WWE Extreme Rules 2017 Matches: Forecasting Results for Event's Biggest Stars

Extreme Rules used to be one of the most anticipated pay-per-views of the year because every match had a hardcore stipulation, but the event has turned into just another B-level show.

However, this doesn't mean it can't be entertaining. WWE has proved countless times how good it can be without blood.

The Raw brand has six matches scheduled to take place. Brock Lesnar and the Universal Championship are absent again, but the main event will determine who faces The Beast at Great Balls of Fire in July.

Four other titles will be on the line Sunday, so the chances of seeing belts change hands are high. Let's take a look at some of the top matches and make a few predictions.

Alexa Bliss vs. Bayley (Kendo Stick on a Pole Match)

With the exception of the This is Your Life segment from the most recent edition of Raw, Alexa Bliss has been one of the brightest spots in the women's division.

Bayley is popular, but Bliss is on a different level when it comes to her promos. She perfectly captures the personality of a mean girl who is too smart for her own good.

Whenever a stipulation involves putting an object on a pole, the odds of seeing a good match go way down, but Bayley and Bliss are both competent performers, so they could make it work.

The Hugger will win the title again at some point, but it won't be at Extreme Rules. Little Miss Bliss will walk away with her reign intact.

Prediction: Alexa Bliss retains.

The Hardy Boyz vs. Cesaro and Sheamus (Tag Titles Cage Match)

The feud between The Hardy Boyz and the team of Cesaro and Sheamus has been going strong since WrestleMania, when the brothers returned and won the Raw Tag Team Championships.

Cesaro and Sheamus' subsequent heel turn has made them interesting again, but they have come up short against Matt and Jeff Hardy more than once.

If they don't win the titles this time, they will move to the back of the line. The Hardys don't need more than a two-month run with the belts, so the best possible outcome is a win for the European powerhouses.

The cage match stipulation doesn't necessarily give anyone a perceived advantage, but as long as ladders aren't involved, all four men are on equal ground, both literally and figuratively. 

Prediction: Cesaro and Sheamus win the titles.

The Miz vs. Dean Ambrose (Intercontinental Championship)

Dean Ambrose and The Miz have had many encounters for the Intercontinental Championship, and the reason WWE keeps going back to this particular well is because they work so well together.

The Miz may be a cheater, but you have to admire how much value he puts on the IC title. He makes it seem like the most important belt in the world, which is exactly how it should be.

The stipulation in this match is if Ambrose gets disqualified, he will lose the belt. This gives The A-Lister a big advantage.

All he has to do is get Maryse or Elias Samson to interfere and he becomes a seven-time champion. It's an easy way to put the belt back on The Miz without having Ambrose suffer a real loss.

Prediction: The Miz wins the title by DQ.

Fatal 5-Way No. 1 Contender's Match

The Universal Championship may not be on the line at Extreme Rules, but we will see five men fight for the right to challenge Brock Lesnar for that title at Great Balls of Fire.

Roman Reigns, Finn Balor, Samoa Joe, Bray Wyatt and Seth Rollins are all reasonable challengers for The Beast, making this main event harder to predict than usual. 

Reigns, Balor, Wyatt and Rollins are all former champions, but Joe has yet to hold a title on the main roster. He has won gold everywhere he has wrestled, so it's just a matter of time before he has a belt around his waist.

In addition to benefitting the most from a victory, Joe should win because he would make the best opponent for Lesnar. He is one of the few competitors who is as intense as The Beast, and his style would mesh well with the stiff strikes and suplexes Lesnar likes to employ.

Balor is the only other Superstar who hasn't faced the universal champion yet, but their size difference would make it difficult to book The Demon to win in a convincing way.

Prediction: Samoa Joe wins.