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In midst of WWE's dry creative spell and all-time low ratings, a C-level PPV named Extreme Rules rolled around. Although the card was good on paper, the buildup to most of the matches was disappointing and cringe-worthy. The whole PPV was overshadowed by the fact that the main title of Raw i.e. The Universal Championship was not on the show.
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That being said, Extreme Rules had its ups and downs. While matches like AJ Styles vs Rusev and Seth Rollins vs Dolph Ziggler delivered, the PPV was also full of disappointing albeit boring bouts starring the likes of Team Hell No vs The Bludgeon Brothers and Carmella vs Asuka. Surprisingly, the pre-show was not bad at all. Andrade Cien Almas put up an excellent bout against Sin Cara and Sanity finally managed to pick up their first win in WWE against The New Day.
The PPV saw the B-Team continue their redemption story-line by winning the Raw Tag Team Championships, Braun Strowman destroying Kevin Owens, a return of Randy Orton and Nakamura finally earning his first main roster gold.
In this list, the matches will be ranked on the basis of the wrestling and the storytelling involved. A match with brilliant storytelling but worse wrestling (and vice-versa) will rank lower on the list. The pre-show bouts will not be included in this list and finally, these are just my personal opinions. Try not to get too worked up about the rankings.
Let's get started.
#10 Carmella(c) defeats Asuka for Smackdown Women's Championship
When it was announced that Carmella will defend her SmackDown Women's Championship against Asuka at Extreme Rules, expectations were already low. Then, when a stipulation was added that James Ellsworth will be locked inside a shark cage, we knew what to expect.
This match was heavily centered around the fact that Ellsworth is locked on top of the ring. From the start, Ellsworth tried interfering in the match by dropping some items from his cage to help Carmella. The fool even managed to unlock the cage and get trapped by a ribbon stuck in the cage. Asuka took her time with him and assaulted him a variety of kicks. As predicted, Carmella took advantage of this distraction and won the match.
Look, I know that Carmella is not a great in-ring worker and WWE has to introduce some clever booking to hide her flaws. But making her defeat Charlotte and Asuka repeatedly in stupid fashions has made them lose all their momentum. Carmella comes across as a transition champion whose gimmick is the fact that she is annoying.
Plus, WWE are making the same mistake they did in late 2016 by centering the championship around James Ellsworth. The whole Dean Ambrose vs AJ Styles rivalry was ruined by the unnecessary spotlight on James Ellsworth which ultimately made Styles look weak. Add in the fact that brilliant wrestlers like Becky Lynch and Naomi are sitting on the sidelines is just salt in the wound.
Grade: D+
#9 Finn Balor defeats Constable Baron Corbin
The biggest reason why this match is so low on this list is due to its bland story-line. Big guy vs little guy is a story-line that has been run to the ground. Slightly taller wrestlers have all used this tired troupe again and again and have achieved lukewarm results every time.
Finn Balor is perhaps one of the biggest victims of bad booking. The lack of the Universal Championship has not done him any favors either. Ever since returning from his injury back in 2016, he has not won a single belt or has been in a meaningful story-line. Corbin, on the other hand, is one of the blandest characters in the WWE. Although his 'Constable' gimmick is slightly better, it is still hard to care about the guy.
That being said, the in-ring work was solid. Both of these guys have worked together a lot in NXT and they completely utilized each other's arsenal. Balor did a good job on his 'small underdog' character and eventually defeated Corbin via roll-up.
Corbin's hair transformation could have been saved for this match as it could have been a fun stipulation. Sadly, he jumped the gun and thus couldn't save this lackluster bout.
Grade: D+
#8 The Bludgeon Brothers(c) defeat Team Hell No SmackDown Tag Team Championships
This match was probably the most disappointing of all the matches on the card. The reunion of Team Hell No was a great nostalgia moment and was properly capitalized in the buildup. But, the match never really delivered.
The Bludgeon Brothers assaulted Team Hell No before the match in a backstage segment and damaged Kane's foot. This was, of course, a way to avoid getting Kane in the ring but, it was effective. When the time for their match came, Daniel Bryan marched to the ring without the company of his partner. Throughout the match, the Tag champs dominated Bryan in a 2-on-1 handicap situation and assaulted his already affected ribs.
Suddenly, Kane's music played and the Big Red Machine finally came to the ring to assist his partner. But, his leg failed him and Bryan was soon pinned by The Bludgeon Brothers to retain their Tag Team gold.
The match never really took off and the pace was off throughout the match. Like much of Bryan's return run, this match left a sour taste in the mouth. I know that the Bludgeons won to make their eventual loss that much convincing, but sacrificing Bryan to do so was a bad booking decision.
Grade: C-
#7 Alexa Bliss(c) defeats Nia Jax Raw Women's Championship
This year's post-Wrestlemania Women's division has been terrible. All the hard work that was done till Wrestlemania has been flushed down the drain. Both Asuka and Charlotte have been the victims of Carmella and on Raw Alexa Bliss's title run is already destroying all the potential of other wrestlers.
The match itself was never bound to be great. Bliss has always been a limited in-ring performer and her bout with Nia Jax and Wrestlemania was terrible. Still, some bright guy in the Creative team wanted a redo of the same bout with the same story-line. Bliss spent a majority of the match running from Nia and then suddenly was able to beat her up. The Extreme Rules stipulation was never really utilized. They barely even left the ring and Bliss only used weapons to awkwardly beat down Jax. Watch Sasha Banks and Charlotte's bout in a falls count anywhere match for further reference
The only good moment of the match was seeing Rousey finally snap and beat down Bliss. Still, Bliss managed to score a win. While predictable, this didn't do any of the wrestlers involved a favor and was ultimately a terrible bout.
With women like Alexa Bliss and Carmella being long-time champions, it feels like the Women's division is reverting back to the Divas' division.
Grade: C
#6 Bobby Lashley defeats Roman Reigns
Roman Reigns vs Bobby Lashley was doomed from the start. Two boring and failed experiments faced each for, in Michael Cole's words, "bragging rights." Since his return, Lashley has frequently displayed his flaws on the microphone and Reigns is no better. But, kudos to both the wrestlers for working hard to add some relevance to the rivalry. Their segment on the previous Raw was certainly a good one.
But, the whole match was just a proof of Reign's limited move set. Except from his trademark signatures and finishers, Reigns hardly did something innovative. Lashley tried his best to carry Reigns throughout the match but he could only do so much. Also, WWE's pathetic attempts to get Reigns cheered out of sympathy are exhausting.
The fact that this match was not the main event of the show was a welcome surprise. This decision was the one that saved this match. It is good to see that WWE has learned from it's mistakes after the Reigns vs Joe Backlash fiasco.
Grade: C+
#5 B-Team defeat The Deleters of the Worlds(c) Raw Tag Team Championships
This match was not anything special, but it did everything it was supposed to do: provide goofy, fun entertainment.
At the beginning of the match, the Deleters of the World showed everyone why they are the Raw Tag Team Champions. The first few minutes were dominated by Hardy and Wyatt as they showcased their tag team skills. However, things quickly turned around for the tag champs as Dallas and Axel isolated Hardy. After a hot tag by Hardy, Wyatt faced his real-life brother in the ring and following a mix-up, was pinned.
The Deleters of The World were starting to stagnate with the belts. They had hardly even defended the championships and had never delivered on the promised 'weird' stuff. A change of titles is a fresh change and can be used as a catalyst to usher in some of Hardy's trademark 'Broken' creativity.
The post-match celebration of the B-Team was a nice finishing touch. It is great to see even the under-carded loyal wrestlers rewarded by the company.
Grade: C+
#4 Shinsuke Nakamura defeats Jeff Hardy(c) for the United States Championship
This was a long time coming. Ever since Nakamura turned heel, it was predicted that sooner or later he will win the WWE Championship to justify the heel turn. But, when AJ bested him for the 3rd time in a row, he moved on to other things, namely the U.S. Title.
Jeff Hardy has been struggling since winning the U.S. Championship. He couldn't take part in regular rivalries as his physical condition was deteriorating. Due to lower back issues, he had stopped using the Swanton Bomb at house shows. Thus, the title change could not have come at a better time.
Before the bell rung, Nakamura attacked Hardy and hit a low blow on him. When the match officially started, Nakamura nailed Hardy with the Kinshasa and pinned him within a minute to win the belt. His title win was a bit overshadowed by the return of Randy Orton, who proceeded to attack Hardy, thus indicating his heel turn.
All in all, an effective bout.
Grade: B-
#3 Kevin Owens vs Braun Strowman
If you have not watched the PPV and are just tuning in to read the results, I'll bet that you are surprised. How the hell did KO defeat Strowman? Believe me, his victory was strictly an on-paper victory.
Braun Strowman and Kevin Owens were handed a terrible story-line. KO trying to befriend Strowman was one of the most pathetic story-lines of this PPV. After that dreadful porta-potty massacre, I lost all hope for this feud. Surprisingly, KO and Strowman almost stole the show.
The match began with KO trying to run away from Strowman. After some unsuccessful attempts and some goading by The Monster in The Bank, Owens finally decided to fight him. He executed a series of picture-perfect signature moves including the superkick and frog splash. When that didn't work, KO handcuffed Strowman to the ropes.
Braun broke the handcuffs and proceeded to throw off KO from the top of the steel cage through the announcer table. Since technically KO left the cage first, Braun had to suffer an on-paper loss, but the image of Strowman laughing and saying 'Kevin Owens won!' rectified any damages done.
KO is a great wrestler and Strowman knows what to do. Thus, they made the match worth watching.
Grade: B+
#2 Dolph Ziggler(c) defeats Seth Rollins Intercontinental Championship
This match was the main-event of the night and I'm confused whether this was a good decision or not. On one hand, the buildup to this match was better than the WWE Championship bout and it was slightly less predictable. On the other hand, the WWE Championship has always been treated lower than the Universal Championship and it being placed lower than the IC belt is a bit underwhelming. Anyway, the match was awesome.
The script followed for this match was unique as instead of one fall after the other, both wrestlers went on fall streaks. At one point in the match, Rollins was up 3-0 due to a roll-up, curbstomp and a DQ as McIntyre interfered. From then on, Ziggler bounced back and scored four back to back falls to take the lead. In the final few moments, Rollins scored a pin and drew the scores. Unfortunately, that is where the match ended.
Just as when Ziggler was about to leave, Raw GM Kurt Angle appeared and restarted the match. McIntyre interfered again, Ziggler took advantage of the opportunity and pinned Rollins to retain the IC belt.
There were some flaws though as the match was a bit weirdly paced. The wrestlers got tired quickly which resulted in very slow 10 minutes. Also, the Pittsburgh crowd kept mocking the clock which shifted the attention from the wrestlers. Other than that, this bout was great.
Grade: B+
#1 AJ Styles(c) defeats Rusev for the WWE Championship
What. A. Match.
Sure, this match was predictable as Rusev could never have been more than a transition challenger for Styles. But hell, sue me. This was definitely the match which I enjoyed the most.
Although Rusev was never a serious threat, he and Styles tried hard to convince you otherwise. Throughout the match, Styles went after Rusev's left leg which prevented him from setting up his submission finisher i.e. The Accolade. Rusev and AJ's facial expressions demonstrated their frustration as they couldn't put away the other wrestler after using their signatures.
English pushing the rope towards Rusev to force a break, Styles giving chase to English only to get blasted by a belly to belly, Rusev's half accolade; this match was filled with great moments. Just when Rusev couldn't put away AJ with a Machka Kick, Styles blasted English with a dropkick and hit a phenomenal forearm for the win.
Rusev and Styles both benefited from this match with the former gaining credibility and the latter extending his title reign in this show-stealing performance.
Grade: A
What did you think of the PPV? Lets us know in the comments section below!
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