A match-by-match look at tonight’s WWE pay-per-view:

WWE champion John Cena vs. The Great Khali: I know a lot of fans don’t care for Khali, but I have no problem with him getting a title shot on a pay-per-view. Sure, as a worker, Khali makes Giant Gonzalez look like Lou Thesz, but with his size and look, you have to push him as an unbeatable monster. I’m guessing that Cena somehow overcomes all odds and conquers Khali. I’m less confident that the two of them can overcome all odds and have something resembling a decent match.

World heavyweight champion Edge vs. Batista: I don’t see Batista winning back the title at this point, so the question is whether Edge gets the pin and that’s that or if there is an inconclusive ending to set up a rematch. My prediction: Mark Henry’s interference costs Batista the match. Henry and Batista have unfinished business after injuries derailed their previous program.

ECW champion Mr. McMahon, Shane McMahon and Umaga vs. Bobby Lashley: I’m betting the novelty of Vince as ECW champion ends here and Lashley regains the title.

Shawn Michaels vs. Randy Orton: This one is hard to predict. On the one hand, Michaels is still in the WWE title picture and is expected to challenge Cena again in the near future. Orton, however, desperately needs a big win. When in doubt, go with Michaels.

U.S. champion Chris Benoit vs. MVP (two out of three falls): What a difference seven weeks has made. I had no interest at all in seeing these two face each other at WrestleMania 23 (I was glad Benoit was on the card, but I wasn’t impressed with MVP), but now I am looking forward to their match as much as any on the card. I’m glad WWE didn’t put the belt on MVP at WrestleMania, because the fans didn’t see him as being at that level yet. But that match, and subsequent matches against Benoit, legitimized MVP. I think MVP finally wins the title.

Carlito vs. Ric Flair: This angle got off to a hot start when Flair cut that incredible promo on Carlito, but it has lost a lot of steam. The feud comes across on Raw as an afterthought, which is too bad, because I think it could have elevated Carlito. I’m holding out hope that it could still happen, so I’ll pick Carlito to win.

Elijah Burke vs. C.M. Punk: I’m not sure where they are going with this feud, but I expect this to be a decent match. I’ll take a wild guess and pick Punk.