WWE Extreme Rules 2017: 10 Things That Must Happen
Samoa Joe can't be there just to make up numbers...
The card for Extreme Rules has been hit by a nasty injury to Braun Strowman, one that shattered rumoured plans to have Braun become #1 contender to the Universal Title and then go on to meet Brock Lesnar at the still hilariously-titled Great Balls Of Fire show in July. Now, someone else will have to fill that slot, and fans are worried it's going to be (yep, you guessed it), Roman Reigns.
Maybe it'll be Seth Rollins, who has been ticking along quite nicely since offing Triple H at WrestleMania 33. Then, there's a dreadfully cold Bray Wyatt (who has been booked horrendously since 'Mania and requires reheating) and the outside bet Finn Bálor.
Reigns is a poor choice, because WWE have the chance to do something fresh here. There's someone else who hasn't been mentioned in that main event Fatal-5-Way match that deserves the opportunity to show what he can do opposite a star like Lesnar, and the onus is on WWE to make that happen.
Simply put, it must, but it's not the only decision WWE need to get right this Sunday...
10. Intercontinental Title Match Opens The Show
Figure this logic out: the "one night of the year when WWE goes Extreme" and the writing staff pen a scenario whereby one guy can lose the Intercontinental Title via disqualification. Huh? For that very reason, Dean Ambrose vs. The Miz needs to go on first at Extreme Rules.
WWE have to get this match out of the way quickly, because they've backed themselves into a corner by booking such a ludicrous stipulation. Maybe on another pay-per-view this would be fine, but not on an event centred around gratuitous violence. Just what were you smoking, Raw writers?
Poor timing aside, Ambrose vs. Miz has the potential to be a fine match. It's not 'Extreme' though, and it definitely has 'Rules', so it'd be wise to shuffle the IC Title bout out the nearest door quickly.
No setting the tone here, let's just get through this one first.