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The Horror Show At Extreme Rules is finally here. It has been an interesting few weeks since WWE's last PPV. Backlash was built around The Greatest Wrestling Match Ever between Edge and Randy Orton. The hype for that PPV was centered around one match. Every other contest took the backseat. However, with this Sunday's Extreme Rules, WWE has taken a different route.
The event formerly just known as just "Extreme Rules" has taken on a card which will feature a number of unique stipulation matches. A lot of these stipulations seem like they will be presented in the cinematic style. This only feeds in to "The Horror Show" moniker.
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With a diverse card of different match types, the buildup to the event and matches has been quite a roller coaster. In this article, we will be ranking the build to each match on The Horror Show At Extreme Rules card.
#6 Drew McIntyre vs Dolph Ziggler for the WWE Championship (Dolph chooses the stipulation)
Long before Extreme Rules was 'The Horror Show', Drew McIntyre returned to the WWE main roster by aligning himself with Dolph Ziggler. The two men accomplished a lot with them winning the RAW Tag Team Championships. Following his Backlash victory over Bobby Lashley, the WWE Champion was challenged by Dolph Ziggler for Extreme Rules.
Ziggler has used his former relationship with the champion to get in McIntyre's head. These mind games led to Drew giving Ziggler the opportunity to choose the stipulation for their match at Extreme Rules. To further the mind games, Dolph has kept his choice a secret before the pay-per-view.
There is no intrigue in this contest at The Horror Show At Extreme Rules. For a WWE Championship main event, there should be something more for the fans to grab on to. The story relies heavily on a partnership, which just ended without a story in the first place.
There is also no mystery in the outcome of this match. We all know Drew is going to win. This follows a similar pattern to the last couple of years. Dolph gets his annual summer push to lose when he gets the title shot. The predictability here ranks this as the least interesting build. The only question now is what will be the stipulation? My guess is either a TLC or a "No Claymore" match.
#5 Bayley vs Nikki Cross for the SmackDown Women's Championship
Going into The Horror Show At Extreme Rules, Bayley is on the roll of her career. Her partnership with Sasha Banks has been one of the highlights of WWE programming for weeks. Their ongoing story has been featured on all three brands without getting stale to fans. This is very rare in WWE nowadays.
Bayley's recent run might confuse you on why the build to her match at Extreme Rules against Nikki Cross is so low on our ranking. The reason is that Nikki Cross has been more or less a supporting actress in this feud.
Nikki has had some fired-up promos as well as strong in-ring performances, but there isn't much to her feud with Bayley. It was not until the go-home show to Extreme Rules with a backstage conversation with Alexa that Nikki had an opportunity to say what winning on Sunday truly means to her.
Besides that one scene, the story heading into The Horror Show at Extreme Rules seems to be leaning more towards the RAW Women's Championship match rather than this match. I have no doubt that both Bayley and Nikki will exceed expectations to have a very good match at the PPV.
#4 Apollo Crews vs MVP for the WWE United States Championship
This match's buildup to Extreme Rules has been more about a partnership and the introduction of a new title design. The new United States Championship has been a huge talking point since its debut a few weeks ago. The title needed a redesign and the fresh coat of paint has put a new focus on the US gold.
The partnership between MVP and Bobby Lashley has been one of the most interesting and entertaining parts of Monday Night RAW. Their rivalry with Apollo Crews was progressing nicely prior to Crews being taken out by the two. With the absence of Crews, the feud has had Cedric Alexander and Ricochet working as a proxy for Apollo. This has left the build to Extreme Rules extremely lacking.
Although MVP and Bobby Lashley have been entertaining in their roles, Apollo Crews has been missing from the storyline buildup. When one person in any feud is missing for a few weeks time, it leaves the rivalry stagnant. The introduction of the new US Title has been the only significant development ahead of The Horror Show At Extreme Rules. This is why this build ranks right here.
#3 Braun Strowman vs Bray Wyatt in a Wyatt Swamp Fight
The Universal Championship rivalries ahead of Extreme Rules have been weird, to say the least. Well, to be fair, the Universal Title scene in 2020 has been completely off the rails.
Following his victory at Wrestlemania 36 over Goldberg, Braun Strowman has found himself in the line of fire of Bray Wyatt. Bray has targeted the Monster Among Men, using their past in the Wyatt family to get inside the head of Braun.
The mind games have been presented in a much better way compared to our WWE Title feud at The Horror Show At Extreme Rules. The alliance between Bray and Braun was much stronger as well since Wyatt introduced Strowman to the WWE Universe.
Braun defeated Bray at Money In The Bank following which, Bray took some time off, which led to Braun feuding with The Miz and John Morrison. Upon his return, Wyatt revealed that he had revived the dead, bringing back his former Eater of Worlds persona. From there, Braun told the story of Bray at the swamp, which had led to our Wyatt Swamp Fight at Extreme Rules.
The character work of Bray going back to his old character as well as Braun breaking down mentally has elevated this feud. Both characters are expressing their mind state very well. This is the feud that brings the "Horror" to Extreme Rules. This cinematic match should be a memorable one, and the finish will let us know where this goes from here.
#2 Seth Rollins vs Rey Mysterio in an Eye For An Eye Match
In one of the most ridiculous stipulations in WWE Extreme Rules history, Seth Rollins vs Rey Mysterio will be an Eye For An Eye Match. In a feud with the longest build to it, this special match at Extreme Rules will also be of the cinematic style. The build has been quite the wild ride.
This feud started the night after Money In The Bank. At the PPV, Seth Rollins lost his WWE Title match against Drew McIntyre. Distraught despite the news of his pregnant significant other, Seth teamed with Murphy to face Rey Mysterio and Humberto Carillo. In this match, Rollins snapped, pushing Mysterio's eye into the steel steps. Ahead of what would become The Horror Show, Seth used "Extreme Rules" to sacrifice Rey.
From there, both men have carried a lot of this story through their words. The promo work of both Mysterio and Rollins have elevated this match in regards to the rest of the Extreme Rules card. We have had so many other participants involved in this story as well. We have seen Kevin Owens, Murphy, Aleister Black, Humberto Carrillo, Austin Theory and Rey's son, Dominik, in this Extreme Rules feud. This has allowed the story to remain intriguing throughout the weeks.
Although the stipulation of trying to remove your opponent's eye is very silly, it should not overshadow the work everyone has put into this rivalry. The Eye For An Eye stipulation has only allowed more talk and buzz surrounding this match. Sometimes WWE knows what they are doing with these weird tag lines.
#1 Asuka vs Sasha Banks for the Raw Women's Championship
Excitement has been high since Sasha Banks challenged Asuka for Extreme Rules. Sasha and Asuka are two of WWE's best in-ring performers and characters. With only one match so far, this was a fresh match that elevated the entire Extreme Rules card.
As mentioned earlier, the partnership between Sasha and Bayley has been riding high on all WWE TV shows. The company has used the pair's status as WWE Tag Team Champions on all three programs to push both of their title matches at Extreme Rules more. We have even been able to see more of Asuka with appearances on both NXT and Smackdown to move this rivalry forward.
The bulk of this feud has been the strong promo and character work of Banks (along with Bayley) as well as good to great in-ring performances by both women. So many fans have this pegged as the must-watch match at Extreme Rules. The other highlight to this has been Sasha Banks rediscovering herself as one of the best in the business.
There is no special stipulation here, and the outcome does not seem too much in doubt. However with those things said, there is no denying that this has been the best build of any match on the card at The Horror Show At Extreme Rules. Asuka and Sasha have a lot to live up to, but with two incredible performers, we have very little to worry about.
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