Hey everybody! It’s @TheMagnumDA with another PPV Pick’em contest! Tonight it’s Backlash LIVE on the WWE Network, where we will see both brands on the same show for the first time in the modern era. For the longest time, we’ve had Raw PPV’s and Smackdown Live PPV’s. That time is over. As the song says, we get the best of both worlds moving forward! Let’s recap the scores so far in 2018:

Colin: 28 Points
Magnum: 25 Points
Heel Turn Tom: 25 Points
Tricky Don: 25 Points

Couple of quick announcements before we get started…we did not pick Bayley vs. Ruby Riott, which was announced very recently. Also, Tom & Don have consolidated their picks once again, and they are so confident on the UK betting odds that they have declared “CHALK” for the entire show. That takes balls!

ON WITH THE PICKS!

WWE Raw Women’s Championship: Nia Jax (c) vs. Alexa Bliss

Colin: I don’t see Jax losing the title anytime soon and especially not to Alexa Bliss. I think Alexa did awesome as the champion but it was time to get someone else run with it. Jax has improved a lot since making her debut and this angle has certainly got the fans behind her. Nia for the win.

Magnum: I think that Alexa’s PSAs have been off the charts. They’re hilarious! That said, to quote Jackie Fargo, “Funny don’t mean money.” Nia’s got the fan support, and she’s in for the long haul. Nia Jax retains.

Tom & Don: Nia Jax to retain.

WWE Smackdown Women’s Championship: Carmella (c) vs. Charlotte Flair

Colin: Too early to pull a title switch again. My thinking is that Charlotte will win via a disqualification, probably a run-in by the IIconics. So Charlotte wins, but not the title.

Magnum: Colin makes all the sense in the world here. Even though I’m behind him by three points, I’m inclined to think the exact same thing. Charlotte will win, but that doesn’t mean she’ll walk out with the title.

Tom & Don: Carmella to retain.

WWE Intercontinental Championship: Seth Rollins (c) vs. The Miz

Colin: The Miz as the Intercontinental champion is great. But now he needs a run for the WWE title. With The Miz on Smackdown, the IC title will stay on Raw and Seth Rollins will come out victorious.

Magnum: Once again, Colin’s spot on here. There’s not going to be a US *and* an IC Title on Smackdown Live. Since Jinder did not pick up the US Title for Raw, I’m going with Rollins to retain, giving Miz the match of his life in the process.

Tom & Don: Seth Rollins to retain.

WWE United States Championship: Jeff Hardy (c) vs Randy Orton

Colin: To be honest, neither man needs the United States title. Jeff Hardy is as popular as ever and he will keep this for now until he moves to the WWE title picture.

Magnum: I don’t believe Jeff Hardy will lose the US Title just yet. I think Benjamin and Miz are going to become players in the US Title picture very soon, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Benjamin costs Randy Orton the title here. Hardy retains.

Tom & Don: Jeff Hardy to retain.

Braun Strowman and Bobby Lashley vs Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn

Colin: Lashley needs to start taking care of his opponents. He’s been a bit clumsy. This is the “punishment” for Owens and Zayn and they will be the sacrificial lambs for Strowman and Lashley. So I’m picking the two big guys for the win.

Magnum: I’m inclined to think that Strowman and Lashley will tear each other apart very soon…but not yet. They will dominate this match and come out victorious. The split is coming a lot sooner than people think, though.

Tom & Don: Strowman and Lashley win.

Roman Reigns vs. Samoa Joe

Colin: The Big Dawg needs a big win to get back on track. Hopefully, Newark will be more kind to him than that Montreal crowd from RAW LOL! Although I highly doubt that! If Reigns is going after Lesnar’s title again, he needs a decisive victory against Samoa Joe. And he will.

Magnum: Joe losing this match would be so stupid on so many levels. Joe’s stock continues to go up, while Roman is in a freefall. I’m sure since that’s the case, Vince will want to do something to give Reigns some momentum. I don’t think it’s the right move, but Reigns will win.

Tom & Don: Roman Reigns wins.

Daniel Bryan vs. Big Cass

Colin: Daniel Bryan, and I don’t even need to elaborate on why.

Magnum: FINALLY, a chance to break away from Colin and get some points. Contrary to our fearless editor, I feel that Big Cass is going to get an enormous boost from this match. So much…that I actually think he can get the win in a shocker. Give me Big Cass to get the biggest win of his career tonight.

Tom & Don: Daniel Bryan wins.

WWE Championship (No DQ): AJ Styles (c) vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

Colin: This being a no DQ match, I think it’s the perfect place to pull the trigger on the title switch, have Nakamura win with some sort of a usually-banned move/foreign object, keeping Styles strong by not making him lose clean. This is Nakamura’s third attempt at the title and he NEEDS to win this one. So neeeeewwww champion for me.

Magnum: This match is brought to you by Shock Doctor Jockstraps: Protecting your twig and berries since 1993. I know that there haven’t been any title changes tonight, based on my picks. This seems like the perfect opportunity to give Shinsuke the nod for tonight’s WWE Title match. However, I’m not going to do that. AJ Styles is the face of this franchise, and Shinsuke will become champion (at some point). However, that night is not tonight. AJ Styles retains when he finally has a counter to the low blow.

Tom & Don: AJ Styles to retain.

That’s going to do it for the Pick’em Crew! Enjoy tonight’s show, and we’ll see you tomorrow night for Raw!