Eric Kanes: First of all, let me establish that this should not be a main event match on a PPV.
This is very similar to last year with the awful John Cena vs. Miz match, which was pretty much just Miz and Alex Riley slapping John Cena with a whip for 20 minutes. I think this will be very similar. This could've been a decently anticipated match with enough buildup, and that seems to be the theme of this PPV.
There's just no sympathy for John Cena going into this match; if anything, there's sympathy for John Laurinaitis because he gets fired if he loses.
Anyway, everybody everywhere is predicting that John Laurinaitis will win after interference from a returning Big Show. WWE usually tries to throw a curveball when it's this obvious (see: Royal Rumble 2012), so I think Laurinaitis will win, but with somebody else's interference.
Eric's Pick: John Laurinaitis
Geddy Cahoon: Hoo boy...Is anyone excited for this match? Laurinaitis is a really entertaining character, but matches like this tend to always be full of shenanigans. However, Laurinaitis has apparently been training at FCW to really wrestle ever since the match was announced a few weeks back.
And I'm actually not sure who's going to win. I'd say have Laurinaitis go over through some underhanded tactic (I'll get to that momentarily) and then post-match, Cena gets "injured" so he can take some time off and straighten out his personal issues.
For those who don't know, Cena's currently going through an extremely messy divorce. It's uncomfortable to watch him go out there and act knowing how unhappy he currently is. However, WWE is so hesitant to ever bring their golden boy off of TV, I wouldn't doubt that they still have him go over, even though the entire Laurinaitis character hinges on the outcome.
The entire match, however, is going to hinge on one man: Big Show.
He's going to interfere, there's no question. WWE employees cannot interfere. Big Show isn't an employee anymore. He's either going to: A) Enter, help Cena win (even though Cena doesn't need it) and then be reinstated by whatever character replaces Big Johnny; or B) (which I think is more likely) Big Show, totally broken down, will come out and help Laurinaitis win, decimating Cena and "injuring him" in the process, hoping to regain his job and gain some sort of favor with the GM.
Show join Laurinaitis' stable with Otunga, Eve and Tensai, and they'll run roughshod over the WWE for a few months. Now, the fact that that makes total sense means that WWE normally wouldn't be caught dead writing something like that. However, I just don't think they're ready to write off Laurinaitis yet. Whether it's through my way, or some other ridiculous manner, Laurnaitis is going over (Sounds kinda ridiculous, no?)
Geddy's Pick: John Laurinaitis
Dave Scott: I reckon this will just be a squash match, with Cena destroying Big Johnny throughout until the end. I would like to see Laurinaitis get some offence in there within the match to add a bit more to the match, but I think we will see a Big Show heel turn here, as he is technically not a WWE superstar anymore, so surely he could interfere. They have been putting too much focus on this Big Show thing over the last couple of weeks, so I definitely can't see past him being involved in it.
Dave's Pick: John Laurinaitis
Adam Behan: Fun time may now commence. The match itself is either going to go two ways—really entertaining or really bad. Big Johnny, who was a wrestler in the past, is often overlooked and undermined on Raw. However, he can wrestle; he was the man that invented the "RKO" cutter manoeuvre. He may still have it...or may not.
John Cena plays the important role in this match as he will be the carrier of action. Cena will have the crowd behind him, and it is obvious who the heel will be. Big Johnny will play dirty, use every trick in the book and get some interference to survive.
Everyone is saying Big Show will help Big Johnny, but I feel that is too obvious. I am going with a rookie from FCW, or a return from a guy like Batista. Either way, Mr. Laurinaitis will be pinning John Cena in the main event (it will be).
Adam's Pick: John Laurinaitis
George Cushnie: For me, this match should only end one way: with a definitive loss for John Cena.
Hear me out. John has a lot of niggling injuries that he has been dealing with on the road, and he has also got huge personal issues that he needs to deal with. Losing here would not hurt Cena in the long run. He is too established for that. Write him off TV for a while. He needs a bit of time to himself so he can deal with everything and come back refreshed and better than ever.
A victory over Cena would then cement John Laurinaitis as one of the top heels in the company.
Granted, his promos are not money, but he is so easy to hate. Winning against Cena would give him that extra bit of a push, or momentum, and solidify his position as the onscreen heel authority figure. If, and it is a big if at this stage, Laurinaitis wins, it won't be clean. I can see Big Show interfering in this match on "Big Johnny's" behalf, costing Cena a victory.
George's Pick: John Laurinaitis
Liam Hindmarsh: Anyone remember the Cena vs. Lesnar feud? Nope. Me neither. The feud that has been forgotten. Within a month, Cena goes from talking about taking time off to immediately feuding with the general manager. I can’t believe that I’m actually going to say this, but maybe it’s about time Cena got himself back into the WWE title picture. I can’t even remember his last title match. I like Laurinaitis. I think he’s a good heel authority figure, but I don’t want to see him wrestle.
As for the match, I’ll keep this short and sweet. Big Show interferes and helps Laurinaitis win, thus getting his job back. As for Cena, I don’t know what’s next for him. Time off, maybe. He definitely deserves it.
Liam's Pick: John Laurinaitis
Gregory Bitetzakis: This match is very weird to me. So let me get this straight—CM Punk has been embarrassing Johnny for months and nothing physical really happens, but all of a sudden, Johnny wants to fight John Cena? CM Punk makes fun of Johny's voice every week, but when Big Show does it, he is fired.
The character of Johnny has totally lost me right after I started to like him. Then all these stipulations get added on and we are supposed to believe Cena is going to rid us of Johnny. These stipulations leave the door open for the return of Lesnar since, technically, he quit a couple of weeks ago. No matter if he returns or not, someone will interfere because the WWE is not ready yet to stop feeding Johnny down our throats. Austin vs. McMahon II (not even close) will end at this PPV with Johnny gaining the upper hand.
Gregory's Pick: John Laurinaitis