WWE Extreme Rules Review 07/14/2019

Hello Misfits! It’s the Wrestling Classic here with my review for WWE Extreme Rules. Oddly enough, in the past two years I haven’t been able to watch Extreme Rules live due to some sort of wedding event. I did come home and began watching it so I could write this review. I did skip over the kick-off but I heard the matches on there were shorter than people enjoyed but solid. Gulak retained his cruiserweight championship against Nese and Shinsuke Nakamura became the new Intercontinental Champion by defeating Finn Balor. There were a couple of matches added or last minute matches added to this card that my predictions would be null but I was 7-3 with the matches I did make predictions for. This event was full of surprises. Its also the end of an era as supposedly following this event, Heyman and Bischoff take over as the creative directors of Raw and Smackdown Live. Lets me share my thoughts on Extreme Rules.

Image via WWE.com

This show is coming to us from the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

– The show opened up with great hype video for the event.

– The commentating is split between the Raw and Smackdown teams. Michael Cole, Renee Young and Corey Graves will call the Raw matches while Tom Phillips, Byron Saxtpn and Corey Graves will call the Smackdown matches. Nigel McGuiness, Vic Joseph and Aiden English are there for the 205 Live match.

The Undertaker & Roman Reigns def. Shane McMahon & Drew McIntyre
in 17:00 by pin fall
I was surprised they chose this match to kick off the show but I definitely enjoyed it. I read someone’s tweet that Roman Reigns and Drew McIntyre were both 13 years old when Shane McMahon had his first match…I wonder how old that made them when Undertaker first made his debut.
Moving along, I really enjoyed this match. It was a great way to kick off the show because the fans were hot for it. I think everyone should check out this match even if you’re bored of Shane McMahon or not a Roman Reigns fan. If anything, this match showed how The Undertaker should be used if he’s going to continue to wrestle. The Undertaker should be in there with younger guys (excluding Shane) or in situations like a tag team match where he can play his greatest hits and not be forced to carry the match. If you had a bad taste in your mouth from the last handful of Undertaker matches which had him against the likes of Triple H, Shawn Michaels and Goldberg be sure to tune into this match for some vintage solid Undertaker action.
All four guys including Elias who interfered during this match did a great job telling this story. Shane got to hit all of his high spots and McIntyre looked dominant many times during this match. The right team won and Shane McMahon taking the fall after a tombstone which made the most sense as I would have been disappointed if Drew took the fall. Following the match Undertaker and Roman showed mutual respect for each other and Undertaker told Roman that this is his yard now. It was good stuff. I think Shane moves on to Owens. Taker may continue to feud with McIntyre going to Summerslam. As for Roman…maybe he focuses on Kofi Kingston? We’ll see. If you’re an Undertaker fan, check out this match.

Raw Tag Team Championship
The Revival (C) def. The Usos
in 12:35 by pin fall
This was an awesome tag team match and exactly what you would expect from these two teams. It was quality professional wrestling. I’m glad these two teams are fighting for the tag team championship as they are the top two teams on Raw at the moment. That being said, I don’t think this is the end of this rivalry whatsoever. They gave us a lot here but the match didn’t feel like the finale of their feud. There was some funny spots during this match where The Revival would pull whatever antics were needed to not allow Jey tag in Jimmy. The Usos were really working from under here which led to them getting the hot tag spot. The Revival retained after hitting the shatter machine move after a blind tag from Dawson. This was a good match and kept up the pace of the show thus far.

Aleister Black def. Cesaro
in 09:45 by pin fall
This was Aleister Black’s re-debut and it was a solid one indeed. I know many people weren’t excited when it was Cesaro who answered Black’s challenge but I was excited. I think Cesaro is a perfect “first” opponent for Black in his re-debut. Cesaro would give Black a run for his money, it would be believable and make Black look good all at the same time. I think we sometimes take Big Tony for granted sometimes. This match proved that. The video package before the match was a great way to highlight Black for those who may not be familiar with him or just know him as the guy who teamed with Ricochet for a bit. There were some great spots during this match that really made Cesaro look great too like when he caught Black who went for the double knee attack from the top rope only to hit him with a European Uppercut. Black looked great showcasing his unique offence such as hitting a moonsault to the outside on Cesaro and his skill as wrestler as he focused his attack on Cesaro’s leg which ultimately led to him picking up the victory after a Black Mass. This was a solid match that got the crowd chanting “this is awesome” because it was exactly that. 

Smackdown Women’s Championship
Bayley (C) def. Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross
in 10:30 by pin fall
This was disappointing only because Salsa Banks never made her return to aid Bayley or even attack her. Instead we got Bayley legitimately defeat both Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross on her own. This was a big moment for Bayley for sure but I just can’t behind it. There were some things in this match that really stood out to me when it comes to Bayley, such as when she had Nikki in a leg lock and then caught Alexa in a crossface at the same time but I just dont care about her enough to care that she overcame these odds. The story here was about the Alexa Bliss (who looked amazing btw) and Nikki Cross friendship. Nikki Cross added herself in this match so Alexa and herself could become co-champions which looked like a great strategy on paper, but in the end Cross lost the match. This means that Cross lost a match that was originally a singles match for Alexa Bliss. It’ll be interesting to see how they follow   this up between those two. I’m intrigued by that more than I am about who Bayley will face off against next. I have zero investment in her character but I will say she showed up in this match and proved why the company has made her the champion. I mean if Sasha returned, I would have been all about it.

Last Man Standing Match
Braun Strowman def. Bobby Lashley
in 17:30 by being the last man standing
BRAUN is back! This was a solid last man standing match but it felt like it went a little longer than it should have. This was Brauns first appearance since crashing through the led stage on Raw. There were many different stories and rumours about hid kayfabe injuries and the severity of them but he’s back. Bobby Lashley looks like a new man too with a new sense of motivation. Both guys worked hard and they had the kind of match that was a lot better than a regular match between them would be. I thought it was a smart idea to go into the crowd because that made the fans feel like they were involved a bit more. Both guys are still somewhat lost in the shuffle on the Raw roster but I really thought Lashley needed a big win more than Strowman. Strowman wouldn’t have lost any momentum if he lost because he really hasn’t done anything that interesting this year yet he’s already established as a top guy. Lashley lost the best thing about him in recent history in Lio Rush, so a victory here would have been great. I wonder is next for both guys. The finish was creative and Braun Strowman popping out of the wall like the kool-aid man was a great visual as well.

Smackdown Tag Team Championship
The New Day def. Daniel Bryan & Erick Rowen (C) and Heavy Machinery
in 14:00 by pin fall
This was a fun triple threat tag team match. If you take a look at the talent involved you’d have to agree that you wouldn’t expect anything less. Daniel Bryan and Erick Rowen have been feuding with Heavy Machinery for a few months here but The New Day got involved when earning the number one contender spot. Personally, I though either the Planet’s Champions or Heavy Machinery going over made the most sense. The New Day seemed the least likely to win the belts considering the recent storylines but I feared the idea of The New Day all being champions at once would be the reason they would win the belts again which ended up being the case. It is cool that The New Day are all champions but at the same time I feel like it leaves the other two teams chasing the titles still or moving on to being irrelevant again. Maybe Bryan will go after a singles title again, which I wouldn’t be against either but I was really into him wanting to start a tag team revolution. It’s not easy doing a triple threat tag team match with six guys involved, but they put it together well and they built the match up to have an exciting finish. Big E was booked well in this match because he dominated everybody. I continue to be impressed by the Heavy Machinery duo. I do hope they eventually become champions. The finish came when E and Woods hit the midnight hour on Bryan. The New Day will be hosting another celebration on Smackdown Live sometime soon.

– Heyman cut a promo about Lesnar cashing in again once again teasing us that Lesnar could be there tonight. He’s done this a handful of times so its tough to tell if he’s giving us a spoiler or lying to us again.

United States Championship
AJ Styles w/ The Club def. Ricochet (C)
in 16:30 via pin fall
These two gave us another great match and I didn’t expect anything less. These two both already have wins over each other and technically this is the rubber match. However, this time it’s for United States Championship. Gallows and Anderson attacked Ricochet before the match. The ref broke it up but didn’t eject The Club from ringside. It was a very good, back and forth style match where they each hit big moves. There were many times where it looked like Ricochet could have picked up the victory but he just came close. In the end AJ Styles picked up the victory with a little help from his friends. The finish came when The Club caught the referees attention enough to allow Gallows to trip Ricochet who was on the top rope. This allowed Styles to hit the Styles Clash on Ricochet from the middle rope for the W. I didn’t expect Ricochet to lose the title so soon after losing it and also didn’t expect back to back title changes but I was wrong. I’m sure this feud is far from over and I’m looking forward to it, I just hope we avoid having Styles vs Ricochet in the ring against each other till Summerslam.

Kevin Owens def. Dolph Ziggler
in 00:17 via pin fall
HAHAHAHAHA. Damn, how the mighty have fallen. Ziggler went from being the number one contender for the WWE Championship to losing in 17 seconds to KO by a stunner. This was to get KO on the show after cutting what was a pipe bomb like promo on the previous episode of Smackdown on Shane McMahon. Owens then went to Twitter to showcase all the talent that weren’t booked for the show whereas Shane McMahon was including himself which led to him getting this match. Owens would cut another promo after the mach saying he’s surprised he was suspended or fired but that’s most likely because Shane McMahon was too busy with The Undertaker. He says he knows he can’t speak on behalf of everyone but Shane McMahon can kiss his ass and go to hell. 

WWE Championship
Kofi Kingston (C) def. Samoa Joe
in 09:45 via pin fall
Samoa Joe is Kingston’s biggest threat thus far. Thats not a dig at Dolph Ziggler but I dont think anyone thought Dolph was going to beat Kingston. The crowd seemed to have drained at this point or maybe I’m just making excuses because I am a fan of both guys. The match just didn’t live up to the hype of what a WWE Championship match should be on a big event. The match didn’t even go ten minutes. I am pretty sure they could have been longer if the last man standing match went a few minutes shorter with less brawling in the crowd. Joe worked on Kofi’s finger as a call back to Smackdown a few weeks ago where Kofi flipped the bird to Joe. Kofi did a great job selling it.  There was a “WE WANT LESNAR”…”NO WE DONT” back and forth chant during this match. The finish came out of nowhere with Kingston hitting the trouble in paradise on Joe for the win. I really would have loved a DQ finish, a no contest or a more interesting finish that protected Joe but instead he just lost clean. This looks good on Kofi but Joe is now like 0-8 in WWE or Universal Championship matches. I’m curious if they continue this or if they have Kofi move on to his next opponent. This was a technically sound match but just was missing something.

Last Chance Winner Takes All Extreme Rules Match
Universal Championship & Raw Women’s Championship
Seth Rollins (C) & Becky Lynch (C) def. Baron Corbin & Lacey Evans
in 19:55 via pin fall
I have to admit that I enjoyed this match more than I expected myself too. Let’s be honest as cringe as the on-screen relationship between Rollins and Lynch is, the union of Corbin and Evans has been great. I hate seeing Corbin in the main event because he bores me. Lacey Evans doesn’t seem like she should be in the main event spot yet considering that she’s still a bit green. However, can anyone argue that Corbin and Evans aren’t two of the most legit heels in the company. I’m talking about two superstars who the fans genuinely don’t like and they’re heels. We live in an era where most heels are over with the fans which traditionally would say they’re not good heels. Corbin and Evans are good heels. Speaking about being good heels, Lacey Evans who has been trying to bring sexy back had Seth’s name embroidered on the buttox region of her trunks. The camera man gave us a great zoomed in shot of it during her entrance. Rollins and Lynch were really over with the fans.
This match was an absolute fun. Of course they tried to work within the rules in a match that was supposed to have no rules. The men only wrestled the men and the women only wrestled the women. However, there were a ton of moments where the women got the upper hand on the men. Lacey would attack Rollins with kendo sticks. Becky kicked a chair into Corbins face. There were a ton a good double move spots during this match like Becky and Rollins jumping on the top rope back to back with their own unique splashes to put Corbin and Evans through tables. There was a huge heel pop for Corbin when he hit the End of Days on Lynch. This enraged Rollins who went into a rampage taking out Corbin with three curb stomps for the win while Lacey Evans decided to just leave instead of getting in the way of a crazed Rollins. I enjoyed this more than I expected and it was a good outing for all four competitors. There wasn’t any surprises with the finish until…

Universal Championship
Brock Lesnar w/ Paul Heyman def. Seth Rollins (C)
in 00:15 via pin fall
Lesnar’s music hit and out he came to cash in his money in the bank briefcase. Two german suplexes and one F5 later we had a new Universal Champion. Lesnar has become the Universal Champion for the third time. I’m over Lesnar as champion but this really made this event end with a bang. Its also bittersweet revenge for Lesnar. Rollins cashed in the MITB on Lesnar back in 2015 and now Lesnar cashed in on Rollins. I don’t know how I feel about this as I would have rather Lesnar cash in on Kingston for the shock value and for it being fresh but this was what it was.

Final Thoughts
This show was really good. I enjoyed it from top to bottom even with the cash in that killed the moment for Seth and Becky. This might have been the end of an era as we move forward with Heyman and Bischoff with more power and if it was, this was a great way to cap it off. As much as things change though, sometimes they stay the same. The New Day are tag champions again. AJ Styles is the US Champion again. Brock Lesnar is Universal Champion again. Kevin Owens has his sights set on Shane McMahon again. Braun Strowman overcame the odds and broke through some shit again. Undertaker had a moment with Roman Reigns again. Bayley picked up a decisive win again that I didn’t really care for again. Regardless, of how many things feel the same we’re heading into a direction hopefully. If you didn’t watch this show, I would highly recommend it. There was A LOT more good on this show than there was bad.
Final Rating – 7/10

What were your final thoughts on Extreme Rules? What final grade would you give the event? Where would you rate it on a scale of ten? Do you agree with my review? Leave your comments, opinions and thoughts below in the comments section.