Capitol Punishment Preview

WWE is taking over Father's Day with their premier production of Capitol Punishment. I've said over the last couple of RAW reviews that these one off PPV's don't typically buy very well. For some reason, WWE fans stick to the PPV's with name value, whether the card is strong or not. In this case, it is somewhat of a shame that this won't do well in buys because the card is pretty strong for the most part. A couple fresh faces and a couple long standing rivalries continuing.

Dolph Ziggler (w/Vickie Guerrero) vs. Kofi Kingston for the United States Championship

This is a rivalry that has been re-hashed from Smackdown last year and it was good then, and it's good now. I've seen these guys wrestle on 2 separate occasions on House Shows, once Wichita Falls & once in Waco. Not to mention the numerous times on television and they've just got great chemistry. If you follow Dolph on twitter, @HEELZiggler, he's been getting some great advice from none other than Stone Cold Steve Austin. As a HUGE fan of Ziggler, it's been great to see Twitter used as something to give a performer great insight. I'm sure Dolph took everything Steve had to say to heart. I truly think Dolph can be the future of the business. With the Money in the Bank PPV coming up next month, he is my favorite to win it, which I don't think they'll let him win that if he's carrying the US title as well. So with that said, I would expect maybe a mix up between he and Vickie that leads to a Trouble In Paradise & the champion retaining.

Prediction: Kofi Kingston retains the United States Championship by pinfall


Ezekiel Jackson vs. Wade Barrett for the Intercontinental Championship


Over/Under 6 1/2 bodyslams by "Big Zeke" in this match? I'm taking the over. Arguably the worst match on the card. I'm a big fan of Wade Barrett & think he would be much better on his own, but unfortunately I don't think this Corre breakup is permanent. What are they going to do, have them break up & have Wade as a heel and the other 2 as a heel tag team, but they don't get along? Makes no sense. But neither did not putting Zack Ryder on RAW, so maybe that's what WWE wants. Either way, I fully expect Gabriel & Slater to come out yet again, reconcile with Wade and cost Big Zeke the match. Oh by the way, remember when the IC title actually meant something? Yeah, me neither.

Prediction: Wade Barrett retains the Intercontinental Championship by pinfall


Big Show vs. Alberto Del Rio


This match has proved how much the brand extension does not exist. They used 2 segments on Smackdown, albeit effective ones, to promote it. Big Show has done better acting in this storyline than he did in the entire movie of Knucklehead. And WWE isn't going to lose money on this acting, so kudos to Show. The rumors are that Del Rio is scheduled to be fed to Cena for Summerslam, but I really don't see it. To me, they've soured on Del Rio since he won Royal Rumble. The question in this match is will Del Rio be able to get the move that needs a name, aka his Cross Armbreaker, on The Big Show. I don't think he will. I see Big Show playing up this anger angle he's had this week and Del Rio purposely getting himself counted out. This will probably lead to a gimmick match in the coming weeks that Del Rio can win cleanly then & move on to Cena, if that's where WWE should choose to go.

Prediction: Big Show by countout


Rey Mysterio vs. CM Punk


The only thing I don't like about the lead-up to this match is the fact they have not mentioned their previous storyline from Smackdown last year at all. They're acting like this is a fresh storyline, when it's not at all. They had some incredible television last year including the creepiest rendition of Happy Birthday sung by Punk to Rey's daughter. These two have not had a bad match. In fact I'm looking forward to seeing these two live next weekend in Dallas, as they just have incredible chemistry. I really have a tough time choosing a winner here, but I think WWE is gonna try to keep Punk happy with his contract winding down, so they'll probably throw him a bone here and let him win. Mysterio keeps his standing in the company no matter his wins or losses.

Prediction: CM Punk by pinfall


Alex Riley vs. The Miz


Alex Riley is a star in the making. I know some people have disagreed with me on this opinion, but I truly believe that A-Ry is ready to breakout. This was the perfect timing for this, just due to the incredible heat Mix has and how natural it was for the fans to get behind Riley. All that being said, Miz is in much higher standing then Riley, so I see him winning this match, but allowing Riley to get quite a few near falls to get the crowd behind him and show that he "hung in there with The Miz". If that's not the result, maybe they go with Riley looking like he's about to beat Miz, but Miz gets himself intentionally disqualified to get out of it. I think I'll stick with Miz getting the pinfall though.

Prediction: The Miz by pinfall


Randy Orton vs. Christian for the World Heavyweight Championship


Killswitches to really sell the head angle, and recaptures the World Heavyweight Championship.

Prediction: AND NEW World Heavyweight Champion, Christian by Pinfall


John Cena vs. R-Truth for the WWE Championship


There is nothing, and I mean nothing, better than R-Truth right now on WWE programming. This heel turn has given him a second wind in his career and he's being rewarded with his first ever WWE title shot AND headlining a PPV with the top dog of the company in Cena. I would love nothing more than for him to beat Cena, but we all know that's not going to happen. I think it's about time we all realize Cena is not losing the belt heading into his WrestleMania showdown with The Rock. It'd be great if R-Truth was able to walk away from the PPV on top, even by disqualification. Then have it lead to a rematch at Money in the Bank, since Cena will need an opponent for that show, but I would expect Super Cena to appear and send R-Truth back down the card to feud with John Morrision.

Prediction: John Cena by pinfall to retain the WWE Championship


Final Thoughts: There's only 1 match on this card I'm not interested in seeing, that being the IC title match. I think it's going to be a solid show that will quickly be forgotten about. Money in the Bank is next month and that's where a lot of the mid-card guys that deserve a PPV shot, will get their time. Here's hoping Zack Ryder can get on the RAW ladder match, but that roster is loaded with deserving candidates, so I won't hold my breath. I'll have my opinions on the show during my RAW recap on Monday. Thanks for reading & don't forget to follow me on twitter, @FriscoKTank.