At Extreme Rules, World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus will attempt to defend his title against Daniel Bryan in a 2-out-of-3 Falls Match. Will The Celtic Warrior once again reign supreme over his WrestleMania foe and deprive Bryan of the title? (HOW TO WATCH)
Coming off his 18-second loss to The Great White at WrestleMania (PHOTOS), Daniel Bryan is contractually guaranteed a rematch. Bryan is a submission specialist who has spent more than a decade plying his trade around the world. His selection of a 2-out-of-3 Falls Match may very well play directly into this skill set. Sheamus, known across the WWE Universe as an imposing and powerful competitor, generally relies on a strength game inside the squared circle, utilizing power moves to put his opponents away. Bryan is the polar opposite, a man with countless submission holds who chips away at opponents throughout the course of a match.
In any event, the clashing of styles will be interesting, to say the least, and if Sheamus plans to walk out of Extreme Rules with the World Heavyweight Championship around his waist, he may have to beat Daniel Bryan at his own game.
Luckily for The Great White, he is no stranger to his challenger. Their showdown at the extreme pay-per-view will only add to a years-long rivalry that began when The Celtic Warrior overcame Bryan to claim the United States Championship in 2011. After his win at the 25th Anniversary of the Royal Rumble in January 2012, The Great White once again had his eyes set squarely on Bryan, this time with another title in mind.
Sheamus followed through with a record-breaking victory on The Grandest Stage of Them All, flattening Bryan with a devastating Brogue Kick then pinning the champion in just 18 seconds to claim his first-ever World Heavyweight Championship. After what must have been the fastest 18 seconds of his life, Daniel Bryan found himself lying on the mat as the capacity WrestleMania crowd cheered on the new champion.
On a special edition of "Piper’s Pit" — part of SuperSmackDown on April 10 — Bryan made an appearance to announce his intentions for the 2-out-of-3 Falls rematch against The Great White at Extreme Rules. He now has an opportunity to make up for everything that was lost in those 18 seconds on The Grandest Stage of Them All. While Bryan blamed his WrestleMania defeat on then-girlfriend AJ, the 2-out-of-3 Falls stipulation ensures that there will be no repeat performance, as the victor of the match will undoubtedly have to earn a pair of pinfalls or submissions.
Will Daniel Bryan reclaim his illustrious title? Can Sheamus drop the submission specialist twice in the same night? For that matter, can the WWE Universe expect a long match typically associated with such a stipulation, or can The Great White repeat his WrestleMania feat and retain his title in under a minute? Find out when the two Superstars clash at Extreme Rules, Sunday, April 29 at 8/5 PT, only on pay-per-view
