Wrestlemania 29 predictions: Part 2

Intercontinental Championship: Wade Barrett (Champion) vs. The Miz

I’m sorry, but no matter how much WWE shoves The Miz down my throat, I’m not buying him as a face (good guy). The fact is he’s not doing anything different as a face than when he was a heel, save for adding immature jokes to his schtick a la John Cena. And WWE can have him beat Antonio Cesaro and Wade Barrett in non-title matches, but I still don’t see him as a threat. Unfortunately, considering that WWE has been pointing out regularly that Miz has an undefeated streak at Wrestlemania (he’s 3-0 thus far), I have a feeling WWE may put the IC title on him here. It doesn’t make any sense, as Wade Barrett is far more deserving and needs to see his run as champion continue a little bit longer. Plus, Miz has been on a losing streak on PPV since turning face, so dropping another match to him makes Barrett look weak. Still, I think that’s what WWE has in mind, to the delight of mostly no one.

The Big Show, Randy Orton and Sheamus vs. The Shield (Dean Ambrose, Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins)

If WWE wants to continue to keep the Shield looking strong and as a dominant group, they need to win here. I realize they’re involved in a match with Orton, and he rarely ever loses (especially at ‘Mania), but if WWE can ignore that fact for a few minutes and do the right thing, they’ll have the Shield take victory. Considering that the group is only a few months old yet has been utterly dominant thus far, they need to continue on this path to keep them a legitimate threat. WWE doesn’t want to make the same mistake they did with Nexus and the Corre, especially since the three men in this group are three of the hottest properties WWE has brought to TV in a long time.

World Championship: Alberto Del Rio (Champion) vs. Jack Swagger

Much like Miz as a face, fans are having a hard time buying Swagger as a legitimate threat to the title, no matter how WWE pushes him. The fact is that Swagger went from not even being on TV for nearly a year to being the number-one contender, and that was after a lengthy losing streak, part of which saw him hiding in the shadow of Dolph Ziggler. I like Swagger as a worker, but this gimmick does nothing for me, and most fans see it for what it really is: nothing but cheap heat. I expect ADR to retain his title here and move onto another feud. Speaking of Ziggler, he will be the one who gets said feud and honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if he finally cashes in his briefcase at ‘Mania and becomes a 2-time World Champion. I think it will depend on the order of the matches, though. If the tag title match goes on before this, it’s a strong possibility. If not, Ziggler may wait a bit longer.