WWE over the Limit 2012: Breaking Down Every Main-Event Match on PPV

Although it is normally considered a throwaway pay-per-view that is meant as a bridge to more prominent events like Money in the Bank and SummerSlam, this year's Over the Limit card is shaping up to be a great one. There are three main-event-level matches currently in place and they promise to make for a highly entertaining show.

Both world title matches are of great interest and should feature plenty of great in-ring action, and while the match between John Cena and John Laurinaitis won't win any awards, the storyline is intriguing at the very least and there figures to be a lot going on. There are plenty of differing opinions as to how these matches will play out and that should result in an exciting night.

Here are my predictions for each of the top three matches at Over the Limit, complete with projected winners and how everything will come about.

John Cena vs. John Laurinaitis

There is definitely some question as to where the creative team might be going with this particular storyline, it's obvious that something crazy is going to happen during the match between John Cena and John Laurinaitis at Over the Limit. Laurinaitis surprised many when he announced that he would be Cena's opponent after attacking him with help from Lord Tensai and Sakamoto, and while the initial reaction may be that Cena is going to squash him, I doubt that will be the case.

There is no way that Laurinaitis is going to go one-on-one with Cena without a little help. Tensai and Sakamoto will probably help Laurinaitis throughout the match and Laurinaitis may even go so far as to make it a no-disqualification match so it's legal. With that said, though, Cena is likely to fight off Laurinaitis' help, but just as he is about to beat the general manager, I expect a return appearance from Brock Lesnar.

Paul Heyman announced on Monday that Lesnar had quit, but it's obvious that is not the case, so it would be fitting for Lesnar to come back at Over the Limit to get revenge for his loss at Extreme Rules, and that will lead to a win for Laurinaitis.

CM Punk vs. Daniel Bryan

In what figures to be the best-wrestled match of the night, CM Punk will defend his WWE championship against Daniel Bryan. Punk and Bryan may be the two best in-ring workers in the company today, and they have a long history of working together on the independent scene, so there's a lot to love about this match. It may seem like the feud was just thrown together, but Punk and Bryan have a natural chemistry that make it work.

Punk has held the title for several months, so some might think that a title change is on the horizon, but he has obviously done a great job with it and there isn't much reason to have him lose it just yet. Bryan's popularity has skyrocketed since WrestleMania and there is no doubt that he deserves to be in the main-event scene, but I don't see him transitioning straight from the World Heavyweight championship to the WWE championship.

I was surprised when AJ didn't interfere in Bryan's match against Sheamus at Extreme Rules, but since she is still clearly obsessed with him, I expect to see her at Over the Limit. The match should be an excellent one, but when it gets into the latter stages, AJ will come down and attempt to help Bryan by slapping Punk, but she'll either miss and hit Bryan, or the official will see it and disqualify Bryan.

Either way, Punk is going to retain the title.

Sheamus vs. Alberto Del Rio vs. Randy Orton vs. Chris Jericho

The initial World Heavyweight championship match between Sheamus and Alberto Del Rio would have been a good one, but with Randy Orton and Chris Jericho getting added to the bout on Monday, this one has the potential to steal the show. All four men can really go in the ring, so it's hard to imagine this being anything less than fantastic. There is, obviously, a lot that can happen in a Fatal Four-Way, but since Sheamus just won the title at WrestleMania, I suspect that he'll retain it.

There is going to be plenty of back-and-forth action and several near falls as well, but at some point late in the match, Orton and Jericho will somehow take each other out of the equation. Not only will this leave Sheamus alone with Del Rio, but it will also lead to a one-on-one feud between Orton and Jericho as many expect.

With Sheamus and Del Rio all by themselves, Sheamus will shrug off some interference by Ricardo Rodriguez and eventually hit the Brogue Kick for the win. I can't totally discount Sheamus losing, but since he is among the top faces in the company and has been booked as a dominant force, I'm pretty confident that he'll retain.