The 2014 Extreme Rules Preview
What's going on, everybody? What a month it's been, huh?
Well, Extreme Rules is here, and I have a lot to say about it. So, let's get to the card:
Pre-Show Match: El Torito vs. Hornswoggle (Wee LC Match)
I'm actually going to watch this out of morbid curiosity. There's definitely room for comedy in wrestling. As an aside, El Torito knows his way around the ring so who knows, right? Call me somewhat optimistic that this will somehow or some way be worth watching. It might be entertaining in some capacity. Above all else, wrestling should be fun. We'll see if this is. El Torito is my pick to win.
Alexander Rusev w/ Lana vs. R-Truth & Xavier Woods (Handicap Match)
They've been trying to make Rusev a thing for a while now and I don't think it has even come close to working yet. Personally, he's not a guy I would pay money to see. So, we'll see if he ever gets to that point. Rusev will probably pick up the win, but I feel bad for Xavier Woods. They've dropped the ball with him. Who do I tweet at to convince them to pick it back up?
Rob Van Dam vs. Jack Swagger vs. Cesaro (Triple Threat Elimination Match)
The way they are booking Cesaro is so weird. For instance, he'll face RVD and we're supposed to boo him. But when Swagger interferes in the match and costs him a victory....what exactly am I supposed to do? These kinds of situations have popped up a few times over the past month. They're clearly want Cesaro to be a star, but they need to figure out where exactly he stand and let us react to him and the situations he's put in in a clear and decisive way. Right now, they're doing the "tweener" thing all wrong.
This match could be pretty good if they give it some time and it's one I'm looking forward to. Cesaro will probably pick up the W and move on to bigger and better things. It looks like the company has faith in him, if WrestleMania XXX and the following Raw are anything to go by. He's gonna have a good summer.
Paige (c) vs. Tamina Snuka (WWE Divas Championship Match)
Paige burst on the scene the night after Raw in a big way. However, I feel like they haven't capitalized on it enough and we don't really know who she is. Hopefully, that changes soon.
Tamina is pretty much just a placeholder until AJ gets back from her vacation. The match should be solid, though. Paige retains.
Big E (c) vs. Bad News Barrett (Intercontinental Championship Match)
Thank goodness for the Intercontinental Title Tournament. I love tournaments for numerous reasons, but one for the IC Title? YES. Both the IC and US Titles have been largely forgotten about and cast aside for quite some time now (ESPECIALLY the US Title, but that's a rant for another day), so it was nice to see some importance placed on the IC Title. With the IC tournament, it allowed numerous segments on WWE's weekly shows to be devoted to the title. That's just what it needed.
Bad News Barrett finally got back in the ring after WrestleMania and hoe won that tourney in short order. Barrett will probably win the title here in a decent match. It's what happens after the match that I'm most interested in. Big E needs to find his footing in the company again and it'll be interesting to see what kind of summer he has. As for Barrett, he didn't exactly light the world on fire with the IC title any of the times he had it. It needs to be different this time. Maybe, just maybe, the IC Title will continue to be relevant. Hey, I can dream, can't I?
John Cena vs. Bray Wyatt (Steel Cage Match)
True story: I have a co-worker who absolutely hated the opening segment with Bray Wyatt's choir on Raw this past week. He's the only person I know or even heard of who hated it. I've loved the build to this match, for the most part. I'm hoping for a fun brawl inside the cage.
In the end, Bray Wyatt needs to win here or he's done. I don't see a way to have him lose here and remain effective in any way. I say this as a Cena fan: Cena must lose.
Evolution vs. The Shield (Six Man Tag Team Match)
I'm pumped for this one. It'll probably be the main event of the show, but I have more to say about that later.
I dunno if this six-man will be as good as the one at Elimination Chamber, but I think it might be close if Batista and Orton can bring the goods tonight. I think The Shield should take the win here in a sort of passing the torch kind of moment, but I can see where Evolution might win in order to continue the feud. They probably should make this a one-off match if they want to free some big name heels to face Daniel Bryan, though. If it's a one-off, then I definitely pick The Shield.
Daniel Bryan (c) vs. Kane (Extreme Rules Match for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship)
I don't see this match being the actual main event of the show and that's kind of disappointing. I get that the six-man tag is technically a bigger deal, but they can't make a habit out of this. I'll give it a pass this time, but they really shouldn't half-ass Bryan's main even level push. Daniel Bryan is the WWE World Heavyweight Champion. It didn't do any favors for guys like Punk in 2012 or Benoit a decade ago, and it sure won't help Bryan and the title now.
They've had to work around Daniel Bryan's honeymoon and his bereavement leave while building this feud, but they did a good job with what they had. I don't think these guys click very well, but I'm confident that the Extreme Rules stipulation will help things out. Daniel Bryan will retain and hopefully be focused on more going forward.
And there ya have it. The show doesn't look bad at all. I went to a bar with some friends to watch WrestleMania XXX, but I'll be checking out this event live on the Network. I dunno if I'll take my chances using the practically broken XBox 360 app or use the website. I should probably invest in a Roku streaming stick or something.
But that does it for now. Be sure to ‘like’ this article, leave a comment, subscribe to the blog, go back and read all my other articles, ‘LIKE’ me on Facebook, and FOLLOW me on Twitter. Enjoy the show!















