WWE Over The Limit PPV - What Can We Expect?

Over The Limit PNC Arena in Raleigh, NC Don't be fooled by WWE Over The Limit's lacklustre buildup, where the PPV itself has been derived of any real strong individual story lines, the matches themselves hold they're own strengths and intrigue. The WWE title bout itself is said to be an Internet fanboys dream. A World Heavyweight title contest pitting 4 men who have all had their own brush with the Gold against each other. John Laurinitis set to get his comupence from John Cena, while the rest of card is a general affair.

Pre Show - Zack Ryder vs Kane

This will mark the third consecutive show that WWE have aired a teaser prior to their PPV, giving fans a small taster of what to expect and WWE's last ditch attempt to garner those additional PPV buys.

Over the last year Zack Ryder's stock has plummeted. Having only been utilised in jobber roles and making few appearances on tv it could be fair to assume that WWE's trust in Ryder is questionable. Zack was not on the card for last month's PPV (although he did make an appearance jumping Kane backstage during the bout with Orton) and was the chosen one in which to take the loss at Wrestlemania after being given the High Thigh by his on/off embarrassing love infatuation, Eve. Kane's recent resurrection has been less than fulfilling, with no real sense of direction he has bounced from story to story. On his return he featured in a battle with John Cena, a feud which was nothing more than a filler for Cena and to make him come out strong in ready for his year-long hyped bout with The Rock at Wrestlemania. After losing the feud he made his way to Orton in a rushed storyline where Kane came out the victor in their match at Wrestlemania. Orton got his revenge by besting Kane at last months Extreme Rules in falls count anywhere match. With Kane and Ryder having clashed multiple times this year and Kane consistently getting the upper hand and the early bouts Ryder being absolutely destroyed by Kane, it's difficult what to expect from these two. As a fan you would like to think that this will be the match that Kane gets his cummupence and Zack Ryder gets his revenge, finally defeating the man who he has fallen to and suffered at the hands of so many times this year. But the likelihood is WWE will want to keep Kane as a monster and unfortunately Ryder will be taking the bow again.

Divas Championship - Layla vs Beth Pheonix

Beth Pheonix having mirracously recovered from an apparent shattered foot, will go one on one with former Lay-Cool member, Layla. With fans eagerly awaiting the return of Kharma, Layla's return last month at Extreme Rules was, some would say, a little flat. Having been out of action for over a year and with her long run alongside Michelle McCool in their heel partnership it was unlikely that Layla would get anything more than a luke warm reception from the fans. With her adequate in ring ability and the fact that her opponent is one of the best female workers within the WWE can only be a good thing.

You can expect the match to be a standard women's wrestling bout, no great deal of technically sound moves but a carefully thought out bout with one or two good spots to put a smile on the face of the crowd.

Tag Team Championship - Kofi Kingston & R-Truth vs Dolph Ziggler & Jack Swagger

Kofi and R-Truth, victims of WWE's latest mix and match tag team division laid claim to the Title when they defeated former champions Primo and Epico. With Kofi's athletic, daring and dynamic ring style, coupled with R-Truths fast paced, hard hitting combination... not forgetting Little Jimmy, the two make for an exciting team to watch.

With Dolph Ziggler and Jack Swagger having not made much headway in the last few months it's difficult to guess on what their future holds. Both are exceptional workers and can hold they're own in a match. Both are former US Title holders and World Title holders which already raises the bar for the current Tag Team Champions. The real question is what does WWE have in store for the pairing? Dolph Ziggler, a man who can sell sand to an Egyptian, has been tipped as the next Shawn Michaels. His matches seem to have one thing in mind, get the opponent over. Having bumped left, right and centre for Brodus Clay, his dedication to the match intrigues the fans who expect a good show from Ziggler. Jack Swagger is slightly more dormant, he hasn't done much in the last few months and is seriously lacking charisma. Had he not been paired with Vickie Guerrero he would likely be main eventing Superstars. Although, putting this to one side you cannot deny this mans in-ring ability, paired with the right person he can excel and produce a decent match. Partnered with Ziggler facing Kofi and truth, great things can happen. This match puts four of WWE's next generation in the ring at the same time. With that in mind there's no reason to think why this match can't be the lone wolf that sneaks up and catches everyone by surprise. Not forgetting that AW has also hinted that he shall evoke the former champions rematch clause when 'he wishes' which does not rule out the possibility of a 'money in the bank' style cash in at Over The Limit.

World Heavyweight Championship Fatal Fourway - Alberto Del Rio, Chris Jericho, Randy Orton and Sheamus

The current and three former World champions set the stage for Smackdown's World Heavyweight Title match. Capturing the title from Daniel Bryan, and going on to successfully defend his championship at last months Extreme Rules, Sheamus has been given a strong push by WWE. Theoretically the odds are indeed stacked against him and will most certainly have his work cut out.

Alberto Del Rio is yet to do anything of note since returning from his injury. The two time champion and former luchador has a lot to bring to the match, with his lightening quick in ring ability and deadly Cross Arm Breaker finishing manoeuvre. While not forgetting the ever near Ricardo Rodriguez, Del Rio has a good hand to play. Coming off the loss and mediocre angle with CM Punk, Chris Jericho has been seamlessly slotted into the Fatal Fourway match. It's common knowledge that Jericho is set to leave shortly to take his band Fozzy on tour, many believe this shall occur around Summerslam time, while WWE has been touting that he may leave shortly following Over The Limit if he is not victorious. But let's not count Jericho out, he has the talent and in ring ability to carry the Championship until his departure. Jericho may very well unleash the Codebreaker and claim an unexpected victory. Randy Orton, while one of WWE's top guys hasn't seen gold since last year and has been vacant of the World Title scene ever since. Having spent most of the year battling Wade Barrett and Kane, the Viper now sets his sights on the World Heavyweight Championship, hoping to become a 10 time champion and back main eventing. With Orton's history of unleashing his finishing manoeuvre the RKO out of nowhere the former legend killer needs little time to swiftly grab the pin fall. Both Orton and the champion have shown some good chemistry both inside and outside the ring, so there is a viable possibility that Orton may either walk away with the title or extend his title picture stay if Sheamus is victorious. Overall, expect the match to be fast paced with various spots and set ups. With each man looking strong throughout, constantly teasing fans that any of the competitors can pull off the victory.

WWE Championship - CM Punk vs Daniel Bryan

An indie fans dream. This match is actually happening, 10 years ago when these guys were making the indie rounds could anyone have envisioned that these two would be stood in a WWE ring, on a PPV, competing for the WWE Championship? The short answer is no.

The match itself has received little build up and little story line, but does this match actually need any of that? Again, the short answer is no. To a wrestling fan this match sells itself. WWE could very well have announced the match and kept both men off TV until the PPV and those fans would still have bought in. The lack of hype and body of storyline does however raise questions and bring hope that WWE intend to further the feud beyond the PPV. Both men are technical wizards and carry an aura of old school, where they would use the match itself to tell the story rather than out of ring actions and microphones. Is this what WWE is setting us up for? Do WWE have that much trust in both men's abilities that they feel they don't need to bring up one wrestlers family or the others ex girlfriend. We can only hope. Daniel Bryan lost his World Title to Sheamus at Wrestlmania in under 18 seconds, it's ironic that such an unfortunate position Bryan was placed in has also seemed to be the catalyst for his continuous success. Had Bryan had a mediocre match with Sheamus would the crowd have ripped the roof off the next night on Raw with Yes! And Si! Chants? Nobody will know, but Bryan has played his part and continued to excel on the mic while doing what he does best in the ring. Having unable to capture the World Title in his rematch against Sheamus at extreme rules in a 2 out of 3 falls match he moved onto the WWE championship. Winning a a beat the clock challenge on Raw, which as a result won him a WWE Title shot. CM Punk's feud with returning star Chris Jericho was not as good as everyone hoped it would be. While WWE felt the Best In The World storyline was not enough, Chris Jericho then introduced Punks family into it. While it did up the ante so to speak it also took away from what was really at stake, the WWE Championship. CM Punk defeated Chris Jericho cleanly at Wrestlemania with the Anaconda Vise, he then went on to defeat Y2J in a Chicago street fight with the GTS. What can we expect from the match? Pure wrestling, both men have an arsenal of moves at their disposal and both men are well aware of the others ability. these two are going to put on a show, provided they are given enough time and enough creative freedom in the ring. Also, look out for the handshake...

John Cena vs John Laurinaitis

If any member of the roster employed by WWE interferes they will be fired. If John Laurinaitis loses the match he shall be fired.

With the above statement it's fair to say that it doesn't look good for Big Johnny. If Brock Lensar can't defeat the (almost) invincible Cena, then what hope does he have? And this is where the obvious comes into play, any fan will realise that someone 'almost certainly' will interfere, but the question is who? This is the selling point of the match, names have been thrown into the hat and they go along the lines of... Brock Lesnar - He quit last week via Paul Heyman and would be more than happy to do the honours after his loss at Extreme Rules. Big Show - Having been fired on Monday, under Johnny's request in return for a contract he may show up to play his part. Or he may interfere just in the hope that he will be rewarded with his job back. Batista - Rumours have been ripe for a few weeks now that he is set to return. The last we saw of Dave he was sitting in the middle of the ring, in a wheelchair screaming that he quit. This was following a match with John Cena at Over The Limit in 2010, so it's fair to say they have issues. Other - WWE's not unknown for their surprises, a soon to debut star or even an unrumored returning talent. It's hard to believe Big Johnny will actually lose this match, having played such a dominant role on both Raw and Smackdown in the last few months. Although lets not forget David Otunga, John Laurinaitis top legal advisor. With Cena being victorious Otunga could be utilised to find a loop hole in the stipulation, thus Big Johnny taking his beating, losing the match and still coming out on top. The match itself is likely to be a one sided affair, with Cena dishing out the pain and punishment while possibly absorbing the odd move or two. Scenes of Laurinaitis cowering and begging are likely, with John Cena unleashing his entire arsenal of moves before THE likeliness of being blind sided and Big Johnny stealing the win.