Extreme Rules Predictions

Now that Pay Per Views happen every two weeks, we are closing on yet another big show, with Extreme Rules happening this Sunday. No wonder people are becoming fatigued with the programming. Add in the fact that many of these matches are rematches on Sunday, and it is becoming harder and harder to become excited for these shows. With that said, I could easily see Sunday's main event being a contender for match of the year if given the proper time.

Extreme Rules features a continuation of the storyline with Noam Dar and Alicia Fox. On Sunday, they will be teaming up to face Sasha Banks and Rich Swann. As this match will most likely be relegated to the preshow, I have to assume the faces go over to keep the crowd happy. Even though this match is taking place in Swann's hometown, I'm cautiously predicting that he and Banks get the win.

Sticking in the cruiserweight division, we have Neville taking on Austin Aries yet again. This is the third major show in a row where these two will face off, this time in a submission match. I have to imagine Aries locks on Last Chancery for the win, or else what is the point in this feud continuing for so long? Aries has looked great in all of the matches up until this point, but at some point he has to win or it just becomes too redundant. Here's to hoping that Sunday is the night for The Greatest Man Who Ever Lived, A Double. Iv'e got Aries capturing his first cruiserweight title.

With the women's title on the line, Bayley challenges Alexa Bliss in a kendo stick on a pole match. I've never been a fan of "on a pole" matches, and I'm even less of a fan of how they've been treating Bayley. While they've been building her to look like an underdog, I believe they've gone way too far in the other direction, and they've just made her look pathetic. Sadly, I don't expect this to change Sunday, and predict that Bliss will retain.

The tag titles are on the line in a steel cage match, as the Hardys (are they still the Hardy Boyz?) defend against Sheamus and Cesaro. This is the perfect match I would imagine for Sheamus and Cesaro to recapture the titles. They've been firing on all cylinders lately, the stipulation, although chosen by the Hardys seems to favor the brutal style of Sheamus and Cesaro than the high-flying attack of Matt and Jeff. I do expect a crazy spot off the top of the cage, but Sheamus and Cesaro really do deserve this victory. I don't think the Hardys holding the titles necessarily hurts the tag teams on Raw, but I see their opponents doing more to elevate the division.

Our last title match is for the intercontinental championship. Dean Ambrose is defending the title against the Miz, in a match where the title will change hands via disqualification. From the reactions I have seen, a lot of fans seem to have issue with this stipulation at Extreme Rules. I think it is a great move for that exact reason. In a previous post, I mentioned how much I enjoy the Miz as a heel. This is the ultimate heel move. He adds a stipulation that the fans will hate, while simultaneously stacking the deck in his favor. The Miz does a great job of making the IC title feel important and Dean Ambrose doesn't really need a title to stay over with the crowd. I imagine the Miz captures the title on Sunday as his title reign will certainly elevate the title once again, and Ambrose will probably inject himself into a feud slightly higher on the card.

The main event of Extreme Rules is a Fatal Five Way to determine the number one contender for the universal title. Finn Balor, Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, Bray Wyatt, and Samoa Joe will all enter the ring looking to earn a shot to take down Brock Lesnar. It seems like a foregone conclusion that Finn Balor will win the match, but I'm curious to see how the match itself goes down. Balor getting his title shot at a smaller card like Great Balls of Fire makes sense, as you can hold off on the inevitable showdown between Reigns and Lesnar for a bigger card, most likely Wrestlemania. The other option I could see is Lesnar coming down and screwing everyone over, leading to another massive multi-man match so you can take the title off of him without weakening his character. Otherwise, I don't see how you can have him hold the belt for an entire year. If I have to pick one person as a winner, I'm going with Balor (potentially officially becoming a Paul Heyman guy?), but I wouldn't be surprised to see a no-contest.

So there you have it, my predictions for Extreme Rules. Who do you have winning? Let me know in the comments, and until next time, stay (too) sweet!