WWE Extreme Rules 2017: Best and Worst Outcomes for Each Star in Fatal 5-Way
The battlefield will be awash with opportunities in the Fatal 5-Way match at WWE Extreme Rules 2017.
Not only will five Superstars be fighting for the right to face Brock Lesnar for the Universal Championship, but the clash is also a chance for characters to shift, for feuds to be born and for warriors to impress in defeat. Victory will come in many forms at Sunday's pay-per-view.
For Bray Wyatt, Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns, Finn Balor and Samoa Joe, expectations in this contest vary.
The dark horses' best outcomes include creating a good number of violent images at Extreme Rules. For the favorites, becoming No. 1 contender, displaying dominance and changing the audience's perception of them are up for grabs.
Read on for a look at what each Superstar can best hope for and should be wary of experiencing come Sunday.
Bray Wyatt
1 of 5
Worst-Case Scenario
If someone else wins on Sunday, that's one thing, but if the match's final image is of Bray Wyatt on his back, taking the pin, he'll have a steeper hill to climb coming out of Extreme Rules.
The knock on Wyatt has long been that he's all talk. He rants about being an immortal, only to look quite human once the bell rings.
Being the fall guy in the Fatal 5-Way match would add to that perception.
Best-Case Scenario
Wyatt is the longest shot of anyone in the field. WWE has never been consistent with pushing him. A matchup with Lesnar feels like a pipe dream.
The Eater of Worlds' more realistic hope is that something intriguing comes of the contest.
Wyatt could find he likes kicking folks in the ribs alongside Samoa Joe and form a tag team with him in the near future. That would make for a compelling pair of bruisers who could rule the tag division.
Either that or he finds himself in the midst of a feud with Joe or Finn Balor. If he can't take on Lesnar, he could at least be a part of a high-profile feud with someone on the rise.
Seth Rollins
2 of 5
Worst-Case Scenario
Seth Rollins tearing up his knee again would be crushing.
Every Superstar involved in the Fatal 5-Way match wants to avoid injury. But no one else has had Rollins' bumpy road. After ripping his ACL and MCL in 2015, he missed WrestleMania and fought hard to rehab his bad wheel. He suffered an injury to the same knee earlier this year but was able to recover in time for The Show of Shows.
If he were to get hurt again, WWE would likely lose major confidence in him. He'd likely have a tough time earning his spot in the main event scene again.
Best-Case Scenario
Victory would be great for Rollins, but direction is just as important.
His feud with Joe hasn't yet hit its high notes. This match could be the key to igniting it, leaving both men at the center of a stirring rivalry that could last through the summer.
Or perhaps a dramatic loss that sees him inches away from winning the whole thing serves as a catalyst for what's ahead. An angrier, more focused Rollins would be a welcome improvement over the status quo.
Roman Reigns
3 of 5
Worst-Case Scenario
Roman Reigns is the only person in the match for whom a win on Sunday constitutes a letdown.
Reigns vs. Lesnar II is too big of a match for a PPV like Great Balls of Fire. That's at the very least a SummerSlam showdown but more likely a WrestleMania main event.
If WWE decides to let Reigns take his shot at The Beast Incarnate at an event with zero prestige and history, it would be a sign the company has chosen a new top dog.
Best-Case Scenario
Reigns is better off losing but being protected. His defeat should have a larger asterisk next to it. Perhaps he gets thrown through table as two other guys pin each other or is taken out by somebody's goons.
More important than the result, though, is the state of his character.
The best thing for him in Baltimore would be to emerge as a heel. He's long needed a change in his persona, shifting to a cocky, merciless predator rather than the underwhelming antihero he plays now.
Extreme Rules is the latest prime chance for him to go that route.
Finn Balor
4 of 5
Worst-Case Scenario
With as much discussion as there is about Finn Balor's perceived lack of threat to Lesnar because of his size, the last thing he needs is to be made to look like the weakest of the group in this Fatal 5-Way match.
If Wyatt steamrolls him, Joe stomps on him and Reigns manhandles him, it will be harder to sell him as competition to the heavyweights in the future. He can't be thrown around too much. He can't luck into a win.
Win or lose, we need to see Balor kick some ass. If he spends the majority of the contest receiving punishment instead, he'll leave Baltimore with less momentum than he had going in.
Best-Case Scenario
Balor's best bet is to be an absolute badass. If he sprints around the ring, dropkicking his foes on their backs and sending guys crashing through tables, he can be the talk of the match regardless of the result.
A win on Sunday would obviously be huge for Balor, setting up the Universal Championship rematch he never received. In that bout with Lesnar, he'd only need to push the champ to have it be considered a success.
Short of earning a shot at The Beast Incarnate, Balor's optimal result at Extreme Rules would involve the formation of the Balor Club. Should he drop the match to Reigns but have Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson join him in a post-match beatdown of The Big Dog, all the headlines would center on him and his crew.
Samoa Joe
5 of 5
Worst-Case Scenario
Samoa Joe could easily become the match's forgotten man.
He's the only wrestler in the field who hasn't won a world title with WWE. He's only been on Raw since January. It's not hard to imagine WWE deciding to focus more on Reigns, Balor and Rollins, leaving The Destroyer to be a nonfactor.
He doesn't need to win Sunday's bout, but if he's pushed into the background and not a part of the match's key moments, it will be an especially stinging defeat.
Best-Case Scenario
Joe's best hope is WWE decides to go bold and take a chance on him. A victory at Extreme Rules would propel him toward Great Balls of Fire for the biggest match of his life.
The Samoan Submission Machine is fresh off beating Balor and Wyatt. He has defeated Reigns and Chris Jericho. But he only has one PPV win to his name.
Should the company script for him to choke out Reigns on Sunday and become the No. 1 contender, Joe would shoot up the Raw rankings and immediately look like a monster worth fearing.
.jpg?w=600 "WWE Raw Results & Grades 🔠")
