5 predictable things WWE must avoid doing at Extreme Rules 2018

The next pay-per-view on WWE calendar is the highly anticipated Extreme Rules event, and while fans may be excited to witness car crash action, WWE's build to the show hasn't warranted that anticipation.

Moreover, the creative team of Monday Night Raw has done no justice to the storylines being crafted for the pay-per-view, as key programmes such as Roman Reigns vs. Bobby Lashley and Nia Jax vs. Alexa Bliss were built in a very predictable manner.

While on the other hand, SmackDown Live has defied WWE’s predictable booking tropes as their contribution to the Extreme Rules pay-per-view has been exciting, exhilarating and engaging.

However, even with the excitement of witnessing Rusev in his first WWE Championship match and the possibility of Team Hell No becoming the Tag Team Champions once again, there is still a doubtful chance that WWE would book this potentially great pay-per-view in their classic, predictable booking fashion. Therefore, to avoid those expected outcomes, WWE should avoid making the following decisions.

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#1 WWE cancels Rusev Day

Rusev losing clean would not be the end of his popularity, but it certainly would damage it.

When WWE held a gauntlet match to determine the new number one contender for AJ Styles WWE Title, many were excited to witness big money matches such as AJ Styles vs. Samoa Joe or AJ Styles vs. Daniel Bryan on a stage that would have been befitting of that dream match atmosphere.

But when Rusev locked in the accolade on The Miz and made him tap out, the entire WWE Universe could not believe what they had just seen, and that was "The Bulgarian Brute" becoming the number one contender for the WWE title for the first time in his career.

Also, WWE has built this contest in a manner that you would have expected, which was average insults being dished out by each competitor, Aiden English being used as AJ Styles' personal crash test dummy and Rusev being portrayed as the awkward heel nobody wants to hate.

Nevertheless, with all the predictable booking strategies the creative team has presented to the WWE Universe so far, this one thing must not happen when AJ Styles takes on Rusev at Extreme Rules 2018, Rusev can't lose clean.

Most of you would have accepted the fact by now the chances of Rusev winning the WWE Title are very slim, but WWE cant bury another one of their white-hot prospects, as Rusev can be built up as a top-tier main event talent with time and patience.

#2 Women's title matches end in an expected fashion

How can the company expect anyone to be excited about another rubber match?

The SmackDown Live and Raw Women's title matches may be the least anticipated programmes on the Extreme Rules match card, as those feuds have been booked, executed and repeated numerous times in the past few months. Moreover, from a fan's perspective, it becomes increasingly hard to get excited about something that you have seen for almost thousand times, as numerous factors make these feuds hard to write for.

Factors such as both champions are cowardly heels who have sidekicks to assist them; both challengers are unbeatable monsters and the fact that WWE insists on booking a controversial finish which allows the cowardly heel champion to retains via interference.

So, WWE needs to break this cycle at Extreme Rules 2018, as the women's division on both brands require stability and that stability should come in the form of a strong championship match at the show.

#3 Kane turns on Daniel Bryan

An outcome that could be classified as predictable

When The Bludgeon Brothers assaulted Daniel Bryan on SmackDown Live a few weeks back, the WWE Universe was left confused as there was no reason, motivation or purpose for that occurrence. And when Bryan was assaulted again by Harper and Rowan on a recent episode of SmackDown Live fans understood why WWE booked that angle, as it allowed Kane to make a shocking return to the company.

Now at Extreme Rules 2018 the newly reunited Team Hell No will face The Bludgeon Brothers for their SmackDown Live Tag Team Titles, and while most would say the outcome of this match would most likely include scenarios like Team Hell No winning the Tag Team Titles, The Bludgeon Brothers retaining their Tag Team Titles or The Miz interfering in the match, there is one more predictable twist WWE might book for this match.

That additional scenario is Kane betraying Daniel Bryan, and while that scenario might seem unlikely, WWE has made crazier decisions in 2018 than in the past decade. And with regards to the Kane-Daniel Bryan reunion, the creative team should avoid going in a foreseen direction that would ruin the moment.

#4 KO plays the ultimate coward

WWE can't let Owens sink any lower.

When one thinks of Braun Strowman vs. Kevin Owens, one thing comes to mind: a massive collision. However, when WWE thinks of Braun Strowman, things such as constant running, portable toilets and air freshener come to mind as this feud between two powerhouse wrestlers has been degraded to a playground scuffle.

Moreover, this feud has done two disastrous things; the first was making Kevin Owens look like a mid-card jobber and second was the damaging Braun Strowman's invincible aura.

Now at Extreme Rules 2018, Owens would have to face his biggest fear which is Braun Strowman inside of a steel cage, and for what it's worth, WWE might have a rare chance to rectify their wrongs.

There is only one way the company can do that, and that is by making Kevin Owens the badass prizefighter he once was. But knowing the fundamentals of WWE”s booking, KO might be playing coward for the umpteenth time. Therefore WWE should consider the credibility of the former Universal Champion before making a wrong predictable decision.

#5 Roman Reigns wins

It may be Roman's 'yard' but his time to capture Raw's top prize has come and gone.

One of the most detrimental factors that could be attributed to the downfall of the Universal Championship is the creative team’s boring booking of the title's feuds, as Kevin Owens vs. Seth Rollins was a mediocre success, Goldberg vs. Brock Lesnar was a short-lived thrill ride, and Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar completely tanked any prestige the title had accumulated.

Now WWE”s next mission is to find a challenger for the Universal Championship at SummerSlam 2018. As most of you would know by now the man pegged to be that challenger is none other than The Big Dog.

However, by the power of kayfabe, WWE is possibly considered replacing Roman Reigns with an ice-cold Bobby Lashley, as at Extreme Rules 2018 their singles match is considered by many to be the unofficial number one contender's match for the Universal Title.

While many are sick of seeing Bobby Lashley vanilla babyface character smile his way through every episode of Raw, WWE could finally unlock Lashley's true potential as an unruly ass kicker if they pit him against Brock Lesnar. Therefore for that to happen, Bobby Lashley has to beat Roman Reigns at Extreme Rules and break the norm of Roman reigns every time.