WWE Over the Limit 2012: Best Surprise Matches to Round Out PPV Card

With just five main-card matches announced for Sunday's Over the Limit pay-per-view, there is no question that a few matches will be added to the card without notice. While that is unfortunate in some respects, because they won't receive the build and hype that they deserve, it can also be a treat to see matches that you weren't expecting.

It has become a specialty of sorts for the WWE to include random matches on pay-per-view cards. Although many fans don't like, it appears as though it's going to continue for the foreseeable future. There are plenty of talented wrestlers who haven't been given an official match for Sunday yet, so it will be interesting to see who makes the card and who doesn't.

Here are the three best possibilities for surprise matches to round out Sunday's Over the Limit event.

Brodus Clay vs. Cody Rhodes

After Cody Rhodes regained the Intercontinental Championship from Big Show at Extreme Rules, it appeared as though there were big plans for him. The creative team made sure that he bounced back quickly from his loss at WrestleMania, but suddenly, he is nowhere to be found on the Over the Limit card. I realize that it has been said ad nauseum, but it is absolutely true that the Intercontinental Championship has been reduced to a prop because it is hardly ever defended anymore.

Hopefully the WWE comes to its senses and allows Rhodes to wrestle on Sunday. The roster of mid-card faces is a bit thin right now, but Brodus Clay would be a good opponent.

The result of the match hinges on the WWE's long-term plans for Clay. If they're ready to end his winning streak, then Rhodes would get a huge rub from beating him. Otherwise, they can give Brodus the disqualification or count out win so Rhodes doesn't lose the title.

Ryback vs. The Miz

Seeing as Ryback has scored wins over Derrick Bateman and Heath Slater in recent weeks, it looks as though he has moved on from squashing local jobbers. That means that the next step for him is to beat legitimate mid-card talent. As a fan of The Miz, this isn't exactly something I want to see. But he has been used very poorly, so he might as well be Ryback's next victim. Ryback could use a win over an established guy, and The Miz is definitely that. 

The former WWE Champion has been jobbing to Brodus Clay as of late, and with no end to his struggles in sight, Ryback could be next. I would expect Miz to come to the ring and cut a promo about how he is underutilized and demands to have a match. That will result in Ryback coming to the ring, much to The Miz's horror. The Miz would be given some offense in the match in an attempt to test Ryback, but it will ultimately end like all of Ryback's other matches: with the monster screaming "feed me more."

Lord Tensai vs. Santino Marella

The case of Lord Tensai is a curious one. Over the past month, he has defeated John Cena in a singles match, beaten CM Punk in a handicap match and helped John Laurinaitis decimate Cena. Despite all of that, Tensai wasn't even featured on Raw this past week, and he defeated Tyson Kidd on Superstars instead. It's tough to figure out what the point of doing that was, but perhaps the WWE brass is souring on Lord Tensai, since the WWE audience hasn't bought into the gimmick as quickly as previously hoped.

I still believe that Tensai can be a successful heel, though, and one way to get him over would be to put a title on him. It isn't as if Santino Marella is doing much with the United States Championship at the moment. So Tensai might as well beat him for it at Over the Limit. This would allow Tensai to get some added heat with the crowd, because he could desecrate the title and say that he hates the United States of America. Fans love to hate a turncoat, so that should work out well for Tensai.

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