The idea of having an Extreme Rules pay-per-view in the current PG Era is not something which is easily digestible. The fact that Extreme Rules is inspired from the legendary Extreme championship wrestling makes it a responsibility of WWE to honor the defunct promotion at least to a certain benchmark if not completely.
They will have to keep this in mind when they bring out the 2016 edition of Extreme Rules. WWE has booked eight matches for the show and every match, except two carries a gimmick with it. It would be interesting to see how WWE fares after their solid outing at Payback and as we are just hours away from the pay-per-view, here is the complete match card analysis and predictions.
Baron Corbin vs. Dolph Ziggler (No-DQ match)
The pre-show bout between Baron Corbin and Dolph Ziggler is booked as a no-disqualification match. this feud already had a pay-per-view bout at Payback but the addition of the stipulation is bound to make this one an exciting outing for the fans. Ziggler and Corbin clearly know how to get the attention of the crowd and the limitation of being in the pre-show would not be a problem for them.
There are rumors floating around suggesting the WWE has no apparent plans for Corbin going forward so the result of this match is not going to be an important one for both wrestlers. But on a personal note, Corbin deserves to get this one as he lost at Payback.
Prediction: Baron Corbin wins.
The Usos vs. The Club (Tornado Tag Team match)
The feud between The Usos and The Club has been a subplot of the Roman Reigns vs. AJ Styles saga. While Reigns and Styles did their best to carry around the feud, the addition of these two tag teams added more layers to the storyline. At Extreme Rules, these two will face off in a Tornado Tag team match and if there is something guaranteed to happen, it is chaos.
These two teams are going to put together a clinic in tag team wrestling and at the same time, will fire up the fans. Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows are in dire need of a win at this moment and WWE should give them the same on Sunday night.
Predictions: The Club wins.
Dean Ambrose vs. Chris Jericho (Asylum Match)
The concept of Asylum match is comparatively new to the WWE universe. They have no idea what to expect from the match and with two creatively insane wrestlers like Dean Ambrose and Chris Jericho involved, anything could indeed happen. The problem with this match, however, would be the PG constraints.
Of course, there are going to be a lot of weapons in the cage, but it would be interesting to see if they would use anything other than the kendo stick. When it comes to the result, Dean Ambrose needs the win more than Jericho and he is likely to walk out as the winner when the final bell rings.
Prediction: Dean Ambrose wins.
Charlotte vs. Natalya (Submission match for WWE Women’s championship)
The women’s championship getting a gimmick match was something for the fans to celebrate. And as it is a technical gimmick like submission, the amount of happiness should be sky high. Natalya and Charlotte have put together some classics in the past and with such a stipulation in place, they might give us another Match of the year contender.
Ric Flair has been aptly banned from ring side for this one but don’t expect the dirtiest player in the game to stay away. Charlotte is the favorite to retain the championship as WWE could be saving her till Sasha Banks is ready to take over the division.
Prediction: Charlotte wins.
The Miz vs. Cesaro vs. Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn (Fatal four-way for Intercontinental Championship)
The intercontinental championship will be defended in a fatal four-way match at Extreme Rules. All three contenders involved in the match are worthy winners which make it hard for WWE to book this match. Kevin Owens comes in as a top heel when Cesaro and Sami Zayn are baby faces who have been getting strong reactions.
Miz, meanwhile, is riding on the momentum that Maryse has created. So in short, this is probably the hardest match to predict. And as we have Money in the Bank coming up, the safe bet would be to pick Miz as the winner as he and Maryse could still do a lot of stuff with the Intercontinental championship.
Prediction: Miz retains.
Kalisto vs. Rusev (United States Championship match)
This is probably the least hyped match on the card. Although it has the United States Championship, Kalisto and Rusev in one spot, for most fans, the exciting part about this bout would be Lana. At Payback, Kalisto produced a great bout with Ryback but expecting something similar at Extreme Rules wouldn’t be a good idea.
WWE did put some effort into telling a story in this one, but at the end of the day, this might be seen as a toilet break by the fans. Rusev is the favorite to win not because he deserves to, just because Cena is coming back and Cena needs some to feud with.
Prediction: Rusev wins.
New Day vs. The Vaudevillains (Tag team Championship)
The New Day and Vaudevillains will battle it out in the second no-gimmick match in the Extreme Rules card. The Vaudevillains, who has been the surprise package so far, was booked strongly by WWE throughout the buildup. They even got the upper hand on the home-coming Raw of Extreme Rules but that does not mean they could win the championships.
However, if we compare both teams, New Day does not need a championship to stay relevant. But at the same time, WWE might not let Vaudevillains end this lengthy reign of New Day. So the pick goes to New Day even though it is a tight one to call.
Prediction: New Day wins.
Roman Reigns vs. AJ Styles (Extreme Rules Match for the WWE Championship)
This is one match which could make many fans use up their one month free trial of the WWE Network. The storytelling in the AJ Styles vs. Roman Reigns feud has been so good that it has managed to capture the imagination of WWE fans. At the same time, it has made Reigns a credible champion to an extent and fans are actually starting to see him as a human rather than John Cena 2.0.
We are going to see a lot of interference and over bookings in this one as the Extreme Rules stipulations seem to be specifically designed for this. While everyone would want to see AJ Styles get his crowing moment, it is going to be Roman Reigns who will walk out as the champion. But hopefully, we might get to see the start of something new at Extreme Rules.
Prediction: Roman Reigns wins.
