AJ Styles and Roman Reigns will once again face off for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. But this time, the rules are extreme.
Which makes sense since they’re wrestling at Extreme Rules.
WWE’s annual pay-per-view Extreme Rules takes place at 6 p.m. Sunday at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. It airs live on the WWE Network.
Here’s a look at our predictions for the event:
Preshow card
Dolph Ziggler vs. Baron Corbin
No disqualification match
Who should win: Corbin.The Lone Wolf should come out victorious against Ziggler to win his first feud on the main roster. It feels like Ziggler’s been a stepping stone for NXT call-ups, especially after his battles with Tyler Breeze. Hopefully this will lead both wrestlers into better storylines for the future.
Who will win: Corbin.
Main card
The Usos vs. The Club (Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows)
Tornado tag match
Who should win: The Club. This feud between The Club (with AJ Styles) and The Bloodline (with Roman Reigns) has been entertaining. It has made the Usos relevant again, but Anderson and Gallows deserve a stronger push. They need this win more in order to establish themselves as a force to be reckoned with.
Who will win: The Club.
Kalisto (c) vs. Rusev
WWE United States Championship
Who should win: Rusev. Kalisto’s reign as champion has been inconspicuous. His latest reign has run since the Royal Rumble on Jan. 24, but with little story, the title has become an afterthought. Give Rusev a second run with the belt. He’s been an unstoppable monster since The League of Nations dissolved. It’ll give the belt some credibility again.
Who will win: Kalisto. It feels like the WWE is doing the David vs. Goliath story with the diminutive luchador. As much I want the other outcome, Kalisto will probably come out victorious.
Dean Ambrose vs. Chris Jericho
Asylum match
Who should win: Ambrose. The Lunatic Fringe needs to build momentum again. After being a main part of the WWE’s world heavyweight title picture for the better part of the last year, Ambrose’s one-sided loss to Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 32 stifled his push. True, he beat Jericho at Payback and the WWE loves its rubber matches, but this needs to go in Ambrose’s favor. And c’mon, it’s a match named after his shortlived talk show, the “Ambrose Asylum.” He has to win it, right?
Who will win: Ambrose.
Charlotte (c) vs. Natalya
Submission match
WWE Women’s Championship
Who should win: Charlotte. Their match at Payback felt like a rehash of their May 2014 NXT match with a touch of the added. It was a strange ending. Hopefully this time around, it’ll be better. I’m still banking on Charlotte to get the win and set up a feud with someone to lead into August’s SummerSlam. Sasha Banks, perhaps?
Who will win: Charlotte.
The Miz (c) vs. Kevin Owens vs. Cesaro vs. Sami Zayn
Fatal 4-way match
WWE Intercontinental Championship
Who should win: Cesaro. All four wrestlers are deserving of a run with the title, but it seems long overdue for Cesaro — he hasn’t held a singles title since 2013 when was the US champ. The Swiss Superman is supremely entertaining in the ring and would be a fantastic champion for months to come.
Who will win: The Miz. He’s one of the most consistent heels on the roster. He’s arrogant and cocky, and holding onto the title will only accentuate these qualities.
The New Day (c) vs. The Vaudevillains
WWE Tag Team Championship
Who should win: The New Day. The trio has held the title for nearly a year (273 days on Sunday) and own the third-longest reign in the belts’ history, behind Paul London and Brian Kendrick (331), and Carlito and Primo (280). Given how they’ve become the most popular stable in the company, they should enjoy the titles for a while longer. The Vaudevillains have improved greatly since their main roster debut, building themselves up as a legitimate threat — especially after Enzo Amore suffered a legitimate injury during their match at Payback, which resulted in a referee stoppage. But it’s not their time yet.
Who will win: The New Day.
Roman Reigns (c) vs. AJ Styles
Extreme rules match
WWE World Heavyweight Championship
Who should win: Reigns. I admit it, I’ve been on the anti-Reigns train for quite some time. But in this case, the former Georgia Tech football star should remain as champion. The longer he holds on to the title, the more gratifying it is to see someone beat him for it. Styles will get a championship run sometime during his run with the WWE, it just won’t be now. This feud between The Club and The Bloodline should continue, maybe even all the way out to SummerSlam.
Who will win: Reigns.
Joe Nguyen: jnguyen@denverpost.com or
