WWE No Mercy 2016: Final Picks and Predictions for Entire Match Card
WWE No Mercy 2016 will be the 12th installment in the event's history, and it airs live tonight from the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California, at 8 p.m. ET.
AJ Styles will headline his second straight SmackDown pay-per-view with the deck stacked against him in a WWE World Championship Triple Threat match with John Cena and Dean Ambrose. Can he overcome the odds and maintain his possession of the prestigious prize?
In a blockbuster Intercontinental Championship match, Dolph Ziggler will receive one last shot at The Miz's IC title at No Mercy with his career on the line. Could The Showoff's WWE career come to an abrupt end at the event?
Randy Orton and Bray Wyatt will finally do battle after their Backlash bout was called off, and The Viper has vengeance on his mind. But will The Eater of Worlds' masterful mind games lead to him defeating his nemesis?
Prior to tonight's SmackDown-exclusive event, let's look at which Superstars will reign supreme and cement their spots on the blue brand, as these are the predictions that matter most.
Jack Swagger vs. Baron Corbin (Kickoff Match)
1 of 7
After not finding much success on Raw, Jack Swagger jumped ship to SmackDown Live at the start of September with the intent of making an immediate impact. He did just that by confronting Baron Corbin, who has been on an absolute tear in recent months.
When they did battle on the Oct. 4 edition of SmackDown, Swagger scored the victory via submission, though Corbin never technically tapped out. It appeared he was submitting when he was flailing his arms around, and as a result, a rematch was made official for No Mercy by SmackDown general manager Daniel Bryan.
Swagger has already received more airtime on SmackDown than he ever did on Raw, but he doesn't stand to benefit from this feud whatsoever. He has had his countless chances at stardom before and has fallen flat each time, whereas Corbin has plenty of untapped potential.
WWE hasn't done too much of note with Corbin since drafting him to the blue brand in July, but this program should keep him busy through the next month or so. Beyond that, he should continue to build momentum and march toward the main event scene.
But before he can do that, he must decisively defeat Swagger. Losing a second time to the former world heavyweight champion would solidify The Lone Wolf as an undercard competitor, which he doesn't deserve to be.
Prediction: Baron Corbin wins.
Nikki Bella vs. Carmella
2 of 7
Although Carmella's arrival on SmackDown signaled an influx of new blood in the women's division, she floundered without Enzo Amore and Big Cass by her side. She struggled to find her own identity before turning heel immediately after SummerSlam, which wound up being the best thing for her.
Carmella has thrived as a natural heel in the past two months and has had a fun feud with Nikki Bella. Speaking of whom, Bella has benefited from turning face and hasn't felt nearly as stagnant as she did at this time one year ago.
Moreover, it's great that the women's division can have multiple storylines that aren't over the title. The program has been built in a way that fans want to see Bella give Carmella her comeuppance, and the NXT alum has been elevated by the various victories she's scored lately.
That said, it isn't imperative The Princess of Staten Island beat Bella in their initial outing because she has been made to look fairly credible up to this point. A loss wouldn't hinder her momentum all that much, and she can always get her win back in their eventual rematch.
Additionally, with WWE currently pushing the premiere of Total Bellas, Bella seems destined for victory at No Mercy. Regardless of who wins, a No Disqualification match must be in their future.
Prediction: Nikki Bella wins.
Heath Slater and Rhyno vs. The Usos (SmackDown Tag Team Championships)
3 of 7
Heath Slater and Rhyno did the seemingly unthinkable when they joined forces and became the inaugural SmackDown tag team champions at last month's Backlash event. They beat The Usos in the finals of the tournament to claim the championships—but only after The Usos wrestled earlier in the evening to advance to that point.
Thus, they claimed their fatigue was what cost them the match that night and believe they can take the twin titles when it's a fair fight. The second-generation stars defeated American Alpha on the Sept. 20 edition of SmackDown to solidify their spots as the No. 1 contenders to the straps.
It appeared Raw had the stronger tag team division coming out of the WWE draft in July, but that has been far from the case so far. Slater and Rhyno have been an entertaining tandem, and The Usos have successfully rejuvenated their careers with their latest heel turn.
As fun of a run as Slater and Rhyno have had up to now, it wouldn't be surprising to see The Usos become three-time tag team champs on Sunday. As noted, they have been killing it lately, and putting the belts on them would put that much more heat on the act.
Then again, The Usos have a ready-made feud with American Alpha coming out of the event, a rivalry that doesn't need the tag titles to be special. Slater and Rhyno can continue their reign beyond No Mercy and maybe feud with The Vaudevillians or Breezango next.
Prediction: Heath Slater and Rhyno retain the SmackDown Tag Team Championships.
Becky Lynch vs. Alexa Bliss (SmackDown Women's Championship)
4 of 7
At Backlash, Becky Lynch inked her name into the record books by becoming the first-ever SmackDown women's champion in WWE history. But it didn't take long for a rookie on the rise to step up and challenge her for the belt: Alexa Bliss.
Bliss impressively won a Fatal 5-Way on the Sept. 13 edition of SmackDown to secure her shot at the strap at No Mercy, and she has been nothing but a thorn in the side of The Lass Kicker ever since. She has gotten the better of Lynch at every turn, beating her in tag team action and ambushing her from behind on several occasions.
Despite the hot streak Bliss has been on of late, it likely won't lead to her becoming a champion just yet—or at least it shouldn't. While there is little doubt that she will be holding championship gold down the road, it is still too early to take the title off Lynch.
Lynch is perfectly positioned as the leader of the division at the moment and should remain champion through the next few months. There are several more fresh feuds she can have before eventually dropping the championship, but that time should not be any time soon.
We have seen the fiery ladies exchange victories over the past two months, and each of their encounters has been entertaining. That said, their No Mercy match should be equally enjoyable.
Prediction: Becky Lynch retains the SmackDown Women's Championship.
Randy Orton vs. Bray Wyatt
5 of 7
For months, Bray Wyatt has had a weird obsession with Randy Orton and making his life as miserable as possible. The two have hardly come in contact since their feud first started. Instead, Orton has been too busy trying to track down his adversary backstage each week on SmackDown.
They were originally scheduled to face off at Backlash last month, but their contest was called off when Wyatt attacked Orton before the bout could happen. Come No Mercy, however, Orton will look to exact revenge on Wyatt when they finally go one-on-one.
It has been an interesting feud thus far, and their segments have held the crowd's attention, but it is difficult to buy into Wyatt as a legitimate threat to anyone at this point, let alone Orton. He has won a mere two matches in the past three months, an awful record for someone who is supposed to be a top guy.
WWE missed its chance to turn him babyface upon his return to TV several months ago, and he has been floundering as a result. A win over Orton would be a step in the right direction, but he will need a massive overhaul in order to be taken seriously again.
Orton is being primed for a WWE World Championship program with AJ Styles, so it is safe to assume he will win the rivalry. Wyatt could win their initial outing, but it is likelier Orton reigns supreme to hand Wyatt his latest loss.
Prediction: Randy Orton wins.
The Miz vs. Dolph Ziggler (Intercontinental Championship vs. Ziggler's Career)
6 of 7
The last few months have not been kind to Dolph Ziggler, with The Showoff suffering several losses on pay-per-view. Lately, he has been gunning for the Intercontinental Championship, but each time he has contended for the title, he has fallen short of victory due to The Miz resorting to underhanded tactics.
Miz agreed to put his gold up for grabs against Ziggler one last time at No Mercy under the condition that Ziggler must retire if he loses. The Showoff is more motivated than he has ever been to win when it matters most, but it remains to be seen whether that is enough to earn him his fifth intercontinental title.
Ziggler and Miz have had the best feud of any show for the past month, and anticipation is high heading into their latest encounter. Moreover, it is fairly unpredictable who will come out on top, which is great for a match with stakes as high as this one.
The story would seem to suggest that it will culminate in Ziggler finally capturing the championship, but it is also possible he could be on his way out of the company. And if he were to win the title, what then?
Since The Awesome One has been on the best roll of his career during his latest reign as intercontinental champion, he should be the one to win this match, but there is a feeling that Ziggler's career isn't ending, per Marc Middleton of Wrestling Inc.
Prediction: Dolph Ziggler wins the Intercontinental Championship.
AJ Styles vs. John Cena vs. Dean Ambrose (WWE World Championship)
7 of 7
Two days removed from his historic WWE World Championship victory at Backlash, AJ Styles was confronted by a returning John Cena, who hadn't been seen since losing to Styles at SummerSlam. Cena was immediately granted a shot at the strap at No Mercy along with Dean Ambrose following his loss of the title at the previous pay-per-view.
Cena has made it clear that he is determined to walk out of No Mercy as a 16-time world champion, and he could do so without even pinning Styles. Of course, that story is just starting to take shape, so there is no need to rush it by having him achieve the milestone on Sunday.
Meanwhile, losing the title might have been the best thing to happen to Ambrose. He is better in chase mode and has been cutting a number of great promos lately on the blue brand.
Ambrose is bound to be a heel before long, and while the turn may not necessarily occur at No Mercy, he and Cena should feud coming out of the event. That said, it is imperative The Phenomenal One retain his WWE title on Sunday.
Styles has done a tremendous job as champion thus far and should continue to reign as champion through the remainder of the year. Similar to Backlash, look for these three to contest a classic when they collide in this loaded Triple Threat match.
Prediction: AJ Styles retains the WWE World Championship.
Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, is a Digital Journalism major at Endicott College. Visit his website, Next Era Wrestling, and "like" his official Facebook page to continue the conversation on all things wrestling.
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