So...with Elimination Chamber in the books, let's look at the WM card
 

<font color=goldenrod>I'm guessing the following matches are locks:

WWE Championship: John Cena w/ Bret Hart vs. Batista w/ Mr. McMahon

World Heavyweight Championship: Edge vs. Chris Jericho

The Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels

Mask vs. Hair: Rey Mysterio vs. CM Punk

Randy Orton w/ Bob Orton vs. Cody Rhodes w/ Dusty Rhodes vs. Ted DiBiase w/ Ted DiBiase

Some sort of unification match between the Women's and Divas titles

It's being widely rumored that MITB won't be around this year, which blows and will leave a lot of guys off the card who should be there...I'm also guessing Triple H and Sheamus will have a match since Sheamus got eliminated by Triple H in the Chamber, but it's possible they do something different with them.

---

Now then, while I get that Batista/Cena is the smart main event from the money-making standpoint, it underwhelms me personally. I was expecting it to be on the card, and end with Bret Hart locking Vince in the Sharpshooter, which is fine and dandy...but it being the main event means we already know how WM ends. I know you go into WM expecting the face to win, but usually they at least do a good enough job in buildup to keep you on your toes (like last year, I thought Orton would actually win).

With Cena getting screwed out of the title and them bringing BRET HART back, there is absolutely no way they can suspend my disbelief enough to think Cena won't win the match. Probably the most predictable WM outcome since 2003. So in that regard, it's like going to a movie and already knowing the ending.

But anyway...I'm interested in seeing how they fill out the undercard, especially if Money in the Bank is indeed scrapped.</font>

As if Cena w/ Bret vs Batista w/ Vince wasn't a big enough match on its own...

I don't see them doing a Triple Threat that doesn't involve a title or some type of prize for the winner. So not sure about the Legacy match but everything else looks spot on.

Triple H not having a clear cut feud is pretty cool actually, usually he is set in stone to wrestle for the title by now. Maybe they can do a #1 contender match for the title that isnt MITB and have Trips win that

<font color=goldenrod>Exactly. Much like HBK/Taker, that match really doesn't need a title.

Hell, if I had to pick one of them to be the main event title match...I would have rather it been Taker/HBK because at least that would have been an unpredictable main event. Even with them taking time off after Mania, they could at least appear at the April PPV to drop the belt (particularly Taker who isn't at most TV shows anyway).</font>

Triple H and Sheamus could have a street fight or something. It's about the only way I could care about either man, and it least it gets a gimmick match on the card.

Definitely think Edge/Jericho should be the main event though. Considering Edge won the Rumble (I know this means nothing anymore though).

Also they should have MITB, but if there's a MITB PPV then they'll probably leave it out, which is a shame.

I really hope they do something with Triple H besides face Sheamus because even I don't give a fuck about that match, and I am a Triple H ubermark.

Triple H VS Hornswoggle?

<font color=goldenrod>Punk vs. Rey is sorta like the main event for me. Buildup will probably be fantastic, match should be great...but again, you KNOW the outcome since Rey has said several times he would quit before unmasking again and WWE makes fuckloads on those kiddie masks. But since it's the undercard, it's not that big of a deal.</font>

I'm kind of hoping Rey vs Punk is just a regular singles match. I don't want punk to lose that glorious long hair.

:lol: that'd be amazing!

It's good that at least Punk will finally get a proper match at Mania.

I seriously hate Rey. He'd rather quit then unmask again? Hell, he's already unmasked TWICE (Getting shit on in Mexico City for doing it the second time, IIRC.). It's not like we've NEVER seen his face. Every time he puts on that mask, he shits on Mexican Tradition.

Just make it a regular match.

When was the second time? The Eddie Guerrero tribute thing?

Triple H should join CM Punk's stable...nobody would see that coming.

my outlook on triple h and being involved in WM26 is that he will somehow get himself into the match with hbk/taker. i said in the other thread that it will give us a fresh look at hbk/taker, put trips in an upper card match (at the expense of the putting on a great match). he can't possibly be thrown into the title matches the way the feuds are set up at this point. will add some unpredictability to taker's streak as well. with sheamus having a beef with him he can try to cost him the match as well. will keep a push to the younger guys, no matter how much everyone hates him. and i could actually see sheamus trying to cost trips the match only to somehow give him the win, thus ending taker's streak in the way to surely piss the most people off and give him even more heat. of course there's a ton of other ways that match could go if it was done.

If this were to be the card of Mania, Id be intrigued in every match but Cena/Bats, not only cause it would be predictable, but I cant stand either one of them.

I hope they do Cena/Batista and Vince/Bret in different matches. If not it would be great to see Bret screw Cena for a turn of events. Cena is a cool guy, but I'm tired of him winning all but one of his WM title matches. Would really like to see Edge/Jericho in a ladder match for the title. Now that would be great.

Lol and watch him shrink 50 pounds within a month.

WCW's last years when EZ E made him take it off and he wore those god awful horns on his head...

<a href="http://photobucket.com/images/rey%20mysterio%20devil%20horns" target="_blank"><img src="http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o155/FataMorganaPseudonym/reymysterio.jpg" border="0" alt="rey mysterio devil horns Pictures, Images and Photos"/></a>

Rey looks like a fucking idiot in that picture

Man I lost a lotta respect for that side of him for sure.. He blames Bischoof... I could see that happening... EZ E hates las mascaras...

Since when does Straight Edge mean not lifting weights and eating a high protein diet?

Agreed... Boring... But, I was so pissed at Cena winning, I went out to get popcorn immediately (Here in Cancun we can see the PPV for about $10 at a movie theater.... Badass...) And I missed the Bats spear.... But the replay was awesome!

Dude, Triple H uses anabolic steroids.
Anybody involved, or hell, has even had a passing interest in natural and/or professional bodybuilding can see that somebody his size, let alone keeping in mind his age and schedule, is on roids.

If that was the second time, when was the first?

Cena/Bats
Jericho/Edge
Punk/Rey
MITB (I hope)
HBK/Taker/H
Bret/Vince

I agree that Bret and Vince should have a seperate match. This is likely Bret's last Mania, and it shouldn't be tied in with Cena/Bats. He should have his own moment.

I think adding Trips to the HBK/Taker fued would be interesting. It gives H something to do. Ideally, he'd be booked to continually prevent HBK from winning, only to be the one who does the job to Taker. They could then run an HBK/H program from there.

I really, really hope MITB is on the card, as I cannot fathom a gimmicked PPV being cenetred around that particular match. I just don't understand how it would work. If this match does go through, I would think that The Miz, Kolfi, or Christian would have the best chance at winning it if they were involved.

If no MITB, then there should be decently built programs for both the US and IC titles. I wouldn't mind a final Miz/MVP payoff here.

Batista v. Cena for the championship is fine with me. I'd rather Jericho v. Edge main eventing but that doesn't matter.

Batista/Cena at Summer Slam 2008 was actually pretty good so to see the rematch wouldn't be all that bad. The build should be pretty good.

I've written a whole thread about how much I hate Batista but as a heel he's pretty damn good.

*shakes his head.*

He was unmasked the first time at that one WCW ppv. He was unmasked again a few days (weeks?) later in Mexico, in a match against Psicosis. The fans in Mexico booed him out of the building more or less for putting the mask back on.

its probably bret harts final hoorah...
the excellence of execution DESERVES to have it include a world title....


.... but not so much that we can justify a cena win

Cool. I didn't know about that, which is why I asked.

I'm going to Mania, and I hope Bret and Vince go one on one. I know its wrestling, and they'll figure it out...but the "broken leg" is going to be hard to explain...who can come back from a broken leg in 5 weeks? I hated the car crash angle. I hope they figure out a good way to do that match.

jericho unmasked him :D Y2J!!!!

just recently to wasnt it???
he ran off or somethign and rey was left cowering? set up the mask vs ic title match which rey won?

Ah yeah that's right.....running a mental blank when that was as well.

wwe title: cena (face) vs batista (heel)

world title: edge (face) vs y2j (heel) 1st time ever

career vs streak match: hbk vs taker austin is the guest referee

bret vs vince

mitb:4 frm raw 4 frm sd RAW kingston vs miz vs bourne vs mvp SD mcyntyre vs r-truth vs morrison vs ziggler

I couldn't give a shit about John Cena vs. Batista. I care even less with the WWE Title involved. Actually bummed me out more than Jericho winning the World Heavyweight Title perked me up -- which is SAD!

CM Punk vs. Rey Mysterio would be better off in a regular match. Or if they do Money in the Bank (they could shift the date of the PPV by having the MITB Winner cash in before the PPV is announced on the air, and then they can have the PPV later this year, and move MITB without hurting Mania this year), Punk and Mysterio would both be great in that. You can build to Hair vs. Mask later in the year.

If Money in the Bank is actually left off the card...perhaps we could actually see titles being defended at Mania like it should be....with the US Title, Intercontinental, Tag Team, and Divas/Women's titles respectively. Given the opportunity they could showcase some of the titles in perhaps a fatal-fourway, triple threat, and other various matches. I know I would love to see tag team turmoil return for the Unified Tag Titles rather than watching it as a DVD bonus as a pre-match card that was better than some of the matches on the WM card itself. And I think it was a given that MITB wasn't happening since WWE now has a PPV coming up this year entitled Money in the Bank.

I still think the way to do it is to have Money in the Bank this year, with some actual big players in there (CM Punk, Rey Mysterio, Kane, Christian, Kofi Kingston, John Morrison, Ezekiel Jackson and William Regal would make a pretty well-rounded MITB, in my opinion), and have the winner cash in their title shot pretty early into the new wrestling year. Hell, John Cena could beat Batista for the WWE Title, and then CM Punk could cash in there and then after a Straight-Edge Society mugging, and John Cena can again have a reign as WWE Champion cut prematurely short.

Then when it comes time to actual start hyping Money in the Bank as a PPV event, Vince McMahon can come out and say that he finds the concept interesting, and he is going to give it its own PPV. Maybe they could even do it in tournament fashion -- with the winner then receiving the title shot? Don't just scrap MITB and move it to another date.

I also see the Intercontinental Title being defended at WrestleMania. Michael Hayes has done far too good a job at building it up as actually meaning something. R-Truth would make a pretty good opponent for McIntyre at Mania. McIntyre retaining would be what my heart wanted to see, but the WWE obviously wants to push Truth, so they could have him end McIntyre's streak, and get himself a nice reign as IC Champ.

The Unified WWE Tag Team Championship is also likely to be on the card this year, as The Miz & Big Show are two guys that are pretty destined to make the show. Ideally, I would like to see John Morrison challenge with a partner, but MVP & Mark Henry have the most heat built up with them so far.

<font color=goldenrod>Cena is good at doing serious, fired up promos...so in that respect the build can be good. But, we all know he's winning and then the next night on Raw we'll be back to THE CHAMP IS HERE!!!!!!!!!!! yet again.

The only thing that has me cautiously optimistic is that I don't think there will be TOO many draft moves this year since they are down to two brands. I figure they'll make at least one big splash though, and a Cena-for-Edge swap isn't completely unrealistic (especially since Cena was set to move to SmackDown in 2008 but then Triple H decided it worked better for his schedule and moved instead)

Yeah, not gonna happen..I know.</font>

I was really hoping that the Shawn & Triple H locker room conversations would continue to Elimination Chamber. Perhaps they would have if they weren't so steadfast on Trips Vs Sheamus.

I would have had Trips continue being the voice of reason, constantly telling Shawn that he would find a way to fight Undertaker at Wrestlemania. Shawn continues with the paranoia that he would have.

Triple H would have won the WWE Championship.

Edge does his "I'm deciding tomorrow night" in the RAW locker room where Trips is doing his post-match routine with Shawn in the locker room. Edge weighs the pros and cons of Taker and Trips. He tells Trips that he doesn't have as much reason to fight him as he would the Undertaker. HBK begs him not to, but Edge says that we'll see but he wants his Wrestlemania revenge on Undertaker as well.

That leads up to the finish that we had to the pay-per-view that played out. I wouldn't change a thing about the finish. That was nicely executed.

Edge would have opened RAW announces that he wants Jericho at Wrestlemania. Undertaker comes to the ring and demands his rematch. Teddy Long comes out and apologises to Taker but Edge made up his mind and as the winner of the Royal Rumble he has preference in who he faces at Mania. He's going to have to wait for his rematch. Taker flips out and demands Shawn Michaels.

DX goes to the ring and Triple H offers Undertaker the DX challenge. At Wrestlemania for the WWE Championship he can take on Triple H and Shawn in a triple threat match. Taker accepts the offer.

Triple H senses that Shawn wants to beat Taker so bad that he will take Triple H's title - the only reason that Trips granted Shawn's wish with the offer was on the proviso that Trips would retain the title, but DX would beat Taker.

Taker and Shawn build from what Shawn did and their past history. So theres an anxiety at all times between Trips and Shawn with the angst between Shawn and Taker. Trips wants to retain so they play that into him against Taker.

Comes time for their match at Mania. Triple H is laid out outside of the ring following the announce table bump that he took from Taker. Shawn is in Hells gate for longer than anyone has ever been in it, but his will to defeat the Undertaker stops him from tapping out. He somehow makes it to the ropes as Trips reenters the ring. Triple H and Taker brawl for a minute before Trips gets the pedigree set up. Taker counters and tombstones Triple H. One, two, three. Winner and new WWE Champion - The Undertaker. Just as Taker is celebrating post match HBK regains consciousness. He looks at Taker celebrating and then he looks at Trips defeated. Then he passes out again.

Taker loses the title to Triple H in their rematch at the following pay-per-view. Shawn gets his time off and they sell it that Taker crushed his larynx and other related injuries with the Hells Gate.

Shawn comes back at MITB to screw Triple H out of the title. They have a huge non-title match at Summerslam over the fact that Triple H cost Shawn his opportunity at defeating the Undertaker.

It would have been a great way to have the DX split and a good way for Shawn to take his time off and have something build while he's away - kinda like Edge and Jericho was building while Edge was off without having to be mentioned more than a handful of times.

<font color=goldenrod>I'm REALLY excited that HBK will be playing essentially full-out heel during his buildup with Taker this time. Gonna be incredible.

Shame he'll probably return in August as a squeaky-clean babyface as though nothing happened.</font>

Thanks for your take.

Please give me scientific proof of this opinion. Just because you and every other cynical asshole doesn't have the heart, determination, spirit, work ethic, and attitude of "The Game" Triple H to get that kind of body doesn't mean anybody with that physique is on steroids. Triple H has actually lost a lot of muscle tone over the years, and "The King of Kings" is even somewhat chubby. I suggest you quit presenting opinion as fact, and claiming to have a knowledge of something you do not. I will contact Paul Levesque and let him know of your slanderous and libelous claims. May KLIQ have mercy on your soul, sir!

Well here is my attempt...

World Heavyweight Title Match
Jericho vs Edge

WWE Championship
Batista w/Vince McMahon vs John Cena w/Bret Hart

The Undertaker vs Shawn Michaels vs Triple H

Randy Orton w/Bob Orton vs Cody Rhodes w/Dusty Rhodes vs Ted Diabiase w/Ted Diabiase

Hair vs Mask
CM Punk vs Rey Mysterio

Sheamus vs Kofi Kingston

WWE Unified Tag Team Title Match
Big Show and Miz vs Mark Henry and MVP (Daniel Bryan costs Miz the match!)

WWE Intercontinental Title Match
Drew Mcyntyre vs John Morrison vs Christain vs William Regal

I don't know what they will do with the Unified Tag Titles or the IC title but those matches would make me perfectly happy.

Tag Team match for the WWE title...Bret makes Vince submit, Batista loses title, and Bret retires as champion.

For Michaels vs Taker, how about HBK refuses to give up and loses to Taker by being choked out or something ala Austin vs Bret from WM 13? This way Taker keeps the streak going, HBK didnt technically lose and he can take some time off after Mania.

I think putting Triple H in the HBK/Taker match would make it a lot better. There is no way they can straight up out perform last years match, although maybe I am wrong Taker was on fire last night. :)

I believe unifying the championships is the way to go. It would be just like with the tag-belts, where the champion could go on any show to defend the title. If RAW can’t dedicate enough time to their women, there’s no other choice.

I don’t have a problem with divas being on RAW and wrestling, but if they’re not going to give them any storylines or time, then just have there be one champion.

<font color=goldenrod>MITB Qualifiers are tonight...sweet! The match is still on</font> :cool:

I wouldn't be surprised if Triple H wins MITB this year and then cashes in on the same night. Triple H has been relatively quiet this past year. I wouldn't be surprised if Triple H defeated Sheamus, Orton, Rhodes, Dibiase, and Kingston at MITB, and then cashed in after Cena defeated Batista.

Sounds like what they're going for, with Triple H and Sheamus looking likely to happen.

Looks like a stacked card, probably one of the best Mania cards in a while, especially when they fill out the undercard.

I'm not an H fan but I agree completely. It's not like he's ripped out of his mind. If you compare him to his 2001 physique, you would see there's some weight gain and less definition. I'm not saying he wasn't on roids at one time or another, but I highly doubt at this current junction he's juicing.

<font color=goldenrod>Fuck it. If any non-title match in WM history has ever deserved to go on last, it's Taker/HBK. Hope they do that.</font>

This.

Plus, no matter how great a match Edge v Jericho can be, nor how much heat a Batista w/ Vince v Cena w/Hart match could get, neither could really go on after Taker/HBK and really get a chance to shine. Just like HHH/Jericho had a tough time following Hogan/Rock at Mania 18.

Bam Bam vs L.T. I rest my case:shifty:

I actually find myself hoping that they do The Brothers of Destruction vs. D-Generation X at WrestleMania. I just can't get into the idea of Triple H vs. Sheamus without the WWE Championship being involved. Never thought I would say this, but Triple H should be the WWE Champion right now. It would have made sense for him to win it, be pushed even further as "The Destroyer" in Elimination Chambers for next year, and do a return match against Sheamus for WrestleMania. Sheamus could have won the WWE Title for the second time there, and continued his monster push.

Wouldn't it be crazy if Cena and Bret were the ones that set the whole thing up? Just to make Bret look hurt?

That would be clever, and make Cena and Bret look like less "pure." A rougher image to Cena, in particular, would be much welcomed by me.

Ahem.

Heyman's Analysis:

I think on paper, the obvious results are as follows:

Cena def. Batista
Edge def. Jericho
Shawn Michaels def. Undertaker
Bret def. Vince
Triple H def. Sheamus
Orton def. Rhodes & Dibiase
Rey Mysterio def. CM Punk
The Miz & Big Show def. R Truth and John Morrison
Drew McIntyre wins MITB
Heel females defeat face females.

However - if that were to happen, then that would mean 7 out of the 10 matches would be won by faces. Furthermore - most of those heel victories would be in the most meaningless matches.

So - what gives? I think the following matches are obvious:

• Cena will defeat Batista.
• ShowMiz defeat R-Truth & John Morrison
• Heel Females defeat Face Females

Cena will defeat Batista since Cena is a hero amongst the targeted children demographic. Kids 12 and under want to see their hero win, and they will most likely get that. The fact that Batista has been getting the better of Cena all this time also pretty much confirms that.

The heel females are also far more over then the Face females. They win here as well. This match will also help the WWE keep their 'face/heel' win-loss ratio more even. ShowMiz will also defeat R-Truth and John Morrison for the same reasons.

The following match is not completely obvious, but I think it's 90% probable that...

• Triple H defeats Sheamus

Triple H simply has too much seniority and legacy to be buried at Mania in what is essentially a semi-meaningless match. Sheamus has been built up to be almost unbeatable, and I think the WWE will give Triple H the "accolade" of being the 1st one to cleanly defeat Sheamus.


I'd say the following result is around 85-89% probable:

• Orton defeats Rhodes & Dibiase.

Again - the fact that Orton has been owned by Legacy on so many occassions, implies that Orton will have the last laugh here. I don't think the WWE would have had Legacy defeat Orton on RAW if this wasn't there plan.

So that leaves the "score" between heels and faces at 3-2. The rest of the matches are...

-Bret vs. Vince
-Jericho vs. Edge
-HBK vs. Undertaker
-MITB
-Punk vs. Rhodes

Now since Batista/Cena, Edge/Jericho, HBK/Taker are all "main-event calibre" matches, I don't think the WWE will have all 3 faces go over here. However - despite the fact that HBK cut a slightly heelish promo on RAW last Monday, I think more fans want HBK to get the win. So in that sense, I think more people will pull of HBK. On top of that, Austin 'burying' HBK on RAW also kind of implies that HBK will "beat the odds" and defeat Taker.

However - since HBK is rumoured to be taking time off after Mania, I don't think the WWE will have HBK defeat Taker and then have him be off of TV for so long.....and kill whatever momentum HBK would have had.

Since Taker's streak is something ridiculously unique, I don't see the WWE getting rid of it....ever. Taker's streak will be a part of his legacy, and the WWE will keep Taker's streak in-tact as a way of paying tribute....to a guy that never once "sold out" to WCW. HBK is already a huge legend, and doesn't need a win over Taker to add to his legacy.


So - Taker defeats HBK.

Face-heel score: 3-2-1 (3 wins, 2 losses, 1 neutral).

Since it's a 12 and under demographic and 'good' needs to 'evil' on more occassions, I also believe that Edge will defeat Jericho.

Face-heel score: 4-2-1.

So that leaves

-Bret vs. Vince
-CM Punk vs. Rey Mysterio
-MITB

Now - since Edge has defeated Jericho, I'm going to go out on a limb and predict that the WWE might use this as a pretext to build towards an Edge/Christian match-feud down the road. Edge and Christian won't necessarily be enemies....and no one would be heel....but it would just be between two guys looking to achieve greatness....and I think that's how it might go down.

The 3 guys that are most likely to win are: Christian, Drew McIntyre, and Kofi Kingston. However - I don't think Kofi is quite ready to be a main-event face and I think the WWE recognizes that. That leaves Christian and Drew McIntyre.

Although it would be awesome to see Christian win MITB and then 'cash in' against Edge on the same night, I think the WWE are far more focused on building up Drew McIntyre. Given how Drew has had to 'pay his dues' a little lately, I think McIntyre will be the one to win MITB. At some point down the road, McIntyre will cash in against Edge...or even Cena.

Prediction: Drew McIntyre wins MITB:

Face-heel score: 4-3-1

That leaves Punk/Mysterio and Vince/Bret.

While Punk will definitely go over Mysterio at some point, I don't think he'll go over Mysterio at Mania.....due to the fact that it involves family. The WWE will give Mysterio the win so he looks like a hero amongst his family. However - Punk will go over at some point.....I just don't think it will be here.

Prediction: Mysterio defeats Punk

Face-Heel-Score: 5-3-1

That leaves Bret-Vince.

On paper, it looks obvious that Bret will go over....which is why I don't think he will. Vince looked a little TOO confident on RAW when he told Bret that he was screwed.

Vince has jobbed to many legends in past years (i.e. Flair, Hogan, HBK). I think this is the year that Vince actually wins.

Since Bret has been rumored to be in the WWE even after Mania, I think the WWE will play upon the angle of "Bret finally getting his revenge on Vince." My guess is that at Wrestlemania, the Hart Dynasty and/or Drew McIntyre, end up costing Bret his match against Vince.

Prediction: Vince defeats Bret! (Face-Heel score = 5-4-1).
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.
.
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Heyman's final conclusions:

-Cena def. Batista
-Undertaker def. HBK
-Edge def. Jericho
-Triple H def. Sheamus
-ShowMiz def. Morrison&R-Truth
-Mysterio def. Punk
-McIntyre wins MITB
-Heel Females win
-Vince def. Bret
-Orton def. Rhodes & Dibiase

I think with the exception of Undertaker/HBK, you could be wrong about every single one of them

That hurt my head Heyman. :(

I'm gonna go:

Undertaker
Cena
Jericho
Punk
Triple H
Face divas
Christian
ShowMiz
Bret
Orton

Definitely.

I think the biggest ones that I could be wrong on, are Jericho/Edge and MITB. I wouldn't be at all surprised to see Jericho defeat Edge and then continue his "spear spear spear" speech to the fans after Mania'. However - I think it would be far more detrimental to Edge's character, if he were to job. The WWE are trying hard to get Edge over as a face and I think a loss here would be a major set back. Jericho on the other hand, will still be way over as an established heel....whether he wins or not.

Given the lack of reactions that Drew McIntyre garners, I also wouldn't be surprised to see Christian or Kofi win MITB (the latter being the more likely). Historically however, the WWE (namely Vince) has been extremely stubborn when it comes to pushing certain guys. Vince has invested a lot of time into Drew Mac, and so that's why I think it could manifest at Mania'.

I might be over thinking the Bret/Vince scenario, but I think it just seems too obvious that 'Bret will win.' Vince also looked 'way' too confident when he said, "You're screwed" on RAW. My guess is that someone will (successfully) interefere on his behalf...and cost Hart the match.