WWE Battleground predictions for all matches

Dolph Ziggler vs. Damien Sandow (pre-show) It’s unfortunate that these guys are on the pre-show, but this should still be a hell of a match. Both men have been on a losing streak lately, and the match could go either way. I’m going with the safe pick and saying Sandow will win, for the sole reason that Ziggler is in the WWE doghouse right now.

WWE Divas Championship: AJ Lee (Champion) vs. Brie Bella I really don’t care about this match at all, thanks to the involvement of the Bella Twins. With the current storyline that AJ wants to run through the entire cast of Total Divas and now has Tamina Snuka in her corner (who is finally getting a push, thankfully), I’m picking (and hoping) she retains the title here in dominant fashion.

Kofi Kingston vs. Bray Wyatt Just added this past Friday night, this could be a really solid outing, although the result is pretty much a foregone conclusion. While Kingston is in something of a mini-push right now, the Wyatt Family is one of the hottest acts in the entire company. Plus, Kane is returning soon, and Bray Wyatt is expected to resume his feud. Wouldn’t make much sense for him to lose to lower-tier star like Kingston before moving back into a feud with a semi-main eventer.

Intercontinental Championship: Curtis Axel (Champion) vs. R-Truth Truth doesn’t stand a chance here. Aside from a semi-fluke win over Axel this past Monday, Truth has been on a losing streak pretty much since his team with Kofi Kingston broke up. Although there is the smallest of chances CM Punk could cost Axel this match much the same way he did on Monday night, I think that’s too predictable, and Axel retaining the title makes more sense.

Cody and Dustin Rhodes vs. WWE Tag Team Champions Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins (non-title): If the Rhodes’ win, they get their jobs back; if the champs win, they remain fired and Dusty Rhodes loses his job as well Given the stipulations here, it seems pretty obvious that the Rhodes’ are winning this match. However, I think in the aftermath that somehow, a clause in the match contract will be revealed that only one of them gets their job back, with that going to Cody. WWE seems ready to finally push Cody into the main event, which is why he’s been such a big part of the current “power trip” storyline with Triple H and Stephanie McMahon.

Hardcore Match for the World Championship: Alberto Del Rio (Champion) vs. Rob Van Dam I’m going out on a limb in this one. After Battleground, RVD is expected to leave WWE for a few weeks, per his current contract (he works for 90 days, then gets a break for a few weeks before coming back for another 90 days), so here’s what I see happening: RVD wins the title from ADR, but a few minutes later, Damien Sandow comes down, assaults RVD with his MITB briefcase, who is already heavily worn down from the match, cashes in his case and pins RVD to win the title.

Rumor has it WWE is ready for Sandow to cash in and take the next step in his career, and after watching him on commentary on Smackdown this week, WWE really seems to be hinting at pulling the trigger.

WWE Championship: Daniel Bryan vs. Randy Orton We are pretty much guaranteed a new champion here, as the belt is vacant. Hard to say where WWE goes with this one, as Bryan and Orton are expected to have at least one more match at Hell in a Cell, possibly more given that current plans report they will feud up until the Royal Rumble.

I will go with Daniel Bryan, who then somehow gets screwed out of the belt the next night once more, but I also see the possibility of the match ending with a double count-out or double disqualification.

The original plans for the match indicated a Last Man Standing Match with neither guy making the 10-count. Although that stipulation is not in place here (it could be added just before the match, much like what happened at Wrestlemania XVII with Rock/Austin, though), a result in neither man winning is still possible, and would definitely help justify another rematch at HIAC.