WWE’s 2014 Survivor Series provided more excitement than could have been anticipated in our preview, but that’s in part because there were no betting odds on Sting making his WWE debut. If there was a betting line it would have paid off big for me, although no responsible sports book would let you place that bet in the middle of the main event anyway. That would be like betting on John Cena to get the pinfall after he’s been beaten up for 15 minutes straight on PPV, right at the point he’s about to make a fiery babyface comeback. Speaking of Cena he’s got one of the featured matches at Tables, Ladders, and Chairs (and Stairs). The world title isn’t being defended on Sunday night, so in its place is Cena’s #1 contender status to challenge Brock Lesnar FOR said title. If he loses to Seth Rollins in a tables match (to win your opponent must go through a table) that title shot goes up in smoke. As you might expect Cena is a heavy betting favorite at -540, with Rollins the underdog at +360. There’s nothing for Rollins to win since he’s already got a guaranteed title shot of his own with the Money in the Bank briefcase and consequently no reason he can’t lose. Rollins is far from the biggest dog on this card though. If you wanted to Jack Swagger over Rusev for the United States Title, he’s +700 and Rusev is a sizable -1500 favorite. It’s hard to call anything a guarantee with a mercurial Vince McMahon’s ability to rewrite the script, but Swagger already lost to Rusev once even before he had the U.S. Title, and they seem to have bigger plans for the Bulgarian Brute in the future. Kane is equally unlikely to beat Ryback – he’s +500 and Mr. Hungry doesn’t need to be fed more than -900. The word on reputable wrestling sites is that WWE wants to “restart Ryback’s push.” This is not the forum to debate the wisdom of that decision, but it’s reason enough to believe Ryback wins clean here. There are a few matches with good underdog action. AJ Lee is +250 to win back her Divas Title from Nikki Bella at -350, and while I’m not predicting it will happen, it’s certainly a tempting bet given that the money line is close. The match that caused the TLC PPV to be renamed is also close to a toss-up, as Erick Rowan is -270 and Big Show is +190 in a “stairs match.” I’d still favor Rowan but we’ll see what happens Sunday. The closest line of all is Luke Harper vs. Dolph Ziggler for the Intercontinental Title. Champion Harper is actually a SLIGHT dog at +110, while Ziggler is the -150 favorite thanks to the momentum he gained in booking since last month’s PPV. With The Authority out of power and unable to “screw him” in storyline, it seems to make sense, but I’d bet the dog on the champion retaining. As always our WWE preview is for entertainment purposes only, and if you choose to wager on sports entertainment please do so responsibly, and only bet what you can afford. Enjoy Tables, Ladders, Chairs (and Stairs) on Sunday night!
