WWE Extreme Rules 2020: 5 things that must occur - Fired Superstar returns, 93-day title reign ends, Alexa Bliss makes an impact

Seven matches have been announced for The Horror Show at WWE Extreme Rules, including Drew McIntyre vs. Dolph Ziggler (WWE Championship) and Bray Wyatt vs. Braun Strowman (Wyatt Swamp Fight).

Both Women’s Championships will also be defended, with Sasha Banks challenging Asuka for the RAW Women’s Championship and Nikki Cross challenging Bayley for the SmackDown Women’s Championship.

Elsewhere on the card, Cesaro and Shinsuke Nakamura will take on SmackDown Tag Team Champions The New Day (Big E and Kofi Kingston) in a tables match, while Apollo Crews is set to put his United States Championship on the line against MVP.

Finally, in one of the most bizarre stipulations in WWE history, Seth Rollins and Rey Mysterio will meet in an Eye for an Eye match. WWE has confirmed that a Superstar must extract an eye from their opponent in order to win the unique encounter.

Now, with the match card announced, let’s take a look at five things that must occur at the event.

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#5 Fired WWE Superstar Erick Rowan returns in the Wyatt Swamp Fight

It is worth noting that the Universal Championship is not on the line at The Horror Show at WWE Extreme Rules.

Braun Strowman already retained his title against the “Firefly Fun House” version of Bray Wyatt's character at the Money in the Bank pay-per-view in May, and now he is going head-to-head with his former mentor in WWE’s latest cinematic PPV match.

This week’s episode of SmackDown saw Strowman cut an intense promo about his opponent, specifically regarding his concerns about “The Fiend”, and it has been widely speculated that a match between “The Monster Among Men” and Wyatt’s alter-ego will take place at SummerSlam.

Now, before WWE can book that match, the “Eater of Worlds” version of Wyatt surely has to defeat Strowman in Sunday’s non-title match. And how could he do that? With the help, perhaps, of another former Wyatt Family member, Erick Rowan.

Since being released from WWE in April 2020, Rowan has spoken very highly of his time with the company in media interviews. He has also been shown in archive Wyatt Family footage throughout this Strowman vs. Wyatt feud, unlike his former tag team partner, Luke Harper (now known as Brodie Lee in AEW), who has been edited out.

This is only fantasy booking, as the title suggests, but is it too far-fetched to believe that we could see Rowan return to help Wyatt win the Swamp Fight?

Heath Slater recently returned to WWE to make a one-off appearance on RAW, while Drake Maverick has already been rehired after being fired at the same time as Rowan.

Maybe, just maybe, Wyatt's former ally could be next.

#4 Asuka vs. Sasha Banks must headline WWE Extreme Rules… on one condition

Every time a WWE pay-per-view comes around, there is a debate amongst fans on social media about which match should headline the event.

In the days of RAW and SmackDown-exclusive PPVs, the main event was usually obvious. Nowadays, however, there are sometimes 3-4 matches that are legitimately worthy of going on last.

Looking ahead to The Horror Show at WWE Extreme Rules, Asuka vs. Sasha Banks is one of the most anticipated matches of the night, but it has competition in the main-event spot from Rey Mysterio vs. Seth Rollins, Drew McIntyre vs. Dolph Ziggler and Bray Wyatt vs. Braun Strowman.

Based on what we have seen on WWE’s weekly shows over the last month, the RAW Women’s Championship encounter should be the match that closes the PPV.

Now, with that being said, it should only happen if there is a clean winner. If, for example, Bayley interferes and Banks sneaks a relatively quick victory, that finish would obviously not be a satisfying way to end the show. But, given enough time and with the right finish, there is no reason why two of WWE’s top female Superstars should not headline Extreme Rules.

#3 The New Day’s WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship reign must end

WWE’s tag team division had a much-needed resurgence in 2017 when The New Day and The Usos were involved in one of the best rivalries of the year on SmackDown.

Then, unfortunately, WrestleMania 34 happened. Ever since The Bar lost the RAW Tag Team titles to Braun Strowman and a 10-year-old, the tag divisions on both RAW and SmackDown have been treated as a low priority by WWE’s higher-ups.

WWE fans have seen way too many unnecessary tag title changes over the last two years, so encouraging yet another SmackDown Tag Team Championship change might not be viewed as the best idea by some people. However, there is something about The New Day’s gimmick that does not seem to be clicking right now.

Is it the absence of fans? Is it because Kofi Kingston has gone right back to where he was before his WWE Championship reign? Is it due to Xavier Woods still being out injured?

Whatever it is, the time has come to freshen up Big E and Kofi Kingston’s act. And if that means Cesaro and Shinsuke Nakamura have to throw one of them through a table to end The New Day's 93-day reign as SmackDown Tag Team Champions, so be it.

#2 Drew McIntyre vs. Dolph Ziggler must end at WWE Extreme Rules

In 2019, Kofi Kingston won the WWE Championship from Daniel Bryan at WrestleMania 35 before going on to retain his title in pay-per-view rivalries with Kevin Owens, Dolph Ziggler, Samoa Joe and Randy Orton.

One year on, Drew McIntyre finds himself in a similar position. The Scot defeated Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 36 for the WWE Championship and, much like Kingston, he has been involved in title storylines that he looks certain to win.

Realistically, was Kingston going to lose to Owens, Ziggler or Joe? No. Orton? Perhaps, but he didn't.

Realistically, was McIntyre going to lose to Seth Rollins or Bobby Lashley? No. Is he going to lose to Ziggler? No, almost certainly not.

Nobody can deny that “The Scottish Psychopath” has had an incredible 2020, but it is time for him to feud with somebody who fans view as a legitimate threat to his title.

That is not to say that Rollins, Lashley and Ziggler have looked out of place going up against McIntyre, but the outcome of WWE Championship matches in recent months have seemed obvious.

Hopefully, after what is sure to be a great match at The Horror Show at WWE Extreme Rules, McIntyre can receive a challenge from a Superstar with more momentum (Randy Orton, perhaps?) who can provide a serious threat to his title at SummerSlam.

#1 WWE continues to hint at an Alexa Bliss heel turn

This time last year, it seemed inevitable that Nikki Cross would fall into the same trap as Nia Jax and Mickie James by getting betrayed by her new best friend in WWE, Alexa Bliss.

As it turned out, the two Superstars formed a close friendship and, although they both failed to win the SmackDown Women’s Championship from Bayley in the summer of 2019, they joined forces to win the Women’s Tag Team titles from The IIconics.

Since then, they have become two-time Women’s Tag Team Champions, with their second triumph coming against The Kabuki Warriors at WrestleMania 36.

This week, just days before The Horror Show at WWE Extreme Rules, WWE has started planting seeds for a possible split between the two friends. Bliss looked disinterested during her interactions with Cross on SmackDown, almost as if she was fed up of being associated with the Scot.

If you scroll through social media, a Bliss heel turn this Sunday has been speculated by plenty of fans.

Before that happens, though, there should at least be another hint at tension between the former Women's Tag Team Champions during the Bayley vs. Cross match at Extreme Rules, with “The Goddess” betraying her friend at a later date.