The sixth annual Extreme Rules will take place on May 4, 2014 at the Izod Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey. This is the one night a year the WWE goes Extreme. Outlandish Match stipulations (seriously WeeLC?), blood and guts will be in abundance when the titans of the squared circle face off.
El Torito vs. Hornswoggle (Pre-Show 'WeeLC' Match)
This match is really happening. This has to be a first: a TLC match between two minis. Slightly offensive match title aside, this could potential be an interesting match. The way El Torito bounces around the ring as is could lead to a few cool ladder high spots. Will we see 3MB and Los Matadores get involved? Nope. They won't. This match is about the superstars of each group.
What was just said may have sounded like a joke but it wasn't. It really is sad that five... Well four quality wrestlers (sorry Jinder, the book is still out on you) are being used as props in a feud between two minis. That has to be a first.
And the winner is...
Hornswoggle. If this feud is going to continue, the heel should go over in this specialty match. The only way El Torito wins is if this is the end of this program.
R-Truth & Xavier Woods vs. Alexander Rusev (2-on-1 Handicap Match)
If we don't see Cesaro swing Swagger and RVD at the same time, we definitely will see Rusev put both R-Truth and Xavier Woods in the accolade at the same time. This match does nothing for Woods and Truth but it will further Rusev's Vladimr Koslof push. Google it.
And the winner is...
Alexander Rusev. One or both of his opponents with submit. Lana will be pleased.
Rob Van Dam vs. Jack Swagger vs. Cesaro (Triple Threat Match)
Is anybody else confused by this match? Instead of a blow off match between Cesaro and Swagger (their feud has run it's course at this point) it's a convoluted three-way dance. It seems as though the WWE isn't really sure what to do with Cesaro at this point. Putting him with Paul Heyman was a stroke of genius. That said, they haven't done anything to showcase either of their talent. Fighting Jack Swagger every week isn't cutting it.
And the winner is...
Cesaro. We may get to see Cesaro swing both RVD and Swagger at the same time. Cesaro will pin Swagger after the neutralizer.
Divas Champion Paige vs. Tamina Snuka
Paige has been on quite the run as of late. She has put together a string
Good matches on Main Event, Smackdown and Raw. This match should continue that trend. Tamina is insanely underrated. Having this ppv match without having AJ lurking around should give her time to show her understated wrestling ability.
And the winner is...
Paige. Let's be real, there is no way Tamina will get the win. Paige pins Tamina after her finisher.
Intercontinental Champion Big E vs. Bad News Barrett
If this match happened five months ago the outlook would be totally different. Big E. was on top of the world. The burning question on most wrestling columnist minds was who would become WWE champion first: Big E. Langston (yes he has a last name, damn it!) or Roman Reigns (how long before he becomes just Reigns?). No one is wondering that now. Big E. is floundering and it has nothing to do with his performance. They have literally given him nothing to do. The funny thing about all this is the same could be said about Wade Barrett before he got hurt and switched to the Bad New Barrett gimmick. The IC title tournament has been one of the most interesting things happening on Raw as of late. Only problem is they have kept Big E. as far away from the matches as possible. That is not a good sign.
And the winner is…
Big E. Hear me out on this one. All signs point to Barrett winning. That is all the more reason for him to not. The reason the IC title has been so devalued is due to the lack of actual feuds/conflicts for the title. Having Big E. win here could lead to an actual program between the two of them. Build the title up to actually mean something. Big E. gets the win after a roll up.
John Cena vs. Bray Wyatt (Steel Cage Match)
He’s got the whole world… in his hands. He’s got the whole world… in his hands. Bray Wyatt literally has the whole world in his hands. This angle has showcased both Bray and Cena at their peak. The bit from Raw with the kids serenading Cena was brilliant. As fellow wrestling columnist @akathemaskedman said on twitter: “John Cena *ucking hates singing kids”. That has to be my vote for tweet of the year. Adding the steel cage element works here because it will serve to keep Eric Rowen and Luke Harper out of the ring and keep Bray in the in the ring. The beauty of the cage match is as long as whoever wins does so by climbing the cage it will not make either wrestler look weak. It has been a long time since we have seen a good cage match. In all honesty this probably won’t buck that trend, but we should get a few decent high spots out of it. Say what you will about Cena but he will put is body on the line to put on a good match.
And the winner is…
Bray Wyatt. Cena beat Wyatt at WrestleMania. This is the perfect opportunity for Bray to give Bray some shine, while simultaneously not making Cena look bad. It is a win/win.
WWE World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Bryan vs. Kane (Extreme Rules Match)
It seems as though the saga of Kane and Daniel Bryan has come full circle. They were tag champs a while back and have been on the opposite sides of the fence during this “Authority” storyline. Rumor has it Daniel Bryan’s original WrestleMania opponent was Kane. They have done decent job trying to make the story line more intriguing. The addition of Brie Bella and Stephanie McMahon has brought more depth to Kane and Bryan’s conflict. The fact that everyone knows the relationship between Brie and Bryan is legit helps blur the lines of fact and fiction.
Since dawning the mask again the devils favorite demon has been in rare form. The beat down that he gave Bryan on Raw two weeks ago was legendary.
And the Winner is…
Daniel Bryan. Bryan just one the title and Kane has been putting people over for what seems like 20 years. Bryan gets the win after the flying knee.
The Shield vs. Evolution
They should make it so the U.S. title was on the line in this match. Why? So Ambrose can tell people to stop complaining because he just defended against three guys at once. For once the WWE has managed to give a legitimate explanation for why they are running an angle that at first glance doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. They made sure to have HHH, Orton and Batista give an actual explanation to why they are focusing on the Shield now and not Daniel Bryan. HHH deemed the Shield as the more immediate threat. In the grand scheme that actually makes sense. As enjoyable as this angle has been, it would have been even better to have Ric Flair side with Evolution. Think about it. He is in their corner at the ppv. He gets involved. The lights go out. Sting appears and takes out Flair! Ok, that’s enough fantasy booking for today. You have to admit, it sounded good.
And the winner is…
Evolution. If this angle is expected to survive the heels have to win this initial encounter. The Shield standing victorious wouldn’t make any sense. What incentive would we have to look these two factions battle it out after that? Evolution gets the win after a low blow/weapon attack or some other sort of shenanigans.
Who do you think is going to win? Let us know in the comments below or you can tweet me @AboveAverageLLP.