WWE Never Say Never: Will There Be Blood at WWE Extreme Rules?

This Sunday, WWE will roll out Extreme Rules, its first post-WrestleMania pay-per-view. The origin of this franchise was WWE's ill-fated reprisal of Extreme Championship Wrestling. It all started when the One Night Stand pay-per-view did well in 2005, and ECW returned by popular demand the next year.

WWE's in-house version of ECW went against almost everything the brand had once stood for. Corporate partners. Cable television. Accepting WWE paychecks—okay, almost everything it stood for.

Needless to say, WWE's ECW flamed out by 2010. The One Night Stand/Extreme Rules franchise carries with it a format where every top match is competed under "Extreme Rules," or some related gimmick, similar to ECW. As a result, Extreme Rules has always served as the last remnants of a failed comeback.

Still, Extreme Rules boasts an impressive card. It's rife with up-and-coming stars (closer to The Rock when he was with the Nation of Domination than Shawn Michaels when he was a Rocker) in key slots.

WrestleMania XXX was a catalyst for a new era, which has been the case several times in WrestleMania's history. But at Extreme Rules, all the pieces are in places to actually launch the next generation. Still, something will be missing from a pay-per-view that quietly pays homage to ECW's violent culture.

Violence.

By violence, of course, I mainly mean blood. Blood is the great equalizer in professional wrestling. Eternally scrutinized for being predetermined, a bloody wrestler makes it all seem real.

WWE's TV-PG era, which has succeeded in preserving careers, sponsors and family consumers, has since eliminated the use of blood. This all is quite confusing considering WWE's current storylines.

Kane, for example, has reverted back to the Big Red Machine, a character who was introduced to WWE as a charred, psychotic monster.

On last Monday's Raw, Kane attempted to drag Daniel Bryan's bride to the “depths of hell.” Come Sunday, however, none of the personal or supernatural conflicts will (intentionally) involve a drop of blood. This is as silly in the context of an angle as it is sensible in the context of real life.

A Shield victory over Evolution would carry real-life advancement within the WWE hierarchy. The much-anticipated match between Evolution and The Shield has been billed as a war. Besides this Sunday's showdown, the only war that is accustomed to being free of blood is played with cards.

Then there's Bray Wyatt.

One would think the mere thought of blood would be euphoric for the Bray Wyatt character. Heck, the character he is based on (Max Cady of Cape Fear) was a psychotic, attempted murderer.

Tell me you can't picture Wyatt rocking back and fourth in the middle of the ring during a steel cage match, wiping the face of a lacerated John Cena and licking his fingers clean. But that won't happen, either. 

Strangely enough, it will all be for the best.

WWE will not have the option to sell out by using blood, thus forcing its audience to feel something through blatant violence.

A story will have to be told in the ring. Facial expressions and wrestling moves will guide the audience through the match.

The connection between wrestler and fan will be earned. That's as real as wrestling needs to be.

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