WWE’s Extreme Rules pay-per-view takes place tonight at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. And while the show is missing a world championship match, there’s still plenty of intrigue as each of the six announced matches have a violent stipulation added in. The biggest will be the Fight Pit, a caged structure previously only seen in NXT, which will feature Matt Riddle vs. Seth Rollins in a match where the only way to win is via submission or knockout. Former UFC Heavyweight Champion Daniel Cormier will serve as the special guest referee.
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The other big mystery heading into the show is who will be revealed as the “White Rabbit.” All of the clues have pointed toward the big reveal take place tonight, and many of them also support the theory that it’s the return of Bray Wyatt.
But how will the return happen? And who walks out the winner of each match? We’ve once again assembled ComicBook’s team of wrestling writers to break down all the big questions and give their predictions!
We’re Supposed to Get Some Sort of White Rabbit Reveal. What Do You Think Happens?
Connor Casey: We’ll get official confirmation that it’s Bray Wyatt, but I’m not expecting him to physically appear in the arena. If it’s just another QR code with more hints, I think fans will be a little disappointed.
Matt Aguilar: I think we at least get a new look at Bray Wyatt and his new character, at least in a video if not in person, but the larger reveal and rollout will likely take place on the following episode of Raw. As for who he comes out against or how he is rolled out during the show, I have no clue haha.
Charlie Ridgely: There’s no doubt at this point that it’s Bray Wyatt, but just how they choose to roll out his return and exactly what his character is remains mysteries. He’ll be there in person but I don’t expect anything physical from him. Fingers crossed he’s actually working with others, that twist could be a lot of fun.
Nick Valdez: I’m thinking just like a quick glimpse on the Titantron or something! Given how long these teases have gone on already, hard to imagine that this is the end of them. Another couple of weeks of more concrete visual teases seems likely.
Tim Adams: Bray Wyatt makes his long-rumored debut. Triple H has been on an aggressive recruiting junket since he officially got control of WWE, bringing back a lot of fan-favorite familiar names. If Braun Strowman can be invited back, I don’t see why Bray Wyatt wouldn’t get a similar offer as well. Hopefully, Bray’s second WWE stint will be more successful than the backend of his last run.
Liv Morgan or Bianca Belair — Who Is More Likely to Drop Their Title?
Connor: I could see a world where both lose, but with Liv it’s more likely. Rousey actually works as a heel and it still seems like Rousey versus a now-babyface Becky Lynch is still the plan for WrestleMania 39 so at some point you have to get the title back on Ronda and now seems like a good time.
Matt: This is kind of difficult because typically I’m not betting against Bianca. Bayley just returned and Damage CTRL already holds some gold though, so it would be odd for their leader to not also have a Title. But then, it would be odd for Bianca to drop the Title at Extreme Rules and not one of the big four events. As for Liv and Ronda, Ronda losing a Title shot flows nicely into her teased bout against Shayna, and Liv’s looked better and better in the underdog Champion role. All this to say I am conflicted haha, so I will go with (flips coin) Bayley winning and Bianca losing the Title.
Nick: It’s tough because while Bianca will likely have less of a chance of losing overall, being a ladder match adds that extra bit of potential. There’s plenty of room for interference of some kind, and it’d be nice for Damage CTRL to have all the titles for a while to really cement them as a faction. As for Liv, it’s the same situation in that these other factors can now make a loss easier. Also, unless she goes full heel with the aggressiveness she’ll take that loss. Liv needs to keep evolving, and a loss here is the perfect way to do it.
Charlie: I’d say Bianca, solely because she’s fighting Bayley, but I think they’ve both got a real shot at dropping those titles this weekend. I agree that Liv should lose to continue building her character, but does it have to be Ronda?
Tim: Liv Morgan has felt like she’s been on borrowed time since her title reign began. My only hesitancy has to do with Ronda Rousey showing up on a weekly basis to defend the title if she were to win. WWE may choose to continue pushing Bayley and her new faction, but Bianca Belair has been so dominant that it’d be a shame to see her lose her title.
Who Wins Inside The Fight Pit?
Connor: I’m thinking Riddle wins, Rollins blames Cormier for the loss, Rollins then wins the United States Championship on Raw and defends it against Cormier in his debut at Crown Jewel.
Matt: Riddle’s already got one of these under his belt, but hard to bet against Rollins. I’ll say Rollins comes out as the winner.
Nick: Just give it to Rollins! The last thing he needs to take a bunch of losses in a new feud after Cody!
Charlie: This feels like a situation where the face finally gets the win, but I don’t want it. Rollins should win this one, bro.
Tim: Matt Riddle would get a huge bump from defeating Seth Rollins in a match best suited for him. Rollins has shown in his feud with Cody Rhodes that he can put over the babyface and still remain a threat at the top of the Raw card.
Should AJ Styles Join The Judgement Day?
Connor: I’m all for it. For as much as we love Styles, he has always performed better as a heel. Plus, adding another former world champion adds even more credibility to the Judgement Day stable, which it still needs considering how often the group loses on pay-per-view. Finally, as a Bullet Club fan, I’ll always support the idea of them finally pairing Styles and Balor together.
Matt: AJ would probably have fun as part of the group, but not going to lie, the pairing doesn’t really do much for me. I would rather him be in the Title picture or doing something else, so I’ll say no.
Nick: Seems kind of boring to do that. AJ’s a lead player, so it’d be odd to put him as the fifth member of a growing faction. It’d be more likely to have someone else show up to help him and Rey Mysterio during all of this.
Charlie: Remember when we thought Judgement Day was going to be a vampire faction? Fun times! Outside of the Rhea “Papi” thing, Judgement Day has gotten old real fast, even if it has put Finn in the spotlight. The group needs to start subtracting, not adding. Let AJ help tear it down.
Tim: Naaahhhhh. If anything, AJ and Finn Balor need to have their own faction instead of doing their best “Ministry of Darkness” impersonation. Plus, we need a good AJ Styles/Finn Balor feud for at least a month or so.
Who Needs the Win More — Drew McIntyre or Karrion Kross
Connor: Given that it’s his first pay-per-view match I feel like Kross needs it. But at the same time I feel McIntyre needs to bounce back in some way after what went down at Clash at the Castle. And if we’re being honest, I’m still not buying Kross’ gimmick. All of the same problems I saw from his NXT run are still there.
Matt: At this point, I don’t think Drew McIntyre ever needs a win. He’s close to Teflon, as fans will cheer for him and get behind him regardless of what his win-loss record is. Kross on the other hand needs to get a big win or two to solidify him as a major threat, so I’m going to say Kross.
Nick: They kind of both do, so this is a tough one. But McIntyre’s pretty much unbreakable in terms of wins and losses, so it’d make more sense for Kross to need the win more. He’s the one getting the build-up right now, and if they want to make up for his last disastrous run with Raw, then Kross needs to come out of this looking like a major contender.
Charlie: Kross needs a big win if they want to build him up as a massive name. Drew could lose for weeks and still be believed as a title contender.
Tim: Drew McIntyre needs the win more, but it’s not like WWE is going to make Karrion Kross look like a chump in his big PPV debut. That was the issue when he was originally called up to the main roster on Raw. Mr. “Tick Tock” will probably use some underhanded method to gain victory over McIntyre, with their feud continuing until McIntyre gets his arm raised by the referee.
Book Me Three Matches for Crown Jewel Besides Reigns vs. Paul
Connor: Rollins vs. Cormier, Usos & Solo Sikoa vs. Brawling Brutes, Johnny Gargano vs. Austin Theory
Matt: Carlito vs Sami Zayn (why? Just because dammit). Hit Row vs Bloodline (Usos and Solo Sikoa), and Alexa Bliss vs Bayley
Nick: I like the Alexa Bliss vs. Bayley idea Matt had so stealing that. As for the other two, Sheamus and Brawling Brutes vs. The Bloodline (Usos and Solo Sikoa), Bobby Lashley vs. Mustafa Ali
Charlie: Santos Escobar vs. Gunther. Dexter Lumis vs. The Miz. Liv Morgan vs. Rhea Ripley.
Tim: Damage CTRL vs. the returning Sasha Banks and Naomi, with Bianca Belair; Braun Strowman winning another battle royale, and Austin Theory vs. Johnny Gargano.
Predictions
Connor:
- Matt Riddle def. Seth Rollins (Fight Pit Match)
- SmackDown Women’s Championship: Ronday Rousey def. Liv Morgan (Extreme Rules Match)
- Raw Women’s Championship: Bayley def. Bianca Belair (Ladder Match)
- Karrion Kross def. Drew McIntyre (Strap Match)
- Edge def. Finn Balor (I Quit Match)
- The Brawling Brutes def. Imperium (Good Old Fashion Donnybrook Match)
Matt:
- Seth Rollins def. Matt Riddle (Fight Pit Match)
- SmackDown Women’s Championship: Liv Morgan def. Ronda Rousey (Extreme Rules Match)
- Raw Women’s Championship: Bayley def. Bianca Belair (Ladder Match)
- Karrion Kross def. Karrion Kross (Strap Match)
- Finn Balor def. Edge (I Quit Match)
- The Brawling Brutes def. Imperium (Good Old Fashion Donnybrook Match)
Nick:
- Seth Rollins def. Matt Riddle (Fight Pit Match)
- SmackDown Women’s Championship: Ronda Rousey def. Liv Morgan (Extreme Rules Match)
- Raw Women’s Championship: Bianca Belair def. Bayley (Ladder Match)
- Karrion Kross def. Drew McIntyre (Strap Match)
- Finn Balor def. Edge (I Quit Match)
- The Brawling Brutes def. Imperium (Good Old Fashion Donnybrook Match)
Charlie:
- Seth Rollins def. Matt Riddle (Fight Pit Match)
- SmackDown Women’s Championship: Liv Morgan def. Ronda Rousey (Extreme Rules Match)
- Raw Women’s Championship: Bayley def. Bianca Belair (Ladder Match)
- Karrion Kross def. Drew McIntyre (Strap Match)
- Edge def. Finn Balor (I Quit Match)
- The Brawling Brutes def. Imperium (Good Old Fashion Donnybrook Match)
Tim:
- Matt Riddle def. Seth Rollins (Fight Pit Match)
- SmackDown Women’s Championship: Ronda Rousey def. Liv Morgan (Extreme Rules Match)
- Raw Women’s Championship: Bianca Belair def. Bayley (Ladder Match)
- Karrion Kross def. Drew McIntyre (Strap Match)
- Finn Balor def. Edge (I Quit Match)
- Imperium def. The Brawling Brutes (Good Old Fashion Donnybrook Match)
- The Brawling Brutes vs. Imperium (Good Old Fashion Donnybrook Match)
