It’s time for the most extreme night in WWE. It is a very special day a year when things can get out of hand, and most of the time they do.
This year’s hardcore extravaganza has all the makings of being something WWE fans remember for a long time. Let’s just hope WWE is able to use the tools at their disposal to make this as good as it can be.
Noam Dar and Alicia Fox vs Rich Swann and Sasha Banks
This match is happening. For some reason Sasha Banks has found herself in the position where she is being hyped for merging over into 205 Live World. On a related note, 205 World sounds like a very exciting theme park that is sparsely attended.
The babyface team will probably come out on top of this one. But Noam Dar and Foxy have pretty good momentum. One thing is for sure, they need to do something in order for fans to start caring as much as they should.
Alexa Bliss vs Bayley (Raw Women’s Championship Kendo Stick On A Pole Match)
This entire match revolves around a stick on a pole. Then the winner gets to beat the other woman with that stick. So, there’s the gimmick. Just a good old fashioned stick beating encounter.
Since WWE fans have already seen Alexa Bliss whack Bayley with a kendo stick twice already the obvious finish of this match would see Bliss get hers. Then again, Bliss is an amazing champion in spite of that awful “This Is Your Life” segment. She really tried her best to make chicken salad out of that segment, but even Bliss couldn’t save it. They can’t all be winners.
WWE might keep Raw’s top title on The Five Feet Of Fury for a little longer. But logic would dictate win or lose, Alexa is getting beaten with a kendo stick.
Neville vs Austin Aries (Cruiserweight Championship Submission Match)
It’s time to put up or shut up for Austin Aries. He’s been chasing WWE’s Cruiserweight Title for months now and it all comes down to a submission match. A Double seemed to be destined for the top of the cruiserweight division since his debut and this is his chance to show what he can do.
The submission match adds an extra element of suspense to this encounter. It will be The Last Chancery vs The Rings Of Saturn and every other hold they can lock each other in. There are plenty of ways this one could turn out, but this is Extreme Rules’ best chance of having a pure wrestling match.
Dean Ambrose vs The Miz (Intercontinental Title Match)
The only real gimmick to this match in a pay per view built around gimmicks is if Dean Ambrose loses via DQ or count out then he loses his title too. That’s kind of a weak stipulation, but it does fall in line with the storyline. However it doesn’t really make much sense when considering the whole presumed Extreme Rules theme of the event. But at a certain point you just have to stop asking: “why?”
Dean has been able to keep his IC Title in the past against Miz due to a disqualification. But this is the kind of stipulation that is usually brought in when there’s a cowardly heel champion. Then again, nothing about WWE seems to be traditional anymore.
Miz makes a great IC Champion and he had one of his best years with that title last year. We’re not saying Dean Ambrose makes a bad champion, but he does sort of tend to use a championship as a prop. Remember when he was the US Champion for the longest time and never defended his title?
This is the highest singles match on the card. It’s also not the first time we’ve seen these two lock up by any means. But it is still going to be just as entertaining watching these two go at it for the five-hundredth time as it was the first. It also gives Maryse a chance to hit her husband with a chair and help him reclaim the IC Title. Then again, Elias Samson could always show up and prove he’s going to be a much bigger force on Raw than he ever was in NXT.
The Hardy Boyz vs Sheamus and Cesaro (Raw Tag Team Title Cage Match)
This one is a real toss-up. Both teams have the capability of holding the top tag team titles. But in all honesty the ending of this match might fall on how ready The Revival is to come back and make a run at the titles. The match people want to see is The Revival vs The Hardys, but it might take some time to get them there.
A cage match presents a very interesting possibility for several endings. If they allow the match to end by one team escaping the cage it could result in a handicapped match for a bit. Then again we can also see Jeff blowing the match by deciding to do a sick Swanton Bomb off the top of the cage instead of winning.
Sheamus and Cesaro have really come together and it would be hard to stop them at this point. But they’ve been shut down before, it just takes a lot of punishment (and sometimes losing a tooth).
Seth Rollins vs Finn Balor vs Samoa Joe vs Bray Wyatt vs Roman Reigns (Fatal 5 Way #1 Contender’s Match For Universal Title)
Here’s the thing, if you’re a Roman Reigns fan you might be disappointed by this one. The fact of the matter is Roman Reigns is earmarked for a WrestleMania encounter against Brock Lesnar. Since the winner of this match is getting a shot at Lesnar’s Universal Title, it wouldn’t make much sense for WWE to jump the gun too early on that match up.
Whoever wins this match is likely going to be dealt with in quick fashion by Brock Lesnar. After all, The Beast Incarnate isn’t planned to drop the Universal Title any time soon. Each of these guys has the possibility of winning the match. But something tells us Finn might pull off the win here.
Balor needs a chance to get his Universal Title back. Since WWE isn’t really sticking to the hard and fast rule of a rematch clause (just ask AJ Styles), this match is probably Finn’s best chance to get his chance of regaining the Universal Title. This is an Extreme Rules match too, so that also means it could get a little hardcore. Still, the current betting odds list Samoa Joe as most likely to walk away from this one with the win.
Brock Lesnar vs any of these guys would make a great event at Great Balls Of Fire. But whatever way the end of this match lands, don’t expect it to result in a change of hands for Raw’s top title. Of course, what we would prefer would be if Braun Strowman comes down during this one and just ends everyone’s dreams.
