It’s time for WWE to get extreme! Extreme Rules comes once a year, and like Christmas or a visit from your Aunt Ruth it comes with gifts. This year, those gifts include a Swamp Fight, an Eye for an Eye match, and a Dolph Ziggler title match. It’s everything on my wish list. The FPC Wrestling crew is here to predict the matches and how we think it will all go down.
New Day (c) vs Shinsuke Nakamura & Cesaro – SmackDown Tag Team Championships Table Match
Billy MacDonald, FPC Contributor: I still am not a fan of having Cesaro and Nakamura in the tag team division and going up against the New Day will be the ultimate test for this team. This match can definitely be one of the best on the card if given the time and New Day will once again remain champions heading into Summerslam.
Pick: New Day
Evan Gomes, FPC Wrestling Editor: I am physically unable to pick against The New Day. It’s written in my contract somewhere that I can’t pick against them. Luckily, they’re going to win so it works in my favor.
Pick: New Day
Javier Melo, FPC Contributor: I love Cesaro and Nakamura together and I expect this match to be really good. It’s a tables match so the New Day can drop the titles without really being hurt moving forward and it’s an easy way to book a rematch, so new champions! Woo! *cue lack of applause*
Pick: Nakamura & Cesaro
Jeff Hardy vs Sheamus – Bar Fight (if it happens)
Billy: In what hopefully will be the final bout in the repetitive feud will find WWE pushing the limits with Hardy’s past by putting him in a bar fight against a bloody Irishman as well. This could be an extremely entertaining match and Hardy will come out on top and beat his demon.
Pick: Jeff Hardy
Evan: Hardy should hit a Whisper in the Wind off the bar. Actually, what should happen is this feud ends and then we let them both move on. Hardy wins here.
Pick: Jeff Hardy
Javier: You cannot have Jeff lose the feud. You just can’t.
Pick: Jeff Hardy
Apollo Crews (c) vs MVP – United States Championship
Billy: Why is MVP in a title match in 2020? Why did they not just put Bobby Lashley in this matchup instead? Apollo will go over and retain and probably get his a** kicked after the match.
Pick: Apollo Crews
Evan: I kind of want to see MVP as United States Champion and Bobby Lashley as WWE Champion. It seems like Bob is not on track for big belt, so Crews retains here and continues to explore his new vicious side.
Pick: Apollo Crews
Javier: So is Crews going to get the new belt or not? It’s a weird storyline, but I think that Crews retains and gets the new title belt despite the presence of Bobby Lashley.
Pick: Apollo Crews
Bayley (c) vs Nikki Cross – SmackDown Women’s Championship
Billy: As entertaining it would be to see Cross as the champion, it is just far too unlikely. Especially with the dominant run Bayley and Banks have been on. This one is easy.
Pick: Bayley
Evan: Do we realize that Bayley is on a historic run? How many people thought that she’d flop as heel after her babyface run? So many did. Instead, Bayley Dos Straps is one of the best wrestling characters right now. That run keeps going even though Nikki Cross is excellent.
Pick: Bayley
Javier: The only woman taking the title off of Bayley is Sasha Banks. I think that Cross and Alexa Bliss might be heading towards a split soon, and that may come in this match, but that won’t be for the title.
Pick: Bayley
Asuka (c) vs Sasha Banks
Billy: I hope some sort of stipulation gets added but this match will be exciting nonetheless. Although it’s very tempting to have all the gold on Banks and Bayley, WWE is already planting seeds for a matchup between the Kabuki Warriors for the championship after Extreme Rules. Asuka retains.
Pick: Asuka
Evan: We know that Kairi Sane is leaving WWE at some point. Can her finale be a Summerslam showdown with Asuka? I’d personally love to see that as her final WWE match. To get there, Asuka needs to retain against Banks.
Pick: Asuka
Javier: I haven’t decided whether Bayley is going to cost Banks the match or not, but Asuka is definitely retaining. With Shayna Baszler finally showing up again, all signs lead to those two having a match together at SummerSlam.
Pick: Asuka
Seth Rollins vs Rey Mysterio – Eye for an Eye Match
Billy: I really just want to see how they are going to pull off someone’s eye and then just act like it never happened down the road. Rollins cannot afford another loss if WWE wants to keep using him as a top heel and since Mysterio’s days could be numbered it would be no shock to see “The Messiah” go over. Big question is, does Rollins recruit Dominik?
Pick: Seth Rollins
Evan: Who would look better as a pirate? The answer is clear – Seth Rollins. There are two things that work against this though. One, Rollins is a long-term centerpiece of the company and having him lose an eye is a long-term concern. Two, forcibly removing someone’s eyeball isn’t a babyface move. Rollins will win, but the real question is how.
Pick: Seth Rollins
Javier: In the Tell Tale Heart, the eye represents the part of the narrator’s identity that he refuses to accept, this lashing out and killing the old man. Not that this is what WWE is doing, I won’t give them that much credit, but it’s a solid way of viewing this feud. Anyways, Rollins is under contract and Mysterio is on a handshake agreement, so Rollins wins.
Pick: Seth Rollins
Drew McIntyre (c) vs Dolph Ziggler – WWE Championship, Ziggler Chooses Stipulation
Billy: Whatever kind of match this ends up being will undoubtedly see McIntyre retain his title. This is just a filler rivalry for McIntyre before Summerslam next month and don’t be shocked if The Viper hits an RKO out of nowhere following McIntyre’s victory.
Pick: Drew McIntyre
Evan: What terrible old stipulation should Ziggler bring back? Kennel From Hell? Punjabi Prison? Duchess of Queensbury Rules match (which actually was very funny)? No matter the gimmick, McIntyre will find a way to get the win. Javier has a great idea for a gimmick, and I’m sad I read his prediction before writing mine.
Pick: Drew McIntyre
Javier: I forget when it was, but Ziggler faced Edge for the World Heavyweight Title in a match where Edge couldn’t use the Spear or else he’d lose the title. I think that Ziggler will choose the stipulation that McIntyre can’t use the Claymore in the match. McIntyre finds a way to win in the end anyways, but it’ll add a cool wrinkle.
Pick: Drew McIntyre
Braun Strowman vs Bray Wyatt – Swamp Fight
Billy: As soon as this was said to be a non-title bout, Wyatt became my obvious pick. Strowman may be inches away from victory before “The Fiend” rises from the swamp and puts down the Universal Champion. Finally setting up the final encounter for the championship at summer slam; Monster vs Fiend.
Pick: Bray Wyatt
Evan: This match is going to feature the return of Tough Enough legend ZZ, if my wishes are granted. I’m looking forward to this match immensely. WWE has really been knocking it out of the park with cinematic matches, and this one doesn’t have to involve the digital removal of an eyeball. Plus we get old-school Bray, which is very intriguing. Wyatt wins since it’s a non-title bout.
Pick: Bray Wyatt
Javier: This is a non-title match. I think that Wyatt uses all of the mind games in the world and is able to pull out the win to secure a title shot where the Fiend takes the Universal Championship back.
Pick: Bray Wyatt
That’s who we have winning at Extreme Rules. Agree? Disagree? Let us know on Twitter at @FPC_Wrestling.
