Here we are again, The Wrestling Brains (@xterblack and @calllumowen98) are back!
This time round we’re going to predict the King Of The Ring tournament. Over the course of the next few weeks we’re going to give our thoughts on what we think will go on throughout the tournament. For the first round Callum will be taking the Raw side of the bracket and Adam will take the Smackdown side.
The Brackets
Callum’s Raw First Round Predictions
Samoa Joe Vs Cesaro – There are so many great first round matches of the King Of The Ring tournament and this one could easily be the best, Samoa Joe Vs Cesaro could feasibly main event a PPV if both men had been booked strongly. We’ve not seen much of Cesaro in the past few weeks since his back to back defeats to Aleister Black, whereas Samoa Joe has been somewhat involved in the Who tried to kill Roman Reigns storyline? P.S it wasn’t Maggie Simpson.
I’m not sure if WWE will ever give Samoa Joe the monster push that most fans feel he deserves, and similar situation with Cesaro, the fans love him but WWE have never given him the proverbial brass ring. My guess is Samoa Joe wins this one, in a hard hitting first round bout. Winner – Samoa Joe
Drew McIntyre Vs Ricochet – So I’ve actually seen a match between McIntyre and Ricochet live before, and it was phenomenal and I really hope this match lives up to my expectations.
Drew is in a similar position as the previously mentioned Samoa Joe, where he could be one of the biggest stars in WWE but for the last few months he’s been Shane McMahon’s lackey. Ricochet needs to gain back some momentum that he’s lost in the last few months and an underdog run throughout the tournament will help. Therefore I’m predicting that Ricochet will win in yet another brilliant match. Winner – Ricochet
Sami Zayn Vs Cedric Alexander – Sami Zayn deserves so much more right now in WWE, he is one of the best in ring wrestlers but also one of the best promo guys.
I like Cedric Alexander and I’m happy he’s getting a push and TV time but I’m not sure if he’s quite got the fans behind him yet, so a long run in this tournament could help but as I’m predicting Ricochet will be the underdog of the Raw bracket, I have to go for Sami Zayn who slight spoiler alert I want to win the whole thing. Winner – Sami Zayn
The Miz Vs Baron Corbin – So wrapping up the Raw side is a match between The A-Lister The Miz and WWE’s favorite Son Baron Corbin. Corbin has been off screen for the best part of a month, and personally I’ve not missed him, and most of the WWE universe probably feel the same.
The longer this tournament goes on and if Corbin is still in it, the more disinterested fans may get as I genuinely think Baron has go away heat instead of top heel heat, and in the whole tournament there’s more heels who’d benefit from King Of The Ring win over Corbin.
Miz needs something to make me invested in him as his face run has been extremely lackluster. Currently heels are up 2-1 in my predictions, so to balance it out I’d say Miz wins, and puts everybody’s favorite son Baron Corbin out of the tournament. Winner – The Miz
Raw Brackets After First Round
Samoa Joe Vs Ricochet | Sami Zayn Vs The Miz
Adam’s Smackdown First Round Predictions
Kevin Owens Vs Elias – My gut instinct is to go with Owens on this one. Seems obvious right? But then a tiny ear worm of doubt crawled into my mind earlier today – “If Owens beats Elias, does that make him 24/7 Champion too?” It should do but I’m struggling to see KO as 24/7 Champ and working his way through this tournament too but by that reasoning, Elias is untouchable because of his championship.
I’m sticking with my gut and picking Owens. Regardless of if he wins the 24/7 Championship here or not, Owens is going all the way here. Winner – Kevin Owens
Buddy Murphy Vs Ali – This one is going to be a barnstormer, no doubt about it. Reigniting the feud from 205 Live, Murphy/Ali will be another match for the ‘Best Kept Secret’ in what should be a string of stellar bouts over the next few weeks. Murphy’s winning this one to maintain his momentum.
Ali would have been my first choice had these brackets been announced prior to Summerslam but I feel some Shinsuke shenanigans will prevent the former Mustafa from continuing on in the tournament. Winner – Buddy Murphy
Chad Gable Vs Shelton Benjamin – A battle of former tag team partners, Gable & Benjamin haven’t exactly set the world on fire recently in their solo outings. Gable’s made a few memorable appearances on 205 Live and Shelton has appearing backstage ‘thinking’ about things in some strange promo packages.
Gable’s taking this one as he needs a solid solo win on Smackdown to hopefully propel him at least into the Intercontinental Championship situation. Winner – Chad Gable
Andrade Vs Apollo Crews – Another no brainer here, this one is Andrade’s to win and to carry on his momentum after he’s decisive win over Rey Mysterio in their 2 out of 3 falls match on Raw.
Poor Apollo would be better staying in NXT at this point as the only reason he’s in this tournament (similar to Shelton) is to be a solid hand and strong win for the ones who are clearly positioned to benefit the most from this. Winner – Andrade
Smackdown Bracket After First Round
Kevin Owens Vs. Buddy Murphy | Chad Gable Vs. Andrade
There are The Wrestling Brains Predictions for the first round matches for King of the Ring, but what are yours? do you agree? Let us know below or on twitter @SLTDWrestling. Or Tweet the brains direct @callumowen98 & @XterBlack
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