We are just freshly removed from the second Monday Night Raw-exclusive pay per view after WrestleMania 33 – WWE Extreme Rules 2017 – and it has to be said, the event more than lived up to expectations with some pretty damn good entertainment all around.
Samoa Joe became the unexpected new Number 1 Contender for Brock Lesnar’s WWE Universal Championship in the main event and we also saw two championships change hands and two champions hold on to their belts in the four title matches on the card.
Despite the positive reception of the show, though, it wasn’t the perfect show. After all, which WWE pay per view is perfect these days? There were some pretty big booking decisions that turned out to be mistakes on the part of the WWE creative team.
What were these mistakes? That’s what we’re here to discuss and analyse. So, without any further ado, here is our list of 5 mistakes from WWE Extreme Rules 2017:
#5 No extreme matches at Extreme Rules
When you go out and name a pay per view Extreme Rules, you expect there to be a lot of extreme action with tables, ladders, chairs, sledgehammers and what not. But confusingly, there was barely action throughout the show.
Firstly, there was the strange ‘Dean Ambrose loses the title if he is disqualified’ stipulation which made no sense at an Extreme Rules event. The Submission match wasn’t extreme in any way, shape, or form.
Even the matches with “Extreme Stipulations” such as the Kendo Stick on a Pole Match, the Cage Match, and the Extreme Rules Fatal Fiveway main event were all tame affairs where the competitors didn’t really make use of the weapons at their disposal.
It’s a little disappointing that we didn’t see more carnage during a pay per view titled Extreme Rules.
#4 Bayley getting squashed
Look, the whole Kendo Stick on a Pole match was doomed right from the start, but there was no reason to throw Bayley under the bus like this. The Huggable One participated in what was essentially a glorified squash match against the WWE Raw Women’s Champion, Alexa Bliss.
The champion absolutely battered Bayley – who barely got any offence in – before picking up the victory. Little Miss Bliss’ demolition of Bayley makes the latter look extremely weak and has killed off any chance of her being taken seriously as a top wrestler in the Raw Women’s Division.
You have to wonder what the point of her push earlier in the year was if this was going to be the end result. It’s going to take nothing short of a miracle for the WWE Universe to get behind Bayley after this fiasco.
#3 Austin Aries losing
Look, I said in another article that Austin Aries still emerged from Extreme Rules as a winner despite not winning the Cruiserweight Championship from Neville on his third straight attempt and I still stand by that. But, that doesn’t mean it couldn’t have been better.
After building up The Last Chancery as the ultimate submission move, it seemed obvious that Aries would be winning but it wasn’t to be. He did get Neville to tap, but it was on the outside and hence it did not result in a victory for ADouble.
A great match might have saved his reputation, but this was a prime opportunity to create a real star in The Greatest Man that Ever Lived. One wonders where the WWE goes from here when it comes to Aries.
#2 The end to the WWE Raw Tag Team Championship match
The Hardy Boyz vs. Sheamus and Cesaro was a pretty damn good encounter but there were a few weird issues with the way the rules were framed. For one, the match could only be won by both members of a team escaping the cage, meaning no pinfalls or submissions.
Secondly, there was that whole business about things resetting because Jeff Hardy re-entered the cage to help Matt Hardy despite having already escaped first. This meant that both Hardyz had to escape again which they didn’t manage before their opponents.
This is another case of a good match having the gloss slightly taken off because of some strange booking decisions.
#1 Finn Balor passing out to the Coquina Clutch
I have no issues with Samoa Joe as the new Number 1 Contender after winning the Extreme Rules Fatal Fiveway match. In fact, I’m quite happy with the decision and I think it’s the best thing the WWE could have done. My issue is with the fact that Finn Balor was the one to pass out to the Coquina Clutch.
I know, the WWE probably wanted to tease a Balor victory by having him on the brink of victory but it would have made more sense for any of the other three guys to eat the submission, instead, with how heavily The Demon is being pushed. This details that push a little.
As is the case with our last three points, it’s a small thing that could have improved a really really really good match.
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