WWE Extreme Rules 2019: Matches and predictions
It may not have been the greatest PPV of all time, but the first-ever WWE Stomping Grounds at least shook off the cobwebs from WWE Super ShowDown and got us back on track.
Next up is WWE Extreme Rules 2019, which is likely the last PPV before the Heyman/Bischoff takeover of WWETV, which could see the explosive blowoff to some long-running feuds.
WWE Extreme Rules 2019 takes place on Sunday, July 14 at 7pm ET/4pm PT (Midnight into Monday, July 15 in the UK) at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
A one-hour Kick-Off Show starts at 6pm ET/3pm PT (11pm in the UK).
What's the full match card and predictions for WWE Extreme Rules 2019?
WWE Universal Championship and WWE Raw Women's Championship: Seth Rollins (c) and Becky Lynch (c) vs Baron Corbin and Lacey Evans [Extreme Rules Winners Take All Match]
After somewhat limp feuds between Seth Rollins and Baron Corbin and Becky Lynch and Lacey Evans, we've now got... a feud between Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch AND Baron Corbin and Lacey Evans.
The biggest problem to date has been that despite picking up the odd qualifying win here and there, it doesn't feel as though Corbin or Evans have really earned a shot at the biggest titles in the WWE at this moment in time, let alone their third or fourth attempt.
And while the Reality Era dictates that real-life relationships will inevitably become intertwined in WWETV (and PPV), we'd be lying if we said that the on-screen team-up of Bex and Seth doesn't feel a little awkward and voyeuristic.
All that said, we can't complain too much about seeing Rollins and Lynch in action together: two of the best in the world joining forces to put down two bigmouths who don't know when they're beaten.
Here's hoping this one is done with after this, and that the champs can look ahead to other challenges apart.
PREDICTION: Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch
WWE SmackDown Women's Championship: Bayley (c) vs Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross [2-on-1 handicap match]
Alexa Bliss has never been afraid to let her friends do her dirty work for her, and with Nia Jax currently on the shelf, she's looked towards recent NXT graduate Nikki Cross for support.
We say "support", but poor Nikki has been taken advantage of horribly by Alexa, and not only have all her efforts only really benefited Little Miss Bliss, she doesn't even seem to realise this.
While the penny doesn't look like dropping any time soon for Nikki, she did intriguingly suggest that Bayley find a friend of her own to help her out.
There's only one possible candidate, isn't there? We're expecting the return of The Boss to even things out and help her old pal Bayley retain the title.
PREDICTION: Bayley
WWE Championship: Kofi Kingston (c) vs Samoa Joe
Kofi Kingston has been a fighting WWE Champion since KofiMania went wild in April.
He's taken on all comers, from Seth Rollins and Daniel Bryan to Kevin Owens and Dolph Ziggler, but this feels like his biggest challenge yet.
Samoa Joe is a former NXT Champion and US Champion but he's always just fallen short when it comes to the top-tier titles.
His long, long feud with AJ Styles saw the Phenomenal One always edge ahead, no matter how many mind games Joe tried to play, and initially it looks like Kofi isn't taking any of the bait.
Kingston will be the favourite going in, still riding that post-Mania wave oh-so high, but Joe will be very much aware that his opportunities at this level won't keep coming.
We expect that to spur Joe on to do the unexpected and finally get that top-level WWE title that has so far eluded him.
PREDICTION: Samoa Joe
WWE United States Championship: Ricochet (c) vs AJ Styles
Of all the NXT call-ups in the last half-year or so, you could make a case for Ricochet being the biggest success story.
After impressing in his short-lived tag team with Aleister Black, he flew around the upper mid-card till he got the better of Samoa Joe and nabbed the WWE United States Champion.
He's looked good as the champ in his short reign so far, and now comes an incredibly tough test.
Back from injury with all guns blazing and with The Club in his corner, AJ Styles will not be denied a title on his comeback.
But it's not going to happen yet. Even though the odds and numbers are stacked against him, Ricochet didn't fly to the giddy heights of the US Title to let it go without a major fight.
AJ Styles (and Gallows and Anderson) will be surprised by just how much grit Ricochet has to complement all that top rope stuff.
PREDICTION: Ricochet
WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship: Daniel Bryan and Rowan (c) vs The New Day (Big E and Xavier Woods) vs Heavy Machinery (Otis and Tucker)
Daniel Bryan and Rowan were an unlikely tag team on paper, but they've shrugged off allcomers since winning the SD Tag Team Titles.
It won't be easy for them to retain come Extreme Rules, as not only is champions' advantage nullified in a Triple Threat, but they face two incredibly tough opponents.
Big E and Xavier Woods are no stranger to crunch title matches, while Heavy Machinery seem to be hitting their stride at just the right time.
But Bryan and Rowan are probably the smartest wrestlers in the WWE right now.
And while they don't have to be pinned or submit to lose their titles, they can also take advantage of the Triple Threat stipulation to let their opponents take each other apart before picking up the pieces.
PREDICTION: Daniel Bryan and Rowan
WWE Raw Tag Team Championship: The Revival (Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder) (c) vs The Usos (Jimmy and Jey Uso)
For a long time now it's felt like the WWE Raw Tag Team Division has been in the doldrums, regardless of who the champs are.
That's been made worse by the bursts of excitement over on Tuesday nights, where you had a run of great tag teams and great tag team matches being the highlight of the week.
But post Superstar Shake Up and despite the WILD CARD RULE nonsense, perhaps things are about to change.
It hasn't been entirely smooth getting here, but The Revival vs The Usos with the gold on the line sounds like a winner to us.
If they can put their messy last few months behind them, both teams are more than capable of putting on the sort of wrestling clinic that reminds everyone why tag team wrestling is the best wrestling.
And when The Usos win the title (their seventh in the WWE) it could precipitate a glorious new tag team era on Paul Heyman's Monday Night Raw.
PREDICTION: The Usos (Jimmy and Jey Uso)
WWE Cruiserweight Championship: Drew Gulak (c) vs Tony Nese
205 Live is perhaps the most coherent bit of WWETV, and maybe even has the very best wrestling bell-to-bell.
After a chase that effectively started back at the Cruiserweight Classic, Drew Gulak is finally your WWE Cruiserweight Champion, and he's not in any hurry to give it up.
He's up against longtime rival and former champ Tony Nese, and both men know that there's more than gold at stake here.
Every PPV is a chance for the cruiserweights to steal the show and get more eyeballs on 205 Live and make that strap all the more important.
So expect both men to pull out all the stops, but it's Drew who'll retain after waiting so long for his first reign.
PREDICTION: Drew Gulak
The Undertaker and Roman Reigns vs Shane McMahon and Drew McIntyre [No Holds Barred Match]
Roman Reigns vs Shane McMahon has been played every which way on WWETV and PPV over the last few months that we're sick sick sick of it.
Not a single thing can make us care about these two and/or their associates going at it one more t---GONG!
Oh, well, that changes things.
From Saudi Arabia nowhere came The Undertaker, and while we're not entirely convinced that this story totally hangs together, we're all of a sudden a bit more interested in this one, for novelty alone.
The twilight of The Undertaker's career has been fading fast, with the bright spots like the second part of his Brock Lesnar trilogy and victory over John Cena at WrestleMania being few and far between.
But here's another chance for the Deadman to give us something great to remember him by, as well as a chance for Roman Reigns and Drew McIntyre to drag themselves up the card.
Oh, and also a chance for The Big Dog and Phenom to finally relieve the WWE Universe of Shane-O-Mac's neverending reign of terror.
PREDICTION: The Undertaker and Roman Reigns
Bobby Lashley vs Braun Strowman [Last Man Standing Match]
Two big fellas knocking the absolute hell out of each other every week on WWETV and once a month on PPV should have been more fun than it has been.
There have been some great moments (the arm wrestling, the LED screen smash-through), but there's been precious little sense of why any of this matters.
But at Extreme Rules, things will finally come to a head and what we lack in motivation or meaning we'll surely more than make up for in spectacle.
The ultimate stipulation for the two strongmen should surely put the full stop on this feud, and while the smart money may be on Braun Strowman due to his size advantage, Bobby Lashley has been showing his mettle recently.
Here's the chance for Lashley to finally make good on all that promise of his return to the WWE and catapult himself into the WWE Universal Championship picture with a statement victory.
PREDICTION: Bobby Lashley
Aleister Black vs Cesaro
After all that waiting, someone finally came knocking.
Will Aleister Black regret his open invitation for challengers, or will Cesaro be thinking twice once the bell rings?
After several weeks of teasing, it's great to get Aleister Black back in the ring, and this is a match he really can't lose after all that talking.
Cesaro won't make it easy for him though. Still one of the very best in-ring technicians in the WWE, what he lacks in bells and whistles he more than makes up for in sheer strength and skill.
So it won't be at all easy for Black, but he'll overcome the gatekeeper and start looking towards Kofi Kingston (or Samoa Joe... or Brock Lesnar?) soon enough.
PREDICTION Aleister Black
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What date and start time is WWE Extreme Rules 2019 in the UK?
WWE Extreme Rules 2019 has a start time of Midnight on Sunday, July 14 into Monday, July 15.
A one-hour kick-off show starts at 11pm on Sunday, July 1.
What date and start time is Extreme Rules 2019 in the US?
WWE Extreme Rules 2019 takes place on Sunday, July 14 with a start time of 7pm ET/4pm PT.
A one-hour Kick-Off Show starts at 6pm ET/3pm PT.
How do I watch WWE Extreme Rules 2019?
If you haven't bought a ticket to be there in person at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (tickets available now), your options are either the WWE Network, which we highly recommend, or if you don't have a fast, reliable internet connection, the more traditional – and expensive – pay-per-view.
How do I live stream WWE Extreme Rules 2019 on the WWE Network?
The WWE Network is priced at £9.99 per month in the UK and $9.99 per month in the US – first-time subscribers get a month free.
You can access it via the following platforms and devices – click for info on how to access with each app:
How do I watch WWE Extreme Rules 2019 on WWE pay-per-view in the UK?
You can buy WWE Extreme Rules 2019 on pay-per-view in the UK via Sky Sports Box Office – priced at £14.95.
How do I watch WWE Extreme Rules 2019 on WWE pay-per-view in the US?
You can buy WWE Extreme Rules 2019 pay-per-view in the US via your local provider – full list here.
What are your predictions for WWE Extreme Rules 2019? Let us know at @digitalspywwe.
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