The saga between the Hardy Boyz and Sheamus and Cesaro is set to continue this Sunday at Extreme Rules. Since Team Xtreme returned, they have dominated the tag team division, fending off Sheamus and Cesaro multiple times. But with the new edge to team Shesaro, i.e. their heel turn, they have one more shot at the gold (er, silver).
This time they’ll be going at it in a steel cage, a stipulation chosen by Matt and Jeff themselves. Why they didn’t logically choose a ladder match is a bit confusing, but that’s neither here nor there. This is still an extreme stipulation. And who knows, we could end up seeing a swanton bomb off the top of the cage.
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While cage matches mean there are multiple ways for the match to end such as escape, pin, etc., it actually limits the possible outcomes compared to other matches. Outside interference becomes highly unlikely and no contest situations become nearly impossible. So we’re highly likely to have a winner.
However, while the Hardyz or Shesaro will probably be definitive victors, there’s still a little bit of room for shenanigans. Specifically, shenanigans that are only tailored to a cage match. Let’s get into the possibilities we could see this Sunday.
#5 The Hardy Boyz win
We’ll start with the most likely outcome which is the Hardy Boyz winning clean. Matt and Jeff are arguably the most popular tag team of all time and they’ve been brilliant since their return. They’re putting on good matches, entertaining the fans, and perhaps most importantly, selling a ton of merchandise.
So WWE is probably going to ride out their title reign for a bit longer. And if that’s the case, they obviously need to come out victorious this Sunday. There’s a pretty good chance they put Sheamus and Cesaro away once and for all.
This result could happen in a few ways. Obviously, there could be a simple escape from the cage by one of either Matt or Jeff, but that wouldn’t be much fun would it? Instead, this clean victory should come in a bit more exciting fashion.
We mentioned a possible swanton bomb from the top of the cage earlier. How about Matt and Jeff combine for their classic twist of fate/swanton bomb combination, but the swanton comes from off the cage? Of course, this is merely our suggestion, but hey, let’s spice things up a bit.
No matter how the match actually ends, the Hardy Boyz winning clean seems like a pretty safe bet.
#4 Sheamus and Cesaro win
If the Hardy Boyz winning is one of the possibilities here, then Sheamus and Cesaro winning has to logically follow. Based on everything we just said about the Hardys and their merch moving skills and connection with the fans, obviously, Shesaro winning is less likely. But it’s still not impossible.
WWE doesn’t always make what seems like the clear decision. We’ve seen some baffling title changes before, so this one probably wouldn’t even crack the top 50. So what would be the benefits of Sheamus and Cesaro winning clean? There aren’t many, but there are a couple.
First, with their recent heel turn, it would give us something we’ve never seen before. We’ve seen Sheamus and Cesaro as tag team champions, but never as heel champions. And we know exactly how different the two reigns could be just by looking at the Usos. They’ve totally reinvented themselves as heel champs and are highly entertaining.
Second, it could be the catalyst for the Hardys to break up, which is almost guaranteed to happen at some point. With Matt and Jeff providing just as much, if not more value as singles competitors, this tag title reign is sure to end in the somewhat near future. It’s not necessarily likely to end this Sunday, but it’s better to end a run too soon than too late as it risks the team going stale.
Could we see Sheamus and Cesaro escape or pin the Hardys at Extreme Rules? It’s not the most likely possibility, but it’s certainly on the table.
#3 Everyone hits the floor at the same time
In a cage match, there are few ways for the match to end where it doesn’t have a definitive winner. Nobody is going to come in and interfere, and even if they do break in a-la Mark Henry, that doesn’t end the match. It’s still no disqualification.
But this is WWE, and there’s always a way to end a match without a definitive winner if they choose to make that happen. In a cage match, it’s a simple (well, maybe not that simple) matter of having all four competitors hit the ground at the same time, triggering a draw.
I know, I know. Unlikely to say the least. But this article is meant to highlight several different possibilities, and we’ve seen the whole “hit the floor at the same time” schtick before. So it’s not totally impossible.
This would extend the Hardys vs Sheamus and Cesaro feud for at least another day beyond Sunday. With such an unsatisfying end to the match, they would probably have a rematch the next night on Raw to determine the rightful champions.
Is that something fans would really be into outside of the live crowd? Maybe not. But it’s still a creative way to end the match despite not having a clear winner.
#2 One member of each team hits the floor at the same time
This one would be fun. Sheamus and Cesaro began as an odd couple tag team when GM Mick Foley decided to pair them up. But with this longshot of a result, we could end up with an even more odd couple as Raw tag team champions.
Multiple superstars hitting the floor at the same time has been done, but it has never created new tag team champions. Fans have long speculated that new champions could be created in a ladder match by members from opposing teams each grabbing one belt. This would be a similar scenario, just in a steel cage instead.
What if, for example, Jeff Hardy and Cesaro both hit the ground and escaped the cage at the same time. Instead of declaring the match a draw, who’s to say Kurt Angle won’t just declare new tag team champions? After all, they rightfully escaped the cage and each “won” the match.
Because of the direction these two teams are going in, this isn’t likely. Rather, this sort of ending should be saved for more appropriate situations. This ending would break up both teams and with Sheamus and Cesaro just hitting their stride and the Hardys still as popular as ever, it probably won’t happen.
But probably does not mean definitely. This would be a curveball of an ending, but hey, you never know.
#1 A double pin for a decisive victory
The Hardys and Sheamus and Cesaro have probably been going at it for too long at this point. Matt and Jeff already beat team Shesaro at Payback, but they got yet another shot at the titles for Extreme Rules. Yes, they rightfully won that spot in a tag team turmoil match, but it’s still too much.
The Hardy Boyz need to have some new challengers. And although a regular clean victory would almost certainly end the saga between these two teams, there is a way to make it even more decisive. Rather than an escape or a regular pinfall ending, this match could end with a double pin with both Sheamus and Cesaro getting beaten.
This would serve to not only end the feud but cement the Hardys as a dominant team that doesn’t win by any sort of fluke. If Jeff pins Sheamus while Matt pins Cesaro or vice versa, there will be no doubt as to who the real Raw tag team champions are.
Would this “bury” Sheamus and Cesaro? Maybe to an extent, but they’re likely going to be out of the tag title picture for a while anyway, so they have plenty of time to build themselves back up before getting back into the title hunt.
The Hardys would benefit a ton from this result. Like most of the non-clean victory possibilities we’ve discussed, this isn’t likely. But it’s not impossible either.
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