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The WWE universal championship has been out of the picture since WrestleMania but that is about to change with the naming of a No. 1 contender in the Fatal 5-Way main event of Extreme Rules on Sunday night.

There is no doubt that Extreme Rules will drastically shape the future of the Raw brand, particularly as he massive featured match was thrown together following an untimely injury to Braun Strowman.

The six-match card features four titles being defended, though not all of the matches are truly "extreme." It all goes down live from Baltimore, Maryland, on Sunday beginning at 8 p.m. ET. The kickoff show, which does not presently have any matches scheduled, begins an hour earlier at 7 p.m.

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WWE Extreme Rules predictions

Sasha Banks & Rich Swann vs. Alicia Fox & Noam Darr

BC: Both the Banks-Fox feud and the new pairing between "The Boss" and Swann have overachieved in terms of their expected entertainment value. That doesn't mean, however, there's enough reason to care about how this match ends. Ultimately, if the heat continues to build for the women toward a future payoff, it will be a success. Pick: Fox & Darr win

AS: It would be surprising to me if Banks remained involved in this storyline past Sunday. She's so much better than this, and with Bayley failing as a main eventer on the Raw brand, WWE needs a new No. 1 contender, particularly by the time SummerSlam rolls around in a couple months. Pick: Banks & Swann win

Cruiserweight Championship (Submission Match) -- Neville (c) vs. Austin Aries

AS: Tough one to predict. This is Aries' third opportunity at the title, which means it should be the last if he loses. The problem is that there's no one else besides Cedric Alexander in the cruiserweight division to truly challenge Neville and even that would be a relatively fresh development. This match was incredible on the WrestleMania kickoff show and a little less so at Payback. The only way to continue this rivalry is with a new champion. Pick: Aries wins the title

BC: This feud, which dates back before WrestleMania, doesn't get the week-to-week love it deserves. The most recent buildup has been as good as what we saw before with Aries tapping out Neville on Monday. For as good as Aries has been as a foil, his future might be better served on the main roster in the long run. Because of that, there's enough reason to keep the belt on the King. Pick: Neville wins and retains the title

Tag Team Championship (Steel Cage Match) -- The Hardy Boyz (c) vs. Sheamus & Cesaro

BC: Consistency has been the enduring legacy of this build since WrestleMania. In the process, it has showcased just how far Sheamus and Cesaro have come from their forced original pairing to close their best-of-seven series to their repacked heel gimmick today. It's time to put the belts on them as well, sadly sending Matt and Jeff Hardy back to full-time nostalgia. Pick: Sheamus & Cesaro win the titles

AS: I'm going to accuse Brian of stealing my pick here after our conversation on the In This Corner podcast this week. I continue to be surprised how much I enjoy the pairing of Sheamus and Cesaro. Outside of the idiotic "we ah tha bah" (we are the bar) tagline they now use, their team is running on all cylinders -- the look, the drastically underrated entrance and the in-ring chemistry. The Hardyz have been fun in their return to WWE but there's been a complete lack of character development and mic time for two fan favorites. Just like with the cruiserweight strap, a loss would continue the rivalry at least until Great Balls of Fire, and it would be a bit of a surprise considering the stipulation. Pick: Sheamus & Cesaro win the titles

Women's Championship (Kendo Stick on a Pole Match) -- Alexa Bliss (c) vs. Bayley

AS: Please tell me they're not going to give the title back to Bayley. As much as I loved her in NXT, her time on the main roster has been wasted as WWE rushed her push and never built her up as the lovable underdog. Giving her the championship again would provide her character with nowhere to go, whereas a loss would potentially allow for her to be rebuilt from the ground up after being beaten and dominated by Bliss on a few occasions. Bliss is the star of the women's division in WWE right now, and the title makes her even stronger. This is a prediction, but it's also a hope. Pick: Bliss wins and retains the title

BC: If recent booking is any indication, it would seem Bayley is being set up to go over, gain her comeuppance and reacquire her championship. But Bliss' recent work since coming to Raw has simply been too strong to see that happen. Look for WWE to play up the "Bayley's not extreme enough" storyline while keeping the title where it belongs at the same time. I'm not saying a full heel turn is coming, but Bayley just might snap and a good way to tell the story would be for it to cost her the title. Pick: Bliss wins and retains the title

Intercontinental Championship (No Champion's Advantage) -- Dean Ambrose (c) vs. The Miz

BC: This is a feud that should have ended before the two participants jumped ship from SmackDown to Raw following WrestleMania. But if the continuation was merely to set up an easier hand-off of the title to The Miz, all will be forgiven. It's not that Ambrose has underachieved as champion, it's more that Miz's character needs the belt more at the moment. Let the A-lister's resurgence continue. Pick: The Miz wins the title

AS: I don't so much mind the continuation of this feud because Ambrose and Miz are great foils for one another. What bugs me more is that Ambrose's gimmick just is not working. Usually I have (what I consider) a genius answer for what WWE creative should do with a wrestler, but I'm stumped here. What I do know is that Miz can elevate the intercontinental championship and has plenty of other faces against which he can defend it. My hope is actually that Maryse slaps him two minutes into the match, giving the couple absurd amounts of heel heat as they take advantage of the stipulation, which basically means Ambrose cannot retain the title via disqualification. Pick: The Miz wins the title

No. 1 Contender's Fatal 5-Way (Extreme Rules Match) -- Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins vs. Finn Balor vs. Bray Wyatt vs. Samoa Joe

AS: Let's tackle this by process of elimination. Neither Roman Reigns (who is headed for a future feud with Strowman and is unlikely to go up against Lesnar until WrestleMania 34) nor Seth Rollins (who has a ready-made rivalry to continue with Joe) are going to win this match. Because bouts like these are often won by those who you least expect, Joe has an outside chance, but no one actually wants to see him fight Lesnar. That puts this between Balor and Wyatt, either of whom would be a fantastic choice. Wyatt winning would restore some of the credibility he lost by dropping the WWE title to Randy Orton and serve as a palate cleanser with Lesnar before we get to his money feud entering SummerSlam. Balor would be the best choice, however, and WWE could play up a "Demon vs. Beast" match heading into Great Balls of Fire. Pick: Balor becomes the No. 1 contender

BC: Consider this Raw's de facto version of a Money in the Bank match featuring just as impressive (if not more so) a lineup of superstars than SmackDown will feature during the June 18 pay-per-view. Nothing short of a four-plus star match will be acceptable here considering the talent level. In the end, we have learned enough to realize the company has big plans for Balor and appear ready to pick up where they left off with him before his injury at SummerSlam last year. Balor versus Brock Lesnar will be a fun way to spend the summer. Pick: Balor becomes the No. 1 contender