WWE WrestleMania 27 Odds: A Match-by-Match

Many people are saying that this year's Wrestlemania card is one of the weakest in recent years.  While I probably wouldn't argue with anyone on that matter, I still feel that most people are overlooking what is even more important than the structure of the card, the outcome.

I've always felt that trying to predict each match and playing through possible outcomes was more fun than just anxiously waiting for Wrestlemania to come.  There's an added level of importance that is placed on Wrestlemania that you don't get with most of the other Pay-Per-Views.  What happens at 'Mania can make or break superstars, change wrestling history, or create moments that you will never forget. 

Wrestlemania 27 will be no exception, so here is how I think that each match will go down, complete with each match's outcome, overall odds for winner and my prediction for match order..

United States Championship Match - Sheamus vs. Daniel Bryan: 

Personally, I think that Sheamus deserves better than a U.S. Title match.  (see my article here)  But there is potential for this to turn out to be a great match.

Daniel Bryan had a nice run with the United States Championship, but there was nothing really new for him to do with it, so WWE put the belt on Sheamus and gave Bryan a rematch at Wrestleania.  Common sense will tell you that there is no way that Sheamus will drop the title back to Bryan so quickly, and personally I feel that a loss would knock Sheamus out of the main event scene for a long time, hopefully WWE realizes this as well.

Prediction:  Expect a great back and forth match with several close submission attempts by Daniel Bryan.  But in the end, Sheamus will pull out the clean win with a Brougue Kick

Odds:  Sheamus 4:1

8-Man Tag Match - The Corre vs. Santino, Kozlov, Kane and Big Show:

Unfortunately, this match seems to have been thrown together at the very last minute, so it lacks the solid storyline and cohesion that almost every other match has.  Don't get me wrong, I like how Kane and Big show are tied together and have joined to take on The Corre, but why the heck has Kofi Kingston been left out?  Personally, I would have liked to see this broken down into two matches, the first being a Triple Threat Tag Team Title Match with Gabriel and Slater facing off against Kane/Big Show and Satino/Kozlov.  You could then have made a match between Kofi Kingston and Wade Barrett w/ Ezekiel Jackson which would have given Kofi the Wrestlemania exposure that he needs.  But that's just my idea.

The Corre is on a dominant run right now.  With both the Tag Team Championship and Intercontinental Championships controlled by its members, so I think it would be a bad move for WWE to put the good guys over.  Sure, Santino is funny, but how can we consider the Tag Team or Intercontinental Championships to be credible if the champions are being defeated by The Cobra?  However, I wouldn't be surprised to see WWE put the faces over for a pop.

Prediction:  Look for a rather short match, with the possibility that some members may not even see in-ring time.  The ending will come with a big bang when Ezekiel Jackson will take down either Kane or Big Show, giving The Corre the victory.

Odds:  The Corre 3:1

Mixed Tag Match - John Morrison, Trish Stratus and Snooki vs. Dolph Ziggler and Laycool

Now putting Snooki into a match may seem like a terrible idea, but there has definitely been worse celebrity matches.  Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Big Show was completely unbelievable, Akebono vs. Big Show was embarrassing, and Butterbean vs. Bart Gunn lasted 17 seconds.  This actually isn't that bad of a celebrity match and it has the potential to be a great match with the non-celebrity participants involved, considering that Snooki probably won't get very much in-ring time. 

It will be nice to see Trish Stratus in the ring again, and I'm glad Dolph Ziggler didn't stay away for very long, but he's been placed in a no-win situation.  There have been several teases of tension between LayCool, so we just might finally see things blow up.  Plus, if Wrestlemania has taught us anything about celebrity matches, it's that the celebrities always win.  With the combination of Snooki and Trish Stratus, I think this one is a lock.

Prediction:  Morrison and Ziggler do most of the work, Trish comes in and hits her spots for a huge pop, Vickie tries to get involved, but Snooki saves the day.

Odds:  Snooki and crew 6:1 

Rey Mysterio vs. Cody Rhodes:

I love how Cody Rhodes' character has grown in the last year.  Cody's "Dashing" gimmick has really set him apart from the other superstars.  I think that WWE has done a great job keeping Cody Rhodes interesting and relevant in the viewers' eyes.

Cody's feud with Rey has been great, starting with what seemed like a normal match, it has culminated in what could be a great short feud.  However, no matter the outcome, I think that this feud has the potential to continue over the next few months and I think that we will truly see the best in Cody Rhodes if it does.

Cody Rhodes will likely have the help of his father, "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes, but Rey Mysterio could always pull out the win, especially in a WWE that is geared toward the younger fans who love him so much.  The thing that it boils all down to is that Cody needs this win this to stay relevant, whereas Rey Mysterio will always be a fan favorite.  Still, it could really go either way.

Prediction:  Cody Rhodes comes out strong, but "the biggest underdog in the WWE" will turn the tables and hit the 619.  Dusty Rhodes gets his hands dirty and the match ends with some sort of shenanigans, but Cody still picks up the victory.

Odds:  Cody Rhodes 3:2

Randy Orton vs. CM Punk:

One of the matches that I am looking forward to the most, not because of the in-ring ability of the two superstars (Randy Orton has gotten quite boring if you ask me), but rather because CM Punk is, in my mind, the greatest heel in WWE.  Add the fact that Punk has almost nothing going for him in this match, except for his attack on Orton last Monday, I would love to see him pull out the victory.

Unfortunately, that may not be the case.  Randy Orton's popularity is growing faster than ever.  With the crowd behind him and his status moving closer and closer to babyface this is another one of those matches where WWE could put the good guy over even though it might not be the best move.

Both of these men are past, and future, World Champions, but I don't see either of them being placed into the title picture right after Wrestlemania, as I see The Miz and Cena (and possibly The Rock) holding onto that spot for the next two months or so.  What will likely happen is that this feud will continue, and hopefully we will see the growth off both Superstars, Punk as a great heel and Orton as a fan-favorite.

Prediction:  Both men dominate the match at times with near-falls aplenty.  In the end, we have no clear winner, either due to a draw, count-out, DQ or some retuning member (or members) of Nexus.

Odds:  Even

 No Holds Barred - Triple H vs. The Undertaker:

What can be said about this match that hasn't already been said?  Two legends standing toe-to-toe for the second time at Wrestlemania.  The streak vs. the only thing left for Triple H to accomplish.  Sounds great on paper, but knowing that it is Wrestlemania, it's really hard to get excited about this match.

What I hope happens is that we get a Shawn Michaels/Undertaker quality match.  Event though I knew Taker would win, HBK kept me on the edge of my seat the last two years.  I hope Triple H can do the same.

Prediction:  It's Wrestlemania and it's The Undertaker.  It may take a Chokeslam, Last Ride and a Tombstone Piledriver (or three) but there is no way that Taker walks out of this match with a blemish on his record.

Odds:  Undertaker 50:1

World Heavyweight Championship Match - Alberto Del Rio vs. Edge:

I may be in the minority, but I love Alberto Del Rio.  I was in the arena when he won the Royal Rumble and let me tell  you, the amount of heat he drew at the very end of the match was incredible.  He does his job as a heel, and he does it well.

Edge on the other hand, is a good fan-favorite, but he's getting stale as a World Champion.  He's the same Edge we've known for years, and Del Rio just seems more appealing as the World Heavyweight Champion at this time.  What Edge needs is to work with Christian, either with or against him, to help change things up a little bit. 

I wouldn't be surprised if after Wrestlemania we are treated to a Christian/Edge/Del Rio feud, which then leads to a Christian/Edge feud.  I don't think edge is going to be thrown out of the title picture yet, but I don't think he is going to be champion for very long.

Prediction:  Your typical heel vs face match that will unfortunately be placed to early on the card.  Del Rio does all he can to wear Edge down, working the arm throughout the entire match.  Del Rio is able to survive the Spear and both Christian and Brodus Clay get involved.  While their involvement doesn't lead to a disqualification, Christian somehow causes Edge to lose the Title and Alberto Del Rio fulfills his destiny to be the World Heavyweight Champion.

Odds:  Del Rio 7:2

Special Guest Referee Stone Cold - Jerry Lawler vs. Michael Cole w/ Jack Swagger:

Let me start by saying that when Michael Cole started turning heel, so to say, that I absolutely loved it.  Sure, there's been heel commentators before, but nobody received the heat that Cole could get jut by standing up and saying "Can I have your attention please?"  His feud with Daniel Bryan was unique and really stood out to the WWE Universe.

However, I am kind of getting sick of Cole.  It's not that I dislike the character that he is playing (or just acting like himself as some rumors have stated), but he's just become so damn repetitive week after week.  I also started to dislike him more when he began interupting the Diva's matches.  We all joke about how DIva's matches are sometimes terrible, but they are all very important members of the WWE roster and deserve to be treated like such.  Sure, it was probably a WWE creative move to have Cole interupt the Diva's match, but it only makes him look bad.

As for Jerry Lawler, he is a living legend.  My first memory from a live WWE event is yelling at Lawler, calling him "Burger King" and having him turn and tell me to shut up.  As a 7 or 8 year old kid, it really stuck with me, and Lawler has always remained someone who I have always paid attention to.  I'm truly happy that he is finally getting the match at Wrestlemania that he deserves.

A couple of things stand out that really make this match easier to predict now than when it was first announced.  Fisrt, having Stone Cold as the special guest referree instantly gives the advantage to the good guy, because why would Austin return only to swerve and turn heel?  It wouldn't make sense.  Secondly, with Cole's recent Twitter mishap, for which he received no punishment, I think that any shot he had of being put over went out the window, which is sort of unfortunate, because a Cole victory would generate serious hatred for him.

Prediction:  A relatively quick match with no real jaw dropping action.  Cole will somehow overpower Lawler with the help and training of Jack Swagger, likely locking in the Ankle Lock once or twice.  In the end, Stone Cold gets the last laugh with a Stunner and Lawler will top it off with a fist drop from the turnbuckle for the win.

Odds:  Jerry "The King" Lawler 10:1

WWE Championship Match - John Cena vs. The Miz:

For a Wrestlemania that has been criticized more than most in recent memory, this is one of the biggest matches in the last ten years.  Unquestionably one of, if not the biggest name from the Attitude Era, The Rock, and the PG era's golden boy, John Cena, will likely be in the ring at the same time.  The feud that has erupted between the two, including the war of words on Raw, Twitter and Facebook has fans of all ages eagerly awaiting.  But what about that other guy?

The WWE Champion, The Miz, has been quitely set on the back burner for the last month and a half.  Only in the past two weeks has he finally been brought back into the spotlight, but I feel that he is still being slighted.  He is the WWE Champion for God's sake.  The Miz is one of the best mic workers, and one of the best heels in recent memory.  With potentially 10-15 more good years left in him, The Miz is on a sure-fire track to the Hall Of Fame.

Now, maybe it's because I am a much bigger Miz fan than I am a fan of John Cena, but I think that there is way too much going on between The Rock and Cena for Cena to walk away as the WWE Champion.  I smell a Cena/Rock match coming up in the next Pay-Per-View or two, and I just can't see it being for the WWE Title.

Prediction:  The most back and forth match of the night.  The Rock gets involved as more than just the host of Wrestlemania, as a guest referee or special enforcer.  Cena looks to win the match with a superhero like Attitude Adjustment, but

Final Card Set-up