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A number of big matches took place on WWE Extreme Rules this year. Becky Lynch defended her SmackDown Women’s Championship for the first time since her SummerSlam return.
Bianca Belair gave Lynch a good fight before Sasha Banks returned to attack both women and caused a disqualification. Was it the right move to bring Banks back and protect Belair from a loss at the pay-per-view?
Meanwhile, The Usos took on The Street Profits for the SmackDown Tag Team Championships. Jimmy and Jey Uso gave the two men a tough fight and retained their titles at the end of the match. Will the loss hurt The Street Profits’ credibility on SmackDown?
Extreme Rules also saw “The Demon” return to challenge Roman Reigns for the Universal Championship. Did WWE do well to let The Demon pick up his first main roster loss at the hands of The Tribal Chief?
Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss managed to put on a good show in front of fans at Extreme Rules. What will Bliss do to get back at Flair after she tore up the Lilly doll?
There were many questions following the pay-per-view. But let's take a look at the five biggest questions from Extreme Rules this year.
#5. Why did WWE Champion Big E compete in an ordinary match at Extreme Rules?
Big E won the WWE Championship from Bobby Lashley a couple of weeks ago. It was his first world championship win in the company.
Last week, he teamed up with New Day to take a loss from The Bloodline. Later on, Roman Reigns defeated Lashley and Big E in a Triple Threat Match on RAW. With so much going on, WWE should have booked a momentum building match for the New Day member.
However, the WWE Championship was left without a match on the Extreme Rules card this year. The company decided to book him with the New Day in a six-man tag team match against AJ Styles, Omos, and Bobby Lashley.
After a decent contest, Big E hit the Big Ending on Lashley to win the match for his team. Why did WWE put its top champion in a multi-man tag team match on a pay-per-view? Wouldn't it have been better to book a rematch between Lashley and Big E for Extreme Rules?
The two men are now set to compete on the episode of RAW that will follow. Instead, the company could have allowed the two men to compete for the title in an extreme rules match. The contest would have given Big E a solid push on a big stage.
#4. Why was there only one extreme rules match on this year’s card?
WWE Extreme Rules has historically been one of the most brutal pay-per-views for the company. Over the years, the creative team has worked hard to build rivalries that can lead to matches with special stipulations.
However, only one match was fought under the extreme rules stipulation this year. The rest of the matches went on as traditional wrestling matches. Why did WWE book such few extreme rules matches for this year’s show?
Alexa Bliss and Charlotte Flair could have competed in an Alexa’s Playground match. Meanwhile, Bianca Belair and Becky Lynch could have also competed under unique stipulations. WWE failed to give fans some intense bouts this year.
#3. Why didn’t Damian Priest pick up a convincing victory at WWE Extreme Rules?
Damian Priest defended his United States Championship at WWE Extreme Rules. He competed in a Triple Threat Match against Jeff Hardy and Sheamus.
All three men gave their best during the contest and came close to victory several times. In the end, Sheamus nailed Hardy with a Brogue Kick before Priest rolled him up for the win.
Fans did expect The Archer of Infamy to retain his title, but was it the right call to have him roll up his opponent for the pin?
WWE could have allowed him to hit his finisher and pick up a convincing victory. He has been given a good push over the past several weeks, and a dominant win would have helped end his rivalry against Sheamus.
#2. Why did WWE protect every single champion at Extreme Rules?
Out of the six matches held on the WWE Extreme Rules main card, five were for the championships of RAW and SmackDown. The Usos retained their SmackDown tag team titles on the show early on.
Damian Priest, Becky Lynch, Charlotte Flair, and Roman Reigns all found different ways to retain their titles on the show. Shouldn't WWE have allowed at least one title to change hands at Extreme Rules?
WWE could have allowed The Street Profits to win the titles from The Usos. Flair could have also lost her title to Alexa Bliss on the show. Instead, the creative team allowed all the champions to head back home with their titles.
#1. Did WWE do well to protect "The Demon" Finn Balor at Extreme Rules?
WWE put "The Demon" Finn Balor up against Roman Reigns, and the two competed in an extreme rules match at the show.
Many fans were sure that Reigns would be allowed to retain his title at the pay-per-view. They wanted to see how WWE would protect The Demon at Extreme Rules.
Balor gave everything he had during the contest and nearly picked up the victory. However, the top rope broke just when Balor went for the final Coup de Grace, and the angle allowed Reigns to Spear and pin him.
Did WWE do a good job at protecting The Demon? Will Balor look to bring back his alter-ego after picking up his first loss as The Demon on the main roster?
It will be interesting to see how Finn Balor responds to the loss. He could look to target The Tribal Chief again or move away from the Universal Championship picture after the loss.
