The Top 3 Retainers at WWE Extreme Rules

This year's WWE Extreme Rules Pay-Per-View acts as the catalyst for SummerSlam’s main feuds, and it takes place at the PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

2017’s edition fell short of impressive as the seven matches on show failed to capture the WWE Universe as they saw the Hardy Boyz fall short of retaining their RAW Tag Team Championships against The Bar in a steel cage match.

However, this year's edition is destined to surpass the excitement surrounding the prior Extreme Rules pay-per-view, as most of the twelve matches on show have the substance and build-up to excite viewers and prepare them for a feud-filled SummerSlam.

Although we love a controversial title change, I believe that these three matches will see the title remain with their current owner – and here’s why:

1) Dolph Ziggler vs. Seth Rollins in a 30-minute Iron Man Match for the Intercontinental Championship

Undoubtedly, the most anticipated match-up on the Extreme Rules card comes in the form of a 30-minute Iron Man Match for the Intercontinental Championship between two of the best in-ring performers in professional wrestling, Dolph Ziggler and Seth Rollins.

‘The Architect’ Rollins set a match record time at 65 minutes when he competed in a 7-man gauntlet match on RAW back in February in the lead up to the Elimination Chamber, which has certainly upped the likeliness of him recapturing the Intercontinental Championship, a belt which he held from defeating The Miz and Finn Balor at Wrestlemania 34.

However, Rollins’s illustrious reign as the Intercontinental Champion was ended by a show-stopping halt at the hands of ‘The Show Off’ Dolph Ziggler, after Ziggler’s ally Drew McIntyre forced a distraction.

There’s no doubt that this match has the potential to steal the show, as the two capable superstars usually do – and, as for the end result, a Dolph Ziggler victory seems the most necessary of outcomes with the aid of McIntyre, in order to cement his heel persona and main-event status.

2) AJ Styles vs. Rusev for the WWE Championship

The current WWE Champion AJ Styles is enduring his most prolific run in the company since joining the WWE in the form of a Royal Rumble back in 2016.

Given that the ‘Phenomenal One’ has held the prestigious title for just over 8 months, a win for the usual mid-carder Rusev would be one of the biggest upsets to date in the realm of professional wrestling.

However, months of positive crowd reactions to Rusev’s current gimmick and over catchphrase “It’s Rusev Day” have excelled the Rusev brand to whole new levels; ultimately, securing him as a worthy competitor to Styles and his WWE Championship.

Rusev’s poor booking prior to Extreme Rules have cemented him as the ultimate underdog; therefore, a title change before SummerSlam seems unnecessary and unlikely, given that the likes of Samoa Joe are quickly approaching the title scene.

3) Bludgeon Brothers vs. Team Hell No for the SmackDown Tag Team Championships

The sole catalyst for the excitement surrounding this match-up is that the beloved Team Hell No are back in the tag team championship scene, which was something that seemed near to impossible given that Glenn Jacobs (Kane) has just become the Knoxville County Mayor and vowed to dedicate all his time to the role on Chris Jericho’s podcast Talk Is Jericho.

Kane’s last run in the WWE did not go at all to plan as the Big Red Machine ended up ‘jobbing’ to the likes of Brock Lesnar and Braun Strowman in order to set up an unexplored feud between The Beast Incarnate and The Monster Among Men.

However, The Devil’s Favourite Demon seems to have already found his stride as he came to Bryan’s aid after Rowan broke his ‘Yes Lock’ on Harper, before the two men teamed up against the physically inferior Daniel Bryan.

Team Hell No showed no signs of ring rust as they defeated The Uso’s the following week on SmackDown Live, before defeating both SAnitY and the Bludgeon Brothers when they teamed up with The New Day the week after.

However, given that Dr. Shelby is back on the WWE scene, a loss against the Bludgeon Brothers at Extreme Rules may be necessary in order for Team Hell No to revisit some of the critically acclaimed anger management classes which have been missed by the WWE Universe; therefore, I predict that Team Hell No will win the titles at a later date, perhaps Summerslam.