Predicting the match order at Extreme Rules 2017

It's one thing to predict the winners and losers at Extreme Rules 2017, but how about taking a guess at the match order on that card?

WWE has announced 6 different matches for the main card of Extreme Rules 2017.

Here is my subjective view of how important each of these 6 segments rank on the Extreme Rules 2017 card, ordered from most important to least important.

1. Balor vs. Rollins vs. Reigns vs. Wyatt vs. Joe
2. The Miz vs. Dean Ambrose
3. The Hardy Boyz vs. Cesaro & Sheamus
4. Alexa Bliss vs. Bayley
5. Neville vs. Austin Aries
6. Banks & Swann vs. Fox & Dar

It is important to come up with a list like this to get an idea of which matches are going to be placed in the key spots on the card or take up the most time, and which matches might end up in the cool-down spots or be given the least amount of time.

Most of these rankings are pretty straightforward. I’m placing the Hardy Boyz over Alexa because it is hard to take any “on a pole” match seriously, and I expect the tag team championship steel cage match to receive more time than the women’s championship.

Main event

The Fatal 5-Way match is the obvious choice for the main event of Extreme Rules. Even though it is not a championship match, it would be completely shocking for any other match to get the main event slot over this fight, which will determine who gets the next shot at Brock Lesnar’s Universal Championship.

Opening match

The opening match of the night is usually one of the mid-level attractions with good work rate that doesn’t require a dedicated video package ahead of time to hype it up.

There are only 5 matches remaining to choose for this spot, and WWE doesn’t seem to ever start the show with a cruiserweight match. Therefore I am going to consider the Hardyz, Alexa, or Ambrose for this spot.

Both Alexa’s match and Ambrose’s match seem likely to receive one of those dedicated video packages before entrances, so the Hardyz stand out as the best choice for the opening match.

That gives me the following card:

Segment 1: The Hardy Boyz vs. Cesaro & Sheamus
Segment 2:
Segment 3:
Segment 4:
Segment 5:
Segment 6: Balor vs. Rollins vs. Reigns vs. Wyatt vs. Joe

Everything else

Segment 2 and the segment before the main event usually receive the least amount of time on the show, so that’s where I’m going to put the matches featuring Neville and Swann.

Neville’s championship match could end up being a really solid work rate match that doesn’t seem suitable for the typical death slot prior to the main event, so I’m going to put Swann in Segment 5, because that’s the least important match of the night and seemingly has no stakes.

With only 6 matches booked, it also seems very possible that an unannounced match featuring Goldust or Crews could be added to the card, which would fit perfectly into the death slot and screw up my predictions. For now I am going to assume that will not happen.

With Swann in Segment 5, that leaves Neville’s match for Segment 2.

That gives me the following card:

Segment 1: The Hardy Boyz vs. Cesaro & Sheamus
Segment 2: Neville vs. Austin Aries
Segment 3:
Segment 4:
Segment 5: Banks & Swann vs. Fox & Dar
Segment 6: Balor vs. Rollins vs. Reigns vs. Wyatt vs. Joe

I just need to decide whether Segment 3 or Segment 4 is the most likely choice for the remaining two matches.

Alexa’s “on a pole” match seems like a bizarre concept and a change of pace from Neville’s submissions match, whereas running a submissions match (Neville vs. Aries) back-to-back with a match that discourages disqualifications (Ambrose vs. Miz) doesn’t sound like an ideal scenario. Therefore I’ll put Alexa in Segment 3, with Ambrose in Segment 4.

Finalized card

So here is my final prediction for the match order at Extreme Rules 2017, along with guesses on the bell-to-bell match times.

Segment 1: The Hardy Boyz vs. Cesaro & Sheamus (17 minutes)
Segment 2: Neville vs. Austin Aries (13)
Segment 3: Alexa Bliss vs. Bayley (12)
Segment 4: The Miz vs. Dean Ambrose (16)
Segment 5: Banks & Swann vs. Fox & Dar (8)
Segment 6: Balor vs. Rollins vs. Reigns vs. Wyatt vs. Joe (23)

These predicted match times add up to 89 minutes, which is possible but still on the short end for a 3-hour PPV. That number can be extended with a filler match that has yet to be announced.

That's my prediction for the match order at Extreme Rules 2017. What's yours?