Written by Mike Mueller and Kimmy Sokol
Last year’s Extreme Rules pay-per-view was anything but extreme. There was only one match with a stipulation and everything fell flat. A year later that is definitely not the case. With a fight pit match, the first women’s ladder match, a strap match, and much more, WWE and Triple H brought “Extreme” back to WWE. Here are our Extreme Rules predictions.
The Brawling Brutes (Sheamus, Butch, and Ridge Holland) vs Imperium (Gunther, Ludwig Kaiser, and Giovanni Vinci) – Good Old Fashioned Donnybrook Match:
Kimmy: I have no idea what an Old Fashioned Donnybrook match is, but I know one thing: this match is going to be fun! Gunther and Sheamus had what is to be a match of the year candidate in Wales and now with everyone involved this will indeed be another banger. I see the Brawling Brutes picking up the win here since Sheamus is probably going to lose to Gunther again in the season premier of Smackdown next week.
Winners: The Brawling Brutes
Mike: Kimmy doesn’t know what a good old fashioned donnybrook is, so let’s try to put it in some Gen Z terms so she can understand. “Yo Fam, this match is gonna be gas. Totally bussin, high-key lit!” Wow, that hurt to type. Jokes aside, Kimmy is right that this match is going to be a lot of fun. It won’t be better than Gunther and Sheamus at Clash at the Castle, but it’ll be hard hitting and entertaining nonetheless. I’ll go with the brutes, if for no other reason than I can’t even say “Goold Old Fashioned Donnybrook” without using an irish accent, and that’s gotta favor Sheamus, right?
Winners: The Brawling Brutes
Edge vs Finn Balor- I Quit Match:
Kimmy: The interesting thing about this match is what happens with AJ Styles after what happened on Monday Night Raw. Following two weeks of beatdowns from Judgment Day, does AJ finally pull the trigger and join the group, or does he remain the “face that runs the place”. I am excited to see where Balor goes after here, possibly him and Priest try to go after The Usos to put some gold on Judgment Day. I don’t see Edge saying the words I Quit. I definitely see Edge picking up the win. Winner: Edge
Mike: Here’s the thing: Edge doesn’t have to say I Quit in order to lose the match. While AJ could certainly affect the outcome of this match, I see this ending with Rey Mysterio quitting on behalf of Edge. Dominic will help set it up so that Judgment Day can take advantage of the close bond that Rey and Edge have. Dominic becomes a more valuable member of the group and Finn gets a much needed victory. Also, let’s not forget that Trips is a huge fan of Finn Balor. He made Finn the face of NXT twice, and certainly was instrumental in making Finn the first ever Universal Champion. HHH believes Finn can be a main event star. What better way to start than having Balor topple one of the biggest names in wrestling of the past 25 years.
Winner: Finn Balor
Drew McIntrye vs Karion Kross- Strap Match:
Kimmy: I HATE strap matches. I think logistically they do not make any sense and they always drag. I would have preferred this match to be a steel cage since it makes sure that Scarlett or “The White Rabbit” does not get involved. I do not see Drew losing, he just lost a big match to Roman and he can’t afford any losses right now. I do see the white rabbit getting involved here and they reveal themselves to be Bray Wyatt.
Winner: Drew McIntrye
Mike: I LOVE strap matches. They can be nasty, ugly, and downright brutal, and with Drew and Karrion, they certainly will be. Drew has proven that he can move up and down the card easily, and shine in any spot he’s put in. Karrion Kross, however, still has a lot to prove. He was an underwhelming NXT champion, and his time on the main roster was downright laughable, even though that wasn’t his fault. While Drew winning wouldn’t shock me, I’m banking on Kross to win his first high profile match since returning. I do agree with Kimmy that The White Rabbit will influence this match.
Winner: Karrion Kross
Liv Morgan vs Ronda Rousey Smackdown Women’s Championship- I Quit Match:
Kimmy: This match should be the better of the two matches that these two have had. I think the stipulation will definitely help them get the momentum of the crowd behind them and come up with some really cool spots. I do not see Rousey losing to Morgan again unless she is going to get help from someone, maybe a returning Sarah Logan? Unless Rousey is leaving till the Rumble I definitely see her picking up the win.
Winner: Ronda Rousey
Mike: Having Ronda Rousey take a couple of “safe” losses and having her be a Ken Shamrock-esque “loose cannon” has served Ronda well. However, you do not have someone like Ronda Rousey on your roster to job to the other talent. She’s really only valuable if she wins much more than she loses. Ronda is going to get the win here and go on a nice little run before eventually dropping the title to Shayna Baszler in a few months. Winner: Ronda Rousey
Seth Rollins vs Matt Riddle- Fight Pit Match with Daniel Cormier as special guest referee:
Kimmy: This match can truly go either way and I know Mike is going to say differently. Since Rollins looks to finally be setting his eyes on championship gold I see him getting a big win heading to his match on Monday. On the flip side if this match is going to “a Seth Rollins famous trilogy” Riddle will have to get the win here to force a third match. I think Cormier is going to help Rollins win. Winner: Seth Rollins
Mike: Oh Kimmy… Sweet, naive, eternally optimistic Kimmy. I promise I won’t gloat when Riddle wins. I promise I won’t make another speech about how Seth never needs to win as long as he’s “Freakin.” I promise I won’t say “I told you so.” I’ll just simply send you a link back to this article instead. Winner: Riddle
Bianca Belair vs Bayley Raw Women’s Championship- Ladder Match:
Kimmy: Given the lack of championships defended on this pay-per-view this match should definitely be the main event. This match is the first ever women’s ladder match for a championship, yay herstory! I can see this match going both ways, but I really think Bayley takes it here. The ending image to Raw with all of Damage CTRL holding titles definitely foreshadowed what is going to happen Saturday. Winner: Bayley
Mike: Typical wrestling storytelling suggests Bianca is going to hold on to this title, given that Damage CTRL was standing strong on Raw, but this is one instance where the foreshadowing will not be a swerve. This is the perfect opportunity for Bianca to lose her title without damaging her reputation as the most dominant woman on the roster. Ladder matches end in screwy ways all the time, and this will be no different. Bianca will lose after being screwed over, either by Damage CTRL or by Alexa or Asuka turning heel. Bayley is ready to be the face of the division for a while. Winner: Bayley
