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Just as WrestleMania reset the WWE with almost every major title changing hands, Extreme Rules almost did the same thing on a smaller scale. Seth Rollins defeated Brock Lesnar for the Universal Championship at 'Mania, but this past Sunday, it was Rollins who was defeated by "the Beast".
Both the United States Championship and the Intercontinental Championships had been among the titles that changed hands the most. The US Title continued that trend as Rey Mysterio, Samoa Joe, Ricochet and AJ Styles have all held the title since April. And although his reign lasted longer, Finn Balor dropped the Intercontinental Title to Shinsuke Nakamura on the pre-show.
It was easy to telegraph which matches were likely to deliver. The SmackDown Tag Team Title Triple Threat match was sure to deliver because of the chemistry that all three of the teams have with each other. Heavy Machinery upped their game against the Planet's Champions at Stomping Grounds, giving the WWE Universe a glimpse that they are more than a comedic duo.
But just as some matches delivered as expected, there were also some that left a lot to be desired. Whether it was due to the finish or the pacing, some matches just didn't bring the level of excitement as others. All the matches deserve the grades they are now getting, so let's grade the bouts from Extreme Rules 2019.
Finn Balor vs. Shinsuke Nakamura: B-
When Nakamura returned to SmackDown a few weeks ago to admire Finn Balor's Intercontinental Championship backstage, many of us thought that it was just Balor's last feud before SummerSlam.
But after a win last week on SmackDown, Nakamura got a shot at the title. And after a match that he controlled for the most part, Nakamura defeated Balor to become the new IC Champ. Balor and Nakamura are both underutilized stars that the audience will always cheer for. The fact that they've haven't been on TV more is disappointing.
They had a good, not great match where Nakamura focused much of his attack on Balor's mid-section. It was slightly better than their match last week but it certainly could have been better given their ability. Their showdown in NXT was the best match they've had together in WWE.
Drew Gulak (c) vs. Tony Nese: B
As is the case with most of the Cruiserweight matches, this was better than some of the main-card matches. Drew Gulak and Tony Nese have fought each other a lot but still managed to keep the match feeling fresh. The fact that the show was held in Gulak's hometown of Philly also helped to keep the crowd invested in the match.
Nese sold well as usual and Gulak looked great in his first defense. It wasn't as good as most of Buddy Murphy's title defenses, but it was still a good match. Despite his former disdain for the high-flying nature of 205 Live, Gulak has actually integrated a few moves from the top rope as well as a front dropkick at the start of his matches. Where both men go from here will boost Gulak's reign or have him fall a step backward.
The Undertaker and Roman Reigns vs. Drew McIntyre and Shane McMahon: C+
For all the hype behind this match because of its combatants, this was nothing special in my opinion. It was supposed to be a "No Holds Barred" match at Extreme Rules, but it was basically a match that seems like it spilled over from RAW.
It only had two "extreme" spots (Elias using his guitar and the trash can "Coast to Coast") and Shane McMahon's usual spots that he always hits in his matches. It wasn't anything new and there wasn't anything done during the bout that made it feel like a PPV match.
Roman Reigns and The Undertaker worked well together and the highlight of the match was the photo above. While using The Undertaker in this manner could help prolong his career if he wants it, it was still a match that failed to deliver on the hype that was built around it.
The Revival vs. the Usos: B
As is usually the case with two really good teams, this was a good match. It wasn't the best match of the night. It also wasn't anything different from what we've seen when these two teams have faced-off.
They obviously have good chemistry with each other, but outside of the finish, the match felt like one that could have popped up during RAW. The Usos are good but they use the same moves in all their matches. They're telegraphed and you can see them coming from a mile away if you've watched them a lot.
The Revival aren't as athletic, but the reason why they work so well as a team is the psychology that they use like isolating the opponent, their frequent use of blind tags and being where their opponents don't think they are.
The finish was great with a blind tag leading to the champs retaining after hitting the Shatter Machine. Had there been some different layers added to the showdown, then it would have warranted a higher grade.
Aleister Black vs. Cesaro: A
Aside from the triple threat match for the SmackDown Tag Team Titles, this was the match of the night. It wasn't overly long but properly showcased both Aleister Black and Cesaro as fearless strikers who dished out as much as they could take.
From kicks to European Uppercuts to multiple strikes, this was a great way to have both men look great. Unfortunately, the crowd seemed dead during the duration of this match. There were a few moments when they perked up, but it was only for brief periods.
The audience did chant "this is awesome" at one point but before and after that, they appeared uninterested. And as it usually does, the Black Mass kick is always crowd-pleasing. Black proved that he shouldn't be given the slow track to the main event whereas Cesaro proved once again that he should always have been there.
Bayley vs. Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross: B-
Since Bayley had two opponents, she had to carry a lot of the action. Alexa Bliss was also returning to action after being "the sickest" she's ever been. For that reason, Nikki Cross was added to the match.
Despite Bayley doing most of the work and Bliss returning from sickness, the match was better than I expected it would be. It wasn't a great match, but for what it was, it did the job. There were going to be some moments where the two-on-one aspect would be taken advantage of, and Bliss and Cross both frequently tagged in and out of the match.
Each participant hit their usual moves and carried the action along for the duration of the match. Bayley's use of the elbow off the top rope is a good change in her move set since the Bayley to Belly isn't hugely effective. The tension between Bliss and Cross was further teased during the match, but they remained allies at the conclusion.
Braun Strowman vs. Bobby Lashley: B
Of all the matches on the card, this and the main event were the two that utilized the name "Extreme Rules" the best. Since Braun Strowman and Bobby Lashley were both involved, you knew that there were going to be some crazy spots.
They fought through the crowd and out onto the concourse where Lashley started out in control of "the Monster Among Men". By the time they made their way back to the ring, Strowman regained control. Both men looked good and had their moments to shine in the match.
Strowman looked ever the beast that he usually is and plowing Lashley through the barricade was great. The finish of the match was the best as Strowman power-slammed Lashley through a staging area in the arena. He capped off the win by punching through the wall. Maybe I expected more matches to be like this since it was a show called "Extreme Rules", but we got what we got.
SmackDown Tag Team Title Tripe Threat match: A
It didn't surprise me at all that this was the match of the night. Both the champs and The New Day have proven that they are among the best tag teams around and Heavy Machinery has really impressed in the big spots in which they have been involved.
While I personally would have preferred a longer reign for the Planet's Champions, it is hard to doubt what the New Day can do as champions. There was a lot of great work by all involved as Daniel Bryan and Xavier Woods were tossed around but also gave out as much punishment as they received.
This match was also fun do to all the big-man on big-man action throughout the match between Rowan, Heavy Machinery and Big E. Big E is consistently one of the best performers and he is more than worthy of a major singles run.
Rowan continued to show how he should be properly used as he has his spot as a big man enforcer/hot tag recipient. The New Day and the Planet's Champions have been involved in the best matches at the last two PPVs, so hopefully, bigger things are in store for both teams. Or if Bryan is changing gears, hopefully, he is still kept near the main event.
AJ Styles vs. Ricochet: B+
Just like when Ricochet faced Cesaro a few weeks ago on successive episodes of RAW, I don't think that many people were unhappy that he was facing AJ Styles in consecutive weeks. Some match-ups might seem dull or repetitive, but when two of the best and most innovative wrestlers of this generation are in the match, it's easy to watch multiple matches.
While the first meeting was the best, this was still a good contest. Ricochet controlled a good deal of the action and Styles used his aggression throughout the match to help solidify his heel turn. It was good that there was minimal outside interference from Gallows and Anderson.
Anderson didn't interfere but pointed out to the referee that Styles' leg was under the rope. But when Gallows interfered in the closing of the match, it was clearly used as the route for Styles to both win and to continue upping his heel profile. The Styles Clash off of the top rope is always a sight to see, so using it to put away Ricochet was the way to go.
Kevin Owens vs. Dolph Ziggler: C-
I'm not sure if the reason why this was a quick squash was because it was added to the card last-minute or if that was the planned finish. But having Kevin Owens make extremely quick work of Dolph Ziggler with a stunner might have helped Owens but it continued to devalue The Showoff.
The finish might have been to further the Shane vs. Owens storyline, but even in the post-match promo, Owens didn't say anything new. Had he done so, it would have made up for the extremely short match.
Squash matches are good when done correctly, but if you're a Ziggler fan, you have to feel bad. He's returned to the WWE but has resumed his losing ways. He's just like Sami Zayn, unfortunately. If there wasn't much to the match to begin with, I would have preferred that it was left off of the card and more time was given to another match, like Cesaro and Black.
Samoa Joe vs. Kofi Kingston: B
Despite the two competitors in this match, it wasn't what it could have been. Kofi Kingston's matches with Daniel Bryan were the best ones he's had as champion. Even though Samoa Joe is great at playing the dangerous heel, his rest moves often slow the match down and take the momentum away from it.
I do think that if there was to be a major title change at the show that this is the title change that should have happened instead of Brock Lesnar. Joe needed something for momentum after always failing in title matches. He also had a week reign as US Champion simply to lose the belt to Ricochet. Ricochet doesn't even hold the title now either.
Kingston's offense is always fluid and used well in the match and Joe's threat of submissions are always done well. I just didn't see much that made this match stand out any more than it could have done so when announced. I don't know where Joe goes from here with all of his losses. He's just another Bray Wyatt or Braun Strowman. Hopefully, a renewed push comes for him like they appear to be on the horizon for both Wyatt and Strowman.
Main Event: "Winners Take All" Extreme Rules match: B+
Having no rules for this match actually helped it more than it hurt. Lacey Evans and Baron Corbin are perfectly fine WWE Superstars, but neither should be challenging for the major titles on RAW just yet. Both have slower, plodding in-ring styles that slow down exciting stars like Ricochet, Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch.
Due to their (Evans and Corbin) involvement and the damage inflicted at various points, the match was slow at points throughout. The best use of the stipulation was when Lynch and Rollins jumped off of the ring post onto tables with Evans and Corbin on them. The other use that worked but that might have been controversial was when Corbin hit Lynch with an End of Days.
It reiterated what he (Corbin) was willing to do in order to win and it also set up a good finishing sequence that set Rollins off. After seeing what "the Lone Wolf" had done to his girlfriend, Rollins caned Corbin mercilessly and then hit him with three curb stomps. It was one of the best spots in the match.
The ensuing cash in wasn't anything special, so it doesn't deserve a grade. Lesnar just hit a couple of German Suplexes and one F-5. The Beast winning the title again drops the grade of the entire main event down a peg.
