WWE Extreme Rules: Review & Analysis

@RoxBlackburn

WWE Extreme Rules. What we know now and where could we be heading next?

Let’s start this off by addressing the absolute travesty of Finn Balor versus Shinsuke Nakamura (Intercontinental Championship Match) being on the kick-off show. Not only does demoting the title completely undo all the hard work guys like The Miz and Seth Rollins did to actually make us care about it, but it also serves to prove that WWE has no idea what to do with Balor or Nakamura. On paper this should have been the match of the night, a future main event but instead it’s relegated to a seven-minute slot where neither athlete did anything to garner any offence or show any sort of sparkle. And why should they? Both have been drifting, aimlessly drifting for months. Part of me thinks it’s not their fault but part of me also thinks they should assume some responsibility for the direction of their characters. My only glimmer of hope for Balor rests on a strong (and it would need to be strong) heel turn and a possible alliance with The Club. As for Nakamura? Who knows?

The Cruiserweight championship match between Drew Gulak (c) and Tony Nese was well received by the building Philadelphia crowd, who were happy to see their home-town boy (Gulak) emerge victorious. Some high points of the match included Nese’s Moonsault and 450 splash. The match itself was ok and managed a decent response from the crowd but there’s no doubt that 205 Live is an afterthought when it comes to the booking of a PPV, which in itself, is very sad.

The main event kicks off with Roman Reigns and The Undertaker versus Shane McMahon and Drew McIntyre. The Undertaker’s reaction was warm, albeit, predictable. He’s a legend, I get it but when are WWE going to stop relying on him to draw numbers? The guy is almost 55 years old and he just can’t cut it amongst the new generation of wrestlers. Reigns was sharp as a tac during this match but ‘Taker was sluggish, understandably so. I wish he would bow out gracefully before he ends up really hurting himself.  Drew McIntyre should be the next in line for a Universal Championship match, hands down. There isn’t another guy on that Raw roster who is as ready as he is to take the next step.

And let’s address the second biggest issue of the night; Shane McMahon. Later in the show, Kevin Owens reminds us of a recent past where the McMahon family said they were going to listen to the fans more, yet here we are are with Shane O getting more TV time than your Intercontinental Champion. Read that again….. Am I missing something with Shane? Is there a bigger picture I’m just not getting? Please, someone fill me in because all I see is a rank amateur taking away TV time from a locker room full of talent and competent superstars.

Although the match between Kevin Owens and Dolph Ziggler happens later in the night, there’s no harm talking about it here because it only  takes around 45 seconds for Owens to pick up the win. It’s what happens at the end when KO gets the mic. Please keep in mind, he had his mic cut off on Smackdown in an almost (and only almost) CM-Pink-esq pipe bomb style. KO addresses the state of the WWE Universe and delivers a promo where he speaks, very eloquently, for the WWE Universe and the locker room about their frustration with Shane McMahon situation. KO is once again at the edge of another character twist and it’s vital WWE pick this up and run with it.

One of the stand-out matches of the event was The Uso’s v The Revival for the Raw Tag Team Championships. In terms of pace, technical ability and storytelling, it was my favorite match of the night. The match itself didn’t deliver anything we haven’t seen before from either team but the Uso’s are great fun to watch and I like how both teams haven’t taken themselves too seriously as the feud has built. The Revival retains.

Cesaro v Aleister Black was another interesting match. These two guys were both nurtured during their time in NXT and they serve to prove you don’t need a massive build up to deliver a good match, sometimes you have to let the wrestling tell the story. And this story is one of two guys who have come up strong through a developmental roster and have now got a solid foundation and platform to build from. Interestingly, Black won. I wouldn’t be surprised to see either in the Intercontinental Championship picture in the near future and possibly a Rumble win in January.

The triple threat Smackdown Tag Team match, which ultimately saw The New Day pick up their sixth tag team championships was also fun to watch. Again, nothing to write home about in terms of anything new but a match with a nice pace, some comedy, some high spots and a nice ending.

An admirable effort from Bayley during her two on one handicap match against Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross, which ultimately saw her retain her title. It’s a funny set up with Nikki Cross at the moment, because I feel like she doesn’t quite fit into the current women’s roster. The current women’s roster is way too polished, something I didn’t realize had happened until this weekend. Every woman is pristine in looks and very soft and fluid in the ring. Other than an odd move, there isn’t a lot to tell them apart in terms of their actual wrestling ability (and I include Becky Lynch and Charlotte in that sentiment) but Nikki Cross is different, which is ultimately the basis of her appeal. She is a little more rugged and rough around the edges, I love that she isn’t plastered in make up and fake hair extensions. Her style is much more jagged, animalistic and intuitive. I have to wonder if WWE are going to wear away those endearing rough edges to have her fit better into the mold or will they let her sit just outside it and perhaps open the door for other women of a similar style to step in too.

AJ Styles defeats Ricochet to claim the United States Championship in WWE’s first WTF title change of the night. The Club don’t need a title to be successful and if they are going to have gold, they all need to have it, quickly. I feel very much that WWE are good at pulling the rug from under us, they almost fear and retreat when something new takes hold and they end up digressing to what used to work, rather than trusting what is currently working. There was no real need to have Styles take the championship. What are they so afraid of? The other question on all our minds is whether or not The Club version 2.0 is going to work this time around? Are they going to be given enough free reign for it to actually mean something?

Samoa Joe versus Kofi Kingston was a solid match, a solid showing from both competitors. For a while, I wasn’t sure Kingston was going to keep the championship for a sustained period but I’m pleased WWE are holding their nerve with it. They need to let this run, at least until we start on the road to the Royal Rumble. On a personal note, seeing Kingston land an SOS on a guy like Samoa Joe was pretty impressive.

I don’t think I’ve ever seen Braun Strowman in such great shape. Bobby Lashley is still as dull as dishwater and I hate that he took to social media to indicate he may have his sights on the Universal Championship. This ‘Falls Count Anywhere’ match, which saw Strowman emerge victorious saw some of the biggest spots of the night, particularly when a running powerslam from the top of the stairs had the whole audience on their feet.

The main event, sigh, the main event. Becky Lynch and Seth Rollins versus Baron Corbin and Lacey Evans, winner takes all, both the Universal and Raw Women’s championship were up for grabs.

Where to start?

I really want to like Lacey Evans. I love her gimmick but something about her character just isn’t gelling for me. Corbin has carried a lot of the weight of Raw for the past few months and his growth as a heel character has been one of the most surprising twists of this year.

Did you know Becky Lynch and Seth Rollins were dating? Did you know? Did you?

Some nice spots in this match included Lynch and Rollins double Suplex to Corbin and Evans on the steel ramp, the constant and unfiltered use of Kendo sticks and chairs, Suicide Dives, aerial spots and of course, Becky Lynch taking an End of Days from Corbin, which saw Rollins absolutely lose it. Again, a really fun, nice paced match and a great way to end the event. Lynch and Rollins retain but then Brock Lesnar’s music hits.

Bork Lesnar (yes, I’m aware I spelled it wrong) cashes in his Money in the Bank contract and wins the Universal Championship. It’s hard to see the reasoning behind this and a large part of me thinks it’s just undone the last few months and we’re right back to where we started but you have to look at the bigger picture.

They have taken the Universal Championship off Seth Rollins because Lesnar is perceived as a bigger name and a bigger draw and WWE are aligning their chess pieces ahead of the new TV deal. Could Rollins in fact need a bit of a rest? He’s been slugging it out for months. I actually allowed myself to entertain the notion that Rollins title reign has been mediocre. With all the hype leading up to ‘Mania and the fact we got everything we wanted, was it only inevitable the come down from that would leave us feeling underwhelmed? Another part of me thinks Rollins has been the face of the red brand for a while, especially when he held the Intercontinental Championship, does he really need the Universal Championship to cement that? Absolutely not! He’ll be adored no matter what he does, with or without a title.

It still baffles me that such a young championship is being treated the way it is. In all honesty, the Universal Championship hasn’t held much appeal since Kevin Owens had it. Could we see this happen again? What influence will Heyman and Bischoff have over the future of a championship still in its infancy? One thing I do know is there’s a bigger picture here and at the moment, we can’t quite see it.