The WWE exhibited one of the little-preached tactics of business by underselling Extreme Rules and then leaving us to scrape our jaws off the floor when the record finished playing. Were there were a bunch of people in plaid shirts and oversized glasses depriving themselves of what little social lives they had for months on end just to watch the Prudential Center quake?
Or was it plain old luck that Rollins made what appeared to be a 100% recovery just in time for what was shaping up to be a lukewarm-at-best PPV? And lets’s not forget the babyfaced daredevil Shane O’Mac. Is he weaving magic backstage that’s not making it back to our ears?
Haunting thoughts for which we may never know the answer. So let’s distract ourselves by taking part in that ancient human time killer – nitpicking. Here are 5 things that were seriously askew with WWE Extreme Rules 2016:
A new low for Baron Corbin
If reports of the physical specimen ensnaring Vince McMahon were true, Corbin’s charm seems to be wearing off. The ‘Lone Wolf’ is marooned in the mid-card, bickering with a man who, though gifted, committed the cardinal sin of embittering the man who has the CEO’s ear.
The hulking, brooding former football player’s career graph in the WWE seems doomed to replicate his NXT run – and never reach promised heights. Why would you have a guy who’s twice Ziggler’s size go for the jewels when he could’ve cleaned his clock with brass knuckles or such?
Premature reclamation?
Despite the performance of the night being a nail biter between AJ Styles and Chris Jericho, it was Rollins who stole the show. Even the veterans would defer to “the captain” when it came to the greater good of the PPV.
So Rollins is redesigned, rebuilt and back to reclaim what he never lost. But the question is, when you’ve torn all the crucial ligaments in your knee but one, is there actually a ‘too late’? Let’s hope that it doesn’t turn out that the WWE has jumped the gun and Rollins is sent off to the bench without even getting the ball.
Brooke booked crooked
The blame for this doesn’t rest solely on Creative’s geek-thin shoulders. Emma’s injury nipped Dana’s showcase in the bud and the impetus of Vince McMahon’s appreciation for her seems to have become misguided.
She carried the role well, but for a division that’s still taking baby steps, taking a big risk like this is questionable, to say the least. Hopefully, they’ll make something of it.
A Pedigree? Really?
WWE really needs to revise their creative control policy, at least when it comes to things like moves and finishers. If we’re factually incorrect, it leaves only one alternative – The Authority’s coming back.
Which isn’t really the Apocalypse(not the movie; watch at your own risk) considering that Shane McMahon’s a factor. But you can understand why a fan would consider one of the most tearfully awaited returns tainted by a move which though a trademark of one the greatest of all time, casts a shadow on his moment.
Was it really extreme?
Alright, this is hoping for too much, but considering that we’re technically inside the lines of the ‘New Era’, was it too much to hope for a little barbarity? A couple of busted heads(with blood caps) and the hardware being concentrated in a lone match?
