This year, between a Wyatt Swamp Fight and an Eye For an Eye match wherein the objective is to literally extract an eyeball from your opponent’s skull, Extreme Rules has been appropriately dubbed “The Horror Show”. In addition to these grisly contests, multiple titles are on the line, including the WWE Championship in a match type to be announced later.
The Horror Show at Extreme Rules goes down on Sunday, July 19 at 7pm ET, but you can get a head start on it by checking out the full card and our predictions below:
Apollo Crews (c) vs. MVP (United States Championship)
WWE
Shane: This is one of those heart vs. head predictions. I’m super happy that Apollo Crews has finally gotten some time in the limelight as US Champ, but I can’t help but find what Bobby Lashley and MVP are currently doing to be one of the most entertaining things on WWE television that isn’t featuring a female performer. The fact I’m saying this in 2020 still surprises me. I’m going with MVP here to further the stable-building program we seem to be getting.
Winner: And NEW (still?) United States Champion, MVP
Jason: Man, even as a champion, Apollo Crews can’t get off the pre-show. I may be in the minority here, but I hate the new US Title design, so a part of me is hoping that Apollo wins then chucks the MVP’s gaudy nonsense in the trash. I’m still going with Crews because The Hurt Business is a vehicle for Lashley, not MVP. As such, if someone’s winning a title, it’s Bobbo. The only way this tips the other way is if Cedric Alexander flips to the dark side and joins the Hurt Business. I think that’ll happen, just not on Sunday.
Winner: Apollo Crews
Jay: Apollo. Everything about the angle points to a coronation event for Apollo Crews. Whether it be the standard babyface overcoming adversity or the part where he gets the shiny new belt.
Winner: Apollo Crews
Asuka (c) vs. Sasha Banks (Raw Women’s Championship)
WWE
Shane: I really want Asuka to go on a tear as Raw Women’s Champion, but the possibility of Sasha Banks and Bayley going into their SummerSlam match both as singles champions and Tag Team Champions is almost too good to ignore. That has money written all over it.
Winner: And NEW Raw Women’s Champion, Sasha Banks
Jason: Feels like Shane’s working himself with that prediction. I think it’s far more likely that the Golden Role Models head into the biggest event of the summer with only Bayley’s title on the line. For one, there have already been too many double champions in 2020, for another they’ve already set the stage for Kairi vs. Asuka. I expect Bayley to somehow cost Banks the belt, building toward their braggadocious brawl. The only way I see Sasha winning is if Bayley also loses, but I don’t see them shipping the two remaining Horsewomen off of the newly rechristened A-show.
Winner: Asuka
Jay: Asuka. They’ve done the double champion thing so much in the past two years and Bayley and Banks have enough build-up that the feud is more personal than it is about belts. Alternatively, them holding all the belts going into SummerSlam and then colliding does have a Mega Powers vibe to it but, Raw really needs Asuka to be champion right now. Plus, Bayley can always be like, “Yo, where’s your belt at?”
Winner: Asuka.
Bayley (c) vs. Nikki Cross (SmackDown Women’s Championship)
WWE
Shane: Bayley, no doubt. This program has been at least relatively interesting, much more so than the last time these two were in a program together, but there’s no way that Bayley is dropping the title this close to SummerSlam.
Winner: Bayley
Jason: Yeah, sorry, Nikki. You’re not winning this thing. They’re not about to break up all of the women’s tag teams at once, and we’re clearly headed for Banks/Bayley at some point soon. So hope you like playing second fiddle until they decide to push Bliss as a singles star again. With the exception of the Banks and Bayley, SmackDown really hasn’t built anyone who feels worthy of the title at this point, and it’s a bit of an issue.
Winner: Bayley
Jay: Bayley. We need to get to SummerSlam and Nikki just isn’t ready for the belt.
Winner: Bayley
Rey Mysterio vs. Seth Rollins (Eye for an Eye Match)
WWE
Jay: An enucleation procedure that involves detachment of the rectus muscles, connective fascia, and optic nerve from the eye as it is removed from the orbit (Figure 1). According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, the procedure begins with a conjunctival peritomy which involves making a small incision in the limbus of eye and then separating the conjunctive from the surrounding tenon, the fascia of the eye. The tenon between the four rectus muscles are then dissected away from their attachments to the globe and the rectus muscles are then tagged and fastened via muscle hooks and “double armed sutures.” The sutures – it seems – create an apparatus from which the globe can be maneuvered and all four rectus muscles are severed. Upward traction is provided to allow a curved scissor to be passed to the posterior of the globe to locate and isolate the optic nerve. The optic nerve is then clamped for a period of time before being severed. The globe is then maneuvered to identify the superior and inferior rectus muscles, which are also severed, and any remaining fascia is dissected before, finally, placing upward traction on the globe via the previously placed sutures to remove the globe from the orbit.
Figure 1. Side-view of the eye with demonstration of the rectus muscles and the optic nerve. Source: Wikipedia.
Many questions need to be answered:
- Why the f*ck does WWE think can happen within the confines of a match?
- What are Rey’s and Seth’s qualifications?
- Has this match been sanctioned by the AAO?
- Does the winner or loser pay for the surgery?
- Who will be providing anesthesia for the procedure?
- Are we to assume to that Dominik or Murphy will be the assist on the surgery if Rey Mysterio or Seth Rollins win, respectively?
- Will the loser be allowed to obtain an implant or will they be forced to go on with only one globe?
- Is this a good opportunity for a Dominik heel turn by claiming Rey Mysterio’s eye and proclaiming “Eddie was my real father!”?
This the most absurd angle WWE has ever tried. Vince’s limo exploding, Paul Bearer and the concrete crypt, and “who ran over Stone Cold” were at least tinged with camp and clearly designed for soap opera-esque shock value but, they’re playing this straight. It’s Seth Rollins vs. Rey Mysterio with the theme of night being “Extreme Rules”. The match sells itself and they could have added whatever furniture and chicanery they wanted but they went for this. Thanks, 2020.
Winner: The American Academy of Ophthalmology.
Shane: What Jay said…
Jason: …uh…I’m guessing Seth, so Rey can block out both of the eyes on his mask? Jeez. Somehow looking at the science of it all makes it a little grosser. As a pronounced fan of Lucha Underground, however, I’m really looking forward to whatever special effect they will be using to produce this mess. I hope they go all Giallo on it like in Zombi. Just one step closer to my dream of the late Luccio Fulci directing a wrestling match.
Winner: Seth Rollins
Drew McIntyre (c) vs. Dolph Ziggler (WWE Championship; stipulation TBD)
WWE
Shane: I know this isn’t entirely Drew’s fault, but his WWE Championship reign hasn’t been hitting the heights I was hoping it would. The fact that we have Dolph Ziggler in a WWE Championship match just doesn’t feel right… The two Superstars have done well with what they have been given, I just, ugh, don’t care.
Winner: Drew McIntyre
Jason: Pffft. Really?
Winner: Drew McIntyre
Jay: Seriously?
Winner: Drew McIntyre
Braun Strowman vs. Bray Wyatt (Wyatt Swamp Fight)
WWE
Shane: If this is half as fun as the Firefly Fun House Match at WrestleMania we’re in for a good time. Maybe my expectations for this match are too high, but I’m expecting this to be my “match” of the night. Braun will win here to further the “Three Faces of Wyatt” thing going on where we will more than likely see Braun Strowman vs. The Fiend at SummerSlam.
Winner: Braun Strowman
Jason: From the Compound fight with the New Day, to the House of Horrors match, I’ve enjoyed the often silly attempts to make Bray’s swampy brand of magic spooky. That being said, I’m a little worried that Braun is too serious a character to really be the butt of a joke like Cena was in the Firefly Fun House Match, and cult Bray is a less comedic character than his smilier counterpart. Braun’s gonna win so they can do Fiend/Braun, and I feel like it’s probably going to be a bit of a letdown.
Winner: Braun Strowman
Jay: Braun. The most genius thing about Bray Wyatt’s current incarnation(s) is that he has perfected the ability to lose. “The Eater of Worlds” failed, despite universal fan acclaim for the character, because Wyatt lost feud after feud after feud for five years. Furthermore, Bray realizes that he must lose as a heel from time to time but likely does not want “The Fiend” to suffer the same fate as his prior incarnation. So what does he do? Make his other personas cannon fodder. No damage is done to “The Fiend” if either the Firefly Fun House or cult leader versions of his character get beaten because they are not The Fiend. Plus, WWE as a whole is in a holding pattern right now with a need to build up Braun as the top face until Roman Reigns returns. Thus, Braun will beat Wyatt in, uh, whatever the hell this is going to be until he gets his inevitable showdown with The Fiend.
Winner: Braun Strowman
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