Matt and Jeff Hardy will have their work cut out for them this weekend at WWE "Extreme Rules" 2017. Since returning to the WWE to surprise fans at "WrestleMania 33," the duo have held the Tag Team belts. However, one team has been able to give them a challenge so far, as Sheamus and Cesaro formerly held the championship belts. The heel team will look to get "extreme" on Sunday, inside a steel cage match.
Can Sheamus and Cesaro recapture the WWE "Raw" tag team titles, or will the Hardy Boyz continue their reign as champions?
WWE match preview
As mentioned, Jeff and Matt Hardy returned at "WrestleMania 33," making a surprise entrance to join a Fatal 4-Way Ladder match for the "Raw" tag team titles. The longtime wrestling stars were victorious, defeating the teams of Enzo Amore and Big Cass, Gallows and Anderson, and of course, Sheamus and Cesaro.
Sheamus and Cesaro earned a championship shot at last month's WWE "Payback" pay-per-view, and despite losing, still seemed to show good sportsmanship by shaking hands with the Hardys.
However, the team quickly turned that around when they attacked Matt and Jeff inside and outside the ring.
That led to Sheamus and Cesaro's heel turn. When explaining their reason for the attack on an episode of "Raw," they said it was due to the Hardys stealing their WWE "WrestleMania" moment and fans living in the past with the novelty act tag team.
Sheamus and Cesaro would go on to win a "Tag Team Turnmoil" match on "Raw" to become No. 1 contenders again. On an episode of "Raw" several weeks ago, Matt Hardy was able to win against Sheamus in a one-on-one match where the winner got to pick the stipulation for their "Extreme Rules" tag team title match. Hardy said it will be the two teams battling it out inside a steel cage over the prized championship belts.
Match prediction
Fans would think that Matt and Jeff Hardy will have a lengthy reign until a team such as The Revival maybe sneaks into the title picture. However, recent betting odds at Paddy Power online sportsbook are showing that the champions are the underdogs.
Cesaro and Sheamus are currently 1 to 7 odds on favorites to win the tag team title match inside a steel cage. As of this report, the Hardys were 10 to 3 underdogs. So fans may very well see the heel team escape the steel cage or win inside it to leave Baltimore as new tag team champions.
WWE fans, which team do you think will win the "Raw" tag team title match at "Extreme Rules" this Sunday? Will the win be due to escaping the cage, pinfall, or submission?