WWE Extreme Rules 2018 features Rusev challenging AJ Styles for the WWE Championship. (Photo Source: WWE.com via Twitter)
Rules? We don’t need no stinking rules! At WWE Extreme Rules 2018, the superstars of Raw and SmackDown will do whatever it takes to walk out with a W.
It’s fitting that WWE Extreme Rules 2018 is set for this Sunday, July 15. By the time of the opening bell, it will be 11 days since the release of The First Purge, the latest in a film series about laws going away for 12 hours. That’s basically what Extreme Rules is all about, just inside a wrestling ring.
The Extreme Rules pay per view was borne out of the legacy of Extreme Championship Wrestling. After a pair of “One Night Stand” ECW reunion shows, the first Extreme Rules pay per view was held in 2009. Since then, the annual show features a variety of stipulation matches, including the titular “extreme rules.”
For the tenth edition of the pay per view, WWE is heading to Pittsburgh. The card is made up of 11 matches (with one of those scheduled for the Kickoff Show), featuring superstars from both Raw and SmackDown Live. Five of the eleven matches feature some kind of stipulation, ranging from the full monty — Extreme Rules — to pretty lame — a shark cage. (Yes. Again.)
Now, it’s time for some of the staff here at Daily DDT to make some predictions on the card. Just who is going to pick up a win? Which match may steal the show? Will Roman Reigns again be in the main event?
Photo Source: WWE.com
The New Day vs. SAnitY (Tables Match)
Bryan Heaton: Despite being announced as joining the SmackDown roster like seven years ago (or so it seems), SAnitY has only been around a couple of weeks. And in two official matches since their debut, they are winless. Not the greatest of ways to establish a new threat in the tag division. Since New Day can easily withstand a loss, look for SAnitY to pick up the victory in a wild tables match to prove their worth.
Of course, if SAnitY wins via the appearance of Nikki Cross, taking her rightful place on the main roster next to her brothers in chaos, well, then it’ll be the icing on the cake.
Christopher Jeter: SAnitY just debuted, so I’ll pick them to win on Sunday. They need marquee wins to establish themselves as a viable threat on SmackDown and besting New Day would do just that. The tables stipulation will protect New Day since they won’t have to take a pinfall loss.
Trace Johnson: These two elite teams will battle it out in a tables match, on the kickoff show. It really should be on the main card, but regardless of where it is, SAnitY should get the win here in their first marquee opportunity on the main roster.
Photo Source: WWE.com
Finn Bálor vs. “Constable” Baron Corbin
Bryan Heaton: If you only follow this feud on social media, it’s highly entertaining. But watching it on Raw has been tedious. Childish banter, nursery rhymes, short jokes — it hasn’t been pretty. Bálor is the superior athlete, but Corbin is the more imposing presence. The Constable is still acclimating to his new-ish position of authority, so I’d say he wins the match to further impose his will on Kurt Angle and the roster.
Christopher Jeter: Sadly, I think this is just the first match in a feud that will probably run two months too long. Therefore, I’ll pick Corbin to win using some underhanded tactics.
Related Story: 3 Reasons Finn Bálor Should Win at Extreme Rules
Trace Johnson: This match was thrown together last minute and really doesn’t need to be on the main card, but the winner of this all depends on how long the WWE wants to push the issue between these two. I’ll say Bálor gets the win over Constable Corbin although don’t be surprised either way.
Photo Source: WWE.com
Matt Hardy & Bray Wyatt vs. The B-Team, Raw Tag Team Championship Match
Bryan Heaton: It’s safe to say at least one of the Rotunda brothers is leaving Extreme Rules as one half of the Raw Tag Team Champions.
Wait, I have to actually pick one? Ugh. As fun as the B-Team‘s run has been of late (and despite the same joke being beaten into the ground over and over, it has been fun), there’s no way they’ll be champions. Not yet, at least. Comedy acts can only go so far, and with SummerSlam around the corner, it’s doubtful that such a team would be on top heading in. The Deleters of Worlds will retain, and move on to The Revival.
Christopher Jeter: I’ll pick Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt to win in decisive fashion. There’s no need to take the titles off of them right now and even if it was, Bo Dallas and Curtis Axel aren’t the team that should beat them. The B-Team are entertaining, but they still come across as undercard jokes (if the tongue-in-cheek name didn’t give that away).
Trace Johnson: Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt haven’t had much competition lately, but The B-Team has emerged as threats to their reign, entertaining ones at that. However, The Deleters Of Worlds should retain their Raw Tag Team Championship in this one.
Photo Source: WWE.com
Carmella vs. Asuka, SmackDown Women’s Championship Match (James Ellsworth Suspended Above Ring in a Shark Cage)
Bryan Heaton: The mystique and aura surrounding Asuka has disappeared over the past few months. A tough loss to Charlotte Flair at WrestleMania ended her undefeated streak of over two years. That hurt, but it was the loss to Carmella at Money in the Bank — albeit thanks to James Ellsworth — that really left a bitter taste. The shark cage stipulation at Extreme Rules is probably the worst on the card, because it’s painfully obvious Jimmy’s gonna do something to help save Carmella again.
Christopher Jeter: With the added stipulation, I’m a little worried that Ellsworth will drop some weapon into the ring for Carmella, allowing her to retain the title again. THAT CANNOT HAPPEN!!!!!!!! ASUKA MUST WIN THE TITLE!!!!!!!!!!! If not, WWE may as well turn her heel.
Trace Johnson: Carmella has been a great heel champion over the past few months, but it seems like it’s time for Asuka to finally capture a main roster title. The Empress Of Tomorrow should come out of this one the new SmackDown Women’s Champion.
Joe Soriano: I love Carmella, but please let Asuka win. PLEASE I’M BEGGING YOU FROM MY SOUL YOU HEARTLESS OLD MAN.
Photo Source: WWE.com
Alexa Bliss vs. Nia Jax, Raw Women’s Championship Match (Extreme Rules)
Bryan Heaton: With the specter of Ronda Rousey looming over this match, it makes it one of the more predictable affairs of the evening. If it weren’t for Bliss, Rousey would likely be the Raw Women’s Champion as I write this. But a strategic Money in the Bank cash-in left Rousey in the cold — which is why she snapped and is serving her suspension. Since Rousey-Bliss is the only logical end game, Alexa needs to retain at Extreme Rules.
Christopher Jeter: WWE is clearly building toward Bliss vs. Ronda Rousey for SummerSlam, so I’ll pick “The Goddess” to retain her title. The extreme rules stipulation will allow Bliss to win using nefarious means, thus protecting Jax in defeat.
Trace Johnson: These two are battling for the Raw Women’s Championship, but the biggest story involved is Ronda Rousey. She’s bound to get involved somehow in this Extreme Rules match, but I think Bliss walks away still champion by the skin of her teeth to set up a huge match with Rousey at SummerSlam that could still include Jax.
Joe Soriano: Nia Jax has already beaten Alexa Bliss twice in title matches on Pay Per View, so she surely isn’t going to win for a third time. Ronda Rousey vs. Alexa Bliss sounds like the best possible SummerSlam match in the women’s division for the title (the best overall will be Sasha Banks vs. Bayley, of course), so let’s just build to that as painlessly as possible.
Photo Source: WWE.com
Jeff Hardy vs. Shinsuke Nakamura, United States Championship Match
Bryan Heaton: It’s been a hot minute since an evil foreign heel won the United States Championship. Well, three months or so. But following in the footsteps of Jinder Mahal, Kevin Owens, Rusev, and others, Shinsuke Nakamura will pick up his consolation prize for failing to beat AJ Styles any of the 135 times they faced each other since April. Now, when can Zelina Vega work her magic to get Andrade “Cien” Almas one of those United States Championship matches?
Christopher Jeter: I’ll pick Nakamura to win the title. After coming up short in so many title matches, beating Hardy for the belt would help Nakamura maintain his momentum. Plus, it will give top babyfaces someone to chase for the gold.
Trace Johnson: Hardy has been a fighting U.S. Champion, but Nakamura desperately needs this win after coming up short in his feud with AJ Styles. It’s time for The King Of Strong Style to finally capture a main roster championship.
Joe Soriano: “If Shinsuke Nakamura doesn’t win this match, he’s ruined!”
Guess what, it takes a lot more to ruin someone with his talent? I’m thinking WWE swerves you guys and pulls a title change on television. So Hardy retains here.
Photo Source: WWE.com
Dolph Ziggler vs. Seth Rollins, Intercontinental Championship Match (30-Minute Iron Man Match)
Bryan Heaton: Prediction number one: this is the match of the night, and it’s not even close. Both Ziggler and Rollins are at their peaks right now, and there’s no reason to believe this one won’t knock it out of the park.
Prediction number two: there’s a lot of scoring in this Iron Man Match. Ever since Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels went 0-0 after 60 minutes at WrestleMania XII, there’s been more falls throughout the matches. I really want to see like a 7-6 victory from someone one day.
As far as this match goes, I’ve got Ziggler retaining thanks to a returning Jason Jordan, because why wouldn’t we want to continue with Jordan/Rollins?
Christopher Jeter: I really want Seth Rollins to win this match. However, I expect Ziggler to slink away with the title somehow. I think WWE wants to keep the title on Ziggler so Drew McIntyre can eventually turn on him and beat him for the title.
Trace Johnson: Nobody saw Ziggler dethroning Rollins coming a few weeks ago. These two have already put on a couple stellar matches, but this could end up being a match of the year candidate in 30-minute Iron Man rules. It could definitely go either way, but I’ll go with Rollins to regain the title.
Joe Soriano: I was beyond shocked when Dolph Ziggler won the Intercontinental Championship off of Seth Rollins, whose hubris as a champion who defends the title each night finally caught up to him against a savvy competitor. But an Iron Man Match is the perfect stipulation for someone with Rollins’s determination and wrestling skills to shine.
The dream of Brock Lesnar vs. Seth Rollins is jut that. A dream. And I’m more than happy with Rollins holding the REAL most prestigious title in WWE for longer. Which match has the best quality? Which match has the best wrestlers holding it? It’s the Intercontinental Championship. Point blank.
Photo Source: WWE.com
The Bludgeon Brothers vs. Team Hell No, SmackDown Tag Team Championship Match
Bryan Heaton: In the feel-good story of 2018, not only has Daniel Bryan returned to action, but he’s reunited with his *NSYNC loving buddy Kane, too. The only thing to put it over the top would be for Team Hell No to once again fight over who is the tag team champions. Sadly, I think there’s bigger plans for Bryan, and Kane’s busy changing the world or whatever. So the Bludgeon Brothers will retain to set up a longer term program with a tag team that is in it for the long haul, not nostalgia.
Christopher Jeter: I could see WWE putting the titles on Bryan and Kane to pop the crowd. However I’ll go with the smarter choice and pick the Bludgeon Brothers to retain their titles, with Harper pinning Kane. Bryan will move on to feud with Miz while Kane will go back to his mayoral campaign.
Trace Johnson: Seeing Team Hell No back together has been a pleasant surprise, but it doesn’t need to end at just nostalgia. Daniel Bryan and Kane seem like the perfect duo to finally dethrone the unstoppable Bludgeon Brothers and become SmackDown Tag Team Champions if The Miz doesn’t decide to cost them.
Photo Source: WWE.com
Braun Strowman vs. Kevin Owens (Steel Cage Match)
Bryan Heaton: Why stop at a steel cage match? Why not make a “Braun Strowman’s World of Woe” match or something like that? You could have grappling hooks, ambulances, chocolate cake, Nicholas, and a tub of blue toilet water all inside the cage. Right now, Braun may be a bit too cartoony, but a solid win should remind everyone of his monstrous nature. And poor KO will wander around looking for another best friend while Sami Zayn is recuperating.
Christopher Jeter: WWE tends to get too cute with cage match finishes (see: Lesnar vs. Reigns at the Greatest Royal Rumble), but I think they’ll keep it simple here. I’ll pick Strowman to win clean, keeping his momentum intact and ending this weird feud.
Trace Johnson: What hasn’t Strowman done to KO in recent weeks? He’ll get the chance to do even more inside a steel cage where Mr. Monster in the Bank should emerge victorious and move on to bigger things, namely cashing in his Money in the Bank contract.
Joe Soriano: SmackDown Live is the Kevin Owens Show. Raw is a place where he gets terrorized by Braun Strowman, who is #actually a heel. Think about it. The man has harassed Owens for no reason, destroyed his car, and thrown him in a port-a-potty. Disgraceful.
Why is this a steel cage match anyway? So Owens can’t ruin away? Stephanie McMahon needs to set Kurt Angle straight, because this dude is absolutely incompetent. Then again, he himself said that the matches he books on his show are meaningless so…
Photo Source: WWE.com
Roman Reigns vs. Bobby Lashley
Bryan Heaton: It’s the Big Dog vs. The Dominator in a race to see who . can put the WWE Universe to sleep first! The big brawl to open Raw this past week should have been a shot in the arm, but the rivalry was DOA. Large parts of the audience refuse to get behind Roman Reigns — and sometimes, they’re justified in that — and Lashley has been a major bust for 99% of his return. If WWE is still intent on doing Reigns vs. Lesnar AGAIN in the near future, there’s no way Reigns loses at Extreme Rules.
Christopher Jeter: Like the Sasha Banks/Bayley neverending story, WWE has found a way to make both babyfaces completely unlikeable. Just thinking about this feud gives me a headache. Anyway, WWE will probably do Lesnar vs. Reigns (again) at SummerSlam, so I’ll take “The Big Dog” to score the clean fall.
Related Story: Reigns/Lashley to Main Event Extreme Rules?
Trace Johnson: This past Monday night helped out this feud that seemed destined to fail, but in what could be a de facto number one contenders match for the Universal Championship, Reigns will probably get the win because, well, he’s Roman Reigns.
Joe Soriano: Some people just want to watch the world burn, and I am one of those people. So let this be the main event, and let Bobby Lashley show the world why he isn’t some boring, stammering man made out of granite who gives Sami Zayn vertigo. Reigns isn’t losing this, but if he does, we could be in for a wild ride.
Photo Source: WWE.com
AJ Styles vs. Rusev, WWE Championship Match
Bryan Heaton: It’s the happiest Rusev Day of them all, as the Lion of Bulgaria finally gets his chance to challenge for the world title. Rusev has taken what should have been a throwaway reference to a celebration and turned it into a huge boost for his career. As much as I’d love to see Rusev, WWE Champion, it’s not the right time. AJ Styles is killing it as champion, he’s on the cover of WWE 2K19, and a little guy named Samoa Joe waiting in the wings, with nothing to do at the moment.
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Christopher Jeter: It’s cool to see Rusev getting a WWE title shot after working so hard to get himself over despite being booked like a joke for the past year. The match should be fun, but I expect Styles to retain and head towards a feud with Samoa Joe in the fall. I’m curious to see what WWE does with Rusev following this match.
Trace Johnson: It’s been a long time coming, but it’s great to see Rusev finally get a WWE Championship shot. With that being said, I don’t see him getting the win here. A great showing should go a long way regardless if he wins or loses, but Styles should walk out still the champ.
Joe Soriano: For as much as I want this to be a Happy Rusev Day, I want Samoa Joe to take the title off of Styles in the most gut-wrenching, suffocating way. Styles was destined to have a (nearly) year-long reign before being defeated by the Coquina Clutch.
Next: 3 Superstars Who Need a Win the Most at WWE Extreme Rules 2018
Do you agree with our predictions?