WWE Extreme Rules 2021: 5 things that can happen at the pay-per-view

On the heels of a successful SummerSlam, WWE will look to keep the momentum going as the road to Survivor Series gets underway. The first stop is Extreme Rules, which will be live on the NBC Peacock app from the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. The show will take place on Sunday, September 26, 2021.

Extreme Rules is typically an event in the early summer before SummerSlam. Now, it's after SummerSlam, which makes sense as it can end feuds that have been going on for some time with an "extreme stipulation".

On the RAW side of the show, Charlotte Flair will defend the RAW Women's Championship against Alexa Bliss. Damian Priest will defend the WWE United States Championship against Sheamus and Jeff Hardy in a Triple threat Match.

On the SmackDown side, Becky Lynch will defend the SmackDown Women's Championship against Bianca Belair. Liv Morgan will go one on one with Carmella. The Usos will defend the WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championships against The Street Profits. In the main event for the blue brand, Roman Reigns will defend the WWE Universal Championship against "The Demon" Finn Balor.

Without further ado, here are five things that could happen at this Sunday's Extreme Rules pay-per-view.

5. Becky Lynch will retain the WWE SmackDown Women's Championship in cheap fashion

Will The Man get the bEST out of Bianca Belair again?

Becky Lynch made her return at SummerSlam after a year-plus absence only to squash Bianca Belair in 26 seconds, winning the SmackDown Women's Championship. At Extreme Rules, former champion Bianca Belair will get her chance at redemption.

When Sasha Banks was unable to compete at SummerSlam and Carmella was revealed as Belair's opponent, fans were upset. This was quickly followed by shock and excitement when Lynch's music hit. After taking Carmella out and asking Belair if she wanted to tear the house down with "The Man," the excitement was replaced with disappointment as Lynch defeated Belair in 26 seconds.

It seems WWE is trying to replicate what they did in 2018 with Lynch when she attacked Charlotte Flair after losing the Triple Threat SmackDown Women's Championship match at SummerSlam. They tried to turn Lynch heel, but the fans wouldn't allow it. Thus, 'The Man' was created.

Three years later, WWE is once again trying to make Becky a heel by having her squash, Belair. Only time will tell if it will work.

As for the match, it's a fresh one that fans have been wanting to see. The only question is how much ring rust will Lynch have? Her last match was over a year ago at WrestleMania against Shayna Baszler. While Becky looks in tremendous shape, we will have to see how much she can do in the ring.

The outcome will see Lynch retain the SmackDown Women's Championship, albeit in a cheap fashion. Becky won the title last month and, before her leave of absence, was arguably the face of the company. There's no way WWE will take the belt off her anytime soon. However, they've also built up Bianca well over the past year and a clean loss would be a major hit to her credibility.

WWE gets heat for too many non-finishes but, if there is ever a time to do one, this is the match. Expect Becky to either get herself disqualified or counted out to extend this feud a bit longer.

4. Alexa Bliss will win the WWE RAW Women's Championship

Can Charlotte Flair overcome her new creepy challenger?

After reclaiming the RAW Women's Championship last month at SummerSlam, Charlotte Flair will finally move on to a new challenger as she defends her title against Alexa Bliss at Extreme Rules.

This is a fresh new feud for Charlotte, as she has had minimal interaction with Bliss during their time on the main roster. Their only one-on-one match came at Survivor Series back in 2017. That was nearly four years ago!

Charlotte's character hasn't changed since then while Bliss has transformed from "The Goddess" to the Fiend's replacement.

Much like her feud with Rhea Ripley, it's hard to hell whether Charlotte is the heel or not in this feud. Although based on their interactions and the crowd reactions, it appears as though Bliss is the babyface in this scenario. This is odd since her character has been treated as a heel.

As for the match, expect creepy things to happen as opposed to their previous matchup. It might not be an instant classic, like the SmackDown Women's Championship match, but has the potential to be.

The outcome will see Bliss become the new RAW Women's Champion. It's obvious to everyone that WWE is deadset on having Charlotte break her father's record of championship reigns, so a short reign would be par for the course. Also, as mentioned above, Bliss is one of the most over characters at the moment. It would be unwise for WWE to not capitalize on that. The fact that Bliss rarely wrestles also makes her matches more important, much like the man whose gimmick she has molded into her own.

3. The Usos will retain the WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championships

Will The Usos and The Street Profits deliver again?

At Extreme Rules, The Usos will defend the SmackDown Tag Team Championships against The Street Profits. This had been a dream match for many fans ever since the two teams were drafted to the same brand. While we have seen this match a couple of times before Extreme Rules, the matches have always delivered, and this should be no different.

As good as the two teams have been, it feels as though they are both stalled out. The Street Profits haven't done much since dropping the tag titles earlier this year to Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode. After that long feud with Rodde and Ziggler, they feuded with Otis and Chad Gable for months.

The Usos' story with Universal Champion Roman Reigns has been interesting. They've also been the victims of long feuds. While the Profits were dealing with Otis and Gable, The Usos were feuding non-stop with the Mysterios.

The outcome for the match will see The Usos successfully retain the SmackDown Tag Team Championships. The Usos are attached to Universal Champion Reigns, as well as a huge potential six-man tag team match at Survivor Series with the Bloodline taking on the New Day. There's no reason to take the titles off of The Usos at the moment. The lack of babyface tag teams on SmackDown only helps their cause.

2. Roman Reigns will hand The Demon his first loss in the WWE Universal Championship Match

Will The Demon fall victim to The Tribal Chief?

After a two-and-a-half-year absence, Finn Balor resurrected "The Demon" and will once again challenge Reigns for the Universal Championship at Extreme Rules. The last time we saw Balor's Demon persona was at WrestleMania 35 when he defeated Bobby Lashley for the Intercontinental Championship.

Balor lost his Universal Championship match a few weeks ago on SmackDown, but that came after a beatdown from the Usos before the match began. After a valiant effort, Balor lost, but we saw the lights flicker after the match, giving fans the tease of the Demon's return. The return happened at SmackDown in Madison Square Garden.

It's important to note that The Demon has yet to lose on the main roster. If there's one thing WWE has done right, it's their handling of the Demon gimmick. Not only hasn't he taken a loss, but it's only used for special occasions. The Bloodline pushed Balor too far, thus the reemergence of the Demon. With that being said, all streaks must come to an end, and for the Demon the end of the streak will be at Extreme Rules.

With Brock Lesnar waiting in the wings next month at Crown Jewel and a possible match with new WWE Champion Big E at Survivor Series, there's no way Reigns is losing at like Extreme Rules. However, expect WWE to have a finish that will also keep the Demon persona strong.

The outcome of the match will see Reigns retain the Universal Championship after a hard-fought battle. Expect multiple spears to be needed to keep the Demon down and hand him his first loss on the main roster.

1. Goldberg will return to confront Bobby Lashley at Extreme Rules

Will Goldberg return for his revenge at Extreme Rules?

At last month's SummerSlam, Bobby Lashley successfully retained the WWE Championship against Goldberg. This came after the referee stopped the match due to Goldberg suffering a knee injury. After the match, Lashley put Goldberg's son in the Hurt Lock. Goldberg has vowed to avenge his son, and that will likely occur at Extreme Rules.

In a WWE Digital Exclusive, Goldberg said he's not coming for the title this time, but for Lashley's soul. Now that Lashley has lost his WWE Championship to Big E, the match can now happen.

With WWE returning to Saudi Arabia next month for Crown Jewel, it seems like the perfect place to have a match between the two. WWE likes to pack Crown Jewel with legends and big stars, and whether fans like to admit it or not Goldberg fits that bill.

Lashley is not scheduled to be on Extreme Rules at the moment. Don't be surprised if WWE adds a last-minute match for him, whether it be a match or a VIP Lounge segment with MVP.

What will likely happen is that MVP and Lashley will come out for an impromptu VIP Lounge segment. They will complain about how Lashley is not getting his rematch against Big E. They will say how Big E is afraid to put the title on the line against a now healthy Lashley. This will continue until Goldberg's music hits and he comes out and challenges Lashley for a match now. Lashley will walk away from the confrontation, and the match will later be set for Crown Jewel.