C.M. Punk vs. Christian
How each guy got there:
- CM Punk beat Miz and Morrison in a three way qualifier
- Christian won a tri-branded battle royale
- MVP defeated Matt Hardy
- Kofi Kingston beat Chris Jericho with help from Ric Flair
- Finlay took out The Brian Kendrick
- Kane defeated Rey Mysterio and Mike Knox
- Mark Henry squishified Santino Marella
- Shelton Benjamin defeated Jeff Hardy
Good lineup. I'm glad they're taking the chance with Henry and Kane. You need bullies in the lineup to be able to throw the smaller guys around and build some drama for one of the smaller guys to win.
Aaaaanyway, I expect there to be a shitload of high spots. The "Holy Shit" moment of the night will most likely come from Kofi Kingston, as his offense is predilected towards it most. Hornswoggle will probably interfere at some point, and he's one of the guys in the running to take the nastiest bump of the match. I don't expect Mark Henry to be climbing any ladders, and I expect him to be the target of a lot of double and triple-team offense. I think that MVP and Benjamin will pair off individually and fight a lot.
As for whom I expect to win? Well, I don't think it'll be Kane, since they've pegged him as the favorite in-character. That usually never happens. However, I can't get a read on who will actually win the match. I have three possibilities.
One is CM Punk. He won last year, he held gold, and I think the 'E is high on him for the future. I think they want to make his next title reign seem a lot more legitimate than the last one though, and that leads me to believe that it'll be through an organic title program rather than a flash win via MitB shot.
The second is Christian. Now, I heard the rumors just like you that VKM isn't high on him as a main-eventer, and probably brought him back to anchor the midcard, to spite TNA, or just to get Michael Hayes to shut up about him. However, they have been pushing him pretty good on ECW, and even Vince isn't blind enough to know that Edge and Christian have a million different possibilities for a program in the future, be it near or far. Still though, I can't shake the feeling that Christian won't get the Jericho treatment on this second tour of duty.
That leaves me to think that MVP is going to be your winner. They've been slow-burning a build for him for awhile. The losing streak angle may have just been to test his character and resolve. They've pushed him well since he broke that streak, and the fans have gravitated towards him, turning him face (although I think that was the 'E's plan all along). He's a great worker with a good character. He's got a crowd-popping spot and two credible finishers. I can definitely see them giving him the briefcase, and it would be a damn fine move.
What do I want to happen? I want to see Mark Henry throwing guys around like lawn darts. I want to see Kane chokeslamming bitches and taking risks off the ladder. I want to see Shelton Benjamin give yet another MitB performance to talk about around the water cooler, one that will make the writers and bookers recognize that they had better give him a manager so they can push him before the train really leaves the station. I want to see Finaly shove a ladder into someone's chest. I want to see MVP amaze and astound. I want to see Kofi Kingston kick people in the skull from the ladder. I want to see Christian in it at the end, battling for the briefcase.
But in the end, I want to see him lose out to CM Punk. I want CM Punk to be the first repeat MitB winner and, well... you'll have to wait until tomorrow to see how I want him to cash it in ;)
