WWE Championship: AJ Styles (c) vs Rusev
Prediction by Dominic DeAngelo
The excitement for this match should be even bigger if this was booked as a babyface vs. babyface, but Vince decided to give Rusev more mood swings than Bruce Banner over the past few weeks. Finally his character settled on the dirt bag side of the street, but how can you not like the guy after how great he was on commentary? Whatever, A.J. wins this one clean and hopefully this compels Rusev to see the error of his ways to feud with a new heel champion (more on that later). I’m not ruling out a Samoa Joe run-in either considering he’s not on the card.
Winner & Still WWE Champion: Styles via pinfall
Prediction by Ivan Barrera
I think AJ Styles is the best wrestler in WWE today. He’s the right guy to carry the championship on SmackDown Live, and nobody else really comes close. This is why I’m so perplexed to see Rusev as the challenger. I get that it’s only Extreme Rules, but you don’t have a Universal Championship match to buffer this if it turns out bad. Why not Miz, Daniel Bryan? Where the hell are Sheamus, Cesaro, and Samoa Joe? I don’t like Rusev’s gimmick one bit. I hope Styles beats him and Rusev takes a break from TV and returns with something better.
Prediction: Styles retains via pinfall
Prediction by Ryan Anderson
AJ Styles is everything in a WWE Champion that Brock Lesnar isn’t. He has been there every week, he has put on great matches, and he has elevated everyone that he has gotten in the ring with. Rusev was able to surprise everyone with winning a Gauntlet match on SmackDown Live last month to earn the right to wrestle AJ Styles. This looks, from a mile away, as a temporary feud for AJ Styles and Rusev as a way to get us to SummerSlam. My hope is that AJ Styles makes Rusev look like a million bucks in this match. AJ Styles gets a hard fought win here. Having both men coming out this match looking like gold is the best case scenario. Don’t be surprised if Samoa Joe runs in at the end of the match to attack AJ Styles in order to set up Samoa Joe vs AJ Styles at SummerSlam.
Winner: AJ Styles.
Prediction by Goeffrey Rowland
This one is simple. Rusev’s finisher is a submission hold. AJ Styles is not tapping out. No chance.
Prediction: AJ Styles by pinfall.
Prediction by Sean Mikhail
I’m going out on a limb here. Booking logic would tell me that Rusev will suffer a relatively quick defeat to build Styles up into a bigger feud, but we haven’t seen a WWE Championship title change in a while, and I’m looking for a major upset here. RUSEV MACHKA!!!
Prediction: Rusev wins
Next Page: WWE Intercontinental Champion Dolph Ziggler v Seth Rollins (30-Minute Iron Man Match)
