We’re just six days away from the most bruising, no-holds-barred, extreme pay-per-view of the year as the inhabitants of the Monday Night Raw locker room make their final preparations before this weekend’s event.
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All eyes will, naturally, be on the five Superstars set to do battle to determine who will emerge as Brock Lesnar’s first challenger after the Beast Incarnate finally got the ‘Goldberg’ monkey off his shoulder at WrestleMania 33, capturing the Raw Universal Title in the process.
But that’s not to detract from the allure that has been afforded the Raw Tag Team division ever since the Hardyz made a triumphant title-winning return to the WWE family at the Show of Shows, something that would no doubt fuel the all-consuming fire of vengeance that burns within Sheamus and Cesaro to finally get one over the champions.
And last but not least, the WWE Universe would also be chomping at the bit to figure out who the mastermind behind the vile and unprovoked attack on Enzo Amore was. With answers to all this and more, here is our preview for the go-home show before WWE Extreme Rules, of this week’s episode of Monday Night Raw.
#1 Will Bayley get extreme?
There are no depths that Alexa Bliss won’t stoop to, in order to conquer her opponents; something that the Raw Women’s Champion has made abundantly clear this past couple of weeks with savage kendo stick attacks on Bayley and Mickie James.
At the very least, the Champion will feel at home when competing against Bayley in the Kendo Stick on a Pole match this weekend at Extreme Rules.
The biggest question, however, is if a mild-mannered and cheery character like Bayley can dig down deep and unleash a side of her that’s not been seen before to at least match, if not nullify, the Champion’s pronounced mean streak.
Tune in to this week’s episode of Raw to find out.
#2 Enzo Amore’s secret “admirer”
If Enzo Amore had one dime for every guess he had correct as to who was responsible for brutalising him in a sneak attack last week on Raw, he would have exactly zero dimes right now.
That’s how shrouded in mystery this whole situation is, as Raw GM Kurt Angle seeks to find resolution by launching an official inquiry to unearth the identity of the assailant. Meanwhile, all we can afford is guesswork in the dark.
Was it Goldust, armed with his new-found vigour and aggression?
Was it, perhaps, the handiwork of the dysfunctional Superstars trying to make the Titus Brand tick over? Or could it have been a completely left field attack from someone aimlessly ‘drifting’ around the WWE of late?
Whoever it was, a spot of retribution courtesy of Big Cass and possibly, a match at Extreme Rules, await them on Monday Night Raw.
#3 Finn Balor’s predicament
Having the Beast Incarnate’s advocate heap praise on you can be gratifying, affirming and a shot in the arm to make sure that you outlast the four other men at Extreme Rules and buy yourself a ticket to Suplex City.
But it can also paint a massive target on your back.
Bray Wyatt and Samoa Joe are vile and unforgiving men at the best of times, and will no doubt be out to prove to Paul Heyman and Brock Lesnar that handpicking one man as the ‘perfect’ opponent for the Beast was a premature move.
Before the five men lock up this Sunday however, Wyatt and Joe square off against Finn Balor in a match that reads Triple Threat on paper – but may just end up as a 2-on-1 handicap match to the detriment of the Demon King.
#4 A Fool-Hardy solution
Matt Hardy’s victory over Sheamus in singles competition last week not only extended the dominance that the Tag Team Champions have been enjoying over the number one contenders but also allowed them to pick the stipulation for their Extreme Rules match.
Veterans of hard knocks their whole careers, it didn’t really come as much of a surprise when the Hardyz picked the Steel Cage as their battleground of choice for this weekend.
As we build up to what promises to be a hard-hitting encounter inside the confines of the cold, stinging steel structure, will Sheamus and Cesaro try something out of the blue to upset the Champions’ burgeoning momentum?
Or will it be more of the same as the Hardy Boyz sail towards what is shaping up as one of the easier defences of their long and storied Tag Team careers in the WWE?
#5 Reunion or Redemption?
Seth Rollins famously claimed that he didn’t sell out, but rather bought in when he stabbed his former Shield brethren in the back following Extreme Rules in 2014, only to see his stock rise spectacularly as the hand-picked WWE Champion of the Authority.
It’s that time of the year again and the opportunity to seize the top prize on Monday Night Raw is on the table as well.
Will history repeat itself when The Kingslayer goes one-on-one with the Big Dog on Raw? Surely, after hunting down Triple H this past year, Rollins isn’t the same man that sold his brothers out anymore.
But has Roman Reigns forgiven his treachery? Or will old wounds be reopened in what promises to be an intense encounter on Monday Night Raw?
Either way, the die has been cast as we throttle full speed ahead towards Extreme Rules this Sunday.
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