Powell's WWE Backlash preview and predictions: John Cena vs. Edge in a Last Man Standing match, Ricky Steamboat vs. Chris Jericho, will the WWE Title change hands in a six-man tag match?

Dot Net Members will be listening to my audio recap of WWE Backlash after the show tonight. You can access the ad-free version of the site and all Dot Net Audio for only $5 per month by visiting the Dot Net Members' Signup Page.

A reader emailed me this morning and asked whether tonight's WWE Backlash show is a "can't miss" show. The buildup for the show has been lackluster due to the fact that WWE only had a few weeks since WrestleMania 25 to promote this show and they sandwiched the draft in between.

Jim Ross referred to this show as a potential sleeper in his latest blog and I agree with him. Although I haven't been blown away by the buildup or even the entire lineup, I have faith that the talent will deliver quality matches and give pay-per-view buyers good bang for their buck. So while I don't necessarily see this as a "can't miss" event, it has the potential to be a quality pay-per-view event with some newsworthy moments. Let's get to the picks, but first this apparently important reminder for webmasters who like to take our predictions and try to pass them off as possible spoilers.

The following picks are simply my predictions for the show. They are not based on any inside information. I'm guessing just like you are. In other words, if you work for a Newz site, please don't do a disservice to your readers by trying to pass these picks off as possible spoilers.

John Cena vs. Edge in a Last Man Standing match for the WWE Title: Cena promoted this match as being the equivalent of the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox facing off in one final battle in a strong promo that a fraction of the usual viewing audience saw because it only aired on WWE Superstars. These two have great chemistry together and this should be a gem. The obvious pick is Edge winning and taking the title back to Smackdown since there's no need for Raw to have two World Champions. A great swerve would be having Cena retain, only to have C.M. Punk turn heel by cashing in his Money in the Bank contract and capture the title. Unfortunately, Punk would probably be cheered heavily for doing such a thing and that wouldn't be an ideal way to establish him as a heel. As such, I'll take Edge to win the belt and defend against Punk at the Judgment Day pay-per-view in Chicago next month.

Triple H, Batista, and Shane McMahon vs. Randy Orton, Cody Rhodes, and Ted DiBiase for the WWE Championship. Sure, I could sit here and break down all the silly stipulations, but it's not my job to explain WWE's TNA-like overbooking of this match. Shane turning on his brother-in-law is a possibility. For that matter, Hunter's old lady could even turn on him. However, the McMahons don't go on the road and Raw needs other heels or at least a tweener at the top of the card. Therefore, I'm going with Batista to accidentally cost Hunter the belt to set up three-way matches between the three former Evolution members. Hell, maybe they'll bring back Ric Flair to serve as the special referee of their first three-way. Either way, Orton wins the title without pinning Hunter clean. Sigh.

Jack Swagger vs. Christian for the ECW Title. Good buildup for this match with Christian earning his shot by going through the Nextell Chase for the Cup or whatever the hell they called that series of matches. Better yet, the contract signing was well done and I still pop whenever Swagger hits the gutwrench powerbomb, especially through a table. This match belonged on the WrestleMania 25 card and these two will deliver one of the better matches of the night. There's no reason for Swagger to drop the title at this point. I'm not saying it's a lock that he'll retain, but I'm holding out hope for a lengthy reign that will establish him as a major player by the time he is called up to one of the big boy rosters.

Jeff Hardy vs. Matt Hardy in an "I Quit" match: We know that Jeff has been reluctant to sign a new contract with the company and the assumption of many is that he's been losing to his brother as a result. I don't know if I buy that explanation for his losses. Don't get me wrong, I believe the contract story, but the logical move was to have Matt win the initial matches to set up Jeff winning this match. Jeff losing this match would probably be a sign that they're phasing him out, but I'll take Jeff beating his brother despite the contract mess.

Ricky Steamboat vs. Chris Jericho: WWE sold some pay-per-views by adding Steamboat to the show. The build for the match was forgettable, but there are plenty of fans like me who grew up on Steamboat and are thrilled to see him get an actual singles match with Jericho. The Dragon isn't expected to continue wrestling after this match. Jericho has already proven that he's teflon and therefore he could easily lose this match and not skip a beat, but I'm guessing the logic will be that they have to put the main event heel over the returning legend. Jericho wins, but he and Steamboat give the longtime fans a treat in the process.

C.M. Punk vs. Kane: Um, yeah. I like Punk and I'm happy to see him on the show, but his real value would have been teasing the possibility that he would cash in his MITB contract. Even if he doesn't, he could have come off like a major babyface by saying that he probably could have cashed in after the Cena vs. Edge war, but he didn't want to win that way again. Rather, he wants to do the honorable thing and face the champion one-on-one in Chicago. Assuming Punk will challenge for a belt in his hometown next month, then it's only logical to assume he goes over in this match to build him up for the homecoming.

Santino Marella and Great Khali segment: Think about all the great talent that was left off this show. WWE could have given us one more MVP vs. Shelton Benjamin match, an Evan Bourne vs. Tyson Kidd match, a tag title match, a quality women's match, etc., but instead they feel that the show needs a classic Vince McMahon "ha ha" segment. Santina is running out of steam quickly and this segment belongs on Raw. At least we know that Vickie Guerrero has the power to force the sisters of the Raw wrestlers to make out with the Smackdown guys. Now that's power.

Dot Net Members will be listening to my audio recap of WWE Backlash after the show tonight. You can access the ad-free version of the site and all Dot Net Audio for only $5 per month by visiting the Dot Net Members' Signup Page.