WWE: Extreme Rules Preview

This Sunday, WWE brings to us the next PPV after WrestleMania, which is Extreme Rules. The card for Extreme Rules has been finalized, and going into last week of the PPV, WWE had to make a couple of last minute changes to the PPV since Dolph Ziggler suffered a serious concussion during the Smackdown! tapings and hence, has not been medically cleared for the PPV. This would mean that the Ladder match would be nixed, and already a new match has been announced as a replacement. Also, it is interesting to note that a Divas match hasn’t been advertised for the PPV. Seeing the advancement of the AJ–Kaitlyn storyline, one would think that WWE would do a three-minute AJ-Kaitlyn match during the PPV on Sunday.

The pre–show match was announced last week, which will see Miz taking on Cody Rhodes. It’s almost sad to see Cody being stuck going nowhere, as the WWE creative doesn’t have any plans for him at the moment. The Miz came back after filming for the Marine 3, and because of that, it is imminent that he will get a push for at least a mid-card title. I would like to see Cody ending up in a program which would get him involved in a match on the main card at the very least.

The first match on the main card will likely be Chris Jericho taking on Fandango. The advancement to this feud has been pretty mediocre, with WWE doing a dance-off between the two, which was a terrible idea. I guess WWE forgot this wasn’t ‘Dancing With The Stars’. Anyway, Chris Jericho would be looking for retribution, while Fandango would want to get an upset victory once again against Chris Jericho. If given enough time, this would likely be a great match between two outstanding performers.

The next match on the card is between Sheamus and Mark Henry in a strap match. Although they could have done a No DQ match, this will be a fresh change, as a strap match hasn’t been done in a long time in the WWE. Sheamus has been at the receiving end of some ferocious attacks by Henry, and Sheamus has repaid the favour last week by attacking Henry with a strap of his own. Come Sunday, it will be interesting to see who goes over, and the match is a perfect fit for both the brawlers.

Randy Orton faces the Big Show in his home town in an Extreme Rules match. I do not know why the WWE has gone in this direction, but no one is really interested in this feud. Orton needs to turn heel and have a good feud with the top guys in the company, and in recent times, Orton looks to have become complacent, which isn’t good for his career. Come Sunday, expect this to be the last match between the duo, as Orton is scheduled for other programs with the main eventers.

Team Hell No takes on The Shield as they defend the WWE tag team championships against Reigns and Rollins. The Shield has been a dominant force in the WWE, and the next logical step to elevate the group is by putting the titles on the members of the faction. Kane and Bryan had a good run as the champs till now, but we need fresh faces, and Bryan needs to go back to singles’ competition, and this can be the perfect way to ensure that. With The Shield winning the tag team belts, they will undoubtedly be the most dominant stable in the company.

The other member of The Shield, Dean Ambrose, takes on Kofi Kingston for the WWE United States Championship. When Kofi won the title from Antonio Cesaro, it didn’t make any sense, and now the pieces of the puzzle are falling into place, as Kofi will most likely drop the belt to Dean Ambrose at Extreme Rules. This would not only strengthen the faction with major belts among them, but would also lead to some interesting storylines and feuds. I, for one, am looking forward to these bouts to see how they turn out.

Alberto Del Rio takes on Jack Swagger in an “I Quit” match for the number one contender spot to face the World Heavyweight champion, Dolph Ziggler. Ziggler has been ruled out with a concussion, but this match has all the tools to be a great bout, as two fine grapplers would like to make the other utter the words “I Quit” by applying their respective submission holds. Who would come out of this match as the new #1 contender? We will have to wait and find out.

The Lesnar – Triple H saga enters its final chapter, as the final match of their feud happens at Extreme Rules inside a steel cage. Lesnar would be looking for redemption after losing to Triple H at WrestleMania. What role would Paul Heyman play? Will Lesnar find a way to come out on top against the COO of the WWE? We will get all the answers in a few hours.

The final match of the night will be for the WWE title, between the champion John Cena and the challenger Ryback in a Last Man Standing match. Ryback has the psychological advantage going into the PPV, as he laid out Cena on consecutive RAWs. With Cena being injured, will he find a way to somehow fight against the odds once more and retain the WWE title? Or will Ryback finally get his chance to win the big one, and walk out of Extreme Rules the new WWE champion? The PPV has shaped up quite well, and if creative books the show properly, we can be assured of some surprises and upsets. We will see how the PPV unfolds, as Extreme Rules kicks off in less than 18 hours!