WWE No Mercy 2016: B/R Expert Match Picks, Predictions and Analysis

Sunday's WWE No Mercy 2016 is days away, and this pay-per-view should give fans a clear glimpse into the future direction of SmackDown Live. 

As of Friday, here's the full card:

• Baron Corbin vs. Jack Swagger (Kickoff Match)
• Nikki Bella vs. Carmella
• The Miz (c) vs. Dolph Ziggler for the WWE Intercontinental Championship
• Heath Slater and Rhyno (c) vs. The Usos for the SmackDown Tag Team Championships
• Randy Orton vs. Bray Wyatt
• Becky Lynch (c) vs. Alexa Bliss for the SmackDown Women's Championship
• AJ Styles (c) vs. John Cena vs. Dean Ambrose for the WWE World Championship

Carried by Ambrose as champion, SmackDown excited fans with new titles for the tag team and women's divisions while also trumping Raw in storytelling. Utilizing Slater's search for a contract and The Miz's shoot on general manager Daniel Bryan, SmackDown has been refreshing compared to the status-quo angles on its Monday night rival. 

Now that the luster of the brand split and new titles has worn off, it's time for the creative team at SmackDown to look ahead. While Backlash was the culmination of those first few months, No Mercy needs to move these stories forward and develop the brand's identity.

Will WWE advance fresh faces over longtime Superstars—such as Carmella and Corbin going over Bella and Swagger, respectively? Will stories that have been built for months—such as Slater's championship run and Ziggler's redemption angle—come to abrupt ends at No Mercy?

And finally, who will be The Face That Runs the Place? Does WWE trust either Styles or Ambrose enough to lead the brand for the long haul, or will Cena once again hold the spot as the No. 1 guy in the company?

As always, Bleacher Report's crack team of experts is here to make sense of it all and forecast who will win at No Mercy. Let's meet the team. 

B/R Expert Panel Lineup

Bleacher Report's lineup answers the tough questions about the WWE landscape and provides predictions for each match on the WWE No Mercy 2016 card.

This team features the following:

• Anthony Mango (@ToeKneeManGo), founder of SmarkOutMoment.com and host of the podcast Smack Talk.
• Erik Beaston (@ErikBeaston).
• The Doctor Chris Mueller (@BR_Doctor).
• Ryan Dilbert (@ryandilbert), lead writer for @BR_WWE.
• Kevin Berge (@TheBerge_).
• Yours truly, James Moffat (@jamesmoffat).

It's time to tie up those laces and get ready to rumble. The predictions start now.

Baron Corbin vs. Jack Swagger (Kickoff Match)

Q: First, it was Kalisto; now it's Jack Swagger. Is Baron Corbin stuck in a rut, or is there just no place for him higher on the card?

CM: It’s a bit of both. It’s too early to have him chase the WWE title, and there is no room in the IC title picture for him right now. Because of his lack of options, he has been stuck in the same place for the past few months. He has potential, but unless WWE does something with him soon, he will be just another midcard heel going into 2017.

Match Prediction: Baron Corbin wins.

KB: Corbin is young and still developing. He should be battling with midcard stars for now. Swagger is a veteran who also has a lot to prove. The two men can help each other get better. Until the main event scene clears up a bit, Corbin is exactly where he needs to be. He just needs more TV time from week to week.

Match Prediction: Jack Swagger wins to continue this feud while also building himself up as a threat.

AM: This is WWE's fault, as he's steadily improved, and the only thing holding him back from getting to a more solidified midcarder role is consistency in his push. The stop-start programs just make people forget about him and reset everything back at square one, so he never has a chance to grow. If he and Swagger keep a steady feud going, he should be in serious contention for the Intercontinental Championship by WrestleMania.

Match Prediction: Baron Corbin lost on SmackDown, so he should win at No Mercy to compensate.

RD: There aren't a ton of options for Corbin as he climbs the SmackDown ladder right now, but a Swagger rivalry will be better than expected. Their bouts will be smashmouth, hoss-fight fun. And Corbin needs wins badly. Besting Swagger doesn't mean a ton, but it's light-years better than what Apollo Crews is up to.

Match Prediction: Corbin wins a surprisingly good contest.

EB: Baron Corbin is stuck in a rut, but he can fight his way out. Corbin is capable of being a main event star on SmackDown, but he needs to build momentum for himself. Being stuck in feuds with Kalisto and Swagger is not the way to do it. A few strong performances against Orton, Cena or Ambrose would elevate him instantly and increase his value on Tuesday nights.

Match Prediction: Baron Corbin.

JM: Simply put, he's stuck in a rut. There's no place to slot him, either in the main event or in the intercontinental title picture. So he's left to pick up the pieces against everyone else. Corbin's most likely immediate future is an IC title shot, but that would mean the heel would go up against a face in Dolph Ziggler, a story many fans just wanted to end. 

Match Prediction: After this week's SmackDown, typical 50-50 booking suggests a Baron Corbin win.

Nikki Bella vs. Carmella

Q: What’s more likely to have a bigger impact, either good or bad, on Carmella: a win or a loss?

CM: A win. She needs to build momentum as one of the newest members of the roster. If WWE wants to create a competitive women’s division on SmackDown, it needs to have more than two believable challengers.

Match Prediction: Carmella.

KB: Carmella has beaten Nikki Bella multiple times now, so I’m not wholly sure a win or a loss will hurt her much. Bella is the No. 2 woman on SmackDown, so she is expected to win this feud. Therefore, any wins Carmella can take will make a huge impact in her booking going forward.

Match Prediction: Bella takes some measure of revenge by winning.

AM: Thankfully, a loss for Carmella probably isn't going to hurt her all that much, but a win could turn some heads. If WWE has any intention to make her a credible threat to Becky Lynch's championship within the next three months or so, she should defeat Bella. Losing will only push her a minor step backward, but winning will be a huge deal in the long run.

Match Prediction: Bella has taken the beatings and lost in various ways, so she'll likely win this one to balance things out.

RD: Taking down the former Divas champ would help catapult the newcomer. It would announce Carmella as a serious player in the women's title picture. A loss would keep her where she is.

Match Prediction: Carmella.

EB: Carmella is going to lose Sunday night, and I cannot imagine that being a good thing. She has been built up to such a level as a heel that a loss to her main rival will kill her heat. Her entire journey through the villainous side of things has been predicated on beating the reality TV star. When she fails, what will be left for her?

Match Prediction: Nikki Bella.

JM: What does a win get Carmella? A shot at the women's championship? Probably not. The fact is that she's not over with the crowd in any way. A win would help her slightly, but not enough to move the needle. A loss would have the biggest impact, as it might result in The Princess of Staten Island becoming so obscure that she moves back to NXT. Depending on who you ask, that's either a blessing or a curse. 

Match Prediction: Nikki Bella.

Health Slater and Rhyno vs. the Usos (SmackDown Tag Team Championships)

Credit: WWE.com

Q: Has the novelty of Health Slater’s rags-to-riches story finally worn off?

CM: To some degree, yes. He was a lot of fun when he was trying to win a contract, but WWE has failed to keep featuring him prominently since winning the titles with Rhyno. His popularity skyrocketed, and WWE should keep him in the spotlight while he has a title around his waist.

Match Prediction: Slater and Rhyno retain, but The Usos may win by DQ or count-out.

KB: The problem is that everything tag team-related lately on SmackDown has revolved around the feud between The Usos and American Alpha. Slater has been a side event to the two teams with almost no real mic time since he got his new SmackDown contract. The novelty is still there, but it is being ignored, which is a shame.

Match Prediction: Heath Slater and Rhyno retain with timely assistance from American Alpha.

AM: Frankly, I would have been fine with Slater not winning the titles to begin with. He and Rhyno have sparked some chuckles, but there's no longevity to this. It's time to cut them off before it reaches a point where it gets annoying, which it thankfully hasn't reached yet, but it isn't too far off.

Match Prediction: The Usos need to win the belts.

RD: It has, but largely because WWE has neglected it since Backlash. The creativity of the storyline has waned, and Slater's screen time has shrunk. The company seems far more invested in selling the audience on The Usos as formidable villains.

Match Prediction: The Usos end Slater's Cinderella run.

EB: The novelty has not worn off, but SmackDown Creative’s interest appears to have. Instead of following up on his feel-good moment, it has allowed Slater and Rhyno to become a generic team with little to no definition. Instead of being the wacky, mismatched titleholders, they are just...there. I expect their whirlwind title reign to come to an end Sunday night.

Match Prediction: The Usos.

JM: This is what I was afraid of once Slater won the tag team championships. His story of trying to earn a contract was the best thing going on WWE programming for a while. Once he got the contract, he not only become an also-ran, but a low-brow comedy act as well. It's not enjoyable anymore. It's actually distracting from the tag team picture. 

Match Prediction: The Usos win.

The Miz vs. Dolph Ziggler (WWE Intercontinental Championship)

Q: It’s a retirement match, which raises the question: What is your favorite Win or Retire match of all time?

CM: Shawn Michaels vs. The Undertaker at WrestleMania XXVI. They proved that two guys who would normally be looked at as "over the hill" could steal the show with their skills and raw emotion. We all knew the result going into it, but it did not take anything away from how enjoyable it was.

Match Prediction: Dolph Ziggler wins.

KB: There are few matches, retirement or otherwise, that have ever been better than Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania XXVI, where HBK put his career on the line for one more shot at The Streak. It was one of the definitive matches in WrestleMania history, trumped perhaps only by their match at WrestleMania XXV.

Match Prediction: The Miz retains and never lets this win go, and Ziggler moves on from WWE.

AM: I feel like some love should be shown to the oldies with Mr. Perfect and Ric Flair and Randy Savage vs. Ultimate Warrior, but my go-to answer that first came to my mind is what most would probably consider an easy choice: Shawn Michaels vs. The Undertaker from WrestleMania XXVI, even though I prefer their match from the previous year. I'm sure others will vote for Ric Flair's from WrestleMania XXIV, but since he wrestled after that, it's tainted the match in retrospect for me.

Match Prediction: I'm a fan of both guys, but I don't want to see Dolph Ziggler go, so I'm holding out hope that a new champion is crowned and The Miz takes the loss.

RD: Shawn Michaels vs. Ric Flair at WrestleMania XXIV. Two of the greatest in-ring performers ever put on a work of art. Undertaker ending The Heartbreak Kid's career is the better match, but the sendoff for The Nature Boy hit me in the gut more. Nothing in wrestling has made me as emotional as a tearful Michaels telling Flair that night, “I'm sorry. I love you.”

Match Prediction: The Miz retires Ziggler.

EB: I’m gonna step outside of the box and say Marc Mero vs. Sable from Over the Edge 1998. People forget how outstanding a heel Mero was throughout the first half of that year. He was chauvinistic, controlling and intolerable. He was the most unlikable villain on WWE television because of his treatment of the lovely Sable. At Over the Edge, Mero challenged his former flame to find someone to fight on her behalf. Instead, she opted to fight. Apparently struck by her willingness to get out of her contract to him, Mero offered to lay down...only to dastardly roll Sable up and send her packing from WWE forever. Or two weeks because...wrestling rules.

Match Prediction: Dolph Ziggler.

JM: I'll probably be in the minority on this, but Ric Flair vs. Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania XXIV was the best such match. The sheer emotion that both men displayed throughout was heart-wrenching. Was it the best technical match? Not at all. But it told one of the best stories in a long time. 

Match Prediction: The Miz.

Bonus Question No. 1

Credit: WWE.com

Q: We mentioned this in our Clash of Champions expert panel for Raw, so it’s only fitting: Name the one SmackDown superstar (male or female) who would most benefit from a trade to Raw.

CM: Kalisto. Having him on SmackDown, away from the cruiserweight division, makes no sense.

KB: Kalisto seems to have disappeared on SmackDown and could easily make a splash on Raw. While Raw has avoided adding current roster talent to the cruiserweight division, Kalisto seems like the perfect performer to add some star power to the division. He could have classic lucha libre contests with Gran Metallik and Lince Dorado and add a known name to the top cruiserweight championship challengers.

AM: Although it's a non-issue at the moment, Kalisto's run with the United States Championship proved that he doesn't have what it takes to be a solid midcarder or anything above that. However, once he returns from injury, he could be an amazing asset to the cruiserweight division on Raw. Perhaps that is where his skills will shine and he can find a true home.

RD: Kalisto, once he's healthy. He would be more at home in the Raw cruiserweight division. As it stands, the only story WWE wants to tell with him is David vs. Goliath. Stellar performers who would mesh well with his style await him on Monday nights.

EB: The lack of depth on the heel side of things over on Raw would benefit Baron Corbin a great deal. The Lone Wolf is thriving on SmackDown, but he would excel as a high-midcard villain over on Raw, where only Rusev, Kevin Owens and Chris Jericho are perceived as elite bad guys.

JM: Kalisto would fit within the cruiserweight division, but I feel Apollo Crews could do more on Raw. He could easily slot into that brand's midcard, facing off against guys like Rusev, Cesaro, and Sami Zayn. 

Randy Orton vs. Bray Wyatt

Q: Are there any winners or losers in this feud, or is this just filler for two established veterans?

CM: I think this feud was designed to give both guys a push while they wait for something bigger, but in the end, neither man will suffer much from a loss or gain much from a win. The stakes should be higher, but at least both guys have made the storyline interesting to watch over the past few weeks, and WWE Creative has done a good job making it feel different from every other feud at the moment.

Match Prediction: Bray Wyatt wins.

KB: Wyatt needs to win this feud. Wyatt has not won a legitimate feud with any major performer in WWE beyond Dean Ambrose, and he has almost faced them all. In order for him to rise through the ranks on SmackDown, a lasting victory over Randy Orton is essential.

Match Prediction: Randy Orton wins to get some retribution on Wyatt for now.

AM: This is just filler, even if it's being glorified as more than that. WWE paired these two up because Wyatt was the next-best member of the roster not in the title picture, and when Orton beats him, it will offset his humiliation from Lesnar. The easier route would have just been not to make Orton look so weak, but here we are seeing a rematch from a Backlash match that never even transpired.

Match Prediction: None of this will matter for either man come the Royal Rumble, so flip a coin. If it lands on tails, Wyatt wins. If it lands on heads, so will Wyatt after an RKO, and it will be Orton who is victorious.

RD: Wyatt can emerge a clear winner, scoring the signature victory his resume has been lacking. The narrative may veer off into strange territory, but in the end it will come down to a younger predator devouring an older one. And Wyatt will make his move into world title contention because of it.

Match Prediction: Wyatt wins a weird one.

EB: The only way for there to be a legitimate winner in this one is for Wyatt to cleanly pin Orton and end their feud as the definitive winner. That will not happen.

Match Prediction: Randy Orton.

JM: The only real winners are the fans, as this should be a good match. As far as whether either Superstar involved will "win," that's unlikely. I don't see where either man can go after this. The world title picture is a logjam, and neither Superstar is likely to be slotted down to the intercontinental title scene. So it's a sit-back-and-enjoy-the-show kind of match because nothing will come from it. 

Match Prediction: Randy Orton wins because Bray Wyatt never does.

Becky Lynch vs. Alexa Bliss (SmackDown Women’s Championship)

Q: Fill in the blank: Bliss has __ percent chance to win the SmackDown Women’s Championship at No Mercy.

CM: I would say she has about a five percent chance. Officials may want to shock us with a title change, but Becky Lynch is being positioned as the top female talent on SmackDown, so she needs a good run with the title to keep her momentum going.

Match Prediction: Becky Lynch retains.

KB: 10 percent. I have a hard time imagining Becky Lynch losing her first championship defense on SmackDown, especially not to Alexa Bliss, who still has to develop before she’s ready to carry the torch. The match should be good, but it would take some real backstage shakeup for Lynch to fall at the first hurdle.

Match Prediction: Becky Lynch proves herself a worthy champion and retains.

AM: 25 percent. It's unlikely, but stranger things have happened. While that leaves a 75 percent chance Lynch retains, the bigger number would be the percentage of a chance that Bliss looks strong even in her loss, which I'd place at around 90 percent. These two should have a good match, and it will do Bliss many favors, but she won't be leaving with the championship. She'll have to settle for that belt she's been wearing to the ring instead.

Match Prediction: Becky Lynch retains the championship.

RD: 10 percent. It's early to have Lynch drop the title, and it would be surprising for WWE to push Bliss that high that fast. This will be a test for the NXT draftee and a chance for her to impress, but The Lass Kicker will reign for the rest of the year.

Match Prediction: Lynch.

EB: Zero, and that is OK. Lynch is the right champion for this division. Bliss may not leave No Mercy with the title, but if she can follow up last month’s Backlash performance with another strong showing, the Ohio native could find herself on the receiving end of a significant push.

Match Prediction: Becky Lynch.

JM: Zero percent chance. If SmackDown wanted to make a statement, it would have Bliss win this thing. That would cause chaos. But Lynch is the one who should go over. The question is who's next in line. That's the biggest question for this division moving forward: Can anyone separate from the pack?

Match Prediction: Becky Lynch retains.

John Cena vs. AJ Styles vs. Dean Ambrose (WWE World Championship)

Q: New question for a great main event: Book the ending that you’d like to see happen.

CM: Seeing as I think Cena’s 16th title win needs to be saved until a major event like WrestleMania, I would book this match to end with Ambrose screwing over Cena, only to end up losing the match to Styles. This way it sets up a singles feud between Cena and Ambrose while keeping the title on Styles and letting him move on to a new feud.

Match Prediction: Styles retains.

KB: This feud has been simple and straightforward, so I’d like to see the match finish be the same. Cena takes out Styles with an Attitude Adjustment, leaving him alone with Ambrose. Ambrose hits Cena with Dirty Deeds, but Styles returns to hit Ambrose with a Styles Clash and then pins Cena. This gives Ambrose an out for a final rematch at Survivor Series while keeping the title on Styles.

Match Prediction: Styles steals a win and retains.

AM: I think it's going to be a mistake that this Triple Threat happened so early, as SmackDown will burn through all of its interesting main event pairings long before the next draft. Months from now, we'll be seeing so many rematches that we won't be interested in. Ideally, this wouldn't even happen, but since it's going down, I'd like to see Styles retain the title after Ambrose does something heelish to Cena but opens himself up to Styles taking advantage of it in the process—such as doing a high-risk move where he gets injured. Then Styles can steal the pin and act like he deserves all the credit.

Match Prediction: Styles retains.

RD: Styles beats Cena with a figure-four leglock as Ric Flair roots him on from ringside.

Match Prediction: Styles retains; Cena's record-matching win comes on a bigger stage.

EB: Late in the match, a frustrated Ambrose grabs the WWE World Championship and blasts Cena in the face with it. That frustration costs him, though, as he allowed his emotions to get the best of him and has taken his eye off the proverbial ball. Styles seizes an opening and blasts Ambrose with the Phenomenal Forearm to retain. Styles keeps the belt, and an edgier Ambrose is teased, as is a feud with Cena.

Match Prediction: Styles retains.

JM: First, Tony Chimel needs to be the ring announcer for this match because I want to hear "Jooooohhhnnn Ceeeeeeeeeenna!" As for the match itself, it should be a straightforward affair. Ambrose and Styles work over Cena, who makes a furious but short-lived comeback toward the end. Cena hits Ambrose with a shot intended for Styles, who capitalizes and pins Cena. That would set up Ambrose vs. Cena moving forward and open Styles up for a new feud.

Match Prediction: Styles retains.  

Bonus Question No. 2

Credit: WWE.com

Q: As always, for our finale, who are you most disappointed is not on the pay-per-view card?

CM: I have to go with a tag team and say American Alpha. Chad Gable and Jason Jordan are gifted in the ring, but WWE has yet to push them to the level they deserve to be at. Hopefully they are the next contenders for the tag titles after The Usos finish their feud with Slater and Rhyno.

KB: What is WWE doing with American Alpha? It seems to be all-in on the duo, but it refuses to let them wreste on pay-per-views. First, they were written out with a kayfabe injury. Now they are just on the outside looking in. This is why I would have liked for their feud against The Usos to be separate from the title scene. It is a shame the great duo is not being represented.

AM: Assuming he doesn't face Curt Hawkins, it would be Apollo Crews. Just like Baron Corbin, this guy must have some sort of enemy who refuses to let him stay in the spotlight for more than a two-week span. Every time he does something of value, he's missing for an episode or two of SmackDown and comes back with nothing else on his plate. He deserves better than that, and if there's no confidence in his abilities, he should be shipped back down to NXT and replaced with someone else from that brand coming up to fill his spot.

RD: Breezango. Just as that team started to get some juice right after the draft, WWE has pushed it as far into the background as you can. The tag team division could use some depth, and Tyler Breeze and Fandango would be an entertaining alternative to the darker Usos. It's too bad they aren't in a feud worthy of a PPV spot.

EB: American Alpha not having a scheduled match on this show is a travesty. That the writing staff could not come up with something for it to do, be it a pre-show match against The Ascension or Vaudevillains, is disappointing. The silver lining? A high-profile tag team title feud with The Usos certain to carry the division for the remainder of the year.

JM: No American Alpha is a disappointment, but who's there to realistically face? Instead, I'll go with Apollo Crews. The man is so immensely talented that it's a crime he's being wasted. If anyone needs a pay-per-view win to build momentum, even over a low midcarder, it's Crews.