Tossing Salt Presents:
WWE Great Balls of Fire PPV
Thoughts and Predictions
July 7, 2017
DougMaynard.com

We are just a few days away from the latest WWE pay-per-view, the Raw exclusive “Great Balls of Fire!”. Yeah, I know. What the hell were they thinking naming a pay-per-view event after a song that’s over sixty years old. I like the song and Jerry Lee Lewis, but still. Why not name it “Freebird” after the Skynyrd classic or even “All My Rowdy Friends Are Coming Over Tonight” after the Hank Jr. classic. Makes as much sense. I wonder if we’ll see a cameo by Mr. Lewis at the show? Who knows?

With the pay-per-view only a few days away, it’s time to do that “Shades of Sister Cleo” thing and pretend that I can predict the future. I’m at least as good at it as she was and I’m far less expensive. I can also probably talk with a more convincing foreign accent, mon’. Eight matches have been announced for the show and I have to admit that despite the warped-ass name, the card is stacked to the max and should be very, very good and top of the line from start to finish. There are also a couple of matches that haven’t been announced for the show, but current story lines on RAW indicate that there is a slight chance that we’ll see some kind of confrontation and maybe an inpromptu match offered up. I’ve decided to do these possibilities as well as the advertised matches. Maybe they’ll happen and maybe not, but if they do take place, I’ll have had them covered.

It’s prediction time. Let’s do this…

WWE Cruiserweight Championship Match
Neville (c) vs. Akira Tozawa (with Titus O’Neil)

I’m going to admit it here that I much prefer Titus with this new character as the head of the “Titus Brand” than as an active wrestler. And his new partnership with Akira Tozawa has generated far more interest in Akira for me than any of his matches ever have. I love the role that Neville has been playing for the past few months as the “King of the Cruiserweights” and while I have a lot of respect for Akira, I don’t think it’s time yet to take that title off of Neville. I’d look for some miscommunication between Titus and Akira to cause a distraction and Neville to take advantage and retain his title.

Winner and STILL Cruiserweight Champion: Neville

WWE Universal Championship Match
Brock Lesnar (c) (with Paul Heyman) vs. Samoa Joe

This is the match that has everyone talking. These two men are so damn tough and are pure monsters in the ring. This could go either way and it wouldn’t be an upset. Both Brock and Joe are legit and so damn good at what they do. I want to see a title change and I think it will happen, sooner rather than later, but do they do it now or else wait until SummerSlam? I think we might have an instant classic on our hands. And what the heck. I’m calling title change and a new champion.

Winner and NEW Universal Champion: Samoa Joe

Ambulance Match
Roman Reigns vs. Braun Strowman

It’s been pretty much all Braun since he came back from his elbow injury and for some reason, that makes me think that Roman is set to go over and take the win, getting this big monster off his back finally for good. I hope not. I like the way they’ve taken Braun ever since splitting him up from the Wyatt Family and created a legitimate monster. Roman can take the loss and since he has the powers-that-be behind him, it won’t hurt him too much. Braun is like the giant in Jack and the Bean Stalk. He’s looking good and screaming “Fee Fi Fo Fum” a lot, but if Jack (Roman) cuts down the beanstalk and beats him in this match, his character will fall down and go boom! He can’t really afford a solid loss right now. I’m going for Braun to win.

Winner: Braun Strowman

WWE Raw Women’s Championship Match
Alexa Bliss (c) vs. Sasha Banks

I just don’t see Sasha winning here. She seems to have lost all of the momentum and good will she had a year or so ago when she was feuding with Charlotte and now, she’s just kind of there. Alexa is on fire right now and getting better each and every week and I see a major feud with Nia Jax in her future. She has to get past Sasha first though and on Sunday, I think she definitely will.

Winner and STILL WWE Raw Women’s Champion: Alexa Bliss

Seth Rollins vs. Bray Wyatt

It’s hard to believe that just about four months ago, Bray was the WWE Champion and now, what the hell? How the mighty have fallen. Seth isn’t quite back up to his previous levels yet, but his star is back on the rise and I don’t think that Bray, who deserves so much more, will be standing in his way. I think that Bray might be getting some heat from management for his love of announcers named JoJo and I don’t expect we’ll see him with any kind of push for some time to come. Seth wins.

Winner: Seth Rollins

Enzo Amore vs. Big Cass

Enzo will come out strong and run his mouth like there’s no tomorrow, but when the smoke settles, being 7-foot tall in a fight has a lot more impact and does a lot more damage than being a “Certified G” ever will. Cass is going to give Enzo the beating of a lifetime and guess what? You can’t teach that! Enzo will be looking S-A-W-F-T at the end of the match.

Winner: Big Cass

WWE Intercontinental Championship Match
The Miz (c) (with Maryse, Bo Dallas, and Curtis Axel) vs. Dean Ambrose

Miz called it correctly on RAW this past Monday when he said that Ambrose just wasted opportunity and potential. Ambrose will bring the jokes and the fight, but can he overcome the superior numbers of the “Miztourage” that is Curtis Axel and Bo Dallas? Can Ambrose avoid the distraction that is Maryse? Will we see any midgets join the Miztourage and increase the numbers even that much more? The answer to all of these is “No”. Miz wins, keeps his title and guess what? That will be AWESOME!

Winner and STILL Intercontinental Champion: The Miz

30 Minute Iron Man Match – WWE Raw Tag Team Championship
Cesaro and Sheamus (c) vs. The Hardy Boyz (Jeff and Matt Hardy)

This is another match where I am torn. I like Cesaro and Sheamus as the champions and I’m not really excited about the Hardy’s. Once the nostalgia wore off, I’m not really impressed with their work in the ring. They’re still good wrestlers, but mere shadows of what they were even five years ago. Without the “Broken Matt” and “Brother Nero” characters, we’re just getting old & slow Matt and Jeff and are they worthy of being the best tag team on RAW? Not really. This should be a good match since these four men have great chemistry together and I expect it will be close and probably end up going sudden death at the end. And I think that Sheamus and Cesaro should and will retain their belts. It just makes more sense.

Winners and STILL WWE Raw Tag Team Champions: Cesaro & Sheamus

And now we come to the two matches that WWE has been building to on recent editions of RAW and you have to know that these matches will take place at some point, probably sooner rather than later. Will it be at the Great Balls of Fire event, at RAW the next night or somewhere further down the road? Who knows? With eight matches already booked and one of them being an “Iron Man” match, I can’t really see them adding any more matches, but then again, it’s the WWE and anything is possible. So just in case these matches do happen, Iet’s pick a winner, shall we?

Goldust versus R-Truth

Goldust has come out on top more often than not since turning on his former partner and has looked really good since bringing back the more classic elements of his iconic character. Thus, that means when the match actually happens, R-Truth wins. It’s WWE logic.

Winner: R-Truth

Finn Balor versus Elias Sampson

Sampson looks great and I’ve been impressed with his in-ring skills ever since he came up to the main roster from NXT, but against the sometimes “Demon”, who also just happens to be a damn sexy beast and a possible future life-mistake if he’s willing, Sampson doesn’t have a chance. Got to go with the hot ass Irishman.

Winner: Finn Balor

And there you go. Am I correct? Am I crazy? Let me know what you think. And now, it’s time to go to bed (maybe). Thank you for reading and for your support of this site. Until the next time, I’m Doug and I’m out of here. Have a great one.

Ubuntu!