It's been an eventful summer in WWE. The departure of Jeff Hardy, the rise of CM Punk, the return of the Undertaker and the suspension of Rey Mysterio have dominated headlines on SmackDown, while Raw's 'celebrity guest host' initiative has been continuing apace, with stars such as Shaquille O'Neal, Freddy Prinze Jr., and Bob Barker having hosted the show in recent weeks.
Sunday 13th September, however, brings another change to the WWE programme - an entirely new Pay-Per-View, Breaking Point, where all the main event matches will be submission matches. Here's a look at the event card and a rundown of what to expect.
Singapore Cane Match - Kane vs The Great Khali
This feud has gone on for some time now, and will presumably end at Breaking Point in a Singapore Cane match. While the two have had some far from stellar matches in the past, the addition of the stipulation - plus the recent discovery that, after a backstage fight with The Big Show, Khali is indeed as tough as he looks - should make this a little more interesting.
Verdict: Kane wins.
WWE Unified Tag Team Championship Match - Big Show and Chris Jericho (champions) vs Mark Henry and MVP
This is an interesting one. Two cobbled-together teams, each composed of one outstanding talent and one absolute behemoth of a human being. Expect Big Show and Henry to enjoy a titanic confrontation, while MVP and Jericho could carry a top-class feud on their own, so if this one continues beyond Breaking Point, it could get very entertaining. Jericho and Big Show should retain, however.
Verdict: Jericho and Big Show win.
ECW Championship Match - Christian (champion) vs William Regal
Christian's second ECW title reign of the year has been largely uneventful. His eight-second win over Regal at SummerSlam will be largely forgotten - Regal has built himself an impressive faction out of Vladimir Kozlov and Ezekiel Jackson in recent weeks, and he will surely triumph here at Breaking Point in order to put the new stable over.
Verdict: Regal wins.
Submissions Count Anywhere Match - DX vs Legacy
This is another interesting bout on the Breaking Point card, purely because 'Submissions Count Anywhere' is a very strange stipulation. One would expect that with the event being held in Montreal, Canada, reaction to D-Generation X will be mixed, but one would also expect nothing less than a traditional DX victory. It won't go down well if it occurs via Sharpshooter, though.
Verdict: DX wins.
'I Quit' Match for the WWE Championship - Randy Orton (champion) vs John Cena
The additional point of interest here is that if anyone interferes on Orton's behalf, he will lose the WWE Championship. Ordinarily, the heel would always lose an 'I Quit' Match, but one can never tell with WWE sometimes. Should be a convincing Cena win, but don't rule out some sort of Orton shenanigans such as those seen at SummerSlam.
Verdict: Cena regains the WWE Championship.
Submission Match for the World Heavyweight Championship - CM Punk vs The Undertaker
The Undertaker returns to Pay-Per-View at Breaking Point in his first match since shortly after WrestleMania XXV, facing off against Jeff Hardy's destroyer, CM Punk. While Punk possesses a deadly submission maneuver in the Anaconda Vise, it is hard to see the WWE allowing Undertaker to submit to defeat on his return. Therefore, one can expect CM Punk to retain his title through some sort of disqualification.
Verdict: No Contest, with CM Punk retaining the World Heavyweight Championship.
Whatever the outcome of the matches, one can expect WWE Breaking Point to intrigue fans worldwide - as part of WWE's drive to increase Pay-Per-View buyrates, fans can also expect many other exciting new events in months to come, such as October's Hell In A Cell event, or December's Tables, Ladders and Chairs. An exciting year in WWE is set to continue in style.
