Preview
I’m gonna be honest and say that this year’s extreme rules pay per view has a lot of work to do. With ratings sliding for the weekly wrestling shows, Extreme Rules needs to convince people that they must tune in Monday and Friday this week to experience the aftermath. That being said there are quite a few matches to look forward to. Bray Wyatt and Braun Strowman are going back to the swamp for a non-title cinematic match that should be fun, both women’s title matches are stellar match ups that could give us some solid bangers, and we still don’t know the mystery stipulation for Dolph Ziggler’s WWE Championship match with Drew McIntyre.
So let’s go down WWE’s official preview and I’ll give my predictions for who comes out on top tonight at Extreme Rules 2020.
Braun Strowman vs. Bray Wyatt in a “Swamp Fight”
WWE says “Braun Strowman and Bray Wyatt head back to their roots for a non-title The Horror Show at WWE Extreme Rules showdown.”
Prediction: Bray Wyatt will walk away from the Swamp Fight victorious. I think the key here is “non-title”. It’s pretty clear to anyone keeping up with the Universal title scene that we are heading toward’s Braun meeting “The Fiend” for the first time at this year’s SummerSlam. With Braun already having gone over Bray at Money in the Bank it seems like we are primed for the first of potentially two Bray wins to move the belt back to the Fiend.
Drew McIntyre vs. Dolph Ziggler – WWE Championship Match (feat. mystery stipulation)
WWE Says: “Dolph Ziggler set his sights on the WWE Champion after being traded to the red brand.”
Prediction: Drew McIntyre will retain his championship. This one seems pretty clear, Drew has been booked crazy strong since picking up the championship from Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 36. Dolph Ziggler won’t be the one to take that belt off of Drew even with the aid of a mystery stipulation. I predict we will see the stipulation allow Dolph an early advantage with Drew taking control late in the match for a hard fought victory.
Asuka vs. Sasha Banks – Raw Women’s Championship Match
WWE says: “Sasha Banks will try to become a double champion when she challenges Raw Women’s Champion Asuka at The Horror Show at WWE Extreme Rules.”
Prediction: Asuka will retain. As a huge Sasha Banks mark I will admit that it pains me to say this, but we will not see the reign of Sasha Two Belts begin. Traditional booking math tells us with Sasha standing tall after her tag match with Asuka and Nikki Cross on SmackDown signifies her loss at the pay per view. WWE also only seems interested in giving Sasha Bayley’s SmackDown women’s championship belt. Asuka will retain, but the question is who will step up to her next.
Bayley vs. Nikki Cross – SmackDown Women’s Championship Match
WWE says: “Bayley faces a title challenge from Nikki Cross at The Horror Show at WWE Extreme Rules.”
Prediction: Bayley will keep her belt. SmackDown made a point of having Nikki attack Bayley backstage to uphold traditional booking. Also, the only person that will take this belt off of Bayley is Sasha Banks which is why Bayley dos straps will continue her reign tonight.
Seth Rollins vs. Rey Mysterio – Eye for an Eye match
WWE says: Rey Mysterio chose the stipulation for the showdown after teaming with Kevin Owens to defeat Seth Rollins & Murphy on Raw.
Prediction: Seth Rollins will walk away with Rey’s other eye. This is my most controversial take of the night, but I think there are two key reasons why Rey Mysterio is not winning tonight. The first is that Rey still does not have a current WWE contract, which means WWE could be looking for a way to write him off TV until he does re-sign. The other is that Rey stood tall over Seth on this week’s Monday Night Raw. There are interesting stories that could be told either way but I think we are most likely seeing Rey walk away without sight at the end of this match.
Apollo Crews vs. MVP – US Title Match
WWE says: “Apollo Crews and MVP will meet with a new-look United States Championship on the line.”
Prediction: Apollo Crews will retain/gain the new US Title Belt. This is the prediction I am the least certain about. I think that MVP’s purpose in WWE right now is to build up his stable and not to collect championships himself. Apollo is a young talent that seems to have caught the eye of someone in charge and his title reign has only just begun.
The New Day vs. Cesaro and Nakamura – SmackDown Tag Team Title Tables Match
WWE says: nothing on their website yet.
Prediction: The New Day will retain. As much as I would like to see the tag belts on Nakamura and Cesaro I think the fact that the Artist and The Swiss Superman stood tall on Friday and have yet to be put through a table really points toward a loss tonight.
Thanks for reading my predictions! I will be live tweeting the pay per view @robbydeshazer and I will post my review Monday morning!
The Horror Show at Extreme Rules Kickoff Begins at 6 PM EST / 5 PM CST
The Main Card starts at 7 PM EST/ 6 PM CST
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