By Ryan Kester

The following predictions are made with no inside knowledge or clairvoyance as to what the finishes will be. They are predictions made based on what [company] has done and what I think they will do.

Brock Lesnar vs. John Cena in an Extreme Rules match: In order to properly tell the story WWE has been telling with Cena, and to get anything out of their investment in Brock Lesnar; Lesnar has to go over here. I expect him to go over in a big way and be made to look like the beast he did during his first run with the company. If WWE has John Cena go over here, they will only further perpetuate the problems they have with those that have become disenfranchised with Cena and the current WWE product as a whole.

Prediction: Brock Lesnar defeats John Cena.

CM Punk vs. Chris Jericho in a Chicago Street Fight for the WWE Championship: WWE has given me almost no reason to believe that Chris Jericho is going to be going over in this match. Usually that would be a prime reason to expect an out-of-nowhere finish, but every step of Punk and Jericho's feud thus far has served to get Punk more over with a broader audience. I imagine that will continue tonight, and Punk will have another moment in front of his home crowd.

Prediction: CM Punk defeats Chris Jericho to retain the WWE Championship

Sheamus vs. Daniel Bryan in a best of three falls match for the World Heavyweight Championship: Out of all the current WWE storylines, this is the one that has piqued my interest the most. Watching Daniel Bryan grow into his current character form his original dorky babyface gimmick has been a treat. This is one of the rare occasions where I am not entirely comfortable with making a pick on a match because WWE has set up several possibilities for the outcome, and that is part of what makes this feud so fascinating for me. I'm going to go with Daniel Bryan going over, and I expect it will occur after some interference on the part of AJ.

Prediction: Daniel Bryan defeats Sheamus to become the new World Heavyweight Champion.

Randy Orton vs. Kane in a Falls Count Anywhere match: Let this end, please. Kane has been lackluster since his return to the more overt horror movie monster role and Randy Orton has simply been getting more and more stagnant. Worse, these two have already has this match several times on television, so I have little to no incentive to care about what happens tonight. II hope to see Orton go over simply so these two men can move on to other feuds.

Prediction: Randy Orton defeats Kane.

Big Show vs. Cody Rhodes for the Intercontinental Championship: I wasn't very high on Big Show winning the title in the first place, and I really haven't been a fan of Cody Rhodes systematically losing any ounce of heat his character had after multiple jobs to both Show and The Great Khali over the past month. If WWE wants to get anything out of Rhodes and the work they put into him last year, he needs to regain the IC Title tonight and do it in a convincing fashion. Unfortunately, I think only one of the two will occur.

Prediction: Cody Rhodes defeats Big Show in a fluky manner to become the new Intercontinental Champion.

Nikki Bella vs. Beth Phoenix for the WWE Divas Championship: Beth Phoenix did a splendid job of piquing my interest with her excellent selling of a phantom ankle injury, and I find myself interested in a WWE women's storyline for the first time since Kharma's short run early last year. Nikki winning the title in such an abrupt manner is obviously a set-up to something bigger, and I do not believe that is to give the title back to Phoenix tonight.

Prediction: Nikki Bella utilizes twin magic to retain her Divas Championship

Santino Marella vs. The Miz for the U.S. Title: I see absolutely no reason for The Miz to carry a championship until his character sees some growth, and I highly doubt that is going to happen from a match with Santino Marella. This may well be an entertaining match, but for me the outcome is readily apparent.

Prediction: Santino Marella defeats The Miz to retain his United States Championship.

If you have any questions or comments or just wish to chat with a fellow wrestling fan about whatever, then feel free to email me at ryan.kester@gmail.com or follow me on Twitter at @TheRyanKester.

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