Extreme Rules 2014 Preview: Will The Shield conquer Evolution and will Daniel Bryan vanquish Kane?

WWE's Extreme Rules pay-per-view, or "Special Event," airs Sunday night from the IZOD Center in East Rutherford, N.J. and has a top-heavy card that features a WWE World Heavyweight Championship defense, a steel cage match and a clash between the old guard and the new blood. So without further ado, let's dive in and break down the matches.

Pre-Show: El Torito (w/Los Matadores) vs. Hornswoggle (w/3MB) in a "WeeLC" Match

I could easily go on a rant about how this is a waste of a match, how it's taking spots away from other wrestlers and how it's a shameless way of getting people to laugh and say, "Oh look, little people!" And all of that would be true. But I'm going to just enjoy this for what it is. It's going to be stupid, it's going to be funny and it's going to be entertaining. After all, it's the pre-show match, so it's not a huge deal.

I'm genuinely curious what they're going to try to retrieve, though. There's no belt on the line, no Money in the Bank briefcase, so what's going to be dangling above the ladder? I also hope the ladders are just footstools, because we might as well just commit to the bit at this point.

Alexander Rusev vs. Xavier Woods and R-Truth

"Ruuuuuusev...CRUSH!"

Bad News Barrett vs. Big E. (c) for the WWE Intercontinental Championship

The No. 1 Contender's tournament was a smart way to restore some credibility to the IC belt because it promoted the idea that at least eight men were interested in winning the belt. Unfortunately, the drawback is that there is no feud to speak of here. Barrett and Big E. haven't even been in the same room as far as we know. It's just two wrestlers going after a MacGuffin. "Here's this shiny gold thing. Fight over it."

I also enjoy that "Bad News Barrett" is his official name now. Not "Wade Barrett." Did he legally change it like Ultimate Warrior?

Paige (c) vs. Tamina Snuka for the WWE Divas Championship

I am genuinely excited for this match. Paige has been refreshing as the Divas Champion (and I love AJ Lee), and this will be her first true test with the belt. She's likely to come out with the win to help endear her to the crowd even more. Paige is also ridiculously strong, as her Scorpion Cross Lock is amazing and the Cradle DDT she hit on Alicia Fox earlier this week was so impressive. There are big things ahead for this young star.

Cesaro (w/Paul Heyman) vs. Rob Van Dam vs. Jack Swagger (w/Zeb Colter)

The past month for these five men has featured some of the most confusing booking I've seen in a while. Cesaro was on fire at WrestleMania, and now the crowd has no idea how to react to him. Everyone in this feud is simultaneously a face and a heel at the same time, and the confusion in the crowd is palpable every time these men share the ring. The outcome of this match will likely determine how these guys are booked going forward, but it seems almost certain that Cesaro will win.

I get that Cesaro and Swagger need to fight because they were former tag team partners, but RVD is in this match because...Heyman? It just feels very muddled, almost like WWE doesn't know what to do with Cesaro or is stalling until the time comes for the big feud with whomever.

Also, I don't know if you heard, but Heyman's client, Brock Lesnar, conquered the streak.

John Cena vs. Bray Wyatt in a Steel Cage Match

I love this feud. I love everything about this feud. I can even deal with the atrocious Photoshop segment or the lame donkey jokes because of how much I love this feud. Cena is making Bray Wyatt look like a superstar, and Bray is scaring children across America by being the creepiest dude imaginable. The segment on Monday Night Raw this week with the singing children was superb.

I truthfully don't even care who wins this match. If Cena wins, then Cena wins. No harm, no foul as far I'm concerned because he's already done his job by elevating Bray to a new level. If Wyatt wins, then he has two wins over the two top babyfaces in the company in less than six months. Either way, WWE is telling a great story here, and they deserve credit for it.

Daniel Bryan (c) vs. Kane in an Extreme Rules Match for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship

In storyline, Daniel Bryan should have absolutely no chance to win this match. He's beat up, his neck is in a brace and his wife is scared to death. In reality, there's no chance Bryan loses. This is the typical formula of "The babyface won the title and he needs an opponent. Kane, go!"

But WWE did exactly what it should have and made this feud brutal and personal. Kane demolished Bryan and nearly dragged Brie Bella to hell. The outcome of the match is not in doubt, but the build has been great, if brief.

Evolution vs. The Shield

I can't even talk about this match without starting with Ric Flair from Monday night. As sad as it is to say, it seems pretty clear that Flair was drunk, bombed, plastered, whatever word you want to use. He rambled more than usual, slurred his words and confused the crowd. His endorsement of The Shield unfortunately carried little weight as a result.

As for the match itself, it should be a great one. The Shield has had the upper hand for much of the feud, and an Evolution win seems like an illogical choice as it would do nothing for the Hounds of Justice unless, of course, the WWE plans to split them up. These three guys are so popular with the crowd right now, though, that it would seem like a waste to break them apart now. On the other hand, who would the next opponent be after they take down Evolution? The Wyatts seem like the only candidate, but WWE put them together just a few months ago.

Either way, it should be a compelling match that will map out the plans for the immediate future of all six men.

What do you expect from Extreme Rules? Let us hear your thoughts in the comments below.