411’s WWE Extreme Rules 2018 Preview

~THE STAFF~
* 411 Contributor, Mr. Rob Stewart.
* 411 Contributor, Mr. Jake Chambers.
* 411 Columnist, Mr. Justin Watry.
* 411 Columnist, Mr. Steve Cook.
* 411 Reviewer, Mr. Kevin Pantoja.
* 411 Contributor, Mr. Ken Hill.

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Tables Match: Sanity vs. New Day

Ken Hill: I can certainly understand wanting to put one of the “extreme” gimmick matches out first on the pre-show to whet people’s appetites for the main show, but that only works when you make a concerted effort to promote every match of a so-called “Extreme Rules” PPV with some sort of stipulation. Even if they’re godawful (like the totally-not-“BUY OUR TOYS, DAMMIT!”-product placement Shark Cage) or a tame stipulation like a triple threat or fatal four way, WWE could at least say they went the whole nine yards. WWE didn’t even put forth a half-assed effort in that regard (more like third-assed or quarter-assed). I know some people will defend and say, “Hey, WWE likes to surprise viewers with last-minute changes and stipulations.” You know what would be a welcome surprise? Vince not dragging his feet on the way to a Big 4 PPV. Anyway, SAnitY makes their main roster PPV debut here, so they should get a solid win over the established team in New Day. Given how Vince likes to leave NXT call-ups twisting in the wind, however, don’t be surprised if it goes the other way though.

WINNER: SanitY

Rob Stewart: I just bought my tickets on Wednesday, so this is going to be the third WWE pay-per-view I have attended in history. If you are curious as to whether you should watch this show, I will let you know that the other two PPVs I have attended were the 1995 Summerslam and 2016 Roadblock (the second one because THERE WERE TWO FRIGGIN’ ROADBLOCK PPVs ONE YEAR). Not a sterling record of shows there, so I understand if my attendance leads to your just getting the online summary the next day. Hopefully this one will be better, though! I look at this card and I’m no sure I see any STELLAR matches, but I do see a lot of fun ones, so my hopes are high for at least a good time out. In honor of that, I’m going to record what I WANT to see in each match versus what I think I WILL see. It’s not always negative! Some are the same thing! Ready to dive in? So for this match, I WANT to see a fun, 10+ minute encounter with a lot of crazy action and false finishes and fun spots. What I think I WILL see… is actually pretty much that. It’s the pre-show, right? So it’s all house money. Go nuts, guys! Sanity will win because they are the new guys, but I think they’ll be buried in a few months either way. New Day is bulletproof, so no harm.

WINNER: Sanity

Jake Chambers: I don’t want to brag about all the industry connections you secretly get from doing this online wrestling punditry job, but let me just say this, a little birdie might have told me that this match is really the first step towards a whole new WWE-ECW revival. I know it sounds a little far-fetched, but “Tables Match”, hello?! You might be laughing now, but trust me, 7-8 months from now you’re gonna remember that you heard it here first! Beside, what better set of wrestlers to resurrect that old home for failed mainstream stars to pretend they were good with garbage wrestling than these six?

WINNER: ECW! ECW! ECW!

JUSTIN WATRY: This must be the ‘big push’ that was heavily reported for Big E before Money in the Bank. Dang, such a huge spotlight, huh? Not that I care. The New Day has been stale for over two years and is another one of my check marks that I nailed in the predictions category. Now their next duty is to lose to Sanity on the Kickoff Show. That is what should happen, and I think it will. Put all three of them through a table and send them packing for awhile.

WINNER: Sanity

Steve Cook: I’m not sure the strategy of calling up NXT people that WWE has no main roster ideas for is a winning one. Take Sanity. They were doing productive things in NXT, so it seemed like it made sense to call them up. The only issue? They’ve done nothing since then. Their big debut match was a loss. Somebody made the decision to call them up, and somebody else had no idea why they were there. I like their chances here because New Day can lose to everybody & it doesn’t matter for them. Sanity needs a win, & New Day will be on the same level no matter what happens.

WINNER: Sanity

Kevin Pantoja: These cards are massive. Way too many matches and I’m a bit too pressed for time to give long details. Anyway, if done right, this actually has a chance to steal the show. Two great stables with a stipulation that has potential. Sometimes Tables matches are dull, but if they can go the Hardys/Dudleys route from the original match, we’ve got a banger. Just give me less of the fans chanting “we want tables.” I’m going with SAnitY, who badly need a win.

WINNER: SAnitY

Finn Balor vs. Constable Corbin

Ken Hill: Constable Corbin? Mr. Balor, your thoughts?

Don’t know why they couldn’t have just given this a “street fight” stipulation or some sort of No-DQ setting to settle a grudge that has a near-absolute lack of proper storytelling. Why should we care about this match? How does it help further Corporate Kane, Version 2.0’s agenda to usurp Angle as RAW GM, if that’s even his goal? What does it do for Balor if he wins? Answers? We don’t, it doesn’t and zippo, zilch, and nada. I guess Balor, just because Corbin will probably use his power to throw in a last-minute stipulation to throw Balor off, only for it to backfire in some wacky way.

WINNER: Finn Balor

Rob Stewart: I WANT to see: Balor unexpectedly come out as The Demon and destroy Corbin in less than five minutes. I WILL see: Corbin win a 10 minute drudge of an affair (which is longer than I ever want a Corbin match to go) because WWE sees Balor as a popular jobber who just puts on a good show for the fans.

WINNER: Constable Corbin

Jake Chambers: After Finn Balor’s stellar work on RAW this week as a rando separator in the Reigns/Lashely brawl, one might think he’s angling for Corbin’s “constable” position. Well, I heard it’s even better than that, my sources say that after this match he will be dubbed “Brigadier” Balor by Kurt Angle, and he will be in charge of policing all wrestlers who wear speedo-style trunks.

WINNER: Rule Enforcement

JUSTIN WATRY: Missed opportunity to not have a HAIR VS ??? stipulation here. I still have a pet peeve when wrestlers just up and cut their hair without a reason. Heck, even Triple H did it in 2012 to put over the Brock Lesnar story and him leaving the ring to be a full-time executive. Baron Corbin just randomly showing up with no hair made sense for him to want to appear corporate, but more was left on the table. Ugh, blew it for sure. I am going with Finn Balor for no real reason.

WINNER: Finn Balor

Steve Cook: I’m not really up to date on my titles, but I assume “Constable” would be a downgrade from “Baron”. I honestly have nothing else to add here.

WINNER: Finn Balor

Kevin Pantoja: I really like both guys, but this feud has been boring. I’m gonna pick Finn to win. However, that’s a guy who has done a whole lot of nothing over the past year.

WINNER: Finn Balor

Roman Reigns vs. Bobby Lashley

Ken Hill: If WWE hadn’t bothered with wasting The Revival on “Da Guys” for the previous two weeks and just stuck to the brawling aspect like they did this past Monday, I’d have much more interest in what SHOULD be a fun bout between two of WWE’s top powerhouses, SHOULD being the key word, depending on how WWE and Vince book Reigns and Lashley going into Sunday. The wild card here is Lesnar and Strowman; does Brock storm the ring during or after the match and try to beat down both his potential opponents, only to get laid out by both men, and then BRAUN casyhes in? Or does Brock get involved during the match, it gets thrown out and Angle makes a title triple threat as punishment? Or am I simply giving WWE too much credit like I tend to do on occasion? Any way you look at it, Reigns’ time as perennial #1 contender to Lesnar has long since worn out its welcome, and Lashley-Lesnar has a metric ton of MMA-Pro Wrestling crossover potential, and that means even more money for Vince, sad as it is to say. “Bob” takes it here.

WINNER: Bobby Lashley

Rob Stewart: I WANT to see this match just… just not go on last. Come on. This has no business main eventing. Come on. Please. I WILL see: this match be the main event. Wait! Addendum: I ALSO WANT to see: Brock Lesnar make a surprise appearance and F5 both of these guys to hell for a No Contest finish.

WINNER: Roman Reigns

Jake Chambers: The dream match! Finally! I was worried we were never going to see this one. Man, after all those years of heavy debate, and quite frankly dreaming, I can’t believe all the guys at the sports bar are finally going to learn who would win between these two legends. But can President Trump’s favourite wrestler really beat Chairman McMahon’s? According to my sources, the Executive Order that’s getting signed live on the Kickoff Show might make you a believer.

WINNER: History

JUSTIN WATRY: Interesting little tidbit about Paul Heyman helping Bobby Lashley with some of his stuff. He did the same for Bill Goldberg and obviously does the same for Brock Lesnar. That makes me think Heyman is already setting up Lashley/Lesnar for Summerslam and wants everything in place. No early screw ups or bumps in the road. Notice there has never been much about Heyman helping Reigns behind the scenes. I don’t know. Every single story points to Reigns winning here and getting the Universal Championship next month. However, we have been fed that garbage for how long now? It still has not happened. Now here come Bobby Lashley, who is on a tear, and he has made it clear from the get go a showdown with Brock Lesnar was inevitable. My pick is Reigns; Lashley will be my guy on Sunday though. It’d be an incredible moment and make for quite the (non) upset victory.

WINNER: Roman Reigns

Steve Cook: This feud has been all about making Lashley the type of star WWE thought he could be when they brought him back. After some stumbles out of the gate, Bob is starting to hit his stride against Roman. They’re not going to be able to get him on Roman’s level, because nobody is on Roman’s level, but a win here would be huge for Lashley’s status & put him right in Brock Lesnar’s rear view mirror. I say Lashley wins because Lesnar needs more potential challengers.

WINNER: Bobby Lashley

Kevin Pantoja: This might have the big match feel they were gunning for if Lashley wasn’t involved in shit feuds since his return. A big win or two would make him seem like a real threat to Roman Reigns. Instead, it’s clear he’s not on Roman’s level. Big Dog gotta eat, baby.

WINNER: Roman Reigns

Steel Cage Match: Kevin Owens vs. Braun Strowman

Ken Hill:

If WWE could book properly, I’d be a little more optimistic,
to see it happen would be quite a lark.
I don’t wanna sound so pessimistic
But Strowman’s tilt-a-potty has flipped the shark.

So Kevin resigns with WWE, essentially declaring himself a WWE lifer for the remainder of his career, and gets rewarded with Strowman junking his rental car and flipping him in a port-a-potty until he came out looking like a sky-blue bowling ball with hair and legs. Nice to see what brand loyalty gets you. Anyway, Strowman’s on top of things with the MITB briefcase and he’s essentially in a holding pattern until Brock bounce-steps out of wherever he’s hiding, so he doesn’t really have anything more to gain from winning here. Part of winning a cage match is escaping, which Owens could do easily enough (either by his own means or more likely Strowman throwing him through the door or the cage itself ala Big Show-Stone Cold), and BRAUN would remain protected in the loss without having to take a pinfall.

WINNER: Kevin Owens

Rob Stewart: You know what? I don’t even know what I WANT to see here. This has been a fun, if odd, feud because Kevin is so damn funny. This could be a squash, a great cat-and-mouse chase, a surprise escape the cage win for KO, or anything in-between. And I’m not sure what I WILL see because there are so many possible directions here. But you know what? Braun has the briefcase, right? That usually spells a pile of L’s.

WINNER: Kevin Owens, by fleeing the cage. Which is probably the right call.

Jake Chambers: Get ready, because this one is going to get even more “extreme”! I’ve been told that on the the night of the show this is going to be changed to a Steel Cage on a Pole Match! Hey, don’t ask me, that’s just what I heard. I know, it sounds crazy that they’d just book an arbitrary gimmick match that makes no sense, but don’t worry, Kevin Owens has been incredible at taking some stupid stuff the WWE has booked for him and turning it into classics, like that Goldberg match, the Jericho feud, and don’t forget his part in the awe-inspiring return of Daniel Bryan.

WINNER: Innovation

Justin Watry: No explanation needed.

WINNER: Braun Strowman

Steve Cook: It’s Braun Strowman in a steel cage. That really doesn’t bode well for Kevin Owens, but I think there’s an obvious way that KO will get the victory here. Braun throws him through the cage. It fits Strowman’s character, right?

WINNER: Kevin Owens

Kevin Pantoja: I really enjoy most of what the WWE does. However, they’re been bad in a few aspects lately. One: They’ve gone way overboard with Braun. It’s too much and I’m pretty bored of him by this point. Two: Angles like the port-a-potty one with Braun and Owens. It’s just not funny at all. Three: And this one goes back for years. They rarely ever put on good cage matches. Remember Seth/Orton in 2015? Or Bray/Cena in 2014? Braun wins for obvious reasons.

WINNER: Braun Strowman

WWE Intercontinental Championship Iron Match: Champion Dolph Ziggler vs. Seth Rollins

Ken Hill: MOTN candidate here, almost by default really. In an era of inconsistency, Rollins has stood head and shoulders above everyone else as the most consistent performer on the RAW, nay, the entire main roster in 2018. Dolph’s found himself a little career resurgence himself by winning the IC Title (which he shockingly didn’t drop like his last title) and aligning with a rapidly-rising Drew McIntyre, who looked real good in his first one-on-one match on the main roster with Seth Rollins this past Monday and looks to be the critical factor in helping Dolph to retain. It seems all but definite that Drew will have a role to play, given the emphasis placed on him beating Rollins to keep his spot at ringside for the title match. It makes me wonder if the news about Ambrose’s rehab keeping him out past SummerSlam is merely a smokescreen to him returning at Extreme Rules…the question there will be whether he shows up to neutralize McIntyre, or possibly make the turn we’ve been waiting for as long as Roman’s and cost Rollins the title, leading to a big-time grudge match at SummerSlam. Not to mention the possibility of Seth’s OTHER erstwhile partner (though one we’d like to forget) in Jason Jordan showing up for similar reasons, though his turn would be far less shocking from a personal standpoint. A number of possible outcomes runs the risk of making this an overbooked kerfuffle, but it should be an amazing match nonetheless, with Ziggler just squeaking the win out among all the potential chaos.

WINNER: Dolph Ziggler

Rob Stewart: I WANT to see this match be the 4*+ contest that a lot of folks are telling me it will be. I want to see these guys leave it all in the ring, go nuts on each other and have a classic 3-2 Iron Man match. Just put on a great show and let me chant “This is awesome” or something. I want McIntyre to look like a monster. I want to see a few Blackouts/Curb Stomps. Also, I want to see Rollins lose so he’s free to wrestle Brock at whenever the Beast’s next title defense is. I WILL see… probably pretty much all of that! Hopefully. Depends on Ziggler’s mood.

WINNER: Dolph Ziggler (3-2)

Jake Chambers: WWE’s insistence on doing these piddly little 30-minute “tin-man” matches are like asking Joey Chestnut to just eat 30 hot dogs and call it a day. Well, don’t be surprised if the WWE really shakes things up creatively this time. My inside source says that we’re gonna see the equivalent of 30 one-minute epics where they never even use the same move twice, and then the score is gonna end up a 15-15 draw. Like, who better to really show us how to do an epic match in 2018 than the two best in-ring technicians alive, am I right?

WINNER: Long matches

@JustinWatry: Tough. I full expect to get this match prediction wrong, same with the United States Championship battle. Too close to call it. I see both sides of the coin. Dolph Ziggler just got the belt. Was the entire point of the title change just something for Seth Rollins to chase after for a month? Seems kinda pointless. However, I also get the point that Rollins is the prefect IC Title holder now. Unless he is getting the coveted Brock Lesnar/Summerslam spot, there is nothing really there (until Dean Ambrose returns). Then there is the big Drew McIntyre factor. He will be ringside for this IronMan match. Is it to screw Ziggler or Rollins? Maybe he is the sole reason his buddy retains…or he is the sole reason he loses, thus the breakup begins. I have no idea. Just kick back, relax and enjoy 29 minutes of this until the cluster finish…

WINNER: Dolph Ziggler

Steve Cook: Rollins’ run the past couple of months has been most IWC fans’ dream, and this continues that trend. Ziggler & Rollins going out there for thirty minutes is pretty hard to screw up. I think the strap stays on Ziggler here because Rollins may have bigger things to do. I kinda wish they’d keep him at this level because it’s where he’s at his best.

WINNER: Dolph Ziggler

Kevin Pantoja: Their Raw main event was very good and went nearly thirty minutes. Still, an Ironman match can be tricky to book. I wonder how this plays out. Also, Dolph is still boring as champion. The only guy to make him interesting in recent memory was The Miz. I’m gonna say Seth regains the gold.

WINNER: Seth Rollins

WWE United States Championship Match: Champion Jeff Hardy vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

Ken Hill: You would think after his four failed opportunities at the WWE Title that I would stop backing ol’ “Cocky Naki” on these championship occasions. However, it initially seemed like they were going to have Hardy go the same route as Rollins on RAW and lose the US Title on TV until the unfortunate dog-biting incident put Shinsuke on the shelf for that night and pushed the initial title match back to Extreme Rules. Jeff’s nagging injuries and limited offense are well-documented; while he’s had some good title defenses against Orton and Miz, it’s clear he’s been hurting for the last couple months and I think it would be best to get some fresh blood on the US Title scene (relatively speaking, since Nakamura’s right up there in terms of age). They seem to be taking a rather long, circuitous route with moving Almas up the ranks, so Shinsuke seems to be the most viable option to take the US strap.

WINNER: Shinsuke Nakamura

Rob Stewart: What I WANT here is… I don’t know. Andrade “Cien” Almas instead of these guys? I WILL, however, see these guys. How does Nakamura merit a US title shot when he has not won at a PPV since before ‘Mania? Booking is weird, people. I know, I know… “wins and losses don’t matter”. Spoiler alert: neither does Nakamura anymore. In the opposite corner, I’ve just never been a Jeff Hardy fan. He’s all right–I don’t dislike him–but I’ve never gotten crazy for him. He’s the definition of lukewarm for me. Flip a coin here, really. Nak winning makes sense, but… Nak being the WWE Champion right now instead of this also made sense.

WINNER: Shinsuke Nakamura

Jake Chambers: Nothing like losing 4 consecutive WWE Title matches to qualify you for an immediate US Title shot. When Nakamura loses this match I hear he’s going to be next in line to challenge Brock Lesnar for the Universal Title at SummerSlam. And then watch out future IC Champion Mojo Rawley, Nakamura is coming to lose to you next!

WINNER: Losing

Justin Watry: Yeah, I am going with the IC Champ and US Champ retaining. Probably a bad move, I admit that now. If I were betting man, Shinsuke Nakamura would get the nod. He is the one coming off the WWE Championship chase since January and could use a boost. Jeff Hardy will always be Jeff Hardy to the fans, with or without a title. No doubt the heel here has all the momentum and not the banged up face who has hardly been a focus. Just for the sake of Extreme Rules, I do seem to have a lot of faces winning. Makes me want to change this predictions. Screw it…

WINNER: Jeff Hardy

Steve Cook: I’ve picked Nakamura to win PPV matches the past few months & it’s never happened. It’s bound to one of these days, and WWE loves having foreign-born United States champions.

WINNER: Shinsuke Nakamura

Kevin Pantoja: When you come up short in winning the WWE Title, five or six times, you move down to the US Title? This is kind of an interesting matchup, because it’s two guys with charisma who aren’t great on the mic. I’m picking Shinsuke because the dude has to win something at some point. Right?

WINNER: Shinsuke Nakamura

Smackdown Women’s Championship Match: Champion Carmella vs. Asuka

Ken Hill: Gee, a totally-not-toy-inspired cage gimmick that supposedly incapacitates the person locked in it, even though Jericho proved that notion wrong back in January 2017 during the Reigns-Owens match at the Rumble. Clearly, Carmella’s hair spray can is going to come into play again, though this time it will hopefully backfire. Carmella had been making a modicum of progress as a top performer in the SD women’s division, but since Ellsworth’s expected-but-totally-unncessary return (I’m sorry, were the IIconics busy that night at MITB?), that progress has basically dropped back to zero and she’s looked like a joke against Asuka. I’m all for Asuka taking the title here and lining herself up for a rematch against a healed-up Charlotte at SummerSlam.

WINNER: Asuka

Rob Stewart: I’m only slightly more invested in Asuka than I am in Shinsuke given each of their booking since Wrestlemania. Does Vince think he’s teaching the entire country of Japan a lessen with what he’s doing to these two? It’s entirely bewildering. Anyway, I WANT to see James Ellsworth shark cage antics because why not? I WILL see Carmella win again which is fine, because Asuka is done. There’s no sense in putting a title on her now. I’d have thought you were insane if you told me back in March that this is how I would feel about Asuka by July, but… here we are. I’m seeing Asuka at a live event, and it’s not even engaging to me. Damn.

WINNER: Carmella

Jake Chambers: I heard that this match is just a practice for next year’s real money match at Extreme Rules, where Io Shirai will be looking to end her losing streak against Women’s Champion Eva Marie! And, hey, don’t say your man Chambers doesn’t let you in on the insider down-low, because I have it on good authority that this match is also setting up a Hell in a Cell PPV gimmick wedding between a certain Japanese jobber and a chinless ladies man… you heard it here first!

WINNER: Carefully crafted storytelling

JUSTIN WATRY: Same as last month. What should happen – Asuka wins the title in 30 seconds. What will happen – Carmella will weasel out another victory for some reason, and we have to deal with James Ellsworthless for a little bit longer. The shark cage thing is just beyond dumb. Paige, just ban him from the arena! Or you know, fire him! Instead, let’s hang him from the top of the building where he will surely do something to distract Asuka. Uh, whatever.

WINNER: Carmella

Steve Cook: Part of me thinks they want to stretch this feud out until SummerSlam so Asuka can have her big title-winning moment there. This brings up one question: how do you make this feud last until SummerSlam? Carmella doesn’t usually wear sleeves so I’m not sure how much more she has up them.

WINNER: Asuka

Kevin Pantoja: I’ve heard people whine and moan about Carmella’s title reign, but I love it. Is she a technical wizard? No. But, she’s playing the ultimate opportunist role better than anyone since Edge. She beat Charlotte once because of the Iiconics and the second time because she outsmarted her. She beat Asuka because of James Ellsworth. It’s a brilliant run. Still, I think Asuka wins here, but she kind of died in the water when Charlotte beat her.

WINNER: Asuka

Smackdown Tag Team Championship Match: Champions The Bludgeon Brothers vs. Team Hell No

Ken Hill: I’ve personally enjoyed the little nostalgia trip with Bryan and “Mayoral Monster” Kane, what with Kane quoting N’Sync and Bryan hijacking Kane’s pyro (guess that billion-dollar deal means WWE can hopefully afford pyro now), and Paige parleying their reunion into a tag title opportunity against Harper and Rowan. I’ve also liked the minor heel role Miz has played in this feud, capitalizing off of 2B’s initial assault of Bryan during the gauntlet match, as well as needling Daniel about how Kane has gone turncoat on him before and wouldn’t hesitate to do it again. Could be Miz’s usual bluster…until you remember the last time Kane returned to WWE was in Miz’s employ to combat The Shield in late 2017. Who’s to say Miz isn’t still pulling the strings there? A lot of interesting moving pieces to this feud, to say the least. While a title change would be fun and breath a little life into a stagnating tag team division, I’m more inclined to go with Harper and Rowan as I foresee a screwy finish with either Kane turning on Bryan to set up a one-off for SummerSlam, or Miz himself getting involved to cost Team Hell No and further his feud with Bryan.

WINNER: The Bludgeon Brothers

Rob Stewart: All I really WANT here is to yell “YES”, watch Bryan put on a great show of bumping around and being a brilliant performer, and see a nice 10+ minute match with lots of action and drama. All culminating in Kane eating a pin so the Bludgeons can retain and continue looking dominant. I worry that I WILL see way too damn much Kane. And an overly predictable Kane turn so they can have a bloodfeud Bryan/Kane match at Summerslam.

WINNER: The Bludgeon Brothers

Jake Chambers: My sources told me that this pointless match and tag team for Daniel Bryan is really just to carefully ease him back in to the WWE, and pro-wrestling in general, because they don’t want him to get hurt again. Thank god, because I wouldn’t want them putting him in the ring with a dopey 7-foot-tall noob, the night before firing him, and letting the guy give Bryan only like the third Burning Hammer in WWE history, you know, the most dangerous move for the head and neck in the wrestling lexicon. Crisis averted! More boring-as-shit matches for Bryan, please!

WINNER: Safety

Justin Watry: This feels like the title change of the evening, doesn’t it? Team Heck No won the belts before for a brief run and are poised to do so again here. The Blue Brand could use something exciting because ratings are not exactly sky rocketing after their reunion. Why am I picking The Bludgeon Brothers then? Well, sorry Kane – but it is going to be Bye Bye Bye for your comeback. Politics are your thing now. Not wrestling. Daniel Bryan has a showdown to build against The Miz, and I have long believed that would be held off until Summerslam. That time is now. Whether he is in town or not is irrelevant; I see The Miz somehow causing Bryan to lose. Kane can go back off television, the dominant duo can keep the belts, and we get the long awaited Strong Style vs. WWE Style feud that has been teased for two years.

WINNER: The Bludgeon Brothers

Steve Cook: Daniel Bryan is doing Kane’s fire thing! That should tell us that they’re on the same page, but I have this sinking feeling that Kane won’t take that very well. Kane doesn’t take most things well, that’s why he excels in 21st century politics. While Bryan & Kane have been fun together, the main purpose here should be to establish Harper & Rowan as kings of the tag team world. Beating two stars like Bryan & Kane will help.

WINNER: Bludgeon Brothers

Kevin Pantoja: I saw people complain that Daniel Bryan isn’t in the main event picture. I get that. I also get that the company might not be sure how long Bryan’s sticking around, so why invest a ton in that? Instead, they put him with Kane to reunite one of the most tag teams of the past twenty or so years. I think they get the titles for a feel good run.

WINNER: Team Hell No

Raw Tag Team Championship Match: Champions Matt Hardy & Bray Wyatt vs. The B Team

Ken Hill: The Rotunda Brothers explode! While Bo and Curtis’ impressions of Bray and Matt were funny at first, the joke seems to have worn out its welcome, as has this feud. I understand keeping Bray on the shelf (due to the car accident) and wanting to give the illusion of confidence by having the B-Team pick up multiple singles wins over Hardy, but this is clearly a one-shot filler feud, and it appears that WWE may finally be gearing up The Revival and possibly AOP for a run at the tag titles going into SummerSlam.

WINNER: The Deleters of Worlds

Rob Stewart: I am half-tempted to put “What I WANT to see: not this. What I WILL see: this” and call it a day, but I’m better than that, damn it. So I guess it will be enough for me that all I WANT is to have fun, chant “DELETE!” and see a short five minute sprint of a match. Alternatively, I’d WANT to see the Authors of Pain come out and obliterate both teams. I WILL see… well, probably not the latter. But it will be an inoffensive and short match (there are a TON of contests on this card, so some have to be brief), with the champs retaining.

WINNER: Deleters of Worlds (are they still using that?)

Jake Chambers: The WWE is over the moon that they worked so hard to secure the rights to the “Broken-verse” gimmick, and some backstage are even single-handedly crediting this as the reason for at least one of the big billion dollar TV rights deals. So don’t be surprised if this match main events the show.

WINNER: Spending money wisely

Justin Watry: This is not even worthy of a “No explanation needed.” I can’t stress to you enough how bad the tag team division is on Raw right now. The Revival are getting more screen time, which is nice. Hopefully, that leads them to the titles soon. Beyond that, it is this lame WOKEN thing and comedy losers who are suddenly winning. The B-Team is a fitting name. Why aren’t they are on Smackdown Live with that name? My prediction is fans sit on their hands for ten minutes, and I go get some food in the kitchen once the opening bell rings.

WINNER: Not us

Steve Cook: The Deleters of Worlds seem to have run out of interesting things to do together, and the hype previously around each character is pretty much non-existent at this point. Axel & Dallas have eaten a lot of crap for years & it’d be cool to see them get a little title run here.

WINNER: The B Team

Kevin Pantoja: The B Team has won basically everything heading into this match. That’s usually a sign for a loss at the PPV.

WINNER: Matt Hardy & Bray Wyatt

Raw Women’s Championship Extreme Rules Match: Champion Alexa Bliss vs. Nia Jax

Ken Hill: Ronda being at Extreme Rules doesn’t really change my stance on this match, which has me a little curious as Alexa is primarily known for wrestling a rather safe style, not unlike Miz, and isn’t used to taking a lot of extreme-type bumps (her “kendo stick” feud with Bayley, didn’t take a bump, and the same with her Tables match with Becky at TLC 2016). Clearly, they are building it up to have Nia take the lion’s share of weapon bumps in this match while she sticks to simply trying to steamroll Alexa like she’s done before. Even if Ronda does get involved in some shape or form, I don’t see Alexa losing here, although Nia could lay claim to another title match due to Ronda’s involvement, leading to a potential triple threat at SummerSlam involving Rousey. For my money, though, I’d rather see Ronda and Alexa one-on-one, as Bliss has already proven to be a more effective foil for Ronda in one night than Nia did in the weeks prior to MITB.

WINNER: Alexa Bliss

Rob Stewart: I WANT to see Alexa Bliss. And I WILL! So huzzah! Aside from that, these two don’t have loads of promise for match potential, but I’m hoping that the stipulation allows Alexa to go berserk and really, finally take the fight with Nia with some PG era brutality. I want to see a lot of weapons and an appropriate level of violence, all capped with a Blissful victory. Also, is Nia a heel or a face here?

WINNER: Alexa Bliss

Jake Chambers: You might have thought it was confusing that tiny Alexa Bliss was bullying the dominant Nia Jax in the storyline leading up to Wrestlemania, only for “Be A Star”-lecturing Jax to turn around and bully Ronda Rousey the next month, but it’s all been part of a deeper, more intricate story. You see, what I’ve heard is that it will be revealed that Rousey has been the REAL bully all along, of Bliss, Jax AND Natalya. Oh man, it’s gonna be so sweet when she finally gets her comeuppance, because as Women’s Evolution pioneer Stephanie McMahon has lectured many times, this is what the WWE narrative does so well.

WINNER: Comeuppance

@JustinWatry: For the Extreme Rules gimmick. That only tells me Ronda Rousey will interfere, which we probably already suspected. I have no idea how, but my prediction is Alexa Bliss retains. Going to be kinda tough with The Rowdy One watching ten feet away. My thing is this just has to get Nia Jax out of the picture. Like, really. There is too much goodness in Ronda Rousey right now to have it wasted on anything with Jax (again). Bliss as the coward RAW Womens Champion is perfect, and the countdown is on for Summerslam to get her arm broken by Rousey. Simple yet effective.

WINNER: Alexa Bliss

Steve Cook: Extreme Rules would seem to favor the more powerful Nia, but we’ve seen Alexa excel at this show before. She defeated Bayley in a kendo stick match last year & established her ability to get hardcore. Throwing the rulebook out gives Alexa more options in dealing with Nia Jax & more ways to retain the championship.

WINNER: Alexa Bliss

Kevin Pantoja: This match sucked at WrestleMania and again when they rematched it. Nia’s character flipping for the Ronda feud didn’t help her sympathy. It’s clear what happens here, right? Alexa is Charlotte 2.0. They’re booked way above and beyond everyone else. Nia will lose because Ronda/Alexa is the money match for SummerSlam.

WINNER: Alexa Bliss

WWE Championship Match: Champion AJ Styles vs. Rusev

Ken Hill: It’s sad when the (hopeful) main event is most predictable match of the evening. As much as I’ve enjoyed Rusev Day getting its day in the Bulgarian sun, Rusev has done little to transcend the feud beyond being Styles’ latest challenger with a backup singer and a hot sometimes-Russian wife. While it should be a very competitive, technical match, I have no doubt Styles takes it here and moves on to SummerSlam, hopefully to face Samoa Joe.

WINNER: AJ Styles

Rob Stewart: I WANT these two to main event, get 20 minutes, and just put on a great show. I WANT to cheer “Rusev Day” and pop for all the spectacular things AJ can/will do. I WANT to see an unexpected gem of a match that I will remember being attendance for a long time. I WANT either man to win clean and look like a deserving titleholder. I probably WILL see this match go on fifth, last seven minutes, and end in a pointless disqualification when Aiden English just attacks Styles. Waugh.

WINNER: AJ retains, which is swell, but by god do I want to be in an arena where Rusev wins a world title on Rusev Day.

Jake Chambers: Seriously, Rusev is going to win!

WINNER: Unpredictability

JUSTIN WATRY: Rusev went from the totally accurate doghouse to going after the WWE Championship on pay-per-view. Remember when he demanded that slot last summer to Shane McMahon? I remember. It may be 12 months later, but the end result is not going to change. Rusev Day is every day but PPV Day. He will put up a good showing, but AJ Styles has bigger things to look forward to. That is likely a brawl with Samoa Joe on Tuesday night and a big time match at Summerslam. For the WWE Title. Rusev may have his day another time; it just won’t arrive on Sunday.

WINNER: AJ Styles

Steve Cook: They’ve done a decent job of building up Rusev as a random contender for a PPV. Can I see him winning? Hey, anything’s possible. Jinder Mahal got a random build similar to this one & ended up being WWE Champion for a number of months. You never know when SmackDown will push a random guy to the title. I’m a Rusev guy, so I’d be happy if it happens for him. That being said, the smart money is on AJ.

WINNER: AJ Styles

Kevin Pantoja: Other than the Tables match and the Team Hell No reunion, this is the only truly interesting match on the show. Rusev is finally getting a WWE Title and it comes against AJ Styles. AJ’s still one of, if not the best wrestler in the world. People like to forget that because his chemistry with Owens ruined most of 2017 and facing Shinsuke “phone it in” Nakamura has killed his 2018. But, the dude had two bangers with Jinder Mahal and was awesome against basically everyone not named Owens or Nakamura. Expect Rusev and him to deliver one hell of a main event. As great as this is for Rusev, AJ will retain.

WINNER: AJ Styles

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