How extreme will things get on Raw in Greensboro, North Carolina - the last stop before the Extreme Rules pay-per-view (PPV) in Newark, New Jersey this weekend?
The Headliner
Things between Chris Jericho and Dean Ambrose have been getting increasingly violent, for reasons that have seemed increasingly trivial. Some might even say silly.
Their Payback bout was set-up by Shane McMahon cancelling Jericho's "Highlight Reel" segment in favor of Dean's "Ambrose Asylum". It looked like the Lunatic Fringe's win might end things, but Y2J got new co-boss Stephanie McMahon to give him his talk show back. And Chris sent Ambrose packing by shattering his beloved sidekick/potted plant Mitch over his head.
Coat-themed shots were traded last week. Ambrose burned Jericho's $15,000 light-up gear, so the Ayatollah of Rock 'n' Rolla slapped a straight-jacket on the former Shield member.
Dean may be up on the "cost of things destroyed" ranking, but Jericho's done more asskicking since the last PPV. Ambrose tries to even up all fronts tonight, and we'll look for their match to be made official for the next one - and a stipulation to be added to it.
And that's without even getting to Big Cass, who may still want the match with the Best There Is at What He Does that he never got last week...
The Title Scene
His challenger was resting a bum ankle over the weekend, but does WWE World Heavyweight champ Roman Reigns have anything to fear any way? He beat AJ Styles once already in a match that ended up being no disqualifications, and AJ's boys in "The Club" still don't have a win in WWE? Karl Anderson & Luke Gallows have kicked a lot of ass along the way, so the Big Dog and his cousins the Usos are probably working on a plan for the Extreme Rules match the champ has against the Phenomenal One this Sunday.
Women's titleholder Charlotte is in Flair country tonight, but she won't have her father at her side when she battles Natalya again this Sunday. But how worried is the Nature Girl about that? Ric Flair has certainly helped her along the way, but the champ is showing signs of wanting to get things done by herself - and she'll have to against the Hart Dungeon in a Submissions match.
Of all the champs heading into the PPV, Miz's Intercontinental belt is probably most at risk. Yeah, he stood tall over all three of his challengers following their tag match on SmackDown, but in a Fatal 4Way against Kevin Owens, Cesaro & Sami Zayn - he's gonna need more than a good Thursday night.
Kalisto better watch more than just his United Stated title - he's also got to worry about his tag partner Sin Cara, who traded wins with Rusev last week, and the fact that the Bulgarian Brute wants to eat his heart.
Their tag team championship run has been epic, but is the curtain closing on New Day? Not likely, but they did have a terrible last week. First, a distraction from Vaudevillains cost them their match against the Dudleyz. Then Aiden English took down Kofi Kingston. They'll have to use the power of positivity to hold it down before they face English & Gotch this weekend.
Other stuff to keep an eye on:
- Your eyes do not deceive you - there are two women's storylines happening on the main roster. Unfortunately, Sasha Banks is still doing product placement spots, but Becky Lynch is trying to get the upperhand in her battle with Emma & the recently called up Dana Brooke. First, she needs to protect the eye she injured at WrestleMania.
- After weeks of spots only a travel agent could love, Epico and Primo finally start showing us how "dudes who love Puerto Rico" translates into pro wrestling when they debut their new Rising Stars gimmick.
- If it's not a SmackDown-only story, we could see two more tag teams tonight. Fandango turned his back on Goldust to ally himself with Tyler Breeze last week. That was a result of Goldy and R-Truth refusing to fight each other. DRAMA!
- Baron Corbin and Dolph Ziggler don't like each other.
It's the Extreme Rules 'go home' show!
What will you be looking for on Raw tonight?