They Rise Only To Fall

*EDITORS NOTE - dont miss the season premier of #LoWdown on Wednesday at 6pm est*

Missing the Boat...much like those dwarves did in the second installment of the Hobbit.

WWE missed the boat when it came to the debut of the Ascension. The Ascension while they were in NXT was the team to beat. They held the NXT Tag Titles for 364 days. In all outings I saw them in they were booked to be pretty much unbeatable; chewing through their opponents like a meat grinder working on a prime cut of beef.  (I will point out that I am talking about the current incarnation of the Ascension – Connor (aka Conor O’Brian) and Viktor (aka Rick Victor); not all that original but hey...). Their coup de grace was the Fall of Man which consists of a leg sweep from Connor and a Jumping European uppercut from Viktor. And as that 364 day reign would indicate...many men fell to the Fall of Man; so in a word it is effective. There were those in the IWC who were chomping at the bit to see the Ascension move up from NXT to the main roster of WWE; I was one of those people. I was interested to see what would happen with them. But like the saying goes...be careful what you wish for...you just might get it.

The Ascension debut...on December 29, 2014. Who debuts a new act over the Christmas/New Year season? WHO DOES THIS? WWE does this. So I missed the debut...but thanks to the wonders of the internet I did find the time to watch it...and as their opponents we got Miz and Mizdow.

This was a blink and you miss it match, where more time was devoted to the entrance then there was to the match...speaking of which...

What is it up with that entrance?  The Eye of Horus superimposed over Illuminati imagery; which if any of you know your stuff about this would know that it’s pretty much a contradiction. The Eye of Horus is associated with the ancient Egyptian Sun God Ra (Horus was an ancient Egyptian Sky God) and one of the Illuminati’s goals was to oppose religious influence over public life (if you believe what is posted on Wikipedia). Anyway moving on...

This past Monday on Raw we saw the Ascension in action again; this time against two jobbers...and not even main roster jobbers like Zack Ryder and Curtis Axel; it was two local jobbers; one of which bared a striking resemblance to a well known – suppose to be funny, but is in fact obnoxious – lady from Film and TV. Before this lame brain match WWE had Conor and Viktor cut a promo...yea gads...no two men on the entire roster would be better suited to have a mouth piece like Paul Heyman or Zeb Colter than Conor and Viktor because these two boys suck when it comes to cutting a promo. 

And just who wrote that promo? The Road Warriors (LoD) and Demolition are still treasured factions amongst the IWC and Talent alike. This promo might have seemed like a work, but it rang like a shoot. 
The remaining Road Warrior – Animal was none too pleased either based on his comments found here. (http://www.wrestlinginc.com/wi/news/2015/0107/588317/road-warrior-animal-responds-to-the-ascension-raw-promo/) 

I have to agree with Animal; if you are going to do this, then get him involved somehow. Even if he’s not in-ring worthy, have him get a proxy team to face off against the Ascension. Cheap heat tactics are what heels are all about it, but you need a great talker to pull it off and these two guys are not that, that and you need the guys getting ripped on to come out and fight back. 

I know most people are thinking that we cannot give a definitive analysis on Conor and Viktor after only two matches; however I think we can based on previous experiences with NXT personal that have been moved up to the main roster in recent months (the Shield and the Wyatts notwithstanding, and Kidd was a member of the main roster with Smith and Nattie as the Hart Dynasty long before he was on NXT as a solo man).  

So my analysis is as follows...The Ascension is a misnomer...for ascension means to ascend...to rise up...for Conor and Viktor...they are in line to be sent to the fiery pits of Mount Doom riding on the tail of Smaug.


So what do you think? Let Krysta know on twitter at @Krysta_ibach 

Lambey Zayns Road To Wrestlemania

*NOTE FROM LEVELLER - DONT MISS THE SEASON DEBUT OF LoWDOWN ON THE 14TH OF JANUARY AT 6PM EST ON YOUTUBE AND GOOGLE HANGOUTS LIVE.*


So today I’m going to be discussing the card for Wrestlemania as it is expected to be, and how I believe it should be.

As most people in the IWC are aware, there it is incredibly likely that we will get Brock Lesnar vs Roman Reigns in the main event of Wrestlemania. The WWE want Reigns as their new golden boy, so this all makes sense. However, the question must be asked, is this best for business? As Daniel Bryan used to say – NO, NO, NO!
I am a fan of Reigns, but the man is simply not ready to take the gold, and doing so would be a waste of Lesnar, the man who conquered the streak. What else could happen? Well I’m glad you asked.

In the Royal Rumble, we are expected to see John Cena vs Lesnar vs Rollins for the WWE title. Have Randy Orton cost Rollins the title, forcing him to enter into the rumble match. Reigns should dominate the match, until Rollins calls upon J&J security to eliminate Reigns. While Rollins celebrates, Ambrose should eliminate Rollins, leading to a feud between the 3.
Dean Ambrose VS Seth Rollins VS Roman Reigns at Wrestlemania 31. This seems like a good match people will want to see. No Stipulations, no titles involved, just a heavy story involvement, returning to HIAC (with Ambrose and Rollins never finishing their match) and the shield breakup storyline.

So what should be the main event of Wrestlemania? I say it should be a match that we should have had a long time ago – Daniel Bryan vs Brock Lesnar for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. Daniel Bryan is still one of the most popular WWE superstars, despite a lengthy absence from the company due to injury. What better way to light the fire than have Daniel Bryan vs The Beast.

Next is Sting Vs Triple H, which I believe will happen and should.
Finally we are expected to see Wyatt vs Undertaker. This match is an interesting concept that could see Wyatt absorbing the Undertakers power (thanks to the urn and the really creepy talking that Wyatt did at HIAC). He could then move away from the cult leader / crazy person and into a more fitting goal, the guard of the gates of hell itself. A demon that takes the souls of the damned and the lost (and keeps them in his lovely little lantern), allowing him to move away from his current generic promo’s and allowing him to explore new territory, while keeping the creepy and slightly insane gimmick and adding depth. He can throw in sister Abigail and talk about how she always knew he was meant for this.

This could be an incredibly strong Wrestlemania card to allow for greater growth to come out of it, IF (and only if) the WWE focus on the story behind these feuds (along with others). There should be no senseless matches, no bad video packages, etc. All of these stories and characters have the potential to draw interest, and should be treated as such.


WHAT DID YOU THINK? BE SURE TO LET LAMBEY KNOW ON TWITTER AT @LAMBEY332 OR GO SPEAK TO HIM ON OUR NEW FACEBOK PAGE https://www.facebook.com/LevelsOfWrestlingLOW?ref=bookmarks

What If.....

*Have you checked our facebook yet? https://www.facebook.com/LevelsOfWrestlingLOW?ref=bookmarks *

So right now there is a big selection of "What If" questions within the IWC but hey it's almost time for the Royal Rumble so that's nothing new. But I want to get into one question that seems to have slipped most peoples minds until I mentioned it on twitter the other day;

What if we get Roman Reigns vs John Cena at Wrestlemania 31?

I mean this could be a seriously big thing. No one feels that Reigns is ready for Brock, let alone the main event of mania. And let me be honest, I like Reigns and I do not doubt for a single second that he will be THE guy in time but that time will not happen until he is ready.
Now as far as things are looking WWE has a few options. Reigns cant win the Rumble now that Daniel Bryan has announced he will enter the Rumble or else he will be booed out of the building ala Batista. Bryan winning the Rumble will give us Bryan/Lesnar so I suggest the following situation.

Cena barely loses to Lesnar and as a condolence prize The Authority inform Cena he can have a free entry spot to the Rumble. Cena accepts and discovers its the Number One spot. He seems disheartened but enters anyway. The final four comes down to Rusev, Reigns, Cena and Bryan. The four go at it and outta no where Lesnars music hits. Reigns who is about to eliminate Rusev gets distracted and Rusev exits via the bottom rope and Lana decides its time to leave. Rusev exits as Lesnar approaches the ring. Bryan gets hit with an AA and is down. Cena and Reigns begin to fight but Brock gets into the ring and breaks both men down. Bryan gets back up and begins kicking Lesnar as hard as he can but Lesnar fights back and nails Bryan with an F5. He then grabs Cena and gives him an F5 and lays him next to Bryan. Reigns manages to hit a Superman Punch on Lesnar but Lesnar only stumbles before fighting back. Reigns gets got with a big punch and then Lesnar hits him with a ground and pound until Vince makes an entrance. Vince decides things have gone to far and demands the referees try pull Lesnar out the ring. Lesnar leaves and all three men lay in a pile in the centre of the ring. Vince declares there is no winner as no one is fit to compete. Cena has taken two beatings from Lesnar, Reigns took an extensive beating until he bleeds and Bryan is just back from injury. 

Next night on RAW Vince announces there will be a three way at Fast Lane to see who faces Lesnar. Bryan, Cena or Reigns. The match will be held in a Cell in order to ensure no one interferes and the two losers will face off at mania in a match. Vince then calls out HHH and tells him that he needs to stop being so insolent as a boss. He tells him that he has seen enough and that he is not happy with the way he runs the company and that the shareholders want him gone. This leads to team authority vs team vince for ownership of WWE. HHH tells Vince that he has better things to do like deal with vigilantes such as Sting and prevent them from running a muck in his company. Stephanie steps up for team authority and states that she will choose a team. During this month Cena keeps reminding both men he is the measuring stick and he constantly reminds Reigns he is the new blood who has to prove himself. Bryan reminds everyone how he defeated The Authority single handed yadda yadda. 

Fast Lane comes around and the main event happens. Lesnar makes an entrance near the end of the match with HHH by his side. Both men begin tearing at the cell door but Stings music hits and he appears behind HHH. HHH and Sting brawl to the back and Lesnar finally gets into the cell. He destroys both Cena and Reigns before hitting an F5 on Bryan and dragging Bryans limp carcass onto Cena and forces the ref to make the pin. Bryan goes on to face Lesnar while Cena faces Reigns at Mania. 

HHH explains on RAW that he and Lesnar cut a deal that Lesnar would use help Bryan get the pin in order to then humiliate Bryan and attempt to end his career at Mania because HHH paid him to as he is still wanting revenge on Daniel Bryan. Its wrestling. Don't tell me you don't think that idea wouldn't happen cause it's been done before *HHH vs Goldberg before survivor series 2003*.


So in summary this leads to;

• Team Vince (headed by whatever legend/babyface) vs Team Authority (headed by Rollins)
• Reigns vs Cena in a match where Reigns proves he can be just as good as Cena (old school torch passing)
• Bryan vs Lesnar with Paul Heyman and HHH
• HHH vs Sting

I realize it's a long shot but surely that sounds better than rushing Reigns into the main event. let me know your thoughts on twitter at @LevellerLOW

Im Back And Better Than Ever

DONT FORGET TO CATCH THE SHOWDOWN! PODCAST ON THURSDAY AT 6PM EST. 

DEAN AMBROSE IS GOD. CM PUNK IS GOD. AJ LEE IS A GOD. 

This sort of thing appears on my twitter feed too often and the worst part is is that those who post it truly believe it. This idea that a wrestler can become a deity is more confusing than Swoggle being the anonymous GM. I understand that you can believe in whatever and whoever you choose but going this far is unnatural. So I ask, "Has Fandom gone too far?"

As I write this I guarantee that there is at least one argument on my feed about the newly announced UFC fighter CM Punk and about how he is amazing or how he is the worst thing to happen to wrestling in ten years. The fact is fans, in my opinion, have become part of the problem with wrestling. Well, I say that but they always have been a big issue in wrestling. Since the IWC was, shall we say, dead, during the 90's there was never any real focus on the arguing between fans and it was just that wrestling was pushed at those in the arena. Now it seems that wrestling is pushed at the wider market and rightfully so but there is one issue. The fans. The fans believe that they impact the product much more than they actually do. Take the AJ/Paige fiasco for example. Fans began demanding a Paige/AJ feud and the WWE gave it to them and all this did was prove that Paige wasn't ready for that level of feud. Regardless of what people think Paige was not ready and AJ was held back. That being said the writing was never great so that impacts it. But this was all added to by the fact that fans couldn't just learn to watch the damn product. 

You have a voice. Use it. But DO NOT abuse that gift. When you abuse that gift you ruin teh product for yourself and everyone else. Take the CM Punk chant, The WHAT chant, The BORING chants. Just because you want something doesnt mean we all do. Fans seem to think that by worshiping stars such as Dean Ambrose that WWE will pay attention and put him in the main event spots. Well guess what kids, DEAN DOESNT WANT TO BE YOUR HUSBAND AND WWE DOESNT WANT HIM THERE YET. Dean could be ready for years, nae, decades and WWE wouldn't use him in the main event until they feel he is ready. They may give him some spotlight for sometime just to keep you amused but that doesn't mean he is primed to be pushed. Look at Ziggler. Try tell me I'm wrong. I dare you. 

On top of that you have the fans who believe that if they bombard their favorite wrestlers with tweets and affectionate sayings like "BAE" "MY HUBBY" "INSPIRATION" that they will get a RT, Follow or a FAV. Wrestlers, while they may appreciate your fandom, do not appreciate the constant attention. They are people too. Your tweets may "inspire" them but I also guarantee that they ignore more than 90% of your messages. Im sorry to burst your fan bubble but it's true. 

CM Punk, Ambrose, AJ Lee, WWE. None of them care. Seriously. All WWE care about is that you watch their product and get invested enough to buy a tshirt or some other kind of merch. Its sad but true. 

Don't get me wrong. You have a right to voice how you feel and you have a right to let WWE know what you think but be realistic. Take a step back and look at what happens when other people do it and you might see how you are reacting. Its a harsh and cold reality but sometimes when you step back from the product like I have recently you begin to see some of the real problems. Would you say Captain America is a God? Would you say Joker is a Deity? Is Batman........ok Batman is but we all know that. The point is, these wrestlers, these characters, are all people on the inside. Even people can feel pressure. So why not just step back and observe. Be immersed but not to the point you are drowning. Trust me, you will be thankful for it.

I CHALLENGE YOU TO NOT USE SOCIAL MEDIA THIS WEEK BEFORE AND AFTER WATCHING WRESTLING. DONT READ SHEETS, DONT READ RUMORS AND DONT TWEET YOUR FAVORITE WRESTLER.


Want to give me your thoughts? Get in touch on twitter at @LevellerLOW.

Guest Blogger - Yellow Brick Road

Is there an emerald castle at the end of WWE’s yellow brick road or are we heading to the witch’s
castle? The general complaint coming from the camp of the diehard fans is the lack of direction in current WWE storylines. More to the point is this…Is there even Storylines period? Because it sure doesn’t look like it from here…

But then again I am a diehard fan of Pro-Wrestling; I tune in every week in some way. However, the juggernaut that is WWE is not really writing for the diehard fan. Their audience is now the casual fan, that fan that perhaps tunes in every 2 out of 4 RAW shows, and skips Smack Down (I will be honest; I sometimes skip SmackDown in favour of trolling the internet for some indy stuff I haven’t seen yet…or scouring DIY sites for ideas I will probably never do…or trying out a new recipe).

They are writing storylines that should the casual fan miss a couple of Raw’s they’ll be able to catch up on the doings; much akin to the afternoon soaps – you can always figure out what is happening with everyone by the end of the hour in the soaps; the same goes for WWE.

Probably one of the bigger issues is there is too many ‘cooks’ in the ‘kitchen’ and the ‘executive chef’ (Vince) swoops in right before the ‘dish’ is served, tosses something totally opposite to what the dish is – think whipped cream on beef wellington – and sends it out for consumption. So any so called storyline pretty much goes tits up as it leaves the ‘kitchen’. I think the storylines suffer greatly from the situation that seemly could be so easily rectified and that is to have the writers sit down with the wrestlers they are writing for. This would give them a sense of who the wrestler is trying to portray. If they are the Heel (aka the Villain) of the piece then they need to be villainous; not acting like a toddler who didn’t get a treat when his mom took him to the store. The Face (aka the Hero) needs to seem heroic not wishy washy. Wrestlers portray larger than life personas; they need to do so convincingly. Think of the iconic characters in tv and film, and the actors who portrayed them; if they half-assed it those portrayals would not have resonated or stood the test of time. Promos are Ads; and Wrestlers are the Ad Men/Women. They need to sell what they are saying, with everything
they have. 

If I get the impression they would rather be in the rear making puppies I am going to lose
interest really fast…especially since one of my other favourite shows airs in the last hour of Raw. It’s a fine line in selling this from Dolph Ziggler at one end of the spectrum with the oversell…to John Cena at the other with the No Sell. Cena is superman to the WWE universe, but even Faster than a speeding bullet had his weakness (Kryptonite); Cena will also have his Kryptonite; and when that happens; Cena will need to sell it. Lesnar could have been Cena’s Kryptonite or at the very least his Lex; the WWE Universe would have bought that. Especially since Lesnar defeated ‘Taker at Wrestlemania 30. I am pretty confident that people would have totally bought into it; and they could have had Cena battle back after a break from the ring and our viewing pleasure – stick his bland ass in another movie…do vignettes showing him working out to get back to peak form. Ziggler at the other end oversells everything…EVERYTHING…even the botches where it’s blatantly obvious that they didn’t even connect and there’s Ziggler writhing around on the mat or the floor or wherever he happens to be. Ziggler does have his moments I will admit that; like when he was the last man in a battle royal for the IC contender spot only to be dumped from the ring by Miz who sat most of it out; the look on his face was heartbreaking. But Ziggler also suffers from staleness; sure he’s the show off and he steals the show…but it needs to evolve again (remember he was a member of the spirit squad). The rest fall somewhere in between; including the ladies…who seem to sound like they are involved in a high school spat in the locker room as opposed to the squared ring. It makes it hard to suspend belief when they miss the mark. No different than going to a much anticipated movie only to have it suck donkey wang (Horror movies are exempt for as every horror buff knows…you will sift through a lot of shit before you find ‘gold’.)

Storylines lose their direction and thus the investment we as spectators put in when someone in the back chickens out on pulling the ‘trigger’ on the feud; or when they decided to have random feuds resulting from two random wrestlers thrown together in a tag team as a way to set up for a feud. It becomes frustrating to the viewer who invests anywhere from 3 to 6 hours per week; every week when this occurs. I used to watch 3 hours of Raw; 1 hour of NXT (before Sportsnet 360 decided to stop showing it in favour of Main Event…thanks a lot Rogers…dicks); and SmackDown. Now those 3 to 6 hours are devoted to maybe two hours of Raw…maybe…and then scoping the Net for some Indy stuff to see what’s going on and who is making consistent noise.

Sadly there doesn’t seem to be a change in the direction…or lack thereof in storylines. Because they don’t have too; there are enough fans of the casual variety tuning in every week. As I said in a previous post; they write for TV…and the casual fan.

So diehards…keep a look out for those flying monkeys…the witch’s castle is hoving into view…

Let Krysta know your thoughts on twitter at @Krysta_Ibach and be sure to catch her on Lowdown and Showdown giving her opinions each week from 6pm EST. 

Gunning On The Level - Hell In A Cell Predicitions 2014

About This Post

On this blog we are doing things slightly differently. Once a month myself and @LoveLostGunfire will be providing you our predictions for the monthly PPV. This month we crawl back into the devils playground, the skin tearing structure, Mick Foley's best friend - HELL IN A CELL

Brie Bella vs Nikki Bella - (Be A Star/Be A Bitch)

LLG - "This was probably my least favorite "feud" from two months ago, and it's still my least favorite thing right now. The entire thing has been riddled with less than B-grade acting and cringe-worthy scripting. It's not just the delivery of the scripts, it's the scripts themselves. Granted, I haven't seen everything, but what I have seen has made me wonder which recreational drug WWE Creative has been using. Does anyone really care about this? Anyone who isn't a Cena fan, I mean. I think it's obvious Nikki will win this. I know I've been out of the game for a while, but c'mon... Nikki takes it. As if the WWE would miss a chance to promote their anti-bullying campaign by having a good person get rundown over and over by a meaner person. Nikki wins, okay?"

LOW - "So apparently I'm meant to give a serious prediction for this match? Ok. Nikki out wrestles Brie by miles, Nikki wins. Makes sense. But it's not gonna make sense because she is better in the ring. Its because storyline makes it look better for Brie to play the underdog much like her husband. To be honest I'm really not sure what more can be said. I have had zero to no interest in this feud. I just don't care about this match."

The Dusts vs The Usos - Tag Team Championship Match

LLG - "Err...I guess I should call them the "Dust Brothers" now, hmm? I feel like not many people are excited about this and that sucks. You have two stellar teams, BUT they have been (unfortunately) booked incorrectly. I don't know why WWE can't seem to focus on all the divisions with equal amounts of attention and effort, but whatever. Most fans know that WWE have dropped the ball (again) with the Tag Team division, and so here we are at another PPV where the build up hasn't exactly been there. I've read that The Usos are riding high with the wins piling up behind them. On the other hand, I've read that The Dust Brothers are being stomped on quite consistently since Night of Champions. How does that make sense? Having The Dust Brothers lose the belts would not make a lick of sense, in my opinion, because as far as I know, there isn't anything "better" or more exciting lined up yet for this division. The Dust Brothers haven't had the belts that long and if the losing streak is true, that's a shame. That's bigger than a shame. They deserve an amazing reign and I feel they haven't had the chance to do everything they are capable of doing. There should be a mix of ups and downs for everyone when you're trying to lead up to a PPV. It shouldn't be win, win, win for one team and lose, lose, lose for another. Shake it up a bit! When I say "amazing reign" I don't mean a reign without its obstacles. I just mean something with twists and turns and something which doesn't make it completely obvious. Bring in some new meat to the division. Bring in some challengers. Make us sit on the edge of our seat and wonder, truly wonder, who will win... Final word: Dust Brothers retain, or so help me gods, I will send baking soda in an envelope to Stamford, CT."

LOW - "I love these teams. I do. But I'm bored of it already. The Usos have been in the title picture for too long but realistically there are no teams ready to come up and join the main roster or even challenge the Dusts for the titles. Want to make me interested? Make it personal. Simple. Make me care about why they need to continue this feud. But anyway on to my predictions. Dusts have to win, plain and simple. If the Dusts lose then their championship run seems silly. If The Usos win, who faces them? Only other feasible team is The Dusts. The Dusts have to win and teams like RybAxel have to reappear , The Ascension (as much as I currently dislike them) have to show up and my god GIVE ME THE NEW AGENDA (Big E, Xavier and Kofi). IS IT THAT DAMN HARD!"

AJ vs Paige - Divas Title Match

LLG -"I gather that this belt has been passed around more frequently than... Never mind, I'm not going to finish that particular sentence. Is it true - Alicia Fox is still insane? Well, I don't know much about what's going on with these ladies right now, but I do know that AJ holds the belt going into this, right? With Survivor series coming up after this PPV, I would love to see more of a mixed match for the ladies, and by mixed I mean something like a Fatal Fourway or a Triple Threat, etc. One on hand, perhaps the belt will change hands at Hell in a Cell, seeing Paige walk away victorious, and the lead up to Survivor Series will bring in some other challengers. I suppose a multiple contender match could still be done even if AJ retains, but since the belt has switched ownership so many times already, what's one more switch? On the other hand, I've heard Paige will be filming Total Divas (kill me right now...NOW!) and so she'll probably appreciate taking a step back. On the OTHER hand (because I have more than two hands, duh) Stephanie McMahon made it clear that a Total Divas star could definitely win a belt and it was ridiculous how the internet seemed convinced otherwise. Hmm...I'm going to say that AJ Lee retains. Why? Paige (although I love her to bits) wasn't really a fan favorite. AJ Lee has the ability to gather the fans behind her, even when she's doing really odd and insane bits. I think WWE will want to keep the belt safe with her while Paige is trained on the "arts" of being a Total Diva."

LOW - "So this is still going? Oh that's right because no other divas can currently step up and be on the level of these two. THIS IS BAD. Naomi could quite possibly out wrestle both. I want AJ to retain the title here. And it's not because I prefer her but it's because I believe Paige needs yet more character development and she can't get that by working with the same person over and over again. Plus if AJ holds the title there is a bunch of new pairings that can happen. Emma, Charlotte and my wildcard Tamina (who will be back soonish) can all have feuds with AJ. Now don't get me wrong, I DO NOT LIKE AJ. I do not believe that she can hold her own. She is too small (let the internet come at me) and she looks unbelievable as a wrestler."

Sheamus vs The Miz (with Mizdow) - US Title Match

LLG - "I have no idea what's going on here. Mizdow? Really? Apparently he's more over than the real Miz, so that's saying something. It's fully possible that The Miz wins the belt and then goes on to feud with Mizdow. That would be smart considering Sandow always gets reactions no matter what he's doing, but he seems to be garnering even more attention with this particular role of his. Miz vs Mizdow. Would you watch it? I think it's more believable than Sheamus vs Rusev. At least, I hope they're not going USA vs Russia...AGAIN. I can't roll my eyes enough at that. Two months of not watching any WWE programming, and WWE is still on that. Seriously? Moving on - so we have a few options here, right? Sheamus could retain because that's the most predictable outcome. WWE doesn't dislike him and although he isn't the most
dazzling champion in the history of champions, he's also not the worst. For whatever reason, he's likable and he has a decent following. That being said, I'm going to say that The Miz wins the belt. Why? Because I like the idea better. I don't even have a technical reason behind it, haha!"

LOW - "Ok. Peaked my interest. I have two solutions for this match. Either Mizdow gets the pin or Sheamus retains. If Mizdow wins he goes on to fight Miz at some point and gets more over (however this may end with an Alex Riley situation and no one wants that). He could even claim he outsmarted Miz and thus bringing him back to the intellectual thing. Option 2 involves Sheamus winning because Mizdow screws Miz out of the belt. He gets a face pop and Miz gets heal heat for beating him down. This results in Miz vs Sandow and Sheamus vs Rusev. Rusev then wins the US title and retires it saying its a piece of trash and he doesnt want to wear garbage, he just wanted to prove an american champion wrong. END of the day I think Sheamus retains"

Big Show vs Rusev - Pride match 

LLG - "Oh gods, do I need to get into this? Don't make me talk about this. FINE, I'll talk about it. Rusev needs to remain undefeated until WWE figures out what the hell the end game is. They haven't as of yet, which is clear to see considering the same damn "story" has been washed and rinsed repeatedly throughout the last two months. I seriously doubt Big Show is the end game. Rather, I seriously hope Big Show isn't the end game. While I'm ready to see Rusev and Lana in different roles and whatever, I'm not ready enough to sacrifice that moment to Big Show. Rusev wins, that's it."

LOW - "Rusev wins. He deserves to. Yup. Said it. Rusev, after kicking the "soldier", can be edgy and I want to see how far they are going to push it. However, Rusev wins because Henry is going to screw it up for Big Show. After the last few promos I will be shocked if Henry doesnt screw Big Show out of a win. Let me set the scene, Big Show breaks The Accolade, gets up, knocks out Rusev and then Henry attacks Show before he gets the pin. Mark Henry goes heel after being embarrassed by Rusev and because Big Show did better than he did. A man with hurt pride has nothing to lose. Rusev wins by DQ."

 Ziggler vs Cesaro - IC Title Match

LLG - "This particular match has me wringing my hands and looking up at the skies, yelling "Gods, WHY!?" at the top of my voice. A loss can hurt both men, considering Cesaro has been looking a bit lost since that random-ass Andre the Giant thing, and Ziggler...well, we know the story with Ziggler. I genuinely like both of these performers and I want nothing but great things for both of them. The problem is, they can't share the belt. There has to be a loser and a winner. When I look at everything going on right now at WWE (or, not going on) it makes more sense that Ziggler would win. When I was doing my "research" for these predictions, I came across some Bleacher Report articles which talked about the lack of faces in the midcard right now. That means that Cesaro, because he is apparently super badass with his weird sirens and gnarly post-Heyman attitude, wouldn't have much to do if he won the belt. What would he do? Out-bad the heels? No, that makes no sense. But Ziggler, well, Ziggler is the sweetheart of WWE, isn't he? He's the internet's treasure. We love him and baby him and he's precious to us. Since there are so many heels right now, that makes it a perfect setup for Ziggler to retain and have a busy title reign. I hate to say it, but I feel like Cesaro needs to take a backseat right now, at least until WWE figures out what the hell is going on with the midcard. I get that some people feel Ziggler is washed out and Cesaro should win as he's the "fresher" option...but, I don't know. It just doesn't make much sense. I feel like Ziggler going through a roller coaster reign makes for better TV. He's the kind of champ I could get invested in, and even though not many people are feeling the hype of this match (even though from a technical wresting POV this match should be damn good) I am feeling it. Ziggler is like the hero in a Denzel Washington sports movie. Ziggler for the win."

LOW - "Ziggler wins. This match may well be good but the lack of charisma makes me roll my eyes. I can't even describe how much I dislike these characters. With this in mind, Cesaro loses because I think this sets up a Ziggler vs Cesaro series much like that thing we got with MVP and Matt Hardy. Imagine if you will a set of challenges where Cesaro tries to help Ziggler to up his game every single week until Ziggler snaps. He snaps and Cesaro tells him that he is now ready. Both men begin tagging together and the internet is happy for a week." 

John Cena vs Randy Orton - Number One Contenders match

LLG - "Resisting the urge to roll my eyes, I do have a few things to say here. The best thing for TV would be for Orton to win this match. Cena and Lesnar, yawn! Am I right? But Orton vs Lesnar could be better...by a bit. But that little bit would be enough, no? If that doesn't do it for you, how about Orton vs Rollins at a future PPV after Hell in a Cell? If Rollins screws Orton at Hell in a Cell and cena wins, it might not be the end of the world. I mean, it hasn't been the end of the world every other time Cena won a PPV, has it? We should be used to this by now. I WANT Orton to win, but I would not be surprised if Cena won because he is, after everything is all said and done, the safest bet. The belt is literally safe with him; he knows how to do his job and Orton would have things to keep him busy if he lost this particular match (especially if he loses through outside interference). I don't care all that much for this match, to be honest. Maybe that's why I'm sitting here and shrugging. Let it be."

LOW - "Better by a bit? Lesnar vs Orton would be great provided we get mean and violent Orton. I demand Orton wins. You hear me WWE? But with current plans in place Cena could win. COULD. But I hope he wont. I want to see Orton punt Cena and give him a month or two off to go film his movie "Train wrecked". It must be so difficult to be in WWEs position. A face making you millions and no one ready to replace him. I get that but fans need fresh products in order to stay around. As one of our panelists said "pasta, like wrestling, gets stale". I wont be surprised if Cena wins because WWE have seen that that match sells but I would like Orton to win."

Seth Rollins vs Dean Ambrose - Grudge Match

LLG - "THIS! The reason I wanted to see this PPV at all... Okay, relax. Breathe. Predictions, right? Okay. Well, Orton and Rollins are up for a feud together, right? That means they'll keep each other busy enough should both men lose their respective matches. As far as I know, Rollins has been racking up the wins and Ambrose has been the one under Seth's Power Ranger boot. Therefore, Rollins can afford a loss. He's Mr. Money in the Bank, he's got another feud lined up, and he's been riding a wave of wins AND he's garnered some considerable heat. Then there's Ambrose who has worked his ass off for this feud. The support from fans is amazing, isn't it? Ambrose has fans eating out of the palm of his hand, and for good reason. Both men would be relatively unscathed by a loss, but why not reward Ambrose? After everything that's happened in this feud, isn't it about time for Ambrose to come out on top? As much as I want a clean win for my beloved Dean, I can definitely see some interference from Orton, which would soften the loss for Rollins and allow Orton and Rollins to move into their feud. Apart from the storyline possibilities, this match should be yet another contender for Match of the Year. Ambrose and Rollins together have already brought us to the edge of our seats multiple times; many of their matches could be MotY winners, but this...THIS...these two men locked in a cell, damn! My final word: Ambrose for the win."

LOW - "Could this match be any more hyped? Its crazy. I don't expect the greatest match ever but no doubt the internet marks will be creaming over this and ovaries will be exploding all over the place but I worry that this match won't be as good as we imagine. Let me put this to you, If a big moment such as Kane tearing the door off or a destruction of the cell happens then this match would have to go last. So imagine that WWE put this match on second to last? It wont have a lot of high spots. It won't be anything more than a PG match in a structure that blocks the view of fans in the arena. However if this is the last match, I suspect we get some ridiculous spots where Mick Foley may even worry for the guys. In the end I imagine Ambrose gets the win or we get a screwy finish to protect both guys. I pray that its a clean finish because HIAC is meant to be the be all and end all of all feuds. (say that 5 times fast). So either Ambrose or a screwy finish. I want a throwback to Kane tearing off the door but just for nostalgia sake. 

What do you think? Let us know your predictions on twitter at @LevellerLOW and @LoveLostGunfire

Guest Blogger: Dean Ambrose - The face of nothing

EDITORS NOTE - dont forget to hear our guest blogger Chris Lamb on LoWdown on Tuesday night between 6/8pm EST. Our shows are completely interactive and we love hearing your feedback so please feel free to leave a comment below or speak to Chris on twitter at @Lambey332 

Ok so let me start this off by saying I’m a huge fan of Dean Ambrose. But for the people in the IWC saying that Dean Ambrose should be the face of the company... I’m afraid I’ve got some bad news!

The simple fact of the matter is that Dean Ambrose is one hell of a guy, both in the ring and on the microphone. However, what people forget about most is the image. Dean Ambrose simply doesn’t have “the look”. Think about the faces of the company. Austin had the look. Hogan had the look. Rock had the look, Flair did, Cena does, Michaels did. Ambrose is simply not one of the individuals with an impressive image. That much belongs to one man – roman reigns (cue groans from the IWC).

Ambrose does have one thing going for him though. He is essentially CM Punk. A man that can talk on the mic and go in the ring. He understands ring psychology and will play a better heel than a face. He is perfect to have as a number 2 face or a number 1 or 2 heel (only second to Bray Wyatt potentially). Even Dean Ambrose’s character at the moment is practically a heel. He is deranged, creepy, doesn’t seem to care and acts like a bit of an ass hole. On Monday Night Raw for 20th referred to by Cena as “The Joker”, which would agree with what I’m saying. Over the next year I fully expect Dean Ambrose to be a heel to Roman Reigns, Bad News Barrett, Bryan or Cena. He is likely to be pushed as a top heel, with Randy Orton playing in just below.

HOWEVER I will state this much. Can the IWC make a difference? NO. This is not the same as it was with Bryan. You can cheer all you like, but Roman Reigns will be the top guy. This is because it is BEST FOR BUSINESS. You need a guy in the company who looks like he can be in charge. At the moment that is Cena. It used to be Austin or The Rock. In future it will be Reigns, and that’s not the say he will be a god in the ring. He won’t be, but that isn’t what matters in business. Business is image. Lawyers wear expensive suits to impress clients and opposition, and wrestling companies pick a guy to be on top who LOOKS impressive. There is a certain professional image to be had for the company, and Reigns looks the part. Dean Ambrose (especially his hair) does not.