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In just two days, WWE will present its 10th Annual Extreme Rules event from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Officially titled as the Night when WWE goes Extreme, this pay per view has produced some of the most violent and extreme wrestling matches ever since its inception back in 2009.
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However, this year's event feels more like a regular pay per view event than an event like Extreme Rules. Out of the 11 matches scheduled for the event so far, only 5 of them have a special stipulation and neither of those five matches includes the top-billed matches from either brand. To make the matters worse, one of the stipulations is a man in a shark cage match.
Anyway, all main roster titles are on the line for this pay per view, while Reigns and Lashley will fight in the clash of the big men. With WWE more concerned about the storylines they will present in the next month, it will be interesting to see how all these matches play out this Sunday. Here are the predictions for all the matches on Extreme Rules card.
The New Day vs Sanity (Tables Match)
Ok, why did Sanity lose their first two televised match on Smackdown Live? I mean, the trio are proven entertainers who are well over with the crowd as well, despite being villainous, and deserved a big push after their arrival on the main roster.
This match is surprisingly on the pre-show. This match could have easily replaced the Corbin vs Balor match, which is a bland singles affair. The crowd would be more vested in this match because of the tables stipulation.
About this match, this match has all the ingredients to steal the show(well, pre-show) if given 10-12 minutes. The New Day is still very popular, as evident from the reaction it got on SmackDown Live, but it is time for Sanity to finally get their first main roster win. They need momentum ahead of their rumored clash with Bludgeon Brothers at SummerSlam, and it starts this Sunday.
Prediction: Sanity wins
Finn Balor vs Baron Corbin
Please, Please, Please don't let Balor be the one to eat the pinfall in this match. Any other result would be a wise decision, maybe even a disqualification win for the Constable Corbin, but having Balor lose clean to Corbin, a man who is not even portrayed as a regular wrestler anymore, would be a huge blow to the former Demon King's momentum.
Balor has to win this match, and move onto a logical, nonsensical and serious feud with a bigger name ahead of SummerSlam. He is too big a name to be left off SummerSlam's card As for Corbin, he is doing a great job as a henchman for Stephanie McMahon, but he is no longer the threat in the ring that he was 12 months ago.
Balor has endured a lengthy TV losing streak in recent times and hence needs a victory more than anyone else on the whole roster to bounce back before SummerSlam.
Prediction: Balor wins
Braun Strowman vs Kevin Owens (Steel Cage Match)
I hate to say this, but I really think Kevin Owens has done something really bad to agitate the WWE management in recent times. 12 months ago, he was involved in a heated, personal rivalry with AJ Styles that was the focal point of the blue brand.
Now, he is just a rag doll for Braun Strowman, who goes on throwing him off the ladders, tripping his cars over and then locking him in a toilet and just throwing it off the stage. I agree that this feud was probably the best thing on Raw, but at what cost?
I know you want to build Braun up for that huge cash in on Lesnar, but all this has done is damage the already hindered legacy of Kevin Owens. I have a feeling WWE will extend this rivalry till SummerSlam, so I'm going with a surprise victory of Kevin Owens here.
Prediction: Owens escapes the cage, somehow.
Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt(c) vs Bo Dallas and Curtis Axel (Raw Tag Team Titles)
Comedy acts from lower card superstars always present a fun little story that excites the fans, but they eventually run out of steam even before they could start. Not every such storyline can have a happy end like the Heath Slater's 'I've Got Kids' storyline, and this is exactly what will happen to the B-Team at Extreme Rules.
The B-Team's undefeated streak was a nice little sub-plot on Raw in the beginning, but it should have culminated with a Tag Title match a month ago. Instead of being presented as a match between two opposites. WWE has turned this into a rivalry that revolved around mockery and fun.
Axel and Bo are fun to watch, but only as a lower card act. Hardy and Wyatt deserve serious challengers, like The Revival or Authors of Pain. As for The B-Team, it's time to again turn them into glorified jobbers.
Prediction: Hardy and Wyatt retain
The Bludgeon Brothers(c) vs Team Hell No (Smackdown Tag Team Titles)
The Smackdown Live Tag Team Division is, at last, getting back on track after months of being in the wilderness. The reforming of Team Hell No has given The Bludgeon Brothers a tough pair of challengers to overcome, while the likes of Sanity and New Day and The Usos are also slowly getting back on track.
While this rivalry between the Brothers and Team Hell No is definitely being presented as a big deal on the Blue Brand, it is pretty clear that this is just a prelude for the bigger storyline. It will all depend on Daniel Bryan's contract negotiation situation that will determine whether he will feud with Kane or with Daniel Bryan leading up to SummerSlam.
As for this match, it is abundantly clear that The Bludgeon Brothers will retain their Tag Titles. Expect either The Miz to interfere or a miscommunication between Kane and Bryan to cost Team Hell No the match.
Prediction: Bludgeon Brothers retain
Jeff Hardy(c) vs Shinsuke Nakamura (United States Title)
It is always great to see a mid-card title getting abundant attention on WWE programming, especially when you consider that the two men involved are bonafide main-event stars. Jeff Hardy, despite his injuries and health issues, has been solid as the United States Champion so far, and this is exactly the kind of rivalry he needed in the lead to Summerslam.
Even though the rivalry was somehow halted for a few weeks due to Nakamura's freak injury, there is certainly no doubt that there is a lot of bad blood between these two. Nakamura has been on a 4 pay per view losing streak, and he needs a huge win in order to further enhance his impressive heel persona.
Expect this rivalry to culminate at Summerslam, with both moving on to new feuds after that. Even though keeping the belt on Hardy won't be a bad decision, a heel as a mid-card champion presents a number of exciting ideas for the mid-card. Moreover, Nakamura needs this title as a consolation for not winning the WWE Title.
Prediction: Nakamura becomes US Champion.
Dolph Ziggler(c) vs Seth Rollins (30-Minute Iron Man Match for Intercontinental Title)
Just look at the three men in the photo above. How can you not have a barn-burner of a match with any two of them involved? Seth Rollins has been bullet-proof in the ring so far in 2018 and raised the prestige and importance of the Intercontinental title that was not seen since the times of Jericho and Mysterio back in 2009.
The same can be said about Dolph Ziggler, whose career has turned a new leaf ever since he aligned himself with Drew McIntyre. Add to the fact that this match will be an Iron Man match and you have the recipe of a Match of the Year candidate. Having already wrestled a 32-minute classic previously on Raw, we can certainly expect 30 more minutes of magic from them.
As for the result, Ziggler should be the one to have his hand raised, maybe even during Sudden Death period. Rollins deserves a big-time match at SummerSlam, and he can't have one as the IC Champion. On the other hand, it will open the doors for a Drew McIntyre betrayal, and a match between Ziggler and McIntyre at Summerslam.
Prediction: Ziggler wins in sudden death.
Bobby Lashley vs Roman Reigns
Despite being presented as a regular fight between two big, sweaty superstars, it is very much clear to the fans that it is unofficial #1 Contender's match for the Universal Title and this is not sitting well with them at all.
Neither Bobby nor Roman has the full support of the crowd, despite both being faces, and this also hurt the build-up of the match where both were presented as full-fledged good guys. Even the all-out brawl on Raw this week felt a little awkward.
What's even more baffling is that there is no stipulation for this match, despite it being projected as a main event caliber match. This match could go either way, as both Reigns and Lashley are rumored to face Lesnar at Summerslam, but, according to the situation at present, Lashley should be the one walking out of Extreme Rules with his hand raised.
Prediction: Lashley wins
Carmella(c) vs Asuka (Ellsworth in a Shark Cage match for Smackdown Women's Title)
The Japanese Superstars have been unlucky in WWE. Both Nakamura and Asuka had that majestic aura around them during the first few months of 2018, but 7 months later, both of them are struggling for momentum on the blue brand.
The heel turn might have done good for Nakamura despite being on the losing end of the dream feud with AJ Styles, the same can't be said about Asuka whose stock has taken a big hit since WrestleMania, and the fact that she is facing James Ellsworth and losing to someone like Carmella on a weekly basis is not helping either.
Extreme Rules is probably the last chance for WWE towards rebuilding Asuka. Even though Ellsworth is up in a shark cage, he will certainly find a way to interfere in the match. As for Carmella, she might be good on the mic and a character but she can't wrestle as good as the other female Superstars on the roster do. Asuka must win this one and move onto a new feud for Summerslam.
Prediction: Asuka finally becomes the champion
Alexa Bliss(c) vs Nia Jax (Extreme Rules match for Raw Women's Title)
Alexa Bliss seems to be the new obsession of WWE officials. She has been on the roster for a little less than 2 years and has already held the Women's Title 5 times. That's 1 more than what Lita won in her entire legendary career. And she is not even close to her in ring abilities.
Yes, she has the looks of a goddess and knows how to play with the crowd, but what about the prowess in the ring? She has improved, but she is still far from being on the level of Charlotte or Becky. Fans have grown tired of watching her and Nia Jax, also a rookie from an in-ring perspective, fight again and again over the bully storyline.
There are, though, two good things about this match - The involvement of Ronda Rousey and the Extreme Rules stipulation. The seeds were sown for the Alexa-Ronda feud weeks ago on Raw, so it would be senseless to take the title off her. Nia already had her WWE moment at WrestleMania, and there is certainly no need to take this rivalry any further.
Prediction: Alexa Bliss retains the title.
AJ Styles(c) vs Rusev (WWE Title)
As of the time of writing, there is no stipulation for the WWE Title match between AJ Styles and Rusev at Extreme Rules, which makes this Sunday's event the first of its kind to feature a WWE Title match without a special stipulation, which is just bewildering to me. It is the WWE Title for God's sake, the most prestigious title in WWE. At least show some respect to the title.
This match is certainly not going to be the main event, which is not a surprise since this has been a case with most WWE Title matches in 2018. Even though Styles' reign as the champion has gone stale, he is still the best option for WWE to be the top star on Blue Brand. If someone deserved to take the title off Styles, it was Nakamura, and if isn't Nakamura, then it certainly isn't anyone else.
As for Rusev, he is still very over with the crowd and WWE has tried very hard to present him as a serious contender in recent weeks, but his popularity has taken a hit since WrestleMania. This title match is just WWE's way of binding time before starting a fresh program for Styles leading up to Summerslam. Even though we all want Sunday to be a Happy Rusev Day, we all know that he has zero percent chance of winning on Sunday.
Prediction: AJ Styles retains the WWE Title
Do these predictions match yours? Sound off in the comments below!
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