10 Last-Minute WWE No Mercy 2016 Rumors You Need To Know
Na Na, Hey Hey, Kiss Him Goodbye?
This Sunday, WWE presents No Mercy, the third brand-exclusive PPV of the post-split era and the third belonging to Smackdown. Many consider the blue brand to be superior to Raw, and the superstars and creative team will get a chance to prove it.
The card has its strengths and weaknesses. The main event, which will see AJ Styles defend the WWE World Championship against John Cena and Dean Ambrose in a triple threat match, is a guaranteed winner. The Intercontinental TItle also feels more important than it has in a while, as Dolph Ziggler is putting his career on the line for a chance to win it from The Miz. Finally, the Becky Lynch-Alexa Bliss bout for the Smackdown Women's Title could be a potential show-stealer.
(note: since writing this article, a further last minute rumour has emerged which claims Becky Lynch won't be on the card for No Mercy 2016. She's out with an undisclosed injury. Full story HERE).
On the other hand, Smackdown's thin roster has led to some decidedly uninteresting midcard bouts. Rhyno and Heath Slater, who were a lot more interesting before they won the Smackdown Tag Team Titles, will be defending the belts against The Usos is a bout that happened at Backlash and didn't impress anyone. Baron Corbin and Jack Swagger are also scheduled to face off in a bout that can be dismissed without even seeing it. Finally, the worst feud of the year will (hopefully) end when Bray Wyatt takes on Randy Orton.
What can we expect from these bouts? Here are 10 last-minute rumors you need know about No Mercy, ranked from least to most plausible.
10. John Cena Will Win A 16th World Championship
One of the main selling points heading into the triple threat main event is that John Cena - who last held the WWE World Championship in 2014 - will tie Ric Flair's record for career world titles if he should emerge victorious at No Mercy. With 12 WWE Titles altogether and three reigns with the defunct World Heavyweight Championship, he now stands at 15.
It's only a matter of time, of course, before Cena ties and breaks the record - he'll be 40 in April, but he clearly has plenty of gas left in the tank. Don't expect it to happen Sunday, though. Like last fall, Cena will once again be leaving to film reality competition American Grit, and his absence should begin shortly. The WWE Title isn't going to wind up on his waist just before he takes a sabbatical.
Plus, the company's only just begun to tease his tying the record. There's plenty of mileage in a months-long chase for reign 16, which could even culminate at WrestleMania.