1. Dean Ambrose vs. Chris Jericho (WWE Extreme Rules)
This was meant to serve as the culmination to an intense rivalry, but instead was a complete waste of two supremely talented Superstars. The first ever Asylum match fell flat, as not even a variety of weapons could bring this contest to life.
It could be argued that this battle was doomed from the beginning given the match stipulation. A poor man’s version of TNA Lethal Lockdown, the Asylum match saw Ambrose and Jericho battle inside a steel cage with weapons dangling from above the ring.
The lack of a roof on the cage meant the bout didn’t seem as intimidating as the Hell in a Cell or an Elimination Chamber. Moreover, TNA’s equivalent worked well as it included a larger number of competitors inside the steel cage at once, making it significantly more chaotic.
Conversely, this match lacked brutality. Apart from Chris Jericho being slammed into a pile of thumbtacks, the rest of the weapon spots were silly and childish. Without a doubt, the stipulation was a hindrance, but the match itself was too slow and not particularly entertaining.
Many would’ve been expecting these two Superstars to produce a good contest no matter what kind of match it was. In the end, you could hear a thumb tack drop as the crowd was dead throughout this bout.
