The Wrestlemania Prediction Machine Part 1: WZ Staff Predicts the Undercard Winners

April 6, 2013

The Miz vs. Wade Barrett for the WWE Intercontinental Championship

Mike Killam:

I suspect WWE dumped this match to the pre-show because they realized fans didn’t want to pay for something we’ve seen several times in recent weeks, for free. Wade Barrett hasn’t made me care about him, or his title run. On the other hand, Miz is losing the face turn war to Alberto del Rio – let that sink in. Miz wins, and takes home a title he doesn’t need.

Nick Paglino:

This match is a frustrating call because both of these guys have been misused, misplaced, and mismatched in the WWE mid card for quite sometime now. I think Barrett has a bigger upside as an IC Champion right now, and although at times it seems like WWE has, I have yet to give up on him.

I think Barrett gets the WrestleMania win, but the feud should continue for awhile to really give the title and both wrestlers some badly needed direction and credibility.

Josh Isenberg:

I feel like this match is one that people would not mind seeing if they had a stipulation. They dropped the ball on a Miz face turn and are trying to pair him with a heel that is not completely over. The chemistry is not really there, but the match itself will be good for the pre-show. I expect Wade Barrett to win and continue a feud with The Miz. They need both men to get over, but it won’t happen on this night.

Brian Gulish:

This match may be the hardest of the night to pick and it’s not even on the pay-per-view broadcast. Both stars are at a cross roads in their careers, both needing to show something to the powers that be in order to be on the main card next year. I think Wade Barrett is ready to move on to bigger things while the Miz is trying to develop his face character – he will do so as the new I.C. champ by defeating Barrett with the figure-four.

Bill Pritchard:

The Miz vs. Wade Barrett – I don’t have a problem with this match being on the preshow as much as other people do. This should get the crowd going to start the ‘main’ show, and I’m thinking Wade retains here. Miz chasing a title may be better for his face turn in the long run instead of being the champion.

Josh controls most of the creative writing and ideas for the show on a weekly basis, as well as an on-air talent.

Aside from working with WrestleZone, Isenberg began his career in Broadcast Journalism interning at ESPN and worked with CBS Radio for three years. He has also had the opportunity to interview some of the best athletes and performers alive, including Andrew McCutchen, Ben Roethlisberger, Chris Jericho, Billy Gunn, Karl Anderson, Matt Hardy, Steven Strasburg and others.

Currently, Josh Isenberg works for Major League Baseball in their Advanced Media Productions. He grew up in Pittsburgh and went to Point Park University, which is where Chair Shot Reality is filmed each week.

His life outside of his obsession with wrestling include being a savant for Seinfeld, NFL, NBA, MLB and many television shows. He also has an undying love for musicals, which includes many shows he was a part of in high school. Some of his favorite wrestling moments can be linked to such superstars as Edge, The Rock, Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels and The Great Khali.