WWE Super Show Down - Match Card & Predictions
WWE’s trend of glorified house shows being aired on the WWE Network continues, as the worlds largest wrestling promotion brings us Super Show Down live from Melbourne, Australia! The pressure is on WWE to produce a stellar show, both for international exposure & for their declining viewer interest. With a fairly stellar match card, Win Column Sports gives their predictions!
The Panel
The Card
- Cruiserweight Championship - Cedric Alexander (c) vs. Buddy Murphy
- Asuka & Naomi vs. The IIconics
- Smackdown Tag Team Championship - The New Day (c) vs. The Bar
- Winner becomes #1 contender - Daniel Bryan vs. The Miz
- John Cena & Bobby Lashley vs. Kevin Owens & Elias
- Smackdown Women’s Championship - Becky Lynch (c) vs. Charlotte Flair
- Ronda Rousey & The Bella Twins vs. The Riott Squad
- WWE Championship - AJ Styles (c) vs. Samoa Joe - No DQ Match
- The Shield vs. Braun Strowman, Dolph Ziggler, & Drew McIntyre
- The Undertaker (w/ Kane) vs. Triple H (w/Shawn Michaels)
Predictions
Cruiserweight Championship - Cedric Alexander© vs. Buddy Murphy
Spencer: If Buddy didn’t take it from Cedric earlier, why would they make the switch here? I think Cedric continues his reign. Prediction: Cedric Alexander
Parker: Honestly, this is the only title I see switching hands. Make the Australians happy & reinvigorate the Cruiserweight division. I’ve been a fan of Cedric, but who can step up and challenge him if Murphy loses here? I’m not sure if I can see Itami or Rush yet. Plus, Murphy rules. Prediction: Buddy Murphy becomes the new Cruiserweight Champion
Hayden: Like Parker said, Murphy rules. This young man has an extremely bright future. Prior to coming to WWE, he was a mainstay of Australia’s independent circuit, and I expect a warm reaction for the kid. This should be his coronation. Cedric is as bulletproof as you can get on 205 Live. Give the title to Murphy. No harm done. Prediction: Buddy Murphy
Prince: Gotta have the Australian win in Australia right? Plus, if anyone is deserving of a title run, it’s Buddy Murphy. Prediction: Buddy Murphy
Asuka & Naomi vs. The IIconics
Spencer: Do you hear that? It’s the sound of Asuka’s momentum fading with the memory of WrestleMania 34. While the Asuka/Naomi pairing has been entertaining, I can’t help but feel that the Empress of Tomorrow has been given the short end of the stick since the Show of Shows. What do I see in an ideal world? I’d love to see Peyton Royce and Billie Kay pull off a major victory in their home country, subsequently followed by a massive Naomi beatdown, courtesy of Asuka. Prediction: The IIconics
Parker: An inconsequential tag match, barring an Asuka heel turn. Hometown team gets the win here. Prediction: The IIconics
Hayden: These young ladies have a bright future ahead of them. Prediction: The IIconics
Prince: As expressed by Spencer and Parker above, the IIconics should win and Asuka should turn heel. Prediction: The IIconics
Smackdown Tag Team Championship - The New Day © vs. The Bar
Spencer: I simply do not give a care. Prediction: The New Day retains
Parker: Sheamus and Cesaro have gotten the best of the New Day the last few weeks! How will the New Day overcome this? What is reverse momentum? Prediction: The New Day retains
Hayden: Gotta go with The Bar. These young men have a bright future ahead of them. Make the most of Sheamus and Cesaro while they’re around, and give a heel team some steam. Prediction: Da Bar
Prince: The babyface team has been beaten down by the heel team for a little while now. So how do the babyfaces overcome? THEY WIN THE ACTUAL MATCH. Like seriously, I wasn’t born yesterday WWE. Prediction: The New Day
#1 Contenders Match - Daniel Bryan vs. The Miz
Spencer: While many feel as though this feud doesn’t have the heat it should have, WWE has done an excellent job of slow-burning this feud. It’s a simple setup, but a match between the Miz and Daniel Bryan at WrestleMania for the WWE Championship is the direction that WWE should be going, and it should start with the Miz winning on Saturday. Prediction: the Miz
Parker: Give me Miz as Champ, and put Bryan where he does his best work - in chase mode. I do think Styles retains against Joe, so I see the heel win here. Like Spencer said, seeing Miz take on Styles works a lot better than seeing Miz take on Joe. I wouldn’t be the least bit upset about seeing Bryan win here (and that’s also very likely), but I think we see the Miz win a title on both Raw 25 and Smackdown 1000. Prediction: The Miz
Hayden: This is the toughest call for me. Both young men have bright futures ahead of them. Given Miz has won their previous two encounters, it would seem logical Bryan would have his comeuppance by both beating Miz and winning the title. However, Bryan will be Daniel Bryan regardless of the outcome, and this may be the best chance to slot Miz back in to the main-event scene. I’ve got to go with Bryan. Prediction: Daniel Bryan
Prince: Fully agree with Spencer and Parker. Bryan chasing the belt is the best story to tell and to have The Miz as the champion hes chasing? Whew. That will be something special at WrestleMania. Prediction: The Miz
John Cena & Bobby Lashley vs. Kevin Owens & Elias
Spencer: I will never pick Bobby Lashley to win anything, no matter how certain I am that he’s going to pin Elias. Prediction: Kevin Owens & Elias
Parker: Who could really use this more? The up and coming heels who got the most heat in years (go watch the Seattle segment)? Or the part time 16-time champ and one of the most protected babyfaces in WWE? I do enjoy the Lashley & Lio Rush partnership though. Prediction: The John Cena & Bobby Lashley
Hayden: I find it pretty stupid that the superstar WWE John Cena would fly allllll the way back to America from China, only to have to cross the Pacific again a week later. Though all 4 young men have bright futures ahead of them, I feel Cena’s stupidity will cost the Bobby Lashley and himself the match. Prediction: Kevin Owens and Elias
Prince: I would love to see Elias and KO sneak in the victory here, and have Bobby Lashley turn heel and beat the crap out of Cena. Gives Lashley a great feud to work with, and the pairing of himself and Lio could be even more entertaining as heels. Will it happen though? No, probably not. Prediction: John Cena & Bobby Lashley
Smackdown Women’s Championship - Becky Lynch© vs. Charlotte Flair
Spencer: The best damn feud in WWE, period. Don’t change a thing, World Wrestling Entertainment - including your current champion. Prediction: Becky Lynch retains
Parker: Do. Not. Have. This. Title. Change. Hands. Prediction: Becky Lynch makes Charlotte tap
Hayden: Another difficult match to predict. Both of these ladies are young, and have bright futures ahead of them. That said, I think Stone Cold Steve Austin will defeat Charlotte Flair, clean as a whistle. Prediction: Becky Lynch retains
Prince: Probably my favorite feud in WWE right now and might actually be my favorite women’s feuds of all time. Great booking, great segments, everything is just GREAT. Putting the title on Charlotte will ruin that greatness. Prediction: Becky Lynch
Ronda Rousey© & The Bella Twins vs. The Riott Squad
Spencer: Rumour has it that Nikki Bella is set to square off with Ronda Rousey at WWE Evolution. Do we begin to see WWE build to the match at Super Show Down? No, no they won’t. Prediction: Rousey & the Bellas
Parker: There is no way Rousey loses before Mania, even if you’re going to have Brie/Nikki take the pin. I just can’t see it. Prediction: Rousey & The Bellas win via Submission
Hayden: I don’t give a care. Despite the 6 of these ladies being incredibly talented and thus, having bright futures, I cannot get myself interested in the match. Maybe that speaks more for the storyline and level of talent involved in this match than anything (though Ruby Riott is a lot of fun.) Prediction: Rousey and the Bellas.
Prince: Seriously? The winners are quite clear. Prediction: Rousey & The Bellas
WWE Championship - AJ Styles© vs. Samoa Joe - No DQ Match
Spencer: Hasn’t this feud been absolutely excellent? Personally, I’d love to see Samoa Joseph as the WWE Champion; however, I believe that WWE plans on having the Miz win the championship at Smackdown 1000 next week, and the story would work much, much better with a babyface champion to take the title from. Prediction: AJ Styles
Parker: Joe always seems to recover after a loss. Seriously, does anyone think he’s lost momentum in the slighest? He’s been ahead of AJ at every turn so far, and I think that Styles changes that when he pins Joe. I’d love to see Samoa Joe hold the WWE Championship soon (who would’ve thought that sentence would ever be said a few years ago), but I think Styles retains here. Prediction: AJ Styles
Hayden: Joe will win the title after Styles moves to RAW. Both men have incredibly bright futures, Joe in particular. Regardless of the outcome, he’ll bounce back. Prediction: AJ Styles
Prince: As much as I would LOVE to see Joe win here, AJ will retain. Joe has had the upper hand in everything, so it only makes logical sense to have AJ beat him. Plus, as mentioned earlier, The Miz winning the WWE Championship only works if AJ is the champion. Prediction: AJ Styles
The Shield vs. Braun Strowman, Dolph Ziggler, & Drew McIntyre
Spencer: WWE has done an excellent job of teasing not only a turn from Dean Ambrose, but from Drew McIntrye as well. However, I don’t think that they’ll pull the trigger on any breakups on Saturday, especially with a marquee PPV in Survivor Series coming up within the next couple of months. If they’re going to execute a heel turn, I don’t see it happening for at least a couple of weeks. For now, Believe in the Shield. Prediction: the Shield
Parker: Very hot take alert, and it might rant. The Shield reunion has done one thing, and that’s prove their worth as singles stars. Seeing a whole show for the most part built around one major feud is boring. Not one Raw title is on the line on this show, and that’s ridiculous. I would much rather see The Universal Champion take on Braun one-on-one here, and either a tag rematch between the remaining four - or a Rollins IC match.
The initial shock of the Shield returning was awesome, but now momentum is completely gone. I would love to see Ambrose turn here to cost them the match, but I can’t see the Hounds of Justice losing here. Prediction: The Shield pins Ziggler.
Hayden: I mean… do you think the heels will beat 3 young men with incredibly bright futures? Come on. Prediction: The Shield
Prince: The Shield will win here, no doubt about it, but this match could result in some interesting future storylines. With all these teases about turns in this feud, I think WWE might give us a swerve in the near future…. Prediction: The Shield
The Undertaker (w/ Kane) vs. Triple H (w/Shawn Michaels)
Spencer: The best feud on RAW right now, bar none. Is it disappointing that WWE has been unable to build stars to this level that they rely on names like Mark Callaway and Paul Levesque to headline their major events? Absolutely. Is it still going to be cool as shit to see them all in the same ring again? You betcha. With a rumoured Taker/Michaels match potentially on the horizon, do we see the Heartbreak Kid get involved in this match? Methinks yes, he does. Prediction: Triple H w/ assistance from Shawn Michaels
Parker: I just really don’t want to see HBK wrestle again. However, this buildup has been solid, and it’s always a spectacle to see 3/4 of these man in WWE programming (sorry Kane). I am judging this as a glorified house show though, and when do heels really win there? Prediction: The Undertaker
Hayden: For years, a the IWC has debated whether or not the Superstars of the “New Era” stack up to those from the Federation Era or the Attitude Era. In my opinion, there is no debate to be had. The most notable absence of star power was felt when Demon Kane left following tendinitis in his left foot. The Demon Kane has had time to rehab, and is welcome addition to the RAW roster. The 4 men involved in this match are young, with bright futures, but the outcome has been glaringly apparent since the announcement of Kane and Shawn Michaels in the Undertaker and Triple H’s respective corners. I look for a clean win from Triple H, setting up a BoD vs. DX match in Saudi Arabia. Prediction: Triple H
Prince: There is the argument that WWE relies too much on older stars, and while this may be true, who tells a better story than these individuals? Great build, while the match itself will be alright. It will just be cool for the nostalgic factor, and I’m sure it will set up a HBK in - ring return. Expect a lot of antics to take place during this match. Prediction: The Undertaker