5 Worst booking decisions WWE could realistically make at Extreme Rules 2018

The 2018 Extreme Rules pay-per-view is almost upon us, which means it’s time to take our monthly look at the worst booking decisions WWE could realistically make at the event.

Last month, we mentioned before Money In The Bank that it would be a bad call if WWE decided to have Carmella retain her SmackDown Women’s Championship against Asuka, while we weren’t entirely convinced that Shinsuke Nakamura should lose yet another WWE title match.

However, in fairness to WWE, the circumstances of both outcomes – Carmella winning thanks to James Ellsworth and Nakamura losing via a Last Man Standing stipulation – weren’t as bad in execution as they seemed beforehand on paper, and MITB ended up being one of the best PPVs of 2018 so far.

So, with another stacked 12-match card set for this Sunday, with featured matches including Roman Reigns vs. Bobby Lashley and AJ Styles vs. Rusev, what unpopular outcomes and moments might we see on the one night of the year where WWE goes ‘extreme’?

Let’s run through five possible booking decisions that might upset some fans in Pittsburgh.

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#5 Kane turns against Daniel Bryan

Kane and Daniel Bryan recently reunited

One of the top feel-good WWE moments of the year took place at the end of SmackDown Live in June when Kane made his return to reunite with Daniel Bryan and help him in his battle against The Bludgeon Brothers.

The Team Hell No members have been at their dysfunctional best (or worst, depending on how you view it) since reforming, leading many fans to predict that “The Big Red Machine” will turn against his tag partner to prevent them from winning the SmackDown Tag Team Championships on Sunday.

Right now, three months on from Bryan’s return, it’s great to see him back competing again no matter where he is on the card, but there surely has to come a time when WWE elevates him from his current position and propels him back to the top of the card in main-event storylines.

If Kane turns against him at Extreme Rules, that would inevitably lead to another mid-card storyline for D-Bry over the next few weeks, which would only further delay his feud with The Miz and his return to the WWE Championship picture.

#4 The Deleters of Worlds squash The B-Team

Sunday is The B-Team's chance to shine

We mentioned in our Extreme Rules last-minute predictions article that, despite 2018 being a horrible year for tag teams, The Deleters of Worlds vs. The B-Team is already the Tag Team Rivalry of the Year so far – and the two teams haven’t even faced each other yet.

In all honesty, Bo Dallas and Curtis Axel don’t seem like credible winners of the Raw Tag Team Championships, but it would still be nice for the revitalised duo to be given a decent amount of PPV match time when they take on Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt this Sunday.

The former Miztourage members rarely get opportunities to perform at PPV events, especially in title matches, so let’s hope this match lasts at least 10 minutes.

#3 Shinsuke Nakamura wins the United States title

Shinsuke Nakamura is yet to hold a main-roster title

Shinsuke Nakamura has become one of WWE’s best characters since his heel turn against AJ Styles at WrestleMania 34, but is now really the right time for him to win the United States Championship?

The former NXT champion’s feud with Jeff Hardy has had very little storyline build-up, largely due to injuries to both men, and it feels like this match has the least amount of hype surrounding it heading into Extreme Rules.

Eventually, “The King of Strong Style” is definitely the right man to take the US Championship from Jeff. However, it would feel like a much bigger deal if the title change happened a few weeks down the line, either on an episode of SmackDown Live or at SummerSlam, when more people are invested in the storyline.

#2 Finn Balor vs. Baron Corbin goes longer than 10 minutes

This match has little-to-nothing riding on it

The majority of WWE fans seem happy with the new co-branded pay-per-view format. The one big negative, however, is that shows now last a lot longer than they really need to, with some PPVs exceeding four hours (excluding the one-hour kickoff show).

Going into Extreme Rules, it’s clear from one glance at the card that the least exciting match scheduled for the show is Finn Balor vs. Baron Corbin, with no stipulation added to it and nothing on the line except bragging rights for the next episode of Raw.

With 12 matches to watch on Sunday, including another Raw match that is guaranteed to last 30 minutes (Dolph Ziggler vs. Seth Rollins), WWE would be wise to give Balor vs. Corbin the least amount of time on the PPV.

#1 Roman Reigns defeats Bobby Lashley

This match could headline the pay-per-view

As things stand, it looks like Brock Lesnar will defend his Universal Championship for the first time in four months at SummerSlam, with the winner of Roman Reigns vs. Bobby Lashley likely to challenge “The Beast” in August.

Looking back at the last three WWE pay-per-views (WrestleMania 34, Backlash and Money In The Bank), every match involving Reigns has been hijacked by the crowd, most notably the WrestleMania 34 main event against Lesnar.

If the two do battle again at SummerSlam, almost certainly in the main event, it would only lead to more backlash from fans. Instead, it would be nice to see Lashley get the win on Sunday in what is unofficially a #1 contender match to find out who will challenge for the Universal Championship next.