Extreme Rules 2016 Review

While I enjoyed watching Payback live last month, the show left little in terms of actual storyline progression. It was very blatantly obvious that many of the matches on that card were going to get rematches at Extreme Rules. However, I had no idea that ALL the matches would. With maybe the exception of the United States Championship match, every match at Extreme Rules was a variation of a rematch from Payback. But, as we get closer to SummerSlam, these rivalries should be brought to a close around this time so we can start setting things up for the Biggest Party of the Summer. So with that, there's a lot of intrigue to see how WWE "goes extreme" this year, while also seeing how these feuds come to an end on PPV. I'll be brutally honest, I wasn't expecting much. I was actually thoroughly pleased with what I saw at Payback, so I thought there was no way WWE could top themselves by doing the matches again. The result was about what I expected. The matches were collectively good (with the exception of one or two main event matches) and did keep me entertained for 3 hours. This is a pattern that's been occurring on most of the shows this year, so I can't help but feel good about the time we're in right now. It's good to be a wrestling fan, even if we still complain about everything. So here are my first impressions with Extreme Rules.

Big Cass Confronts The Dudley Boyz

Since Enzo Amore's injury, Big Cass has been keeping the momentum afloat in singles competition. That's why I love that tag team. Either one could be injured and they're so popular that they won't lose a hint of momentum. Anyways, this was a pretty basic formula. The Dudley Boyz come out to cut a generic heel promo, prompting Cass to come out and beat them up. That's what happened and it worked fairly well. I was just hoping Enzo would've been cleared to compete, since it was in their home state of New Jersey. But overall, a fun enough segment to open the Kickoff Show.

Dolph Ziggler vs. Baron Corbin

This wasn't a bad match, technically. I still have a number of issues. First, they really should be doing more with Corbin. Give him other people to work with and have him dominate. Build him up as the future big man to watch out for. Secondly, the No Disqualification stipulation really was unnecessary until the very end of the match. And thirdly, the low blow from Corbin really hurt his character in my opinion. He doesn't need to do that. Just let the guy be a dominant heel. Using a chair would've helped a lot more than doing a more cowardly heel tactic. Now that Corbin has beaten Ziggler on PPV, they should move him away from this feud and have him do something else that's much more interesting.

Tornado Tag Team Match: The Club vs. The Usos

The opener really benefited from the stipulation. Things have gotten so personal between The Usos and The Club the last month or so that having a standard tag match wouldn't have felt right. The action was very back and forth but the right decision was made with this one. The Club had to win in order to be taken seriously. I'm curious how long The Club will go without challenging for the WWE Tag Team Championships and I'm wondering if fans will come back to cheering for The Usos if they kept their distance from their cousin.

United States Championship Match: Kalisto vs. Rusev

While Kalisto was able to get some of his innovative offense in this match, the story here was how dominant Rusev's offense was on Kalisto's back. Targeting it throughout the week, it really played well into a match with solid psychology. And when Rusev hit the Accolade on Kalisto, I cringed at the angle of it. In fact, he should make that his version of the Accolade from here on out. It takes a classic signature and puts on a twist on it that feels like a signature for Rusev. And now let's see if they make Rusev a transitional champion or if they'll try and give him a solid push with this belt.

WWE Tag Team Championship Match: The New Day vs. The Vaudevillains

With how impressive the tag team division was, I was really looking forward to this match. But I'll be honest and say I was the tiniest bit underwhelmed. The match wasn't bad, but it wasn't anything overly impressive either. The idea to have Xavier Woods wrestle the match was enjoyable, since he's so underutilized in terms of wrestling nowadays. But this was pretty much a "paint by numbers" type of tag match. It probably could have benefited from a gimmick match or having the titles change hands to give it that extra spark.

Fatal 4-Way Match for Intrcontinental Championship: The Miz vs. Cesaro vs. Sami Zayn vs. Kevin Owens

And the award for Match of the Night goes to this match! From the start, the action was fast and furious, with tons of exchanges between the multiple rivalries. Admittedly, a match like this is very spot heavy, but it's still enjoyable if the components are right. This match had some tremendous components and I was on the edge of my seat throughout. I honestly didn't know who was going to walk away with the belt. I couldn't predict it and that's how it should be. I'm really liking where things are going for the IC belt right now. Give us a few more classics like this one, and this title we've declared dead in the water could have its value restored just like that. Keep it up guys!

Asylum Match: Dean Ambrose vs. Chris Jericho

If it wasn't for the thumbtacks at the end of this match, this would have been one of the most disastrous main event matches I've ever seen. When they announced this match, I got nervous because it seemed like something straight out of early 2000s WCW. This would have worked as a normal cage match, the weapons weren't a necessity. It was just so routine to watch. They climb the cage, pull down a weapon, and use the weapon. Lather, rinse, repeat. The fact this went on for over 20 minutes before a really important spot happened, especially with these two men attached, is an absolute sin and everyone should be ashamed of themselves. The thumbtacks will probably make this match memorable to some people, but I'd honestly be very happy if we never see another Asylum match again.

Submission Match for WWE Women's Championship: Charlotte vs. Natalya

Having this match follow the Asylum match really hurt the momentum for this show. I've never been huge on the submission match already, and these two women (who can normally have really good matches together) had a very boring match. The ending really hurt everything about this. Having Ric Flair banned from ringside should have been Charlotte's big chance to prove why she's Women's Champion and can do stuff on her own. Instead, they have Dana Brooke come down to ringside, aligning herself with Charlotte. UGH!!!! THAT'S NOT EVEN REMOTELY HOW YOU SAVE CHARLOTTE'S CHARACTER!!!!! Done, just done. Charlotte is a lost cause thanks to the WWE booking team and until they can either change her character or have someone take that belt off her, the Women's division will continue to be in jeopardy.

Extreme Rules Match for WWE World Heavyweight Championship: Roman Reigns vs. AJ Styles

This match was really good, but I definitely enjoyed their match at Payback a lot more. There were some very good spots here and there, but things really didn't click until the last few minutes when The Club and The Usos interfered. I'm intrigued to see where things go for AJ next, as he's put on some incredible WWE Championship matches in the last 2 months and has come up short. As for Reigns, he's continuing to impress, despite the fans hating his guts, and hopefully that'll morph into a full-on heel turn. And in conclusion, SETH FREAKING ROLLINS!!!!! That's right everyone, HE'S BACK! How is the landscape of this new era going to change now that The Man is back? We'll find out soon enough, but talk about ending the show on a high note and a cliffhanger. I'm so excited to see what happens next.


Final Thoughts: With the exception of the Asylum match and the Women's Championship match, Extreme Rules really delivered some great action. The midcard is really thriving in delivering short but sweet matches, while the higher up matches go for that "big fight" feel. The Intercontinental and WWE World Heavyweight Championship matches are worth the price of admission and the return of Seth Rollins really has my anticipation levels cranked to an 11 as we head into SummerSlam season. Recommended for those willing to sit through 2 boring matches so they can enjoy the first 4 matches and the main event.


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