Here is the advertised card for the WWE No Mercy Pay-Per-View, taking place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California.
Brock Lesnar (c) vs. Braun Strowman for the WWE Universal Championship
-While I would have saved this match for WrestleMania 34, I admit I’m still excited to see it. Strowman has been the MVP of RAW for several months now and he should be rewarded with a title win. Alas, I fear it’s not meant to be. I do think that they’ll find a way to protect Strowman but still have Lesnar come out on top. I’m not sure if a date for Survivor Series is on Lesnar’s 2017 calendar and they could easily go back to this there but I ‘m fairly certain that all roads lead to Lesnar/Reigns at WrestleMania one way or another….Because WWE!
Pediction: Brock Lesnar defeats Braun Strowman to retain the Universal Championship
John Cena vs. Roman Reigns
-The promos in the build-up to this match have been phenomenal. Now, it’s time to see if the match itself will deliver (which I think it will). I’ve gone back and forth as to who will win but my gut says Cena wins this.
Prediction: John Cena defeats Roman Reigns
Emma vs. Bayley vs. Alexa Bliss (c) vs. Sahsa Banks vs. Nia Jax in a Fatal-5 Way match for the RAW Women’s Championship
-#GiveEmmaAChanceToGetPinnedByTheWinnerOfThisMatch.
Prediction: Alexa Bliss retains the RAW Women’s Championship
Dean Ambrose & Seth Rollins (c’s) vs. Cesaro & Sheamus for the RAW Tag Team Championships
-Much like SummerSlam, I find it hard to imagine they had Rollins & Ambrose reunite only to lose their first title defense.
Prediction: Seth Rollins & Dean Ambrose defeat Cesaro & Sheamus to retain the RAW Tag Team Championships
Finn Balor vs. Bray Wyatt
-No Demon = Bray gets his win back (even though he probably shouldn’t).
Prediction: Bray Wyatt defeats Finn Balor
Neville (c) vs. Enzo Amore for the WWE Cruiserweight Championship
-Bada boom! Realest champ in the room! How you doin’? Nah.
Prediction: Neville defeats Enzo Amore to retain the Cruiserweight Championship
The Miz (c) vs. Jason Jordan for the WWE Intercontinental Championship
-The angle of Jason Jordan being Kurt Anle’s son has been a bust to this point. Is this the last ditch effort to get Jordan over? Does a loss lead to Jordan snapping and turning heel? Who knows.
Prediction: The Miz defeats Jason Jordan to retain the Intercontinental Championship
Apollo Crews vs. Elias (Samson) (Kickoff Match)
-Titus Brand. Titus Worldwide. Does it make much of a difference? Elias (no longer Samson) gets more TV time than Crews these days so I’m guessing he goes for a walk with Elias.
Prediction: Elias defeats Apollo Crews
Trivia
- he first No Mercy event took place in 1999. In fact, there were two No Mercy events that year. The first was a UK exclusive event that saw Stone Cold Steve Austin defend the WWE Championship against Triple H and The Undertaker in a Triple Threat Match. Five months later, WWE decided to add the event to their regular PPV schedule as their annual October PPV until 2008 before it’s return in 2016.
- Kurt Angle won his first WWE Championship at No Mercy, defeating The Rock at the No Mercy 2000 event.
- No Mercy was not kind to The Undertaker over the years. The Phenom emerged victorious only one time at the event, which was in 2001.
- Eddie Guerrero is the only superstar to have appeared in the opening match of a No Mercy event one year, then appear in the main event the following year.
- The Undertaker main evented three consecutive No Mercy PPV’s between 2002-2004 but lost all of them. Additionally, all three were WWE Championship matches.
- It was at the No Mercy 1999 PPV where the famous Tag Team Ladder match between Edge & Christian and The Hardy Boys took place.
- It was at the 2005 No Mercy PPV where Eddie Guerrero wrestled in his last PPV match for WWE when he faced Batista for the now-retired World Heavyweight Championship
- The Rock lost World Championships at consecutive No Mercy events in 2000 & 2001. He lost the WWE Championship in 2000 to Kurt Angle and lost the WCW World Championship to Chris Jericho the following year. Coincidentally, both wins were the first world title reigns for Angle & Jericho with the respective titles.
- Three Ladder matches have taken place at No Mercy. Edge appeared in two of them and won both times. Coincidentally, Christian was involved in both of them (once as a tag team partner and the other as an opponent).
- To date, the 2002 No Mercy PPV is the only one to take place in the state of Arkansas.
- The Big Show was victorious in all three of his No Mercy appearances, defeating Eddie Guerrero in 2003 (to win the United States Championship), Kurt Angle in 2004 and The Undertaker in 2008.
- Chris Jericho was also undefeated at No Mercy and emerged victorious in all of four his matches as well. He defeated X-Pac in a Steel Cage match in 2000, The Rock in 2001 (to win the WCW World Championship), Booker T & Goldust in 2002 (to retain the World Tag Team Championships with Christian) and Shawn Michaels in 2008 (to retain the World Heavyweight Championship in a Ladder Match).
- The inaugural WWE Tag Team Champions (currently on the RAW brand) were first crowned at the 2002 No Mercy PPV. In the match, Kurt Angle & Chris Benoit defeated Edge & Rey Mysterio in a tournament final to win the gold.
- The Undertaker competed in four consecutive gimmick matches at No Mercy between 2002-2005 and was defeated in all four. A Hell In A Cell Match in 2002, a Biker Chain Match in 2003, a Last Ride Match in 2004 and a Casket Match in 2005.
- Only four rematches have ever taken place at No Mercy: The Undertaker vs. Brock Lesnar (2002 & 2003), the Hardy Boys vs. Edge & Christian (1999 & 2000), Triple H vs. Randy Orton (2007) and Beth Phoenix vs, Candice Michelle (2007 & 2008)
- Edge was the challenger for three different championships at consecutive No Mercy events from 2000-2002.
