Imperium VS The Brawling Brutes: Good old fashioned Donnybrook match
Extreme Rules kicked off with Imperium taking on the Brawling Brutes in a good old fashioned Donnybrook match. This was probably my favourite match of the night. All six men put so much effort in, it was great to watch. Imperium took control early on before Sheamus fought back. Butch jumped off the barrels onto Vinci and Kaiser before Sheamus put Gunther through the announce table. In the closing stages, Sheamus hit the Brogue Kick onto Giovanni Vinci to get the win for the Brutes. This match was fun, Imperium losing is a shame but the Brutes winning means it gives Sheamus a proper reason as to why he should face Gunther again.
Grade: A-
Liv Morgan VS Ronda Rousey: Extreme Rules match for the SmackDown Women’s Championship
This match wasn’t great. There were some nice moments, Liv hitting the code-red off a chair was really cool and Ronda striking Morgan with her black belt was a genuinely clever spot. However, this was a long version of a Squash match. Rousey once again dominated Liv Morgan and she ended up making the champion pass out meaning Ronda Rousey is the brand-new SmackDown Women’s Champion. Rousey didn’t need to win; this was a big opportunity to make Liv into a proper star. Also, after the match, Liv Morgan was smiling. That makes no sense. Given her story, she should be crying or at the very least looking very upset. Her smiling makes it look like she never really cared.
Grade: C-
Drew McIntyre VS Karrion Kross: Strap Match
Drew McIntyre put the strap onto his arm, but Karrion Kross didn’t want to. Scarlett then grabbed hold of the rope and Kross took advantage. Drew fought back and managed to finally get the strap onto Kross, meaning the match begun. This was pretty solid stuff; they used the rope to pull off some pretty nice spots. Kross pulling McIntyre into the ring post was cool and whenever Drew got on top, Scarlett was there to stop it. The ending came when Scarlett sprayed pepper-spray into Drew eyes and Kross hit him with a big strike from behind to get the win. I’m glad Kross won, he needed it a lot more than McIntyre. Scarlett getting involved shows she is an integral part in the success of Karrion Kross (like Zelina for Andrade) and also, it protects Drew in defeat.
Grade: B
Bianca Belair VS Bayley: Ladder match for the Raw Women’s Championship
Bianca Belair VS Bayley was a strange match. Some of the spots were awesome. Bayley hitting an elbow drop onto Belair who was lying on a ladder was cool and at one point. Damage CTRL’s Dakota Kai and IYO SKY both ran down to the ring and Belair hit a double KOD onto both of them. That was a genuinely awesome spot. The ending came when Bianca Belair hit a KOD on Bayley onto a ladder. The best part of this was Bayley was holding half of the ladder as she got dropped on it. Bianca Belair climbed up the ladder, grabbed her championship to retain her title. This match was fine, but it wasn’t nearly as good as it should have been. This felt like it was Bayley’s time, so Bianca winning is weird. Belair’s title reign has gone stale, and I don’t really know what else she can do. Damage CTRL not holding all the belts is a missed opportunity.
Grade: B-
Edge VS Finn Balor: I Quit Match
The Edge VS Finn Balor “I Quit Match” was a tale of two halves. The first half wasn’t great, the referee continued to put the microphone in the superstars faces which was annoying and the brawling through the crowd wasn’t great either. However, the last 10 minutes was excellent. Damian Priest and Dominik Mysterio tried to help the Prince before Rhea Ripley handcuffed Edge’s hand to the ring ropes. Rey Mysterio came to try and help the Rated R-Superstar however, Dominik attacked his father and laid him out. The Judgement Day battered Edge, but the hall of famer wouldn’t quit. Beth Phoenix then came out and took out the Judgement Day before she untied Edge’s handcuffs. Edge was then spearing everyone and it looked like he was going to win but, Rhea Ripley attacked Beth from behind. The Judgement Day continued to attack Edge, but he wouldn’t quit, meaning Rhea threatened to hit the Kinchairto. Due to this, Edge said the words I quit to protect his wife. It didn’t end up mattering though as Ripley still smashed Phoenix with the chair. This was great, a brilliant way to make Edge lose. One funny thing is as soon as Rhea smashed Beth, Rey Mysterio was back which was a bit ridiculous.
Grade: B
Seth “Freakin” Rollins VS Matt Riddle: Fight Pit
The main event of Extreme Rules saw Seth “Freakin” Rollins take on Matt Riddle inside the fight pit. This match was pretty decent, you could tell that Riddle has had some experience in this match type whilst Seth Rollins was finding his bearings. Riddle hit the RKO whilst Rollins hit the stomp but neither man stayed down to the count of 10. Special guest referee Daniel Cormier came across really annoying in this match. He separated both Riddle and Rollins and told them that their fight is with each other, not the referee. He then continued to tell Seth Rollins to get down from the high structure that is a part of the fight pit. It made no sense given the fact that platform is a part of the structure. Seth Rollins hit a pedigree on their which looked cool before he ended up falling down. Riddle then hit a diving senton onto the architect before he made Rollins tap out. A big win for Riddle but another PPV loss for Seth “Freakin” Rollins. A decent match but it wasn’t as good as the feud deserved.
Grade: B-
Bray Wyatt returns to WWE!
As the copyright graphic came up in the bottom right-hand side of the screen, the lights went off. A song with the lyrics “he’s got the whole world in his hands”. Then, they were real life-sized versions of the puppets from the firefly fun house before the Fiend showed up. The big screen then showed the firefly fun house set but it was abandoned. A man then talked on the tv screen before the door on the entrance ramp opened and the man with the mask came out, holding a lantern! He then took off his mask to reveal himself as Bray Wyatt. This was awesome! The lights going off after the copyright graphic is trademark Triple H. The firefly fun house being abandoned is a sign of how WWE abandoned Wyatt and the brand-spanking new lantern is a sign of a new era in Bray Wyatt’s character. My Dad is going to be happy for a month by the time he sees this.
Grade: A+
Yesssssssss!!!!!!!!!!!!!