7 WWE Extreme Rules 2017 Results Predictions
Extreme rules (and the Hardyz) are meant to be broken.
The word 'extreme' rather hit its apex around 1999. Sports of this dubious ilk were on the rise, largely thanks to Tony Hawk's pioneering work grinding around the inside of a PlayStation disk tray. Dissatisfied, soon-to-be Millennials were being targeted by increasingly aggressive products bearing the epithet, albeit often misspelled as 'Xtreme (!)' (Snickers Xteme, anyone?).
In wrestling, significantly (and relevantly) a certain north-east promotion was redefining what 'Extreme' meant to the industry.
No, not WWE, but Paul Heyman's ECW. The 'E' stood for 'Extreme', in case you weren't following.
By the time Vince McMahon resurrected the Philadelphia promotion's long-dead corpse, the whole 'Extreme' thing seemed a bit passé, a bit, well, embarrassing. Not to mention that WWE's understanding of ECW's 'extreme rules' was as wide of the mark as New Jack and Vic Grimes in Danbury.
But that didn't stop them naming a whole PPV after them.
Today, it's really just a name, mostly because 'Whacky Rules' sounds rather crap. Unlike Great Ba... ah.
Sure, there's stipulations, of a sort. There's a steel cage match, and a kendo stick-on-a-pole match. But there's also a submissions contest, and a bout in which a title can be lost by being disqualified. To paraphrase Joey Styles: "This... isn't extreme."
It does share one thing in common with the original ECW though: it's extremely unpredictable. That's a good thing - unless you happen to be the guy trying to make said predictions. Let me just grab my crystal Balls Mahoney...
7. Swann & Sasha Outfox Alicia & Dar
Featuring a Fox and a Swann, this contest sounds a little bit like something out of The Animals of Farthing Wood. Only it's likely to be far less interesting.
It's difficult to formulate a compelling argument in favour of either of the two duos. The romantically entwined Dar and Fox ought to have the edge, such is the power of love, but logical considerations aside WWE are likely to go for the person they've most to gain from. And of this quartet, that's Sasha Banks by a country mile (equivalent to about six urban kilometres).
WWE.com pontificates how Dar and Fox are due their comeuppance for meddling in Swann's affairs on 205 live, though they're quick to champion Swann himself for trying to break up the budding relationship in defence of buddy Cedric Alexander's honour. This is a telling insight into the company's moral compass; heels aren't allowed to be happy. This Sunday, they won't be: Banks and Swann to win.