WWE Extreme Rules 2016: Match Card, Potential Spoilers, Predictions and More

The hokey will exist side-by-side with havoc at WWE Extreme Rules 2016.

Roman Reigns and AJ Styles' collision over the WWE World Heavyweight Championship will provide the pay-per-view with its most intense matchup, one that celebrates the event's theme of throwing out the rulebook for the night. Elsewhere, though, Dean Ambrose will battle in a cage where a potted plant and a mop await his usage. 

Extreme Rules' history has seen the event live up to its violent reputation at times but often lean more toward a subdued version of hardcore wrestling.

Both those extremes will be at play on Sunday night. A time-traveling, cereal-praising team will be on the same card as a foreign monster who has promised to eat the champion's heart from his chest in an interview with Michael Cole on WWE.com. 

There will certainly be some high-quality matches on the PPV, but the build to those bouts hasn't been tremendous. As Jim Ross wrote on his blog, Extreme Rules, "doesn't appear to have a significant 'buzz' going into the event."

Reigns, Styles, Ambrose, Charlotte and others certainly have the skill to overcome that. After all, each of those wrestlers is coming off a strong showing at Payback, a PPV that blew expectations out of the water.

News, Potential Spoilers

Keep an eye on AJ Styles' ankle. The Phenomenal One has been hampered by the injury of late, and it's apparently not yet 100 percent. It's bothered him enough to miss last week's house shows, and he is now set to sit on the bench again:

Mike Johnson of PWInsider reported, "AJ Styles has been pulled from this weekend's WWE live events in order to allow him to continue to rest his ankle injury."

Win or lose on Sunday, it looks like Styles will be continuing his partnership with Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson. Since that duo's arrival, there has been speculation about them turning on Styles and perhaps having Finn Balor take over as leader. Don't count on that happening at Extreme Rules.

PWInsider's Steven Fernandes noted, "The current advertised dark match main event for Raw on May 30 is John Cena and Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose vs. AJ Styles and Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson." 

On Monday's Raw, Rusev wrenched Kalisto backward in the Accolade:

WWE then played up the attack  WWE.com's James Wortman announced that Kalisto suffered strained intercostal and erectus spinae muscles on Monday. Wortman added, "Despite his injuries, Kalisto is still planning on defending his U.S. title against The Super Athlete this Sunday."

This looks to be a kayfabe injury all the way, but it could offer a peek into the storyline set to unfold on Sunday. WWE could be looking to increase drama by having Kalisto fight through this scripted injuries to retain the title.

The feud over the U.S. title looks like it will continue beyond this PPV, too. Wrestling Observer Newsletter mentioned (h/t Wrestle Zone) that WWE may be looking for a female to pair with Kalisto to set up a mixed tag match against Lana and Rusev.

That may have Lana play a big role at Extreme Rules to help set up that angle.

Match Card

• Dolph Ziggler vs. Baron Corbin (No Disqualification)
• The Usos vs. Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson (Tornado Tag)
• Dean Ambrose vs. Chris Jericho (Asylum Match)
• The Miz vs. Cesaro vs. Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn (Intercontinental Championship)
• Kalisto vs. Rusev (United States Championship)
• Charlotte vs. Natalya (Submission Match for Women's Championship; Ric Flair banned)
• The New Day vs. The Vaudevillains (Tag Team Championship)
• Roman Reigns vs. AJ Styles (Extreme Rules Match for WWE World Heavyweight Championship)

Quick Predictions

• Corbin over Ziggler.
• Gallows and Anderson over The Usos.
• Ambrose over Jericho.
• The Miz retains.
• Rusev over Kalisto.
• Charlotte over Natalya.
• New Day over Vaudevillains.
• Reigns over Styles.

Corbin Gets Revenge

The Lone Wolf suffering an upset at Payback was surprising enough. It will be shocking if WWE has Corbin lose to Ziggler two times in a row. Talk about killing a guy's momentum in a hurry.

It makes more sense to have an angry Corbin overwhelm Ziggler, taking full advantage of the lax rules of this matchup.

This is poised to be a showcase of Corbin's villainy and destructive power. He is the newcomer in need of a strong showing. Not giving him the victory here would be a head-scratcher.

The Club Gets Kick-Started

Gallows and Anderson's PPV debut will end with them celebrating a victory.

WWE cannot have them fall to The Usos again. That would be a guaranteed way to have the audience lose interest in this duo early on, leaving the crowd convinced they are pawns, not predators.

This will instead be the match that announces Gallows and Anderson's arrival. Expect them to create a number of lasting images by flinging The Usos through the security barricade and leaving the twins hurting.

Ambrose's Home-Field Advantage

This feud has the makings of one that could elevate Ambrose in a major way. Should he follow his Payback win with one inside a match of his own creation, notching two straight wins over a future Hall of Famer, plenty of momentum will come his way.

Bleacher Report's Dan Pecoraro believes that this match will catapult Ambrose:

That has to come with a win. Why have The Lunatic Fringe craft his own playground, only to have him fall victim to it? The more logical move is for him to whip Jericho silly with a variety of weapons.

If WWE avoids this getting too goofy with the use of items like a mop and bucket, this has a great chance of being the night's best offering.

The Miz Hangs On Again

This is a tough bout to call. WWE hasn't focused on particular challenger more than any other. Zayn, Cesaro and Owens all have about the same momentum at this point.

As fun as it would be to have The King of Swing or The Underdog from the Underground be the next IC champ, the safe bet is on WWE delaying that title change. Should The Miz escape here, his eventual defeat becomes even more powerful. 

Count on Cesaro and company getting extremely close to victory, only to have Maryse be the champ's savior. WWE can then transition into having Zayn and The Miz have a feud alone or perhaps resume Cesaro's chase for the gold. 

With SummerSlam not too far away, Owens may have a bigger rivalry ahead with Brock Lesnar, Randy Orton and Seth Rollins all expected to return before long.

Rusev Regains His Prize

The Kalisto injury angle could be WWE's way of having The King of Flight attach an asterisk to his loss. Should his bad back prove his downfall here, the company then has a built-in rematch storyline with Kalisto desperate to recapture his title once he's healthy.

Since leaving The League of Nations, Rusev has looked like his old self. He's angry, violent and most importantly, compelling again. 

Putting the crown on him would further this reclamation project, working to get him to where he was before WrestleMania 31. Having Lana at his side gives The Bulgarian Brute one more way to score the win here. It will likely be tainted, but Rusev will claim victory at Extreme Rules.

Charlotte Proves Herself 

The women's title bout won't derive its entertainment value with the result. It's expected that Charlotte will retain.

Her feuding with Sasha Banks or Stephanie McMahon moving forward is the kind of story worthy of the marquee.

Natalya has felt like a transitional challenger from the beginning. She is here to put Charlotte over, to make her look like a stronger champion. And that will happen when the champ retains without her father's help and gets the most decisive win of this rivalry thus far.

The folks at Busted Open Radio believe that this match could be special:

Judging by these two wrestlers' chemistry in the past, that's a good bet. The submission stipulation will add to its intrigue, as well. 

New Day, Same Result

The New Day is still the star of the tag team division. Big E and crew are carrying this feud with The Vaudevillains.

WWE has to realize that it's too early to make Simon Gotch and Aiden English champs. The heels just haven't developed a strong connection to the fans yet.

Credit: WWE.com

Instead, look for The New Day to retain and to start mixing it up with Enzo Amore and Colin Cassady once the former returns from injury. That's a big-time matchup with lots of potential electricity. The New Day dropping the titles now robs the WWE fanbase of that feud being one built around the tag titles. 

Reigns Rolls On

Reigns taking on Cena or a rematch with Lesnar is a perfect fit for SummerSlam. For that reason alone, fans should expect The Big Dog to walk out of Extreme Rules still champion.

WWE has put so much effort into building Reigns over the past two years that a long run as champion is inevitable. 

As for Styles, he will still be a high-profile start after this, but likely not in the main event. With Cena, Rollins, Orton and Lesnar on their way back, he will get bumped down a few slots.

So enjoy Styles closing out PPVs while you can. He's a tremendous performer and has hit home run after home run, but this feud has been about showcasing Reigns. The Phenomenal One will do his job here, helping Reigns look tremendous. Then it's off to a new storyline.

The Extreme Rules stipulation all but assures Gallows, Anderson and The Usos will get involved. But after all the chaos, Reigns will still be holding tight to the championship. That's a sight fans are going to have to get used to in 2016.