WWE Extreme Rules: Five Probable Outcomes of the WWE Title Match

Another Sunday, another WWE pay per view.  This time it is Extreme Rules, and the main event is a steel cage match featuring WWE Champion The Miz, defending against John Morrison and John Cena.

This is an interesting match for me, particularly because of the last-minute addition of Morrison into the equation.  It heightens the drama that already existed between Cena and Miz, and leads to many questions.

Why was the change made?  Is it because R-Truth is not considered main-event material?  If so, then why was he replaced with Morrison?  This guy has never lived up to his supposed potential, and always seems to be coming up short.

So many questions, so few apparent answers.  But, that will not stop us from analyzing.  We're pro wrestling fans, it's what we do.

I see five possible outcomes of this match, leading in five different directions.  Will any of them materialize?  Will this analysis be like all the rest, or stand apart in its power to predict?

There I go with the questions again.  Best to just get this thing started.

Miz Retains the Title

Despite running a gimmick very close to Chris Jericho's when he was crowned the first-ever Undisputed Champion, Miz is still riding high with the WWE Title.

He won the feud with Randy Orton, and has, thus far, survived John Cena.

But will that change on Sunday?

Miz is a good worker, no doubt, but when it comes to being "the guy," I am not sure he quite fills the role.  Just because he is the Champ, does not necessarily mean he is the right man for the job.

However, WWE seems committed to Miz, and his ability to hold the gold, so there is every possibility that he will go over on Sunday. 

This victory would fuel his character's ego to the hilt, as he could then say that he overcame the odds in a ridiculously uneven match that never should have happened in the first place.

Miz is a WWE creation from head to toe, and is the type of worker that Vince McMahon seemingly loves to put at the top.  He is, at least for now, exactly what WWE is looking for.

Retaining the WWE Championship at Extreme Rules is not only likely for Miz, it's extremely likely.

Really.

John Morrison Wins the WWE Title

Stop me if you've heard this one.

A tag team guy, full of charisma and talent, becomes a singles wrestler, and is poised on the brink of main event status, ready to take the business by the throat, and turn WWE upside down.

Yeah, that was Shawn Michaels, not so much John Morrison.

Before anyone sends death threats my way, let me say that I do like John.  I am not exactly sure why he is consistently given a glimpse of the top, only to be pushed back down again.  But, it seems to keep happening to him.

Much like his former tag team partner Miz, Morrison is also a product of the WWE machine, a guy who epitomizes everything that company looks for in a top Superstar.  Yet, we as fans constantly find ourselves debating the how and why he is no higher on the WWE food chain.

Think about it, back at WrestleMania, this guy was in a silly mixed tag match with a chubby reality star who has a dog's name, and now he's in a pay-per-view main event working for the WWE Championship.

To quote Keenan Ivory Wayans from Hollywood Shuffle, "now, we talkin' bout makin' it!"

But, it could happen.  We as fans always need to remember that this is Vince McMahon's baby we're talking about here.  The way we see the business is not always the way he sees it. 

So, yes, John Morrison going over for the WWE Championship on Sunday makes no sense.  And it makes perfect sense.

R-Truth Screws It All Up

This has to be an exciting time for R-Truth.

Over the past three weeks, Truth has gone from the point of irrelevancy to being in a featured angle on RAW and enjoying a controversial heel turn in the process.

I have to say, I for one am happy for Truth.  The first time I saw him was years ago, in Charlotte, in a dark match before RAW. 

He was then K-Kwik, and the only reason he got a pop was the fact that he was a hometown guy.

Then the bell rang and Truth proceeded to bring the house down.

He easily had one of the most athletic matches of the night, and when he got the pin, fans jumped to their feet and applauded his dynamic ability.

Through the years I have enjoyed watching him evolve, but when he came back to WWE from TNA, I was bracing myself for the worst.

After all, this is not the days of The Monday Night War, when WCW guys would come aboard and be given every opportunity to succeed.  Truth had become a TNA guy, and TNA guys are given nothing in WWE.

My fears were validated in a sense, as Truth became merely a shining happy moment of the program.  Smiling, rapping, dancing, giving the fans a fun loving baby face to rally behind, all the way to mediocrity.

Now, however, Truth finally seems to be getting his due in WWE.  The heel turn, for me, is very well done, and now the question is, why would anyone expect him to sit idly by while the WWE Title match goes on without him?

If Truth does indeed interfere, I would suspect that it would not be just to spoil Morrison's chance at the gold, but to perhaps take out Cena as well.  If that happens, Truth will see another evolution in his WWE career, this time, as a main event player.

And that's the truth.

John Cena Becomes WWE Champion

It's going to happen again sooner or later.

John Cena is over.  Period.  Love him or loathe him, he is the guy in WWE and he is so over it's ridiculous.  He does not need to be Champ for this to be the case, the belt has merely become an option for him at this point.

Having said that, I believe that every minute spent that John's waist is bare is a minute too long for Vince McMahon.  So, yes, it's only a matter of time until he gets the strap back.

Will it be on Sunday?  Very possible.  Of all the potential match outcomes, this is the only one that is very predictable and not surprising in the least.  It is a safe choice.

But, is it the right choice? 

WWE is all about moving ahead, prepping the next generation to carry the company into the future.  This is the only way they continue to grow, the only way they can guarantee their existence beyond today. 

With that being said, why give Cena the title back?  Miz is young, he represents the future, Cena can get the belt back at anytime and be a guaranteed draw, that's why he is there after all.

So, if Cena does not go over on Sunday, will it be because Miz squeaks out a victory, or because Morrison is in the right place at the right time to get the pin? 

Or, there is always the third option, and the last probable outcome of this match...

The Rock Prevents Cena from Winning

Last time we saw these two guys they were shaking hands in a mutual agreement to work the main event of WrestleMania 28 next year.

Who says that pro wrestling can't feel real and spontaneous?

I mean, seriously, booking a main event an entire year away?  Unreal.  If nothing else, WWE has generated fan buzz, got people talking, and that is never a bad thing.

But setting it up this early also means that you have to occasionally deal with it, to keep the idea fresh in the minds of the fans.

One way to do this, is for Rock to actually show up, which is what will happen on RAW the night after the pay per view.

Will he open the program with that goofy smile on his face, happy that he cost Cena the WWE Championship for a second time?

At this point, Rock is one up on Cena, so technically, Cena is the one who should get a shot in, probably on Monday Night.

But, again, this is WWE, this is pay per view, and Rock could very well be in attendance that night, to spoil Cena's attempt at once more becoming Champion.

Let's face it, if Rock were still a full time wrestler, these two would be having an epic feud right now.  As it stands, WWE has to find a way to keep their heat going for the next 11 months.  It is a tall order.  Will it work?

Extreme Rules may be the night we find out.