Friday, May 20, 2016

WWE Extreme Rules 2016 Preview & Predictions

Welcome to another round of PPV Predictions here at Enuffa.com, where my colleague Dan Moore and I break down the upcoming WWE spectacular.


This Sunday it's Extreme Rules, where most of the matches have some kinda wacky hijinx to make it different from the previous encounter.  As with most years, the majority of the bouts are rematches of some kind, but it should still be an entertaining show.  Let's get to it....

**Currently I lead Dan this season with 11/19 vs. 9/19.  Yeah we both suck this year.**


Pre-Show Match: Baron Corbin vs. Dolph Ziggler


A rematch from Payback, but they're still stuck on the pre-show.  I say it all the time, but poor Dolph....  At least he got a surprise win last time.  But that ain't gonna happen here.  The match should be ok.

Justin's pick: Corbin
Dan's pick: Corbin. I see nothing coming of this feud. Pointless.



US Title Match: Kalisto vs. Rusev


Holy shit, the US Title match is actually gonna be on the PPV??  First time since the Rumble.  Jeezus that belt's devalued.  Lining up Rusev for this shot seems like a reset for both him and the Title.  I wonder if after he wins it he'll drop it to a returning John Cena.  That'd be my vote, bring back the US Title Open Challenge.

Justin's pick: Rusev gets both his career and the US Title back on track
Dan's pick: Yea, the Bulgarian brute needs this.



Anderson & Gallows vs. The Usos


Yeah, WWE has already screwed up this Bullet Club stuff.  Anderson & Gallows have repeatedly lost on RAW and Smackdown, making them seem like just another tag team.  Also they're calling them The Club?  How fucking lame is that?  Finn Balor might be the only one who can save this faction, since at least they'd be called Balor Club.  Christ WWE, you guys could fuck up a ham sandwich.

Justin's pick: Anderson & Gallows avenge their multiple losses
Dan's pick: A & G




WWE Tag Team Championship: The New Day vs. The Vaudvillains


After the scary-as-fuck injury to Enzo at Payback it was decided that The Vaudvillains won the #1 contendership by forfeit.  Thus this match has been set up.  I dunno, I think it's way too soon for the VV.  I like their act and they're fine in the ring, but putting the belts on them already feels very premature and might burn out the audience on them.  On the other hand, holding a big tournament over several weeks only to have the winners come up short in their Title shot also seems counterproductive.  What do to?

Justin's pick: I guess the VV win the belts for a little while before dropping them, either back to The New Day or to the infinitely more over Enzo & Cass
Dan's pick: New Day retains I think. I dunno.



Intercontinental Championship Fatal 4-Way: The Miz vs. Kevin Owens vs. Cesaro vs. Sami Zayn


This should be a strong Match of the Night contender, as all four guys can go, particularly the three ROH alum.  Owens has been on fire lately and after he moves on from his Sami Zayn feud it's time to make him a World Title contender.  This one should be wild, fast-paced, and a lot of fun.

Justin's pick: Keep that belt on The Miz until you're ready to commit to a huge babyface I-C Champ
Dan's pick: I think Zayn takes the win here.



WWE Women's Title Submission Match: Charlotte vs. Natalya


I love submission matches and I love watching Charlotte vs. Natalya (when they aren't saddled with a stupid Montreal Screwjob finish anyway).  So this should be pretty awesome.  Give these two 17 minutes and the rest takes care of itself.  It's so nice to see the Women's Title treated like it means something again.  After Charlotte gets through with this feud it's time to ramp up for her inevitable SummerSlam showdown with Sasha Banks.

Justin's pick: Charlotte retains
Dan's pick: Charlotte.



Asylum Match: Dean Ambrose vs. Chris Jericho


Another one I'm looking forward to.  Their match at Payback was quite good and I like the twist on the Steel Cage format by adding weapons at the top.  Like Thunderdome.  Two men enter, one man leaves.  Should be fun.

Justin's pick: I gotta think Ambrose wins again.  I just don't see the point of Jericho winning this feud, especially if the Asylum match is to be Ambrose's signature bout.
Dan's pick: I like the idea of this Asylum match. Don’t like the idea of Jericho losing it though. Dammit.



WWE World Title Extreme Rules Match: Roman Reigns vs. AJ Styles


These two had one helluva match at Payback, minus a couple dumb false endings.  They work surprisingly well together and with the bells and whistles of a no rules stip, Reigns should be able to turn in another solid performance, while AJ is always gonna be a potential show stealer.  I have no illusions about AJ winning the belt here, but hopefully he'll be kept looking strong in defeat and can move on to another high-profile feud after this.  He should always be within arm's reach of a World Title shot.  And Reigns should be a goddamn heel, for fuck's sake.

Justin's pick: Roman Reigns
Dan's pick: Yea, Reigns supreme.


There's your lineup.  I'm looking forward to a solid show.  Payback fell short of very high expectations but was still a fine PPV, and this should at least equal that one.  Thanks for reading!  Comment below with your thoughts.....

No comments:

Post a Comment