Brock Lesnar's First Challenger For The Universal Championship Will Be Determined On Sunday At Extreme Rules
This Sunday at Extreme Rules, five men will meet in the squared circle not prepared for a wrestling match, but prepared for a war. Roman Reigns, Finn Bálor, Seth Rollins, Bray Wyatt, and Samoa Joe are putting their bodies and careers on the line in an Extreme Rules Fatal 5 Way Match for a shot at Brock Lesnar’s Universal Championship, and if I could break kayfabe for a second, I think they’re gonna put together a clusterfuck of a match of the year contender. Let’s talk Extreme Rules!
#1 Contendership For The Universal Championship: Roman Reigns vs Finn Bálor vs Seth Rollins vs Bray Wyatt vs Samoa Joe – Extreme Rules Fatal 5 Way
I’m more excited for this match than I have been for most matches in 2017. I’m a sucker for overbooked hardcore spotfests, and I think (and hope) that’s what this will be. Roman Reigns has shown that this is the exact type of match he shines most in with bouts against AJ Styles, Kevin Owens, and even The Big Show, and he’s not afraid to take some stupid bumps (shoutout to his bulletproof vest). Bray Wyatt has even had some really good hardcore type matches with John Cena. Seth obviously had the Shield ones, and it’s been a while since Joe or Bálor dabbled in the extreme. The way this will work best is if it’s modeled after Kevin Owens vs Sami Zayn vs Cesaro vs The Miz and the way they didn’t do “Wrestler A hits move on Wrestler B, who rolls out, Wrestler C rolls in”. With five people, there’s a ton of potential for some awesome multi-man sequences, and we all know how I feel about Seth Rollins, but this can be his match. He’s a “cool movez!” guy, so if he does some big crazy flips and scores great near falls, he can lose this match and come out of it looking better than he ever has as a face. Speaking of winning and losing, I want Finn Bálor to win, and think he will, but I know he won’t beat Brock at Great Balls of Fire and already don’t know how to feel about that. BUT, I’ll let that play out. If Finn does win, I’d like him to pin anyone but Roman since they currently have a 1-1 record against each other and I hope the rubber match will be a special thing.
P.S. “Demon” Bálor is unnecessary, so I doubt he comes out in the paint. That should really only be for big matches.
Double P.S. I watched Finn’s WWE 24 special and it’s one of the best things on the WWE Network. It made me cry twice. One day I’ll make the list of all the wrestling things that have made me cry over the years and you’ll all be shocked by how often it happens. I need to get it together. But I love the graps.
Winner: Finn Bálor
Intercontinental Championship Match: Dean Ambrose (c) vs The Miz – Title Can Change Hands On A DQ
There’s not a ton to say about this match but I’m very excited for it! I was at the RAW this was all set up at, when Ambrose and Miz had a match that Dean got intentionally DQ’d at. There is some speculation that a double turn will take place, but I highly doubt that. I’m still sticking with my theory that Miz should take the title off Ambrose here and drop it to Seth Rollins later on, giving him something to do. You’ve got to assume Miz will find a way to win by disqualification, as it usually goes down in these types of matches. Maybe a classic Eddie Guerrero “Here’s a chair!” *bump*.
Winner: The Miz (via DQ)
RAW Women’s Championship Match: Alexa Bliss (c) vs Bayley – Kendo Stick On A Pole Match
The build up obviously hasn’t been great, but these are two tremendous talents in a fun WCW type gimmick match, and I think it’s gonna have a silly finish where Alexa does something to get the upper hand, and when she goes to get the kendo stick, she can’t reach it (because she’s short). But then probably win anyway due to Nia Jax interference.
Winner: Alexa Bliss
RAW Tag Team Championship Match: The Hardy Boyz (c) vs Cesaro and Sheamus – Steel Cage Match
The Hardy Boyz in a Steel Cage match for WWE Tag Team Championships in 2017. What a life. I think, like a lot of the matches I’ve already talked about, this will rule. Jeff loves that Whisper In The Wind off the cage, and is still a complete psychopath at 39 years old, so I think we’ll be seeing that.
Cesaro is a famously great catcher of big dives, too, so the stars are aligning.
Sheamus’ naturally stiff style lends itself nicely to this stipulation, and I assume someone, maybe him, will be busted open hard way.
Winner: The Hardy Boyz
Cruiserweight Championship Match: Neville (c) vs Austin Aries – Submission Match
Jesus. Even the friggin’ match graphics are purple. I think Neville has really brought the best out of Aries, and he’s starting to try. Still, Neville’s gotta retain here, so do something with a pass out finish for Aries to keep him strong.
Winner: Neville
For the non-wrestling fans who casually keep up with the product through my blogs, it may seem weird that I’m always very enthusiastic about pay per views when I’m not so enthusiastic in the build to said pay per view, but that’s kinda just how it is nowadays. There’s a lot to look forward to on Sunday.