Tomorrow, Monday Night Raw hosts its first themed Pay-Per-View of the year: Extreme Rules. The gimmick encourages matches to have a unique stipulation, and there’s no lack of that here. From a Fatal Five-Way match to a Kendo Stick on a Pole Match, the card is loaded with interesting and unusual matches. Let’s take a look at what’s in store.
Rich Swann & Sasha Banks vs. Noam Dar & Alicia Fox
Sasha Banks has traded victories with Alicia Fox with a few weeks, and Rich Swann has feuded with both Fox and Noam Dar for months. Since both Swann and Banks are involved with 205 Live’s “it” couple, WWE decided to throw them into a mixed tag team match.
Prediction:
Both teams have a good chance of winning here. Swann and Dar have traded victories, and Banks has a slight win advantage over Fox. Since Fox and Dar probably need the win more, I’m gonna give it to them. Winners: Noam Dar & Alicia Fox
Neville (c) vs. Austin Aries – Cruiserweight Championship (Submission Match)
Since before WrestleMania 33, Austin Aries has been chasing the Cruiserweight Championship. He almost made Neville tap out at the Grandest Stage of Them All, but Neville raked Aries’ eyes. At Payback, he almost won again but Neville forced a disqualification to keep his title. Aries finally got the edge on the King of the Cruiserweights last week when he got him to finally tap out to the Last Chancery.
Prediction:
If Aries captures the belt, that means that this feud goes on even further. This has run its course, and Neville retaining will help freshen up the Cruiserweight title scene. Winner, and STILL Cruiserweight Champion: Neville
The Hardy Boyz (c) vs. Sheamus & Cesaro – Raw Tag Team Championships (Steel Cage Match)
After Sheamus and Cesaro lost a Raw Tag Team Championship Ladder Match to the Hardy Boyz at WrestleMania 33, they failed to capture the titles again at Payback. With the #1 Contender’s spot vacant, Sheamus and Cesaro defeated every other team on the roster in Tag Team Turmoil to earn another shot at the titles. When Jeff Hardy defeated Sheamus last week, he and his brother decided to defend their titles in a steel cage match.
Prediction:
Sheamus and Cesaro have proven that they are the most skilled tag team on the roster (excluding the Revival since Dash is injured). They deserve to become the first-ever two-time Raw Tag Team Champions, and that should happen tomorrow. Winners, and NEW Raw Tag Team Champions: Sheamus & Cesaro
Dean Ambrose (c) vs. The Miz – Intercontinental Championship (If Ambrose gets DQ’ed, he loses the title)
Since Dean Ambrose is a fighting champion, he defended the Intercontinental Championship against the Miz. The Miz attempted a low blow behind the referee’s back, but Ambrose countered. Ambrose hit Miz with a low blow of his own, but by then, the referee turned around. Miz used this to convince Kurt Angle to give him a championship rematch while preventing Ambrose from purposely disqualifying himself.
Prediction:
The Miz may be hated by a good portion of the WWE Universe, but he knows what he’s doing. If he gets in a desperate situation, he could easily have Maryse attack him so that Dean Ambrose is disqualified so he can steal the title. Winner, and NEW Intercontinental Champion: The Miz
Alexa Bliss (c) vs. Bayley – Raw Women’s Championship – Kendo Stick on a Pole Match
While most people would agree that Bayley is a better in-ring competitor than Alexa Bliss, Bliss has had Bayley’s number ever since she moved to Raw. Bliss used her wits to get a Raw Championship opportunity, and her smarts led her to become the first woman to have held the Raw and SmackDown Women’s Championships.
Bliss and Bayley got into a few fights over the past couple weeks, and Bliss has gotten the advantage by hitting the former championship with a kendo stick. This gave Kurt Angle the idea to make their title rematch a Kendo Stick on a Pole match, which could be anywhere from amazing to terrible.
Prediction:
Alexa Bliss is probably doing the best job out of any woman on the roster right now, and Bayley could use a bit of a freshening up. Bliss should move on to facing someone like Sasha Banks, while Bayley can have a non-title feud. Winner, and STILL Raw Women’s Champion: Alexa Bliss
Roman Reigns vs. Finn Balor vs. Bray Wyatt vs. Samoa Joe vs. Seth Rollins – #1 Contender’s Match (WWE Universal Championship)
While this match isn’t for a championship, this is the match that has the biggest implications. Raw has a ton of main event talent, and the best way to figure out the next #1 Contender for Brock Lesnar’s Universal Championship is to have them all fight for the spot. Each competitor has been built pretty well over the past couple weeks, but the strongest showings have come from Roman Reigns and Finn Balor.
Prediction:
WWE loves Brock Lesnar, so it’s hard to see him walking away from his first title defense on the losing end. While this opportunity for losing has Bray Wyatt’s name all over it, I see Finn Balor getting the win here. Balor can put on a great showing against the Beast Incarnate while also losing and still get elevated, like when a young Jeff Hardy took on The Undertaker for the WWE Championship in 2002. Winner: Finn Balor
No match has been announced for the Extreme Rules Kickoff Show, so there could be a new match announced on WWE.com or their Twitter account to round out the card. While the first match that comes to mind is Goldust vs. R-Truth, that feud deserves more time to develop with the veteran performers involved.
With 205 Live reportedly doing subpar numbers on the WWE Network, this is the perfect time to give even more time to the Cruiserweight Division. Cedric Alexander recently returned, and his popularity with the WWE Universe could help them tune into the Kickoff Show. He could take on the refreshed Ariya Daivari, the “no high flying” Drew Gulak, or even against a fellow face in Jack Gallagher.
