WWE: A Preview to Extreme Rules

Every year, the WWE superstars venture into the land of extreme, as on this particular night, there are no disqualifications, no count-outs, no banned moves. In short, there is no stopping anyone’s evil intentions. On this night, a head-splitting chair shot is as legal as a side headlock, and the referee is there just to declare the winner. Every match carries a different stipulation, and the biggest prizes in the business are up for grabs. With that in mind, let us take a look at what the night has in store for us:

John Cena vs The Miz vs John Morrison (WWE Championship Triple Threat Steel Cage Match):

WrestleMania XXVII will be known forever in WWE history for the biggest anti-climax to a WWE championship match, as the guest host, The Rock, ended John Cena’s title dreams with a huge Rock-Bottom. However, the very next night, another moment of history was created, as the main event for next year’s ‘Mania was declared a year beforehand. Cena will face The Rock, and Cena has guaranteed that the biggest match in history will be for the biggest prize in the company, and that is the WWE Championship.

But in order to keep his promise, Cena must do what he has never been able to do before, and that is to beat The Miz for the WWE Championship. The self-proclaimed ‘most must-see champion in history’ has managed to defy all challengers to his title reign, and will surely have a bag of tricks up his sleeve. Also, the match will take place inside a demonic steel cage, where there is ample scope for brutality, and that just makes the Miz an even more dangerous opponent.

Add to the mix the Shaman of Sexy, John Morrison. WWE’s proverbial ‘Dark Horse’ has shown us over the past few years that he has got the talent, the skills and the heart of a true champion, but has always fallen short of cashing in on the big occasions. Could this be his night to finally get to the top?

Alberto Del Rio vs Christian (Ladder Match for the World Heavywweight Championship):

A month ago on SmackDown, World Heavyweight Champion Edge dropped a bombshell, announcing his retirement from the ring. Apart from causing a wave of emotions all across the WWE Universe, he had to vacate the World Heavyweight title. And as a result of a couple of #1 Contender’s matches on SmackDown, Del Rio will face Edge’s best friend, Christian in a match that Edge and Christian helped make famous, the ladder match.

These two men have an intense hatred for each other, starting last year when Del Rio broke Christian’s arm and put him on the shelf for months. Christian would later repay in kind by playing a decisive role in Edge’s WrestleMania victory over Del Rio. The Mexican Matador feels that it is his destiny to win the World Heavyweight Championship, while a lot people in the WWE Universe believe that Christian has been preparing for this moment his entire career. These two just loathe each other, and would like nothing better than dish out the beating of a lifetime on the other, and given the brutal history of the ladder match, they are going to get plenty of opportunities to fulfill their wishes.

Randy Orton vs CM Punk (Last Man Standing Match):

In what might be the last chapter in one of the most storied rivalries of the year, The WWE’s Apex Predator, Randy Orton faces the Straight-Edge Superstar CM Punk in a match designed for the twisted mind. The two will face of in a Last Man Standing match, where the only way to win is to incapacitate your opponent so that he cannot get up on his feet to answer a 10-count.

Over the past few months, Punk and Orton have been on a constant game of one-upmanship. It all started way back at Unforgiven 2008, where Orton cost Punk his World heavyweight championship. Not one to forgive and forget, the Second City saviour along with the new Nexus took away Orton’s chances of winning the WWE Championship at the Royal Rumble this year. The rivalry was mostly dominated by the Viper, who took out all of the Nexus and holds two solid wins over Punk, including one at WrestleMania XXVII. But now that the Nexus is back, and the match does not exactly honour the concept of fair play, this might just be Punk’s moment to finish off his rival once and for all. Who will come out on top? We will find out at Extreme Rules.

Rey Mysterio vs Cody Rhodes (Falls Count Anywhere match):

The intense rivalry between the Human Highlight Reel and the ‘Dashing’ One keeps getting more and more physical with every passing day. Rhodes avenged Mysterio’s ‘evil distortion’ of his face with a controversial victory at WrestleMania. But Cody will not feel vindicated until he ‘makes Mysterio’s face an evil contortion which even his children would be horrified to look at’. As these two fought out among the audience in London, Teddy Long set up a Falls Count Anywhere match, where the two combatants can fight it out anywhere: at ringside, among the crowd, in the parking lot and even outside the arena in the streets!

With Rey Mysterio getting drafted to Raw, this might be Rhodes’s last chance at getting his revenge. And no one in his right mind will count out Rey, who would like nothing else more than shutting up his opponent once and for all. When these two come to a head at Extreme Rules, sparks are bound to fly.

Jerry Lawler and Jim Ross vs Michael Cole and Jack Swagger (Country Whipping match):

In a match that nobody in the world, let alone the WWE Universe, would have foreseen a few months ago, the legendary tag team of Hall of Famer ring announcers Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler and ‘Good Old’ Jim Ross team up to try and finally shut up the Raw GM’s unofficial spokesman and the self-proclaimed ‘Voice of WWE’-Michael Cole. Cole will team up with his trainer, the All-American American Jack Swagger to instill his dominance at the announce table. Lawler and Cole have been at loggerheads for weeks, and Cole even has a victory over The King at WrestleMania.

As far as the rules are concerned, each team will be armed with a leather strap to use on their opponents, and the only way to win is through pinfall or submission. This match would be a fitting end to the long and unprecedented tension prevailing among the WWE announcers, and might finally bring some order at commentary.