WWE Extreme Rules takes place this Sunday in Ohio. The event is WWE’s first pay-per-view after the SummerSlam blockbuster in August and will set up Saudi Arabia’s Crown Jewel event in October.
The card is not yet complete, but already loaded up with championship bouts, including Roman Reigns defending the universal championship against “The Demon” Finn Balor in an Extreme Rules match. Also, Bianca Belair will have the opportunity to right the wrong of a 26-second SmackDown Women’s Championship loss to Becky Lynch at SummerSlam when the two rematch in one of the night’s other featured bouts.
Let’s take a look at how we believe Extreme Rules will play out this Sunday at 8 p.m. ET (7 p.m. kickoff show) from Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio.
2021 WWE Extreme Rules predictions
Universal Championship — Roman Reigns (c) vs. “The Demon” Finn Balor (Extreme Rules Match)
The return of Balor’s “Demon” persona was a nice moment but if there were any doubt as to who was leaving Extreme Rules as champion, WWE removed it when they announced that Reigns would face Brock Lesnar at Crown Jewel in October. That match is not happening without a title on the line. Balor will have to continue living off of being the first universal champion for a while longer because he’s not getting a second run with the title yet. Pick: Roman Reigns retains the title
SmackDown Women’s Championship — Becky Lynch (c) vs. Bianca Belair
Very few people were happy with how the SummerSlam match between these two women played out. Belair deserved more than she got after her title reign and losing to Lynch in less than 30 seconds was insulting. WWE can’t make that right no matter what happens at Extreme Rules. It seems extremely unlikely that Lynch will lose the title right after returning and turning heel. Unfortunately for Belair, that means eating another pay-per-view loss. Pick: Becky Lynch retains the title
Raw Women’s Championship — Charlotte Flair (c) vs. Alexa Bliss
Love or hate Alexa Bliss’ gimmick, WWE is clearly very committed to it as a big attraction. They have finally pulled the trigger on putting Bliss into a title match and it seems as if there’s any time where WWE would go ahead and put the belt on her, now is that time. There’s still a fair chance Flair holds onto the title, but Bliss winning gives the show a title change and lets WWE see if the Bliss character can work holding the title and a doll. Pick: Alexa Bliss wins the title
United States Championship — Damian Priest (c) vs. Sheamus vs. Jeff Hardy
Hardy’s inclusion in the match doesn’t make a ton of sense, but here we are. Sheamus is getting his rematch with Priest, which is fine since he thrives in matches against other big men. Still, Priest needs more time with the championship much more than Sheamus or Hardy need to win it. Sometimes it really is that simple. Pick: Damian Priest retains the title
SmackDown Tag Team Championship — The Usos (c) vs. The Street Profits
In some ways, The Usos fates are too tied to Reigns for predictions to exclude what a win or loss would mean to the universal champion. The Usos losing could be the start of a situation in which Reigns feels his power slipping away. The Usos winning and The Bloodline remaining strong seems more meaningful with Survivor Series only a few months away. Pick: The Usos retain the titles
Liv Morgan vs. Carmella
Matches don’t get more random than this. Morgan had some issues with Carmella months ago as she tried to fight her way into Money in the Bank, but it wasn’t a rivalry worth revisiting. In fact, their three matches in June lasted less than nine minutes combined. Carmella doesn’t need the win here as much as Morgan does if they’re actually moving Morgan toward being a player. Pick: Liv Morgan wins
