Previewing Tonight’s WWE Extreme Rules & Predictions

Well here we go folks, another month, another Pay Per View. Let me start by saying how nice it is for Extreme Rules to actually be taking place in April again. Finally….The Rock….I mean, the WWE [force of habit] is spacing their Pay Per View’s out correctly – one every month. Each month gets their own PPV, yay!! Well done team! Unfortunately they couldn’t go as far as to keep PPVs to their assigned months. It seems Money in the Bank is now officially a June PPV [I assume]. Payback must be May’s, even if this is the first year it will appear in May. Battleground is July’s then, for now, but it might get moved back to October in future [possibly?].

The WWE has a habit of chopping and changing these things. Remember when No Way Out was a February PPV? Then it appeared in June as a one off. How about Vengeance? That has taken place in four different months. It debuted in December, moved to July, then June, then made an appearance a few years ago in October. Oh the confusion! Anyway, on to the previewing and predicting.

Tyson Kidd and Cesaro[c] vs The New Day [WWE Tag Team Championship]

Oh how little importance the tag team titles have right now. Sure it’s nice to see two talented guys like Tyson Kidd and Cesaro hold them, but it’s clear the WWE literally doesn’t give two hoots about those belts. Big E and Kofi will be representing The New Day again and giving them the titles would obviously be a bad idea. They have a horrible gimmick, they’re not over and no one likes them. Their heel turn was inevitable. Either way, those titles should stay right where they are.

[prediction] Tyson Kidd and Cesaro

Dolph Ziggler vs Sheamus [Kiss Me Arse match]

Oh look the WWE are trying to make Sheamus relevant again. They couldn’t do it with Christian, and gave up in the end. I fear the same will happen with the Irishman. They obviously feel that not only does he need a heel turn to gain overness, he needs to look like a rooster in order to do it. Well, silly appearances aside, it wouldn’t make sense for him to lose his first PPV match as a heel again.

[prediction] Sheamus

Dean Ambrose vs Luke Harper [Chicago Street Fight]

Much like Sheamus, I just don’t feel these two guys are that over. Yes Ambrose does get cheers, but the WWE’s booking of him has made it difficult for fans to care a whole lot. As for Luke Harper, I like him, but again, they haven’t done much to make him seem more significant. He’s basically the same character he was in the Wyatt family, except he’s on his own now. Ambrose could do with a win, so I’ll go for him.

[prediction] Dean Ambrose

Daniel Bryan[c] vs Bad News Barrett [WWE Intercontinental Championship]

This should be a decent bout, and theoretically Daniel Bryan should keep the title, but once again there are concerns with his health. Last year they kept the World Heavyweight title on him, only to have it vacated so he could have surgery. This time they may consider it wiser to get the strap off him before he needs more time off. For this reason I’m not convinced he’ll pick up the win, but I’m going to assume they’ll keep the title on him for at least a couple more months, as it would be a shame to take it off him so soon.

[prediction] Daniel Bryan

Roman Reigns vs Big Show [Last Man Standing Match]

This one is easy – Reigns will win it, but can he put in the sort of performance that gets fans to respect him more? I’m not sure he can against The Big Show. I still think the best thing would be to turn him heel again, and let him earn the fan’s respect with some stellar performances. His situation reminds me so much of The Rock’s [not just because they’re cousins]. The Rock was forced down the people’s throats too – they turned him heel and had him win the World Wrestling Federation title as a heel. Some time later, the fans started to like him and he became The People’s Champion. If they want to put the WWE title on Reigns sometime soon, they need to do it with him as a heel. It worked for The Rock and it’s working for Seth Rollins. This match however, should be a foregone conclusion.

[prediction] Roman Reigns

Nikki Bella[c] vs Naomi [WWE Divas Championship]

Well this wasn’t meant to be. Naomi has had to come in as a last minute replacement for Paige, and because of that, her chances of winning the butterfly belt are very low. The WWE seem happy with Nikki as the Diva’s champ and I assume it will continue for now, at least, until Paige gets her match.

[prediction] Nikki Bella

John Cena[c] vs Rusev [Russian Chain Match for the WWE United States Championship]

Well this should be the last of the trilogy. Does it remind you of anything? Cena vs Wyatt perhaps? Yep, they had three PPV matches too and Cena won two of those. This time he’ll do it again. In fact, Wyatt and Rusev are quite comparable. Wyatt was built up for many months to be a worthy opponent for John Cena, only to lose to him at Wrestlemania. The same thing happened to Rusev. Unlike Wyatt though, who is still a significant character on the roster, I expect Rusev to disappear in to mid card obscurity soon. Perhaps a comedy tag team with Santino, like Kozlov? I’m glad they’re using a Russian chain here – I heard those are meant to be quite sturdy. I’ll bet it looks exactly the same as any other chain they’ve used in the past.

[prediction] John Cena

Seth Rollins[c] vs Randy Orton [Steel Cage match for the WWE World Heavyweight title]

So Kane is the ‘gatekeeper’ [what is this, Ghostbusters?] and Orton can’t use the RKO. They’re obviously going to keep the title on Rollins, but they’re doing everything they can to make him look like a slimy little coward who needs a lot of help from his cronies to pick up wins. This match can play out a couple of ways, and neither of them end with Orton walking out as champ. Rollins will either win [with much interference], or Orton will be disqualified for using the RKO. Now I know Cage matches don’t normally have disqualifications, but if the move is banned, then what else do you do if he uses it? Perhaps a DQ is unlikely in a Cage match. I predict Orton will use the RKO and the referee will refuse to count. Rollins will later pick up the shady win, possibly leading to a final match between the two men at Payback.

[prediction] Seth Rollins

CONCLUSION

So there you have it folks. I don’t expect a single title to change hands, although if one does, I’d put my money on it being the IC belt. It depends on Bryan’s health. The card in general does not look too appealing, but the Extreme Rules stipulations will be sure to add some spice. Some of the rivalries may not have been built up too spectacularly, but the matches will probably be better than the feuds.

What do you think? Comment below with your thoughts, opinions, feedback and anything else that was raised.

You can find me on Twitter @WojZed