WWE Extreme Rules 2016: Odds, Final Picks and Predictions for All Matches
The most intense rivalries in World Wrestling Entertainment will culminate at Extreme Rules on Sunday night, when the biggest sports-entertainment empire in the world presents its most hardcore event of the year, and we have all of the final predictions and odds (courtesy Odds Shark) for the biggest matches on the card.
Roman Reigns will defend the WWE World Heavyweight Championship against AJ Styles in one of 2016's most anticipated matches. With the hatred that has developed between them and the certain interference from The Usos and The Club, it promises to be a contest befitting of the chaotic nature of the show.
Chris Jericho and Dean Ambrose will bring their feud to a close in the first Asylum match in WWE history. Will The Lunatic Fringe run the asylum or will Y2J strengthen his Hall of Fame credentials with another pay-per-view victory?
Also on tap for Sunday's show are defenses of the United States, Intercontinental and Tag Team Championships, as well as a Submission match for the women's title.
Who will leave victorious, entering the summer months of WWE riding a wave of momentum as the company rolls out its New Era?
Take a look for yourself.
Odds available for WWE World Heavyweight, United States, Women's and Tag Team Championship and Asylum matches only.
No Disqualification Match: Dolph Ziggler vs. Baron Corbin
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Dolph Ziggler and Baron Corbin's feud began the night after WrestleMania 32, when The Lone Wolf left the former world heavyweight champion lying in a heap. Since then, they have traded victories back and forth, including The Showoff's surprise win at Payback earlier this month.
Sunday night, they will bring their vendetta to a conclusion in a No Disqualification match as part of the Extreme Rules pre-show.
There is plenty of reason to expect that the match will be a fun one, especially taking into consideration the in-ring chemistry the two have displayed to this point. Factor in the hardcore stipulation, and the likelihood that the match impresses increases exponentially.
While Ziggler's win at Payback was somewhat predictable if one pays close attention to the way WWE Creative tends to tell stories, the outcome at Extreme Rules is as predictable as it gets.
Prediction: Baron Corbin
Ziggler is a phenomenal performer, but this one is all about putting Corbin over strong so he can move on to whatever it is the writing staff has planned for him next.
United States Championship Match: Kalisto (19-10) vs. Rusev (10-27)
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United States champion Kalisto has made a name for himself by beating Superstars he has no business toppling. First it was Alberto Del Rio, the former international sensation he defeated to win the title. Then there was Ryback, the punishing Big Guy who was once considered the next big thing in professional wrestling.
Sunday night, he will face arguably his greatest test to date when he battles Rusev in his latest championship defense.
The Bulgarian Brute assaulted the masked luchador on the May 16 episode of Raw, leaving him lying in the center of the ring after an Accolade that threatened to bend him in half. The champion will be looking to avenge the beating, but will he be able to overcome the unstoppable force that awaits him at Extreme Rules?
Prediction: Rusev
WWE Creative patterns would suggest that, since Rusev was the last man standing Monday night, Kalisto would score the upset win at the pay-per-view. With John Cena returning to programming and the potential for him to regain the United States Championship and reintroduce the open challenges that were so critically acclaimed, expect Rusev to pick up the win and title before reprising the feud with his familiar foe on Memorial Day.
WWE Tag Team Title Match: The New Day (5-19) vs. The Vaudevillains (13-5)
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The Vaudevillains made their WWE debuts on the first SmackDown after WrestleMania 32, and while they got off to a bumpy start due to crowd apathy, the manly duo has rebounded nicely thanks to strong booking, even stronger mic work and a freak accident suffered by Enzo Amore, which they have been able to play up.
Aiden English and Simon Gotch scored victories over Goldust and Fandango and The Usos before winning the No. 1 Contendership from the aforementioned Amore and Big Cass, as the injury necessitated a forfeit on the part of the babyfaces.
WWE tag team champions The New Day has taken its top contenders lightly, poking fun at their gimmick and even creating a time machine that they used on the May 16 episode of Raw to further mock the tandem. The group found out, though, that English and Gotch are not ones to take laughs at their expense lightly. They attacked the champions and left the fun-loving trio lying.
Now, the former NXT tag titleholders will look to pad their resumes with what they hope is the first of many reigns in the WWE Universe.
Prediction: The New Day
English and Gotch may be on a bit of a role, but this one is all New Day. Kofi Kingston, Big E and Xavier Woods are still incredibly over, and sacrificing their historic run as champions just to put the final touches on a Vaudevillain push would be a mistake.
Fatal 4-Way Match for the Intercontinental Championship
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At WWE Payback, the intense personal issues between Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens bled over into the Intercontinental Championship match between Cesaro and The Miz, costing the Swiss Superstar an opportunity to win one of the titles that has eluded him throughout his WWE career.
Since that night, the four Superstars have been intertwined in a rivalry over the championship that will culminate in a Fatal 4-Way match at Extreme Rules.
Each competitor has been left standing tall, the championship in their possession in a preview of what could happen Sunday night.
With so many talented wrestlers, the likelihood that the match exceeds expectations is high. But which of the competitors emerges with the title is the mystery surrounding this one.
Prediction: The Miz
There is too much mileage in The Miz as champion at this point. Taking the title off of him eliminates some of the aura surrounding his character. Furthermore, it creates a championship reign for Zayn, Owens or Cesaro that does nothing to help any of those three Superstars, all of whom are considered bigger stars who do not need the title to confirm their credibilities.
Tag Team Tornado Match: The Usos vs. The Club
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Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson began their WWE runs by assaulting The Usos, leaving the former tag team champions lying. Known collectively as The Club, the dangerous duo has dominated the one-sided feud, picking up at least one impressive victory over the brothers while getting the better of them courtesy of chair shots on a recent episode of SmackDown.
But Jimmy and Jey have not spent the entire month as punching bags for the New Japan Pro Wrestling exports. They have gotten their fair share of offense in, most notably at Payback, where they prevented their rivals from interfering in the WWE World Heavyweight Championship match between AJ Styles and Roman Reigns.
The brawls that have dominated WWE programming have led to Sunday's Tag Team Tornado match.
Prediction: Gallows and Anderson
The Club is in need of that one defining victory, and a pay-per-view win over former tag team champions like The Usos is one such win.
Asylum Match: Dean Ambrose (5-13) vs. Chris Jericho (9-5)
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The feud between Chris Jericho and Dean Ambrose may be lackluster, but Sunday night, they bring their differences to a satisfying conclusion in the first Asylum match in WWE history.
A steel cage filled with weapons will be the setting for their final showdown, a match that has every opportunity to steal the show.
The latest chapter of Jericho and Ambrose's feud was written when the former lost to The Lunatic Fringe at Payback and then followed that defeat by smashing a potted plant over the head of his rival. Ambrose responded by ripping apart one of Y2J's $15,000 light-up jackets.
Hardly the strong emphasis for a feud in 2016, it was all WWE Creative needed to justify one more high-profile grudge match between the two. Only time and Sunday's performances will determine whether the feud deserved the brand new specialty match.
Prediction: Dean Ambrose
As great as Chris Jericho has been as the obnoxious heel, he does not need this win the same way Ambrose does. One of the biggest complaints about The Lunatic Fringe is his losing record in high-profile bouts. No matter how popular he is or how many times he takes advantage of the opportunities given to him, he cannot seem to pick up those wins that catapult him to the next level of stardom.
It is unlikely that a victory in Sunday's match will net him that sort of push, but it will halt the criticisms over his lack of big-match wins, and for now, that will do.
Submission Match for the Women's Championship: Natalya (24-5) vs. Charlotte (5-42)
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At Payback, Charlotte once again benefited from her father's influence, as referee Charles Robinson, an admitted lifelong fan of Ric Flair, made a controversial call to ring the bell despite the fact that Natalya never actually submitted in the grasps of the women's champion.
Sunday night, Flair's presence will not be felt at ringside, as Charlotte is forced to go it alone, defending the women's title against The Queen of Harts in a Submission match.
The Superstars have a history of producing outstanding wrestling matches. The psychology is typically strong, the technical aspect of the matches is solid and the crowds are hot for the display of athleticism and storytelling unfolding before their eyes.
That should once again be the case in Newark, New Jersey, as Natalya competes in what is the most important match of her career. The question is whether she nets her second championship or Charlotte proves her greatness without daddy by her side.
Prediction: Charlotte
As much as the story sets up Natalya's triumph, there is no way Charlotte loses Sunday night unless the plan is to win the title right back on Raw or at the next pay-per-view event. Why hot-shot the title like that when WWE Creative has done such an extraordinary job of booking Charlotte as champion?
The second-generation competitor wins here and continues her march toward greatness.
Extreme Rules Match for the WWE Title: Roman Reign (2-21) vs. AJ Styles (11-2)
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At WWE Payback, AJ Styles was moments away from capturing the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, but he fell just short of capturing the title that would have solidified his career. Roman Reigns was lucky to have escaped with his championship that night, especially given how many times the match was restarted to give fans an appropriate ending.
That will be unnecessary Sunday night at Extreme Rules, as the competitors battle in the match the event was named after, a wild and chaotic bout that will likely exceed the near-classic from earlier this month.
Reigns and Styles have seen their rivalry intensify in recent weeks, especially with the inclusion of The Usos and The Club. The determination of Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson to bring out of their friend a more extreme edge has also made for compelling television.
The most anticipated match on the entire card, Reigns vs. Styles is a main event in every sense, and potential exists for this to be the best match of the year to this point.
Prediction: Roman Reigns
As extraordinary as Styles has been to this point and as many expectations as he has overcome, this is Reigns' match to win. He is not dropping the title yet, especially since so much work was put into getting him into position to be the top dog in WWE.
Expect a match that once again proves Reigns' worth as a main event performer and one that culminates with a Superman Punch and Spear, much to the delight of fans across the Internet.
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