With the “Asylum” structure in place, Smackdown kicks off from Greenville, South Carolina.
Kevin Owens def. Cesaro
The finish comes on a roll-up when Sami Zayn and The Miz distract Cesaro from ringside. The Miz was on commentary with Maryse throughout the match.
The nature of this match at Extreme Rules has kept things from getting too stale, since there are plenty of ways to mix and match the four competitors. Still, it feels like the pay-per-view is arriving at just the right time. With these four men involved in a Fatal Four-way, the match is almost guaranteed to be among the best of the night, but there isn’t much more that could be done to build it up.
Dana Brooke def. Paige
With Becky Lynch on commentary, the newcomer gets a quick and somewhat surprising win.
While injuries have certainly thrown off the women’s storylines much like they’ve done in the men’s ranks, this is another curious win for Dana Brooke. Calling her up in the first place seemed to merely just allow her and Emma to replace Team BAD, so it’s odd that she’s gotten wins over Paige and Becky this week. Perhaps it’s just that the creative team wants her to start with some wins in a division without many options, but she could also be getting a hefty push.
Dolph Ziggler def. Sheamus
Ziggler gets a much-needed win, and Sheamus continues his precipitous fall from World Heavyweight Champion just a few months ago. Corbin comes out after the finish to talk trash about Ziggler ahead of their match at Extreme Rules.
It’s really unfortunated that Ziggler keeps getting sacrificed to new talent, as it seems very unlikely that he beats Corbin on Sunday. As a matter of fact, it wouldn’t be too shocking if Ziggler’s time came to an end in WWE, since he hasn’t had a meaningful storyline in quite some time. That problem will only get worse as the talent gets deeper on the main roster.
Chris Jericho is out next for a heel promo, which is his strong suit as of late. The Asylum cage lowers to the ring, and Jericho attempts to continue. Dean Ambrose, disguised as a ring worker, comes in for the beatdown with a kendo stick.
Simply put, Ambrose has to win this Asylum Match at Extreme Rules. It’s named after him, it’s catered to his styles and he has been thin on pay-per-view victories for a while now. There is literally no reason for Jericho to get any wins in this feud, and Ambrose has to be established as a threat going forward. As for Jericho, there’s no telling what the future holds, but it won’t require a win over Ambrose.
Bob Backlund and Darren Young get the next spot for another vignette for their “Make Darren Great Again” bit.
This concept really isn’t getting any better, and it doesn’t seem like it will for the foreseeable future. The timing is awkward in the vignettes, and people just aren’t invested in Young enough to put up with a Trump-inspired comedy gimmick.
Big Cass/New Day def. Vaudevillains/Dudley Boyz
As expected, the faces are well received, and Cass plays his role well with hot tags in the match. He had his first noticeable miscue in the match, somewhat botching an attempt to finish off Bubba Ray, but he gets the pin in the end.
All of these performers have carried their weight in this multi-faceted tag team feud, with particularly impressive work from the newcomers. One would expect a Vaudevillains vs. Enzo and Cass feud as soon as Enzo has recovered from his concussion, but that remains to be seen obviously. As for the Dudleys, it’s odd that they’ve been kept so close to the tag team titles without picking them up again.
Roman Reigns vs. Luke Gallows
Things get predictably out of control in a finish that could either be sorted out as a disqualification or a “no contest.” With the Usos, AJ Styles and Karl Anderson at ringside taunting each other, a brawl breaks out that includes Reigns and Gallows. After refs break things up, Styles and Reigns are left standing the ring with chairs. Both swing, and even though Styles drops his chair, he nails a Pele kick and sends Reigns out of the ring with a chair shot.
It’s cliche, but it really is a shame that someone has to lose this feud. Both main-event talents have proved themselves over the last couple months, and the loser Sunday shouldn’t fall far down the card. Nothing has been announced for Gallows, Anderson and the Usos at Extreme Rules, but it’s probably safe to assume they’ll get involved in the title match somehow.
