Since WrestleMania, the biggest buzz in the WWE Universe has focused around Brock Lesnar’s return to professional wrestling.
This Sunday, Lesnar will compete in his first match back from a nearly eight-year absence when he faces John Cena in an Extreme Rules match at the pay-per-view of the same name.
As of this writing, only a handful of matches have been announced for the show, leaving room for last-minute additions.
Ring Posts contributors Arda Ocal and Adam Testa weighed in with their predictions for the card thus far.
Pre-Show Match
United States Championship
Santino Marella (c) vs. The Miz
Arda: The most interesting part of this match is that it will stream live on YouTube. I don't mind Santino Marella's comedy and see how it has a spot on he roster, but The Miz in a U.S. title match just further devalues the U.S. championship to me. I don't see why it even exists at this point other than having another title around. I'll say Santino wins and we continue to not care about The Miz at present time.
Prediction: Santino Marella
Adam: Apparently the new concept for a dark match is to stream it on YouTube, and honestly, I’m surprised to see The Miz even getting that much attention at Extreme Rules. He has been absent from television since WrestleMania, aside from a short promo with John Laurinaitis, and has somehow managed to fall even further from the top of the card, where he was situated last year. I’m glad Marella is getting rewarded for his work and dedication, and I’m OK with the act, but putting this on a pre-show of a pay-per-view with minimal matches announced is a bit of a poor joke.
Prediction: Santino Marella
Intercontinental Championship
Big Show (c) vs. Cody Rhodes
Arda: This is an unfortunate matchup to me because I don't like either guy as Intercontinental champion. The Big Show and Great Khali seem like a good tag team that should remain a team, especially after dismantling the tag champs Epico and Primo a couple weeks ago on Raw. I think Cody Rhodes has outgrown "secondary title" status and, like Dolph Ziggler, can truly begin his slow-but-steady climb to main-event status. Let's see Show retain and move on, losing the title to someone else soon after.
Prediction: Big Show
Adam: Since dropping the title in the first place, Rhodes has been made to look like a bit of a joke. I could see that as being the set-up to him regaining the title, but I don’t think he needs it. I think this is Show’s revenge at all the fun Rhodes poked at him. Hopefully this ends relatively painless for Rhodes, and he and Show both move on to new things.
Predictions: Big Show
Falls Count Anywhere
Randy Orton vs. Kane
Arda: On a PPV where matches have the same stipulations but different names (Chicago Street Fight vs. Extreme Rules match), it's nice to see one with a twist -- naturally, with a falls count anywhere stipulation, this one lends itself to going all over the arena. In fact, I wouldn't mind this one going everywhere -- through the crowd, into the merchandise areas, concession stands, the locker room, parking lot, the boiler room (a la Undertaker/Mankind at Summerslam 1996). This is the competitive advantage this match has in terms of standing out from the rest. I see Orton pinning Kane in some remote part of the arena. I'm hoping that of all the matches that are on the card, this rivalry ends at Extreme Rules.
Prediction: Randy Orton
Adam: While I agree with Arda’s sentiments, I think this is a match that could have been differentiated even more with a different gimmick. These two already had a WrestleMania match, followed it up with a no-disqualification contest and have continued to play mind games with each other. A Last Man Standing match seems like it would have been a more appropriate conclusion to this story, but regardless the stipulation, the result remains the same.
Prediction: Randy Orton
World Heavyweight Championship
2/3 Falls
Sheamus (c) vs. Daniel Bryan
Arda: Who expected the response from the audience that Daniel Bryan has received since WrestleMania? In what could – likely, should – have been a career burial, Sheamus beats Daniel Bryan in 18 seconds at WrestleMania, but once again, all eyes are on Bryan going into the title rematch with Sheamus. Fans have responded with chants of "YES!” making it as popular as "WHAT?" If anyone got hurt by the 18-second match at WrestleMania, it's Sheamus. Bryan has truly carried the lion's share of interest for me in this program. Unfortunately, for that very reason, I see Sheamus holding onto the gold, even though many fans might feel that Daniel Bryan deserves to win. Perhaps the match starts with another quick fall, like at Mania.
Prediction: Sheamus
[Editor's note: Read Arda's interview with Daniel Bryan here].
