411 PPV Roundtable Preview: WWE Extreme Rules 2012

Introduction:

This Sunday, WWE presents their annual PPV where every single match contains a gimmick that can be summed up in a single word: extreme. And thus it’s only fitting that your next PPV offering should be called Extreme Rules, the show where most of wrestling’s basic rules are thrown out the window, or at least modified in some way.

And if the prospect of hardcore matches and the like doesn’t whet your appetite, well, there’s always the big return match at the top of the card, where Brock Lesnar makes his squared circle re-debut after eight years away, as he faces John Cena in an Extreme Rules match. How will Cena fare against the monstrous Lesnar, who has been dominant in so many arenas?

But that’s not all, because the WWE Title will be defended, as CM Punk tries to exorcise his demons as he takes on Chris Jericho in his hometown of Chicago, under Street Fight rules. Plus, Daniel Bryan tries to prove that WrestleMania was a fluke as he exercises his rematch clause against Sheamus and attempts to regain the World Heavyweight title in a Best of 3 Falls match.

With big matches up and down the card, the 411 Staff thought you might like to hear about who they think is going to win at the show. And if you didn’t, why did you start reading this column? But I digress. Let’s see what they think about Extreme Rules.

The Staff

Stephen Randle, The Wrestling News Experience

Colin Rinehart, TNA PPV and Smackdown recapper

Jack Bramma, Ring Crew Reviews

Gavin Napier, Handicapping The News

TJ Hawke , Views From The Hawke’s Nest

James Wright, The Heel Report

Jordan Garretson, Three Up, Three Down

Andy Critchell, OffTheTeam.com

Jericho Ricardi, 411 Games’ Walls of Jericho News Report

Michael Weyer, Shining A Spotlight

Nikki Bella © vs Beth Phoenix – WWE Divas Championship

This match was announced too late for the staff to make any predictions. Given that the assumption is that Nikki only won the belts to transition them to Kharma, assume we all picked Nikki to retain.

Santino Marella © vs The Miz – WWE United States Championship
EXTREME YouTube Pre-Show Match

Stephen Randle: A large part of me is suspicious that they’ll celebrate the return of the “Free televised PPV pre-show match” with a title change, but really, what has Miz done to get a title reign? He wasn’t even on TV last week, or really the week before. Wait, I think I’m convincing myself of the wrong thing.

Winner: The Miz

Colin Rinehart: I’d make the obligatory comment about how far The Miz has fallen, but at this point it’s just overkill. Who knows, maybe they realize this and will give him the US title here, which would atleast be something for him to do instead of nothing, but more than likely I’m seeing Santino getting the win here.

Winner: Santino Marella

Jack Bramma: I think both guys deserve better than this and this match deserves to be on the card above say the Cody-Show match they can’t even be bothered to come up with a stip for before the PPV. But here we are. The WWE seems to have lost interest in the US belt since they put it on Santino and he’s currently working tag matches with Funk and Ryder (the same can be said of the IC belt and Show). Since that’s the case and the WWE usually likes to put their best foot forward on their first attempt at a new thing, they’ll probably put the belt on Miz just to show people that they shouldn’t ignorce the preshow concept just yet even if it just sounds like broadcasting dark matches.

Winner: The Miz

Gavin Napier: The logical thing here would be to have Miz win for multiple reasons. First, a title switch tells people that the YouTube preshows are worth watching. Secondly, Santino is going to be over with or without the title and can wrestle literally any heel on the roster and get the same reactions. Finally, the Miz needs a win come hell or high water. There’s no reason for Miz to lose here.

Winner: Santino

TJ Hawke: I absolutely love the idea of a free pre-show match, and I hope the WWE sticks with this going forward. I don’t know if this is a match that will convince people to fork over $45-50 at the last minute, but I do expect the match to have a hot crowd. I don’t really see the point of Miz holding the US title again, so…

Winner: Santino Marella

James Wright: I’m not sure about this one, certainly the Miz has been on a downwards spiral for the year but I still believe that the company is behind him to at least some degree. I honestly think that whatever happens it doesn’t really matter since the US title has gone back to a state of being tossed around as a meaningless prop, but personally I would like to see the Miz with some gold again so that’s who I’m going for.

Winner: The Miz

Jordan Garretson: I’m somewhat clueless on who to pick here. I could see either man winning the match. Part of me wants to see the belt taken off Santino because he can easily stand alone without it as an entertaining act, and Miz could really use the belt to cure the current drought he’s on. I also think the WWE may want to promote its new idea of the “YouTube Special” match with a title change. But I’m going to stick with my gut here.

Winner: Santino Marella

Andy Critchell: The Miz deserves better than this. I mean, it’s nice that he is getting a PPV payday but he has too much talent to be in this role as a foil for a pure comedy wrestler. As for Santino, he plays his role well but he is starting to become a little too “one note” for my taste. All that aside, I like that WWE is moving in this direction and if even one person decides to buy the PPV based off of their enjoyment of a Youtube match then it was worth doing. The match itself will probably be given a good amount of time, likely much more than if this match were on Raw, and I would not be shocked to see Brodus Clay, Ziggler, and Swagger somehow part of the match shenanigans. If WWE is really planning on making these pre-PPV youtube matches a regular thing they might be tempted to do a title switch but I kinda doubt it.

Winner: Santino

Jericho Ricardi: The descent of The Miz has been a sight to behold. He hasn’t done anything significant in a little while now, and a run with the U.S. Title might be just what he needs. Besides, I have a feeling that Zack Ryder is going to be challenging for the U.S. Title in the near future, and Ryder Vs. Miz would work a lot better as a feud than Ryder Vs. Santino.

Winner: The Miz, after cutting a promo about how disgusting Santino and The Cobra are.

Michael Weyer: Wow, the Miz has fallen far here. A year ago, WWE champ, now stuck for the US title in a poor match like this. I guess we could see him getting the belt to give him a push again as he’s shown he can be a main event heel and Santino is entertaining enough without a title. So Miz gets this and hopefully means built back up again.

Winner and NEW US Champion: The Miz

Randy Orton vs Kane
EXTREME Falls Count Anywhere

Stephen Randle: Let’s see…Kane won the first match, Orton won the second, so it’s the blowoff match. Well, we know how that goes, don’t we?

Winner: Randy Orton

Colin Rinehart: These two actually worked a pretty decent No DQ match a few weeks back on Smackdown so I’m sure this will be at about the same level, maybe better if it gets more time. This feud just does nothing for me though. Orton will get the win if this is the blow-off, which I’m assuming it is.

Winner: Randy Orton

Jack Bramma: They’ve already wrestled twice this year and Kane won at WM and Orton won the tables match, so this is 1-1 and the rubber match is next. However, the victory on the PPV is worth more than a TV match victory, so Orton’s still owed another win in the series. Besides, Orton’s handled his stay in the midcard adequately (even if word backstage is that he’s pissed) and it’s time for his annual title run in a few months. Orton will probably move on to Sheamus leaving Kane one of those hoss feuds with Mark Henry or Big Show, or in a worse version of events, Orton gets Daniel Bryan which will produce good matches but do Bryan no favors and instead Kane will get either Sheamus or Punk which I REALLY hope we can all avoid.

Winner: Randy Orton

Gavin Napier: Well…this is a match. On a pay per view. Maybe this is the one where Randy breaks out of his shell, shows some emotion, loses the monotone voice, and becomes entertaining. Or, maybe it’ll be the one where he suffers another freak injury. I know what my money’s on.

Winner: Randy Orton

TJ Hawke : This feud is a can full of meh. They will work hard, but I assume no one will care. If we are lucky, we’ll get a clean finish with Orton going over.

Winner: Randy Orton

James Wright: With the emerging rumors that Randy Orton will probably be facing Brock Lesnar at Summerslam I would be surprised if they wanted him to lose in his rubber match with Kane. Add to that the fact that Kane almost always comes out on the losing end of any feud he is in and we have a no-brainer here.

Winner: Randy Orton

Jordan Garretson: I see little to no reason why Kane should win this. Kane got his win at WrestleMania, I can’t fathom a scenario in which he beats Orton on two straight pay per views. Also consider that Orton is in the midst of a slide, too, and there’s much more reason for him to win.

Winner: Randy Orton

Andy Critchell: I bitched about this feud quite a bit leading up to WrestleMania so of course I am “rewarded” with it continuing on and becoming even more ridiculous and terrible. And I am a huge Orton fan but this feud is an absolute non-starter for me and has been since day one. I would rather not waste any more of my precious time thinking about this match so I’ll just say that Orton is getting his win back and hopefully both guys can move on to something else.

Winner: Randall K Orton, esq.

Jericho Ricardi: I was surprised when Kane won at Wrestlemania. Time for Orton to get his win back, especially since they seem to be planning big things for him over the next year.

Winner: Randy Orton after an RKO backstage, which the announcers will sell as Extreme

Michael Weyer: Was anyone really begging for this to continue? Anyone? Sure, they’re a good mix in the ring at times but the feud has no real heat and this is doubtful to add more. I’ll give it to Orton as he’s good in these bouts and hope this means the blow-off to this thing at last.

Winner: Randy Orton

The Big Show © vs Cody Rhodes – WWE Intercontinental Championship
EXTREME Stipulation TBD

Stephen Randle: I want TBD! Is that new?

Anyway, can’t help but feel like somehow this stipulation will favour Cody and result in him regaining the title, since I really don’t see who can feud with the Big Show. Don’t say Kane, don’t say Kane, don’t say Kane…

Winner: Cody Rhodes

Colin Rinehart: What a waste of Cody’s talents this entire program and feud has been. Look for more of the same here as I assume Show will pull out the quick victory here over Rhodes. I have no idea what they’re looking to accomplish with the IC title on Show.

Winner: Big Show

Jack Bramma: Just like Santino, Show is currently in one of those makeshift big guy tag teams they throw him in occasionally with Kane or Undertaker. This time though, it’s Khali thus reigniting their classic team up to stop Undertaker in the first ever deadly PUNJABI PRISON match at Great American Bash 2006. While we’re on the tag division, I personally was rooting for Funk and Santino to stick together and win the tag belts as the goofy, unlikely face partners. Anyway, I can’t exactly figure out why they are having a rematch since Show won so decisively and I especially can’t figure out why they’d hotshot the belt back to Rhodes. I’ll take Big Show to retain in a …. (spins wheel to make deal)…. a Coal Miner’s Glove match.

Winner: The Big Show

Gavin Napier: There was no reason for Big Show to win at WrestleMania, there’s no reason for Cody to lose here. You know what that means…

Winner: Big Show

TJ Hawke : I understand why Big Show won at WrestleMania, but he is not the right person to hold the Intercontinental Title. I’m voting with my heart and not my brain…

Winner: Cody Rhodes

James Wright: Alright let’s get serious now, it was great to let Big Show get his WrestleMania moment and it was poetic justice that he managed to beat Rhodes on the grandest stage, but really Show does not need that IC belt one bit. He looks ridiculous with it on him. He’s much better suited to tagging with Khali right now and he doesn’t need the belt for that. Plus having Rhodes lose the belt and then fight to win it back again will further add to its overall prestige, unless the WWE had him drop the title to go into a feud with Sheamus. This looked like the case perhaps at WrestleMania but with Bryan’s rocketing success and Del Rio’s return to the blue brand I think the WWE will want Rhodes to return to his holding pattern as IC champion until the title picture is ready for him.

Winner: Cody Rhodes

Jordan Garretson: Why perpetually make Cody Rhodes look like a punk ass? To make Big Show look good, of course! C’mon, people, why does Big Show need to be put over? Isn’t he eternally over as a product of being a billion feet tall? I was fine with Show getting his “WrestleMania” moment in Miami, but there needs to be a line drawn at some point. The only way a loss is good for Cody here is if it means he’s on to bigger and better things. But it’s hard to believably imagine him in a bigger program fresh off of two straight pay per view losses to Show and multiple TV embarrassments.

Winner: Cody Rhodes

Andy Critchell: Big Show with the IC strap makes zero sense. I hate this feud, it has marginalized Cody and made him look like an afterthought jobber. The worst part of this match is that win or lose, Cody looks worse. If Cody wins then he is IC champ once again, right back to where he started. If he loses then he is caps off a solid month where he has done nothing but get outsmarted by Big Show. Ugh, what a waste of time. I feel like Big Show retains here but it truly doesn’t even matter.

Winner: Big Show

Jericho Ricardi: This feud doesn’t seem to be doing Cody Rhodes any favors. Does anyone honestly believe he could actually beat Big Show? I’d like for Rhodes to win this, but he might be better off if they just mercifully end this feud and move him on to other things.

Winner: The Big Show via punch

Michael Weyer: Show winning at Mania was a surprise as he doesn’t really need the IC belt. Cody was great as the heel champ and should be able to continue here, using whatever stip to get the win. With the stip up in the air, I think I’ll go with Rhodes on this, correct Mania and give him a big win to hopefully elevate the belt a bit more again.

Winner and NEW IC Champion: Cody Rhodes

Sheamus © vs Daniel Bryan – World Heavyweight Championship
EXTREME 2/3 Falls Match

Stephen Randle: Sheamus kind of got bushwhacked unfairly over the whole 18 seconds thing at Mania, so even though we all love Daniel Bryan, I don’t think Sheamus drops the belt here. Also, doesn’t Del Rio get a title shot next? I assume Sheamus-Del Rio is up next, no matter how over Bryan may be. Unless they actually are thinking about turning Bryan…which would be a mistake.

Winner: Sheamus

Colin Rinehart: As badly as I want to believe that the WWE has taken notice of the YES! chant spreading like wildfire and the backlash against Sheamus as champion, I just don’t think they’re going to cut Sheamus’ legs out from under him this early in his first big babyface title run. I assume that they’ll let the two actually work a long and good match this time out though to make up for Bryan’s quick loss at ‘Mania and hopefully put Bryan over strong in the loss still, but you never know. One way or another I see Sheamus leaving with the belt again.

Winner: Sheamus

Jack Bramma: I would love, love, LOVE times a million for Bryan to win this match but he has to be considered a long shot. I wouldn’t even be that surprised if Sheamus squashes him two falls in a row to win in less than 5 minutes at this point, especially if the matches goes on first again like at Mania. The WWE has a way at times of giving a giant middle finger to the fans who cheer for wrestlers the WWE doesn’t want them to. Now while the 18 second squash wasn’t a byproduct of that because Bryan’s through the roof “YES!” chants really started at Mania, the even quicker dark match squash in England WAS an effect of that. Here’s hoping the WWE can just put that aside and let Bryan help Sheamus by putting him over in a fantastic 15-20 minute match that both are capable of having that will ultimately help both of them get over more.

Winner: Sheamus

Gavin Napier: I like Sheamus as champ. Don’t get me wrong, I like Daniel Bryan, too. I just think that ultimately building towards Bryan vs Punk at WrestleMania is best for everyone, and Sheamus can keep the title while that happens. They already have his next feud set by moving Alberto del Rio over, which should carry us through June. By that point, Cody may have moved up enough to be a viable challenger at Summerslam. There’s also Ziggler, Kane, and Mark Henry. For Bryan, there’s Sheamus, and there’s…um…yep. At this point, the Great White simply provides more options.

Winner: Sheamus

TJ Hawke : If these guys have 15-25 minutes, I’m pretty confident that they can have a fantastic match. The match will have to be structured well obviously for it to happen, but I have faith that the WWE will get out of their way for this match. I also expect the Chicago crowd to hate Sheamus, which is unfortunate for him. There are going to be a lot of “YES!” cheers during this match.

Winner: Sheamus

James Wright: if it weren’t for the building ‘Yes!’ chants this one would be cut and dry. Sheamus is clearly their man of the moment and the guy that they want all the fans to get behind. However at this point it is clear that it isn’t exactly happening and just like Sheamus’s WWE title reigns he just isn’t all that memorable as being the champion for some reason. Still though this is the WWE and if at first they don’t succeed, proceed blindly with the original plan until you’ve alienated half the fan base. So while it probably shouldn’t go down this way…

Winner: Sheamus

Jordan Garretson: Contrary to the popular current smark belief, I think WWE knows it’s struck gold with Daniel Bryan. Hence why they, you know, made “YES! YES! YES!” t-shirts. If they resented how popular Bryan was becoming, do you think they’d spur the popularity further with a t-shirt? I don’t think so. Anyways, as over as Bryan is right now, Sheamus’ big title reign isn’t going to be stomped out so abruptly. What I do expect, after their WrestleMania match, is that this one will be given LOTS of time. Dark horse contender for match of the night.

Winner: Sheamus

Andy Critchell: I am looking forward to this match and I feel like it is a real chance to legitimize Sheamus in the eyes of those “smart fans” who would otherwise dismiss him as too much of a body builder type In favor of a Daniel Bryan or a CM Punk. You know, those people. I would be pretty shocked if this didn’t end up going to three falls just because that’s what 2 out of 3 matches are for. This match should help Daniel Bryan get some of his heat back from WrestleMania but I’m sure there will be people out there who are still bitter about the whole 18 seconds thing. I call those people idiots. Anyway, this will be a nice end to the feud and Sheamus can move on to other challengers.

Winner: Sheamus

Jericho Ricardi: Here is WWE’s chance to make up for the ridiculous 18 second “match” at Wrestlemania by letting these guys tear the house down. Expect the Chicago crowd to treat Bryan like the face and Sheamus like the heel, and expect Sheamus to get booed pretty hard when he wins. Unfortunately. Sheamus deserves better (and so does Bryan), but the Wrestlemania booking didn’t do them any favors with the fans. I talked about this at length in my column a couple of weeks back.. Here’s hoping that we get the awesome, competitive match that these two are capable of, and that Bryan is able to look like a contender if he loses. Both of these guys could be main event fixtures for years to come, and a lot of that depends on this match. The fact that it is a 2 out of 3 falls match makes me hopeful that it won’t be another squash, at least.

Winner: Sheamus, taking the first and third falls

Michael Weyer: With the outrage over the Mania debacle, WWE is smart to ensure it’s a longer match this time around. On paper, it make sense for Bryan to regain it but I think Sheamus will hang onto the belt, build it up more for maybe SummerSlam and give the “YES” thing more time to catch on. Either way, this should be the great match Mania denied us, two guys clashing on a big scale and give us some fun spots before Sheamus ends up retaining.

Winner and STILL World Champion: Sheamus

CM Punk © vs Chris Jericho – WWE Championship
EXTREME Chicago Street Fight

Stephen Randle: Man, they already fooled me once in Chicago, would they really go away from their “hometown loser” history twice within a single year for the same guy? The only reason I think Punk even has a shot at retaining here is that I honestly believe Jericho doesn’t need or want the title, plus the chances are better that Punk drops the belt to Brock or…sigh…Lord Tensai.

Winner: CM Punk

Colin Rinehart: I have high hopes for this one as the intensity and hatred on Punk’s side has only increased with each passing week, and after a great but not quite classic Wrestlemania match I half expect them to go out here and steal the entire show with some brilliant match. I do think Punk’s days as champion are numbered right now, but I’m not sure he drops it here to Jericho, maybe next month or in the early summer.

Winner: CM Punk

Jack Bramma: While I think Punk and Jericho are playing their roles well and delivering solid promos during this program, the booking, not the execution, has been the problem. The writers have taken 2 guys who can talk people into the seats, one of the hottest acts in recent memory in CM Punk, a red hot return for Chris Jericho and put this albatross of a storyline around their necks and forced the matches to cater to their writing rather than letting the matches tell the stories in the ring. That’s why the title change hands on a DQ stipulation at Mania did the match no favors. Here’s another match where I hope the braintrust gets out of the way and just lets two guys go out there and beat the hell out of each other for 20+ minutes. I hope we finally get the MOTYC contender this feud pretty much promises, especially when it in name was about who is “best in the world,” though that is all gone now. Though I’ve been saying for a while now that I think Jericho needs to win some PPV match since coming back, I don’t think this one is it.

Winner: CM Punk

Gavin Napier: I need Jericho to win this. If he doesn’t win something soon, the comeback has been a waste of time. I’m not exactly tired of Punk or anything, I’ve just been a Jerichoholic for 15 years and counting. Plus, Punk messed up the sobriety test!

Winner: Chris Jericho

TJ Hawke : In my mind, this PPV starts with Punk coming out and demanding this match start right now because he doesn’t want to wait anymore to kick Jericho’s ass. It likely won’t happen that way, but I hope it does. Regardless, this should be a fantastic match, with much better heat than WrestleMania since they are in Punk’s home city. CM Punk should absolutely win this match.

Winner: CM Punk

James Wright: This one has grudge match written all over it, and since it is in Punk’s hometown I don’t think Jericho has a hope in hell of winning. Of course this might all just be another Daniel Bryan incident and the WWE are just messing with us before they take the title away from Punk, who seems to be getting more over with the general fan base every week. But I don’t think it is, after all Jericho is just like Punk, a guy who they never really believed in and proved them wrong, plus Punk as an outspoken WWE champion has gotten the WWE a bunch of media exposure. I’m not saying that these are amazing traits, but to the WWE as a business, appealing to a more main stream audience and appearances in the regular media is a massive boon and so I think that at this point; In Punk they Trust.

Winner: C.M. Punk

Jordan Garretson: Jericho has embarrassed Punk on the basis of his family history. He’s assaulted him with bottles of Jack Daniels. He’s baptized him with booze. This match is in Chicago. Punk won’t lose — unless WWE opts for some sort of shenanigans involving Punk’s family or something. Perhaps shades of Backlund vs. Bret Hart at Survivor Series 1994. But I don’t see it happening.

Winner: CM Punk

Andy Critchell: I don’t doubt that this match will be fun and entertaining. Both Jericho and Punk are fantastic wrestlers and very capable. In fact, I am really looking forward to this match. But I don’t care about it or the outcome at all. It doesn’t feel real, it doesn’t feel personal, it just feels like two guys playing roles and reading lines. So what? Here’s what, these two are renowned for their prowess in the ring and on the mic but I can’t imagine anyone who has watched this feud since WrestleMania be enticed in the least to buy Extreme Rules for this Jericho/Punk match. And what the hell was that on Monday? It was just pure dumb and made everyone, EVERYONE, look bad. Ugh, the more I think about it the more annoyed I get.

Winner: CM Drunk

Jericho Ricardi: Normally, this would be a 50/50 proposition at this point. However, with the show in Chicago, I don’t see Punk losing. Expect this to be a brutal brawl, and odds favor Punk emerging victorious. Is it time to put this feud to bed yet? I’m not too sure. If they go for a third match next month, I suspect Jericho will finally get the win there. Either that or Punk can transition into a feud with BROCK. We’ll see.

Winner: CM Punk after he completely loses his mind and destroys Y2J with foreign objects while “Cowboy” James Storm circles the ring spraying the crowd with beer and Stone Cold Steve Austin smashes cans together in the corner

Michael Weyer: We know it’ll be great. The only question is, will WWE move the belt off Punk? I don’t think so, it’s his match, he’s owning in promos and fans clearly behind him more than Jericho. A chance for an upset but WWE is wise enough to know that Punk losing in his hometown would be a very bad move with the fans and even they don’t want to risk that. Either way, expect another mini-classic from these two to steal the show and make us happy.

Winner and STILL WWE Champion: CM PUNK BABY!!

John Cena vs Brock Lesnar
EXTREME Rules Match

Stephen Randle: Please, there’s no way they brought back Brock to lose his first match. Although, it doesn’t necessarily mean he’s going to win. Clearly, his gameplan is to eliminate Cena, and it’s possible that he could exhaust himself trying just because we all know Cena is a robot who never gives up. I’m kidding, I just can’t imagine they’re seriously going to let Cena go off TV for any length of time, even if it would sell an injury angle and make Brock into a killer.

Winner: Brock Lesnar

Colin Rinehart: This is the big one for the night obviously and while I’m very excited to see Lesnar wrestle again, I do have trepidations about how good this match will actually be. I think if they go in with a solid plan, work the gimmick, and execute well we could have a classic on our hands but at the same time it’s been so long since Brock has wrestled, there’s always that doubt of ring rust looming overhead. We’ll have to wait and see, but I fully expect Brock to win this match, perhaps even in relatively clean fashion.

Winner: Brock Lesnar

Jack Bramma: This is where the PPV will live or die. This is the draw of the card and the only match that has had a really effective build to it. If the buyrate bombs, Brock will (and possibly should) get the blame. However, buyrate is based on viewer interest, so regardless of where the interest is, I think this will be a fantastic brawl. Maybe I’m just overly optimistic in thinking that Lesnar will not have missed a beat in 8 years despite training for a completely different sport and looking kind of flat in his first night back, but I think the match type will play to his strengths. Extreme Rules will allow Brock to use weapons and take it to the floor and he won’t have to worry about leg psychology or something for the majority of the match. I hope we get 10-14 minutes of Brock Smash with Cena coming up on the losing end even with using his Masterlock chain to try and even the odds. Plus, Cena is currently in the midst of a losing streak which could, I hesitate to say, finally be the lead to his heel turn. The only way that storyline keeps tension is if he loses.

Winner: Brock Lesnar

Gavin Napier: Eventually, Cena will find his balls again and beat Brock. I feel like Extreme Rules will be where Cena walks through hell and just can’t quite finish the job. Ultimately, Cena vs Brock will just be a representation of their anti-bullying campaign. I fully expect Vince to step in at some point and chastise Lauranitis for letting Brock take over. It’ll come down to Cena literally saving the company from Brock. He’ll get his win at that point. We aren’t there yet.

Winner: Brock Lesnar

TJ Hawke : I have no idea how good this match will be. I can foresee a Brock vs. Goldberg battle, but I’m confident the crowd won’t crap on the match right away. Ideally, this match is kept short and worked at a furious pace. Brock Lesnar must win this match clean as a sheet. If Cena wins, I would assume Brock has already decided he doesn’t want to do this anymore.

Winner: Brock Lesnar

James Wright: I don’t think anyone gives Cena a hope in hell of winning this one, and while that is always a dangerous time to bet against him I’m still going to side with Lesnar’s outsider star power. The WWE just can’t help themselves, they have to put over the outside guys over their current talent, it’s like a sickness. Add to that Lesnar’s continued presence in the WWE after the match and it actually doesn’t make sense for Lesnar to lose momentum with a loss in his first official match. There are a lot of variables in this Extreme Rules match; Brock could spend the whole time dominating with a surprise Cena come back, or Cena could get Raw on Lesnar and beat him to a pulp, either turning him heel or at least make him a more interesting face in the process, or they could just beat the hell out of each other to a no-contest. Personally I’d like to see the first scenario but for Cena’s comeback still not to be enough and to have him lose again, further sending him down this spiral of questioning himself to the point where the fans will believe him as a heel.

Winner: Brock Lesnar

Jordan Garretson: WWE has no choice but to have Brock Lesnar win this match. And that’s perfectly OK. I’m expecting Cena to be dominated by Lesnar for the entire match, with Cena simply refusing to give up or be pinned until finally succumbing after Lesnar does something completely brutal. It’s interesting that Cena, for the second pay per view match in a row, has been framed as “needing” to win — first by himself against Rock, then Edge telling him the same thing against Lesnar. This could lead to some really interesting character development for Cena, and it already has. Another loss in a colossal, marquee matchup means Cena will be completely questioning himself and his skills. We’ve seen John Cena vulnerable in individual matches and segments before, that’s old hat. But we haven’t really seen John Cena vulnerable over a period of time, which should make for some intriguing storylines in the near future.

Winner: Brock Lesnar

Andy Critchell: Cena needs to lose here so he can be the conquering hero later. That’s just booking 101 and it usually always works. People love the fallen hero looking for redemption and letting Cena look vulnerable for once would seem like a breath of fresh air for his character. Is Lesnar fat underneath that t-shirt? Will we find out on Sunday? Call your cable or satellite provider right now!

Winner: Brock Lesnar

Jericho Ricardi: The first time these guys fought was at Backlash 2003. Which is noteworthy because this event, in general, has a hell of a lot in common with Backlash 2003. In both shows, the WWE championship was (we can predict, anyway) defended in the second-to-last match. In both shows, Brock Lesnar faced John Cena. And in both shows, the main event saw debatably top guy in the company facing a newly-debuting monster (back then, it was The Rock facing the debuting Goldberg). Backlash 2003 may have been the most stacked post-WrestleMania PPV aside from maybe… MAYBE Backlash 1999 (Rock-Austin rematch) and this one. Make no mistake, this is a stacked card that might actually out-do WrestleMania in some ways. As for Lesnar Vs. Cena… Cena seems to be on a losing streak right now, with The Rock and Lord Tensai both defeating him in one calendar month. And in order to not kill Brock’s momentum, this is likely to continue with a loss for Cena here. Will this – as some have speculated – lead to the dastardly HEEL CENA finally taking over? Will Cena “embrace his heel persona”? Probably not, fellas. He’s likely just going to go back to Boston and take a vacation.

Winner: Brock Lesnar, while being cheered by the crowd for no real reason

Michael Weyer: Still surprised WWE is rushing this fast but given rumors of Brock’s health issues, they want to get it while they can. These guys do have chemistry but that was nearly a decade ago, Lesnar has changed a lot since so hard to see how it will go this time. The key question is time as we don’t know if Brock can still go 30-40 minutes as he used to in a big match, especially a wild one like this. Cena will be able to carry things but up in the air still how great Brock still is. Hopefully, the spectacle is worth it, hate to think this encounter will be two guys working stiff but the sight of their clash alone should be one of the most memorable matches of the year. For the winner, it’s tough, a win over Brock would help Cena but I don’t see Brock’s first time back with the company being a loss. So I’ll give it to him to set up more matches down the road and hope he’s back to the great star he once was.

Winner: Brock Lesnar

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