WWE Over the Limit 2012: Bold Predictions for Upcoming PPV

WrestleMania is well behind us now, but the WWE has done well to keep things fresh and interesting since then. The card for Over the Limit is already shaping up to be a good one. The follow-up effort to 'Mania was Extreme Rules and that was widely regarded as one of the best pay-per-views of the year, so the company will look to keep the positive momentum moving forward.

There have been plenty of surprises over the past couple months, including the returns of both Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman, and the creative team has done a nice job of keeping the fans guessing as of late. I fully expect that to continue at Over the Limit as there is the potential for several swerves to take place.

Here are three bold predictions for how things will play out at Over the Limit.

Brock Lesnar Will Return

Paul Heyman returned on Raw to announce that Brock Lesnar had quit the WWE after Triple H voided his contract, but there is reason to believe that Lesnar's absence will be short lived.

It's obvious that Lesnar "breaking" Triple H's arm and quitting the WWE is an angle to get him off television and save the limited appearances he has in his contract. The overwhelming majority still believe that Lesnar and Triple H will have a match at SummerSlam.

Lesnar only has to show up periodically between now and then with Heyman serving as his mouthpiece, but coming back at Over the Limit and interfering in the match between John Cena and John Laurinaitis would be a good way to utilize him. Since the storyline of Lesnar quitting just started, there aren't many who expect him to return any time soon, particularly as soon as Over the Limit.

I'm not exactly sure what they have in mind for the match between Cena and Laurinaitis, but it's obvious that some wacky things are going to take place. Lesnar was embarrassed by Cena at Extreme Rules as he lost the match despite turning in a dominant performance, so I expect him to return in order to get some measure of revenge.

John Laurinaitis Will Beat John Cena

It may be tough to envision John Laurinaitis coming out on top against John Cena at Over the Limit, but Cena winning seems a bit too obvious. The WWE has generally gone against the grain in its big matches as of late with The Rock beating Cena and Cena beating Lesnar. Taking that into consideration, I fully expect the creative team to throw a bit of a curveball by having Laurinaitis defeat Cena.

Laurinaitis obviously isn't going to beat Cena in a straight-up wrestling match, but he should have plenty of help. Laurinaitis is likely to add some stipulations to tilt the match in his favor, and he'll probably get plenty of help from Lord Tensai and Sakamoto.

I expect Cena will vanquish both Tensai and Sakamoto. However, just when it looks like he's about to finally give Laurinaitis what's coming to him, Lesnar will appear from out of nowhere.

I'm really not sure what the WWE is hoping to accomplish with this match, but having Cena lose might allow him to take a couple months off. It will also make Laurinaitis look a lot more powerful, just like when Vince McMahon used to prevail over "Stone Cold" Steve Austin.

Kharma Will Make Her Long-Awaited Return

For months, WWE fans have anticipated the return of the most destructive force that the Divas division has ever seen in Kharma. She burst onto the scene last year, but pregnancy forced her out of the spotlight until a surprise entry into the Royal Rumble.

Kharma hasn't been seen since, though, and the prevailing thought is that much of the delay has to do with emotional issues she has had stemming from her child being a stillborn.

Kharma has made mention of WWE quite often on Twitter as of late, though, and her name was even brought up at Extreme Rules. It is safe to think that she is nearing a return. Beth Phoenix chose to invoke her rematch clause for the Divas Championship against Layla at Over the Limit and it is the perfect opportunity for Kharma to come back.

I'm not anticipating a clean ending to the match whatsoever. Rather, Kharma will probably return and squash both Beth and Layla. The rumored plan is for Beth and Kharma to have a program against each other. Kharma's high-impact return can lead to her eventual win over Layla for the Divas Championship and allow Beth to challenge her because she didn't receive a fair rematch in the first place.