WWE Rumors & Spoilers: Possible ‘Extreme Rules’ Match Card Revealed, Major WWE Champion Not In Any Matches?
When the WWE Extreme Rules pay-per-view arrives next month, fans may not see one of the major champions participating. The annual event features matches contested under “extreme rules” which doesn’t always mean blood is spilled but can sometimes set up some interesting title bouts or just entertaining grudge matches. With the recent WWE rumors that are arriving out, it’s looking like this pay-per-view could include most of the champions from the Raw roster in action, but one noticeably missing from the lineup. Here’s the latest on the potential WWE Extreme Rules match card, as well as who not to expect in any of the matches.
As reported by Top Rope Press today, WWE fans shouldn’t expect to see Brock Lensar at Extreme Rules 2017. The current WWE Universal Champion is being held off events until the new Great Balls of Fire pay-per-view and SummerSlam. It may not be surprising to many fans who know of the way Lesnar is booked and works, as he’s generally not a “fighting champion” who is seen each week on Raw. That’s certainly proving true lately, as he appeared in a segment that had him calling out Roman Reigns for a future match, and then had Braun Strowman get in his face suggesting a possible battle between them down the road.
Speaking of battles, the rumors are that since there’s no WWE Universal Championship match, Reigns and Strowman will go one-on-one in the main event for Extreme Rules. The two have now worked several pay-per-view events including last month’s Payback where once again an ambulance came into play. After Braun had defeated Reigns, he continued to do damage to the leader of the Roman Empire, leading to internal injuries. That led to a backstage attempt by Braun to rush at Reigns near the back of an ambulance and knock one of the back doors off. From there, Reigns hit Strowman repeatedly with the only door left on the back, and then the two went their separate ways.
Since it’s a PPV with “extreme rules,” one has to think that these two will have some sort of special match to finish off their feud, if that’s where WWE is headed. Possibilities include a Street Fight, Last Man Standing, “I Quit” Match or even the Ambulance match. The latter of these seems to be the most obvious choice, but not everything WWE does is always obvious. Bray Wyatt and Dean Ambrose competed in one of the more recent ambulance matches on Raw back in 2015. Reigns and Strowman have put on some entertaining matches, and with a special stipulation in place, it’s possible they’ll do something like this at June’s event.
So who else might have matches for Extreme Rules 2017? Current speculation is suggesting that other bouts would include Finn Balor vs. Bray Wyatt and Seth Rollins vs. Samoa Joe. These four superstars have been working in matches with one another at live events recently, whether it is a tag team bout or one-on-one. In particular, Rollins and Joe put on one of the top-rated matches for last month’s PPV so they could certainly give the fans another entertaining one. It’s also been mentioned based on the ongoing storyline that The Miz will challenge Dean Ambrose for the Intercontinental Title. One has to believe there will be a Raw Women’s title match as well as the Cruiserweight title defended on the card.
Extreme Rules 2017 Card (Speculative):
- Roman Reigns vs. Braun Strowman (main event)
- Seth Rollins vs. Samoa Joe
- Finn Balor vs. Bray Wyatt
- The Miz vs. Dean Ambrose for IC title
- Bayley vs. Alexa Bliss for Raw Women’s title
- Austin Aries vs. Neville for Cruiserweight title
As of right now, the match card listed above is pure speculation. WWE could very well decide to make a Triple Threat, Fatal Fourway, or another type of match for the women’s and Cruiserweight championships. Sasha Banks has been lingering around the title picture with Bayley and Alexa Bliss. However, it seems WWE is saving a one-on-one between her and Bayley for later on. There’s also been that ongoing storyline involving Neville manipulating TJ Perkins to help him with Austin Aries so it’s possible somehow Perkins could sneak into a Triple Threat situation as Fansided writer Rob Wolkenbrod is predicting for the PPV.
As a refresher, last year’s edition of this PPV featured World Heavyweight Champion Roman Reigns defeating AJ Styles in an “Extreme Rules” match. Dean Ambrose was also on the card as was The Miz, who at the time defended his Intercontinental Championship in a Fatal Fourway against Cesaro, Kevin Owens, and Sami Zayn. Two of those stars are now on SmackDown Live. Basically, fans will have a new lineup to look forward to. The 2017 edition of Extreme Rules arrives in Baltimore, Maryland at Royal Farms Arena on Sunday, June 4th.
WWE fans, what matches would you book for this year’s Extreme Rules pay-per-view if you were in charge? What should the stipulation be for Roman Reigns vs. Braun Strowman in what could be the final chapter in their feud?
[Featured Image by WWE]
