WWE Extreme Rules 2017: 8 Huge Predictions You Need To Know

2. Number One Freakin' Contender

Jeff Hardy Matt Hardy Extreme Rules
WWE

Brock Lesnar's next pay-per-view opponent will be determined by a Fatal Five Way that seemed hastily thrown together after the sudden injury to Braun Strowman.

The last time 'The Beast' held the company's top title in 2014, John Cena, Randy Orton, Seth Rollins et al were constantly aiming to work up to a level in which they could tackle the monster one more time. It made for an intriguing and compelling new way of presenting a title chase. Round Two of the same principle has instead exposed the lack of star power underneath the Universal Champion.

His current run is also littered with inconsistency. WWE have flagrantly ignored the very same rule they used to have Daniel Bryan strip Naomi of the SmackDown Women's Title shortly before WrestleMania, with Brock Lesnar not even bothering to wrestle a token house show match since dethroning Goldberg on April 2nd.

As well as that, Paul Heyman ignored huge chants for Finn Balor on the post-WrestleMania Raw to call out Roman Reigns and stand down Strowman, then about-faced on 'The Demon King' during a circumspect show of adoration for the former NXT Champion just a fortnight ago.

Reigns victory against his former Shield compatriot on the go-home Raw was all too decisive. Rollins will get his win back here in order to be fed to Lesnar as a SummerSlam curtain-raiser in July.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett