This will be my third pay-per-view predictions article, after reviewing a dozen of other websites I decided to the stand-out outside of the norm. I personally enjoy delivering more in-depth analysis on the matches, it pumps me up for the event and hopefully you as well! This Sunday’s event started off slow in my opinion, but it quickly kicked into 2nd gear and we have a stacked event to watch!
With 10 intriguing matches albeit none actually holds up to the name of the , there are so many incredible superstars that will elevate whatever contest they are in and steal the show! The main card starts at 7:00 pm ET with the kick-off show beginning at 6:00 pm ET. So let’s go ahead and get the ball rolling….drumroll, please!
Full Extreme Rules Match Card
- The Undertaker & Roman Reigns vs. Shane McMahon & Drew McIntyre (No Holds Barred Match)
- Seth Rollins & Becky Lynch vs. Baron Corbin & Lacey Evans (Winners Take All Mixed Tag Team Extreme Rules Match): Universal and Raw Women’s Championship
- Kofi Kingston vs. Samoa Joe: WWE Championship
- Bayley vs. Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross (2-on-1 Handicap Match): SmackDown Women’s Championship
- Daniel Bryan & Rowan vs. Big E & Xavier Woods vs. Heavy Machinery: SmackDown Tag Team Championships
- Ricochet vs. AJ Styles: United States Championship
- Drew Gulak vs. Tony Nese: Cruiserweight Championship
- Braun Strowman vs. Bobby Lashley (Last Man Standing Match)
- Revival vs. The Usos: Raw Tag Team Championships
- Aleister Black vs. Cesaro
- Prediction Finn Balor vs. Shinsuke Nakamura or Finn Balor vs. Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Andrade: Intercontinental Championship
Chris’s Predictions
Kick-off Match: Drew Gulak (c) vs. Tony Nese: (Cruiserweight Championship)
Analysis: Tony Nese recently lost his Cruiserweight Championship at Stomping Grounds to his former friend Drew Gulak. It was a triple-threat with Akira Tozawa taking the pin so Nese doesn’t feel that Gulak is the “real” champion. If you don’t watch 205 Live Start now! WWE put together a fantastic video that highlights the storied history of Gulak and Nese.
Gulak has portrayed a much more aggressive and vicious side as of late. Nese, in my opinion, plays a much better heel, and I believe taking multiple losses to his old friend will be the catalyst to turn back to the dark side. Can you even imagine how dangerous it would be to Gulak and Nese positioned as monstrous heels taking over 205 Live?
Prediction: Drew Gulak
Finn Balor c) vs. Shinsuke Nakamura or Finn Balor (c) vs. Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Andrade: Intercontinental Championship
Analysis: I still am shocked that there hasn’t been an Intercontinental championship match announced for the pay-per-view yet. Andrade was Balor’s most recent opponent at last month’s Super ShowDown event in Jeddah Saudi Arabia, The Demon arose and kicked ass per usual but afterwards, there’s been no sighting of Balor on SmackDown Live.
A few weeks ago while Balor was in a backstage interview, Shinsuke Nakamura emerged and put his hands on the Intercontinental title. This past Tuesday Balor and Nakamura had a one-on-one contest with Nakamura getting a huge win. Typically that means that he has earned a title shot; now Balor needs to drop the title soon to ascend back to the main event where he truly belongs but, I don’t trust WWE’s booking to allow Nakamura to have a meaningful run with the Intercontinental championship so unless Andrade is added to the match I’m going with Balor.
Prediction: Finn Balor
The Revival (c) vs. The Usos: Raw Tag Team Championships
Analysis: The Usos and The Revival have been involved in a small feud recently, with the focus on battling against The Best in the World Shane McMahon and his tyranny. This feud hasn’t heated up at all though, for this reason alone The Usos have had their run on the top of the tag team division. The Revival need to establish themselves as dominant champions, especially since they are involved with McMahon, Drew McIntyre, and Elias.
Prediction: The Revival
Braun Strowman vs. Bobby Lashley (Last Man Standing Match)
Analysis: Braun Strowman and Bobby Lashley had their first one-on-one encounter at WWE Super ShowDown, with The Monster Among Men picking up the victory. Following that, the two behemoths competed in an arm wrestling and tug of war contest. Two weeks ago they tore the house down…no literally Strowman drove Lashley straight through the Tron, and both men were taken to a medical facility.
The insane spot mirrored the amazing destruction that dubbed Strowman his famous nickname and it felt more like 2017. This one is very hard to predict because both competitors need a win to start building back up the card. Strowman has lost all credibility with many starts and stops, he’s a shell of The Monster he once was. Lashley could easily be positioned as a legitimate contender for Seth Rollins’ Universal Championship once he’s finished squashing the bug known as Baron Corbin.
Prediction: Bobby Lashley
Bayley (c) vs. Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross (2-on-1 Handicap Match): SmackDown Women’s Championship
Analysis: Bayley defeated Alexa Bliss at Stomping Grounds when Nikki Cross inadvertently cost her the match. It’s sad that Bayley isn’t even the main focus on this match, it’s on the odd pairing of WWE’s Twisted Sister Cross and The Goddess of WWE Bliss. Cross has been doing all of Bliss’s dirty work for weeks now; hell Nikki even won a match to allow her “friend” to get another shot at the title, Cross won a Beat The Clock Challenge on this past Monday to name the stipulation as a two-on-one handicap match.
If you can’t see what’s coming next you’re clueless, as Cross will get a pinfall attempt in the match and Bliss will show her true colors. With Cross and Bliss tearing each other apart, Cross can hit the Purge and cost Bliss her second title shot back-to-back. Leading to a big SummerSlam match for the NXT recent draftee to Raw.
Prediction: Bayley
Ricochet (c) vs. AJ Styles: United States Championship
Analysis: Ricochet achieved the impossible when he defeated The Submission Specialist Samoa Joe to capture the United States Championship at Stomping Grounds. In a photo shoot following his victory AJ Styles congratulated him on his victory, while Gallows and Anderson heckled Ricochet. The following night Styles defeated the new champion.
Over the past few weeks Styles had been laying into his former Club buddies about not measuring up since New Japan. This culminated two weeks ago when Ricochet was showing respect to his recent foe, but Styles’s buddies twisted his words which enraged The Phenomenal One to walk up and threaten to take his US title that night and slapped him in the face. Styles suffered his second loss to the newcomer, Gallows and Anderson egged him on and Styles snapped. Beating the Holy hell out of Ricochet including a Super Styles Clash from the top-rope, reuniting The Club!
This feud is just getting started and I predict Ricochet vs. Styles will be the feud of the summer. I do think Styles eventually will take his United States championship, but it’s not happening so soon after Ricochet won his first singles championship just last month.
Prediction: Ricochet
Aleister Black vs. Cesaro
Analysis: For over a month Aleister Black has been delivering ominous promos with mince words about the destruction he will cause to his opponents. With every passing week with no takers to “knock on his door and pick a fight with him”, The Dutch Destroyer was getting pissed off.
Two weeks ago, his evil prayers were answered when during another threatening promo we heard a knock on the door, Black had a sinister grin on his face. On this past Tuesday’s SmackDown Live; Cesaro was revealed as his first challenger which is an interesting choice, both are booked right now as heels but now it seems that Cesaro will be receiving a long-awaited face turn. Black is not going to lose his first match on the Blue brand, for this logic, I can see either both competitors getting counted out or a double disqualification.
Prediction: No Contest
Daniel Bryan & Rowan (c) vs. Big E & Xavier Woods vs. Heavy Machinery: SmackDown Tag Team Championships
Analysis: Heavy Machinery challenged The Planet’s Champions Daniel Bryan and Rowan at Stomping Grounds and, in their first tag team title match they had the champs reeling. Since then Bryan and Rowan have been berating Otis and Tucker. New Day was kinda thrown into the mix without any real backstory, other than they want to become six-time tag team champions.
Two weeks ago Heavy Machinery toppled the unusual team of Kevin Owens and Dolph Ziggler to gain another title shot. On this Tuesday’s SmackDown Live Otis gained huge momentum when he defeated Xavier Woods and Bryan in a triple-threat-match. I am predicting that Heavy Machinery will win the titles at SummerSlam so I assume New Day are only there to take the pin to keep Otis and Tucker looking strong.
Prediction: Daniel Bryan and Rowan
Kofi Kingston (c) vs. Samoa Joe: WWE Championship
Analysis: This feud came out of nowhere, twenty-four hours after Samoa Joe lost his United States Championship he sneak attacked Kofi Kingston. I thought for sure Joe and Ricochet were going to have several matches over the US title. I am beginning to wonder; if WWE had any real opponents lined up for Kofi Kingston, after his WrestleMania triumphant victory.
His first challenger Owens at the time was in a babyface role and then forced a heel turn so Kofi had an opponent for Money in the Bank. After that Ziggler returned after a hiatus to challenge him back-to-back. Now we have Joe. I mentioned this before; that Kofi is being put to the ultimate test, to prove the doubters wrong that he’s only a placement holder as the WWE champ. Expect this to start off; with The Submission Specialist decimating the WWE Champion, but Kofi will again make the heroic comeback and somehow keep his WWE title in his grasps.
Prediction: Kofi Kingston BABY
The Undertaker & Roman Reigns vs. Shane McMahon & Drew McIntyre (No Holds Barred Match)
Analysis: Roman Reigns has been involved in this war with the self-proclaimed Best in the World since he Superman Punched Mr. McMahon on his SmackDown Live debut. Elias quickly joined forces with the egocentric boss, and then The Scottish Psychopath Drew McIntyre came into the fold. At Super ShowDown McMahon got the win albeit due to a Claymore Kick from McIntyre. At Stomping Grounds; Reigns finally got a win over the dastardly trio when he defeated McIntyre.
Three weeks ago; when Reigns was involved in a 2-on-1 Handicap Match with both McMahon and McIntyre and, it appeared that we would see a familiar sight with the heels getting the last laugh. McMahon went for another Coast-to-Coast but the lights went out and The Deadman showed up to even the odds.
Now we have this unusual tag team match with Reigns and Taker joining forces to take down the evil group. Expect all the competitors to fight all over the arena with wild and crazy spots. McMahon will likely be jumping off something high and Taker will hit a gigantic chokeslam on somebody. Reigns and McIntrye will be positioned as the workhorses and will be covering for the part-timers. I am predicting McMahon and McIntrye getting the win, but this could be the start of a WrestleMania program between Taker and McIntrye.
Prediction: Shane McMahon and Drew McIntyre
Seth Rollins & Becky Lynch (c) vs. Baron Corbin & Lacey Evans (Winners Take All Mixed Tag Team Extreme Rules Match): Universal and Raw Women’s Championship
Analysis: This feud began at Stomping Grounds when Baron Corbin appointed Becky Lynch’s rival Lacey Evans to be the special guest referee in her real-life boyfriend Seth Rollins’s Universal Championship Match. Evans tried to screw Rollins at every turn, even utilizing the slowest pin count known to man. Speaking of The Man; Lynch was sick of it and made the save to allow Rollins to pick up the victory. The Power Couple closed the show together standing tall.
The following night on Raw The Man and The Beastslayer opened the show; they were quickly interrupted by The Sassy Southern Belle and Nobody’s Favorite Son, who threw out a mixed tag team challenge with both the Universal and Raw Women’s Championship on the line. Lynch added that this is it for both of them if they lost they would not be granted any more title shots. For the past few weeks, we’ve seen the cowardly heels getting the best of Lynch and Rollins including the Go-Home-Show.
Of course, there’s also the looming threat of The Beast in the Bank Brock Lesnar possibly cashing-in the briefcase as his advocate Paul Heyman proclaimed would happen to either Rollins or Kofi. I don’t see any other scenario than Rollins and Lynch defeating the odds side-by-side. Unless Lesnar comes out and causes a distraction that allows Corbin to capitalize The Power Couple prevails.
Prediction: Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch
