surpass or equal the PPV clashes ‘Taker and HHH had at WrestleMania X-7, 27, and 28. And after seeing ‘Taker’s in-ring work at the Greatest Royal Rumble against Rusev, I’m not too excited about watching the Deadman slog through another PPV matchup. Yeah, he looked decent at ‘Mania 34 against Cena.
But that was because that match was basically a squash segment that let ‘Taker do his greatest hits routine and leave on a high note. HHH and ‘Taker will do just that here – they’ll play to the crowd and give them a rendition of the best stuff they’ve ever done in the past. Don’t be surprised to see Kane and HBK get into some mid-match interference shenanigans along the way. ‘Taker’s a special attraction that fans rarely get to see, so expect to see him lay HHH to rest and give the Australian fans the once-in-a-lifetime appearance they deserve. I get the feeling that ‘Taker’s ‘Mania 35 plans are already being put into motion…
AJ Styles (c) vs. Samoa Joe (WWE Championship)
WWE
Predictions & Winner: AJ Styles vs. Samoa Joe: Best WWE feud of 2018? It’s certainly in the running. Joe has gone too far by constantly berating AJ and his family. AJ’s rage has caused him to act out of character and put his WWE Championship reign in jeopardy. I’m here for the disrespect and violent brawls between two of SD Live’s best Superstars. The war between AJ and Joe is so big, it’s taking center stage in a whole ‘nother country. The WWE Championship will be up for grabs in good ol’ Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
With shows such as this one, it should never shock anyone when the babyface goes over. If you watched the entirety of the Greatest Royal Rumble, you know exactly what I mean. This is the type of match that would headline numerous house shows before it took place at the next PPV. I know AJ and Joe will stick to the high standards set by their previous bouts. Due to the the finish of their HIAC match, I think we’re getting a definitive ending to the feud as a whole and this match here. And once it reaches its conclusion, I envision AJ being the one who’s waist will still be adorned by the WWE Championship.