WWE Extreme Rules 2015: Daniel Bryan vs. Bad News Barrett Will Steal the Show

Featuring the aftermath of WrestleMania, WWE Extreme Rules is often an underrated event, having hosted a number of classic contests over the years that have not received their due recognition.

Of the all the matches already confirmed for the card and those that will likely be added, Daniel Bryan vs. Bad News Barrett for the Intercontinental Championship will be the bout to steal the show.

At WrestleMania 31, Bryan trumped six other competitors in a Ladder match to win the intercontinental title from Barrett. Although Barrett later claimed in an exclusive interview with WWE.com that Bryan's win was a "fluke," the former WWE world heavyweight champion has proved otherwise in recent weeks.

With WWE's renewed emphasis on the midcard championships, Bryan holding the intercontinental title has brought prestige and honor back to the belt. From Dolph Ziggler to Sheamus, he's taken on all comers since The Show of Shows and will continue to do so for as long as his reign lasts.

Likewise, Barrett could have been a successful champion had he not lost every non-title match he was involved in, doing damage to both his credibility and that of the strap. The British brawler is no stranger to start-and-stop pushes, having had the ball dropped on him on multiple occasions over the course of his career.

Despite the bad booking of Barrett since the start of the year, there's no denying the talent he possesses inside the squared circle, and he'll look to showcase his skills in his match against Bryan at Extreme Rules.

The bad blood between Bryan and Barrett dates back much further than WrestleMania. The two have been at odds since they came into WWE together as part of the inaugural season of NXT five years ago, specifically after Barrett exiled Bryan from The Nexus shortly following the group's debut.

In the summer of 2011, they feuded over Bryan's Money in the Bank briefcase, culminating in a great match at SummerSlam that saw Barrett emerge victorious.

Tapping into that history would make their current rivalry over the intercontinental title feel much more meaningful and personal.

Their one-off outing at the biggest event of the summer that year was among the night's best bouts: It was well-wrestled, told a solid story and showed what both young up-and-comers were capable of.

However, the only thing it suffered from was the crowd not being invested in anything they did. This was due to their feud never being given the chance to develop on TV, which hopefully won't be the case this time around.

Although Bryan and Barrett were kept off the April 6 edition of Raw, there's still enough time for them to put heat on their rivalry. With both being exceptional talkers, there's no reason why a segment on the flagship show can't be dedicated to them hyping their upcoming encounter.

If WWE is serious about making that title mean something again, the first steps must be taken at Extreme Rules with Bryan and Barrett having a match for the ages. It's not a matter of whether they can; rather, it's if they'll be given the chance to do so.

Traditionally, every match on the Extreme Rules card is contested under hardcore rules. It hasn't been that way in the last few years, but an added stipulation can make Barrett vs. Bryan all the more special.

Whether it be a No Holds Barred match or 2-out-of-3 Falls contest, you can expect the NXT alumni to shine in whatever type of match they end up competing in. As two of the very best this business has to offer right now, their hard-hitting, aggressive in-ring styles will result in them having the match of the night come April 26.

Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, is a journalism major at Endicott College. Visit his website at Next Era Wrestling and "like" his official Facebook page to continue the conversation on all things wrestling.

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