There will be various predictable outcomes at WWE Extreme Rules this Sunday, but there is bound to be a shocking turn of events in certain case scenarios. The following will pontificate 5 bold possibilities that could plausibly occur on the most extreme PPV of the year.
From WWE Raw, the following matches are scheduled to occur at WWE Extreme Rules:
(1) Seth Rollins (c) and Becky Lynch (c) vs. Baron Corbin and Lacey Evans for the Universal and Raw Women’s Championships in a Winners Take All Mixed Tag Team Extreme Rules Match, (2) Ricochet (c) vs. AJ Styles for the United States Championship, (3) The Revival (c) vs. Usos for the Raw Tag Team Championships, (4) Braun Strowman vs. Bobby Lashley in a Last Man Standing Match, and (5) The Undertaker and Roman Reigns vs. Shane McMahon in a No Holds Barred Match.
Another Raw match that could be added to the card are: (1) The Miz vs. Elias in a Guitar On A Pole Match.
From WWE SmackDown, the following matches are scheduled to occur at WWE Extreme Rules:
(1) Kofi Kingston vs. Samoa Joe for the WWE Championship, (2) Daniel Bryan and Rowan (c) vs. The New Day vs. Heavy Machinery in a triple threat match for the SmackDown Tag Team Championships, (3) Aleister Black vs. Cesaro, and (4) Bayley (c) vs. Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross in a 2-on-1 Handicap Match for the SmackDown Women’s Championship.
Other SmackDown matches that could be added to the card are: (1) Finn Balor vs. Shinsuke Nakamura for the Intercontinental Championship, (2) Kevin Owens vs. Dolph Ziggler, and (3) IIconics (c) vs. Kabuki Warriors for the Women’s Tag Team Championships.
Finally, from WWE 205 Live, Drew Gulak (c) is scheduled to defend his Cruiserweight Championship against Tony Nese in the kickoff show.
Now that we are aware of what will take place on the Extreme Rules 2019 PPV card, let’s delve into 5 bold possibilities for the PPV this Sunday.
5. All 3 Members Of The New Day Stand Tall As Champions
It is highly possible that all members of The New Day come out of Extreme Rules as champions. In order for that to occur, Kofi Kingston would have to retain his WWE Championship against Samoa Joe, while Big E and Xavier Woods would have to defeat Daniel Bryan and Rowan and Heavy Machinery to become the new SmackDown Tag Team Champions.
In terms of WWE Champion Kofi Kingston, he seems to be working with a minor injury that shouldn’t stop him from continuing his reign.
Considering that Samoa Joe is a Raw superstar fighting for a SmackDown championship, Kofi Kingston should be a safe pick to retain his championship. When he wins, he will most likely add insult to injury by giving Samoa Joe the middle finger, just like he did two weeks ago on SmackDown Live.
In terms of Big E and Xavier Woods, they are less likely to be as successful as Kingston. However, if they win the championships, they will most likely pin Heavy Machinery, who was probably placed in this title match to eat the pin.
With Bryan and Rowan not even getting pinned to lose the championships, this outcome would facilitate a traditional tag team championship match between Big E and Woods and Bryan and Rowan at SummerSlam in August.
All in all, this would be a grandiose moment for one of the greatest, most positive babyface factions in history. If the momentum continues with The New Day throughout 2019, they could be locked in for a huge faction war in the near future against another prominent faction on the main roster: The Club.
4. All 3 Members Of The Club Stand Tall As Champions
It is also highly possible that all members of The Club come out of Extreme Rules as champions.
In order for that to occur, AJ Styles would have to dethrone Ricochet to become the new United States Champion, while Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson would have to be added to the Raw Tag Team Championship match with The Revival and Usos in order to become the new Raw Tag Team Champions.
In terms of #1 contender AJ Styles, it seems that the real side of his character has been unleashed on United States Champion Ricochet. Ever since Ricochet won the championship from Samoa Joe at WWE Stomping Grounds, Styles has been on his tail, hoping to get an eventual title shot.
He earned that title shot against Ricochet two weeks ago on Raw, but he lost, got frustrated, and ambushed Ricochet with Gallows and Anderson. Now that he’s got another title shot on this PPV through coercive methods, it is unlikely he will lose again.
Styles’ heel turn must be justified, and Ricochet’s title reign will sadly have to run short.
In terms of Gallows and Anderson, they would probably have to attack The Usos and/or The Revival backstage to get included in the Raw Tag Team Championship match. This possibility is quite a stretch, but it’s not completely out of The Club’s character to ambush superstars backstage and get what they want.
Like Styles, their heelish method of getting title shots is mere coercion. Besides, Usos were the first team to defeat them on their Raw return; a little payback wouldn’t hurt one bit.
All in all, this would be a “too sweet” moment for one of the greatest, most ferocious heel factions in history. With the many obstacles they have faced lately, this outcome would be reviving for them as this faction would be prototypically ideal in taking over Raw’s Monday Nights.
Now, the bold possibilities addressed so far have been conclusive, but there are also bold possibilities that could remain unsettled.
3. Braun Strowman and Bobby Lashley’s Last Man Standing Match Ends In A Draw
These two monstrous superstars will definitely be destructive in their Last Man Standing Match at WWE Extreme Rules. But will either of them win? It’s quite possible that neither of them will.
In last man standing matches, both competitors must incapacitate each other until they can’t stand up to the referee’s count of 10. If Strowman and Lashley both don’t stand up for the count of 10, both superstars will lose the battle, but they will win the war.
In order for this match to stand out from the rest of the card, these two behemoths have to portray themselves as hefty warriors willing to put their blood, sweat, and tears on the line for not just a victory, but also respect from the WWE Universe.
These days, hardcore wrestling fans want to see solely gnarly flips and somersaults by the smaller superstars while not appreciating the beauty behind “big-man” wrestling. These days, the bigger wrestlers are no longer standing out, and they need to put in more effort to appeal to the fanbase.
Hopefully, Strowman and Lashley take advantage of this opportunity to connect with the WWE Universe, and prove why they deserve to be the hot topic of not only this week, but every week.
Nonetheless, a draw will keep both men looking strong, and they can end their feud at the big 4 PPV, SummerSlam, in August.
2. Shane McMahon Pins The Undertaker As Redemption From WrestleMania 32
As noted earlier, Shane McMahon is scheduled to team up with his apprentice, Drew McIntyre, against Roman Reigns and The Undertaker.
Since Undertaker defeated Goldberg at WWE Super ShowDown and Roman Reigns defeated Drew McIntyre at Stomping Grounds, they don’t need this win. Shane and Drew need this win more for very particular reasons.
When it comes to Drew McIntyre, he has not won on PPV since Survivor Series 2018. Simply put, a superstar who is portrayed to be future of the company should not be losing that often on PPV, especially when said superstar is a dangerous “Scottish Psychopath”.
Albeit McIntyre desperately needs a win to perpetuate his credibility in the WWE, the focus of this match is on his tag team partner, Shane McMahon.
When it comes to Shane McMahon, he is indeed considered to be the “best in the world.” Anyone on the roster could ill afford to defeat a man of his caliber. He defeated The Miz and Roman Reigns. At this point, there’s no stopping him now, and he’s got to keep the ball rolling.
With rumors of Shane McMahon getting a WWE Championship match at some point, it’s time for him to defeat The Undertaker, the man who defeated him and gained a lot of respect for him after their match at WrestleMania 32. Now that the respect is gone, Shane McMahon’s soul must be redeemed.
In this tag match, he must pin The Undertaker for the first time in his career, if he wants the WWE fanbase to take his “best in the world” mantra seriously.
Albeit it would be a disappointing return for The Undertaker if he lost, his return is not as important as that of The Legit Boss’.
1. Sasha Banks Returns To Help Bayley Retain The SmackDown Women’s Championship
It’s Boss Time! Sasha Banks is indeed rumored to return very soon, and she could very well do that at Extreme Rules.
Since Bayley is scheduled to defend her SmackDown Women’s Championship in a handicap match against Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross, she could need some help in case any unfair shenanigans occur.
The most fitting person to help her in times of trouble would be her former tag partner, Sasha Banks. After helping Bayley retain, Banks can move on with her singles career by challenging Raw Women’s Champion Becky Lynch at SummerSlam.
If Banks successfully dethrones Becky Lynch in the near future, she could be the face of Raw while her former tag partner and best friend, Bayley, continues to be the face of SmackDown.
Meanwhile, Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross will either break up in frustration of losing the championship match at Extreme Rules, or stick together to chase after the Women’s Tag Team Championships.
Nonetheless, the reunion of the Boss N’ Hug Connection for one more night would be heartwarming to witness, and would make for some great TV on a big fight field. This is what long-term storytelling is all about in the WWE. Albeit it is a bold possibility, it should be a possibility.
Speaking of possibilities, there’s actually one more possibility to be addressed for Extreme Rules this Sunday.
Special: Brock Lesnar Fails His MITB Cash-In For The Universal Championship
Paul Heyman has been playing with the minds of the WWE fanbase every single month, allowing them to ruminate on the idea of Brock Lesnar cashing in his MITB contract on either Universal Champion Seth Rollins or WWE Champion Kofi Kingston.
Indeed, Heyman did it again this month, for he announced that Brock Lesnar will cash in his MITB Briefcase at Extreme Rules. If Heyman is telling the truth this time, Lesnar could very well cash in on the Universal Champion Seth Rollins right in front of Raw Women’s Champion Becky Lynch.
After Rollins and Lynch evidently defeat Baron Corbin and Lacey Evans in a grueling Winner Takes All Mixed Tag Team Extreme Rules Match, they will most likely kiss to end the show on a happy note. While they are kissing, Lesnar ruins the moment and shatters the hearts of all the WWE fans who fully support Rollins and Lynch’s relationship.
Lesnar could feasibly cash in the MITB Briefcase on Rollins, and make Becky Lynch watch her boyfriend get pummeled in a heap.
However, Becky Lynch calls herself “The Man” for a reason. If foretold correctly, Lynch could very well stand up to Lesnar and assist Rollins in retaining his championship. That way, the crowd will cheer for Rollins and Lynch as a unit, which is the reaction WWE has been trying to procure for quite some time.
Lesnar would thereby fail his MITB cash-in, an outcome that many WWE fans want. Why? Because the majority does not want Lesnar to be a main card champion in the WWE ever again due to his prolonged absence from the WWE week by week.
That’s not a prediction. That’s not a spoiler. That’s a bold possibility.