WWE Extreme Rules 2021 Review
WWE has been really mixed in my eyes since the return of crowds. There have been some real positives floating around, but it doesn’t get as much mention as the negatives. They don’t do themselves any good by the negatives being more frequent and those issues continuing on week after week.
Extreme Rules comes in as the final WWE PPV before the WWE Draft. Throughout the show, this event was described as the an “end of an era” PPV. WWE sure know how to make things sound good, but are they good on making them? Let’s have a look how Extreme Rules has done.
Liv Morgan vs Carmella
Pre-show match saw Liv Morgan take on Carmella in a Singles Match that actually had some build-up to it from previous weeks. A nice video package summed-up the feud showing that it was all about Carmella claiming to be beautiful and Liv being not. In case that wasn’t enough, Carmella had a promo before the match to regurgitate the point for those in attendance.
Liv went in early for the catapult-like move into the turnbuckles but Carmella scouted it following the events from the last SmackDown when Carmella’s face got slammed by that same move.
Decent wrestling followed with Carmella heeling it up while the crowd began getting behind Liv Morgan. Some nice counters allowed Liv to take advantage as she focused on Carmella’s precious face with knee strikes, a Codebreaker and cool a double stomp off the middle rope.
They got to the outside where Liv got to land her catapult move to the pop of the crowd, right into the announce table. She then finished the match off with a jumping Flatliner to win the match.
I liked the match for what it was. They had a story, albeit a rather bland and played-out story, and they worked a match around it. This was just about the quality I expect from a pre-show match. Crowd were invested which often doesn’t happen for pre-show matches.
5/10
The New Day vs Bobby Lashley, AJ Styles & Omos
WWE announced right before the show started that we are going to be treated to a surprise 6-man Tag Match on the main show primarily to feature the newly crowned WWE Champion Big E.
As you would expect from a last minute addition to the card, this match had practically now story to it. Yes, Lashley just lost his WWE Championship to Big E, but there wasn’t any build between the characters. It was just a Money In The Bank cash-in at the end of the day. With that, WWE put on this 6-man Tag Match which would have been a better fit for the main event of a RAW show. I’m not even sure where Omos and AJ Styles came from for this.
I was shocked to see them get as much time as they did. At 18 minutes and 15 seconds this ranked as the second longest match on the show. In my eyes that it was a real strange call to make a sudden match with so little stake to it and give it 18 minutes.
Don’t get me wrong, that is a hell of a set of wrestlers that you can rely on getting you great entertainment. It’s just that they didn’t have much substance to work with. The wrestling was fine and all, but what did it all mean? The biggest takeaway for me was that we might be getting a AJ Styles vs Bobby Lashley programme after the WWE Draft.
Lashley done some nice throwing and tossing. He swiftly caught Kofi early on when the latter went for a big Tope Suicida. Then Woods helped Kofi give the momentum to topple Lashley over. It was a good early spot.
Kofi kept getting battered by everyone on the heel side until Big E got the hot tag. Lashley halted his momentum with more of his strength-based moves.
The New Day started building serious momentum late on although they looked in danger when Kofi got caught with a big chop from Omos as the he flew to the outside with some help from Big E.
That lead to the deciding moment where AJ and Lashley kept blind tagging the other as they wanted to finish the job on Big E. The champion avoided the Spear from Lashley and AJ ate it instead. Big Ending on the confused Lashley got the job done for The New Day.
I was a little upset that Omos and Xavier Woods played bit-part roles in the match. Woods had one minor hot-tag moment, but apart from that he was either out on the outside or he was getting beat up by the heel team. As for Omos, I get that he is still very green, and that is a understandable reason for him not be too involved. I would have loved to see more cool spots to sell his dominance. Stuff like that chop that he gave to Kofi, or things that only could do because of his height. I feel like he could have been involved a bit more given how much time this was given.
Alas, it was a solid opener with the crowd being fully behind The New Day which made for some great hot-tag moments.
6.5/10
Street Profits vs The Usos
WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship Match
Before I get into the actual match, I must address the dumbest crowd on the planet. The chants for tables makes no sense when using tables is not legal. I get it, you signed up for a show that goes by the name Extreme Rules, but you are trying to hijack a legit good match with your illogical chants. There was no need for any of that.
As for the match, I like how ones again WWE set the foundations of the match at the weekly shows. You may recall the go-home SmackDown had the main event between Montez Ford and Roman Reigns in which the champion walked out victorious. However, there was a post-match beatdown on Ford which injured his ribs. Ford came out to this match with taped ribs and that aspect was fully played into the match which I loved to see.
I have to give big credit to Angelo Dawkins who is often diminished by wrestling fans because he is put in matches alongside Montez Ford who is just incredible. Dawkins had an important role in this match as the man who had to make up for Ford’s injury in the match and had moments where he had to deal with both Usos simultaneously. He performed his standard hot-tag sequence, but then he added nice moves on the outside by catching the flying Usos. Furthermore, he landed a sweet Superplex and combined it with a double underhook swinging Neckbreaker. I’m telling you, Dawkins pulled his weight and more in this one.
Whether Dawkins outdone Ford is a different question entirely. Ford’s selling was unreal in this match. He sold his ribs at every available moment since the point that The Usos began focusing on that part of his body. All the spots involving his ribs were made so much better because of his selling. The moment where he was too slow to get up on the top rope, giving The Usos time to get out of trouble is a great example. Another one was the Frog Splash that Ford done where it took him a couple seconds to crawl over to make the cover, allowing for the pin to be broken up in time.
While we are on the topic of Montez Ford, how about that dive from the ring, over the corner post, right onto The Usos? He wasn’t at his best in the match against Roman on Friday, but he made up for it in this match where he got to show why he is the future of this company.
The Usos took full advantage in the end, even going as far as focusing their Superkicks on Ford’s ribs. The stereo Splashes connected and The Usos retained their titles.
Lovely match. Made the most out of the given story and incorporated it effectively. Everything was executed smoothly including the big Montez Ford dive over the corner post which couldn’t have looked more perfect.
7/10
Alexa Bliss vs Charlotte Flair
WWE RAW Women’s Championship Match
This was a rather dry match all things considered.
I was baffled to see nothing in the match that would signify Alexa Bliss’ character. In fairness, I’ve not been following the character arc fully so perhaps WWE have a good reason for not including any of Alexa’s powers in this match. Previously we seen her possess telekinesis power and shooting fireballs from her hands to name a few of many. She didn’t even do her sadistic schtick where she laughs off pain done to her. Perhaps this was all part of the plan where she has now developed into a human-like character again. I doubt it unless there is a source from WWE that confirms this wild, complex theory.
The match consisted of Charlotte beating Bliss for the most part. Charlotte done the nice Andrade Moonsault from the corner which was dodged followed by another Moonsault on the ground which landed.
Bliss got cheered in her hometown for the brief moment she was making her comeback. Again, Bliss done nothing particularly different to what she would do as her normal self. She did land a very good looking Sunset Flip for a near-fall. Twisted Bliss was evaded and Charlotte got her foot on the rope when Bliss connected with her DDT which was no-sold by the crowd because who has a default DDT as their finisher in 2021.
We finally got the only reference to Bliss’ character and of course it had to involve the doll - undoubtedly the worst aspect of Alexa’s creepy character. Charlotte threw the doll at Bliss as a distraction in order to hit a Big Boot. Natural Selection followed up and that was that.
Then we had the post-match breakdown from Bliss who got further battered by Charlotte and cried as the champion tore up her doll. Seems like a turning point in Alexa’s character, and we can only hope for something better.
The women had some solid moments where they exchanged blows and created real sequences, most of which were short and often ended with a roll-up. I still don’t understand why Alexa’s character had nothing to do with the match or why the match started out with Charlotte beating her up for about 5 minutes. Strange choices in my opinion.
5.5/10
Damian Priest vs Jeff Hardy vs Sheamus
WWE United States Championship Match
At this point we were over the halfway point of the show and this was the first opportunity for things to get extreme as the title of the PPV would suggest. A Triple Threat Match naturally has no disqualifications, but the wrestlers made no use of it apart from rope breaks not being a thing. Imagine the Royal Rumble PPV without the Royal Rumble, or Money In The Bank PPV without Money In The Bank Ladder Matches - it was weird to see.
Anyway, this was your standard Triple Threat Match for a midcard Title. Everyone got involved from the start as the pace was set to high. The crowd picked their man early on as the Jeff Hardy chants were the loudest during the night. The people loved good ol’ Jeff so naturally anyone attacking him would cause boos for them. That was one of the bad side effects of the overwhelming cheering going on for Jeff because Damian Priest, the man WWE are trying to push, got booed whenever he squared up against Hardy. It did also mean that Sheamus got incredible heat so there was that at least.
Sheamus and Priest battled each other with Hardy coming out of nowhere to break up their fight, usually with an exciting high-flying move. I liked to imagine that was done on purpose as this match was originally scheduled to be a Singles Match between Sheamus and Priest before Hardy got involved - out of nowhere.
There were a couple of slip-ups involving Damian Priest during this match. The first came about when he literally slipped up on the apron as he was about to strike Sheamus back with his own Beats of The Bodhran. The other was a sloppy transition from The Reckoning to the Twist of Fate with Jeff. Both men fell on each other and it made for a real awkward few seconds until things got back on track.
Sheamus’ top rope imitation of Jeff Hardy should be turned into an iconic GIF, not only for the hilarious taunt, but also because Sheamus jumped from the top rope in a rare scenario. He went up top again soon after only for Priest to catch his throat and send him back on the mat with a Chokeslam. Jeff broke up the pin with a massive Swanton Bomb to the biggest pop of the night potentially.
The live crowd ate up some of the Jeff Hardy near-falls even when it was clear he was never going to end up winning, not here at least. He ended up taking the Brogue Kick with Priest rolling-up Sheamus right after to get the 1,2,3.
The addition of Jeff Hardy was much needed for this match, even if it came at a cost for Damian Priest. Firstly it feels like I’ve seen Sheamus and Priest face-off against each other a million times already so adding someone fresh is always welcome. Then you had the crowd involvement factor. They did beg for tables again but at least they were cheering and booing along the way.
I love me a good Triple Threat Match and this was a fine one by any standard.
6.5/10
Bianca Belair vs Becky Lynch
WWE SmackDown Women’s Championship Match
Anyone with a brain saw the handshake spot coming from a miles away. It was the ready-made opener to the match, with Bianca obviously not getting baited in again. Imagine if WWE booked her to lose in the same way again after 30 seconds. Unthinkable scenes if that was to happen.
Standard wrestling commenced as Becky began feeling the pressure with Bianca getting the better of her in a few basic exchanges. Becky’s response to Michael Cole comments was funny to see. To add to that, she wasn’t lying when she said she had a game plan, she got back in the ring and took control by using Bianca’s ponytail to her advantage.
Lynch was very smooth in the ring considering how long she has been out of the ring for. I didn’t notice anything bad about her in-ring work. It’s as if she didn’t take a break at all. It was great to see her do her famous trash talking throughout the match too.
Belair began her comeback with a combination of different moves to showcase her EST status. Flips, delayed Suplexes, series of strikes to the head etc. She wanted to become the smartest award too as she didn’t let Becky get an advantage using her ponytail. Too bad Lynch found crafty counters to lock in the Dis-arm-her for the first time. A rope break saved Belair in that moment of time.
We witnessed a creative use of the steel steps to smash Belair’s face and a series of leg drops from Lynch which I feel like I didn’t see from her before this past Sunday.
The remainder of the match was a battle between Belair trying to steal a win with a roll-up and Lynch trying to lock in her finishing submission. Bianca was about to hit the K.O.D. but Sasha Banks made her return to cause a DQ finish, attacking both Belair and Lynch.
That means we are two matches deep in this Belair vs Lynch feud and we are yet to get a proper, decisive match between the two. At this rate I’m not even sure we are going to get that because of Sasha’s involvement along with the WWE Draft coming up, who knows where things are heading. All I know is that I was gutted to see Banks return and ruin the match, especially since this was going to be the best match on the card if not for the finish.
It was a great wrestling match featuring some of the best in the women’s division. It was a first time match-up in WWE and it felt fresh too, and it wasn’t just because Becky hasn’t wrestled for a year and a half although that added to it for sure. Becky was amazing as was Bianca that didn’t look out of place at all. Both showed what they are capable of and it was just a massive shame to let it lead to the DQ finish.
I’m worried that the payoff for this feud will come too late, or worse, it will never come at all.
7/10
Finn Balor vs Roman Reigns
WWE Universal Championship Match
Extreme Rules Match
Ladies and gentlemen, we finally made it. On the very last match of the show WWE decided to introduce some weaponry. Unfortunately this is modern day WWE so the most extreme thing you’ll see used as a weapon is a bundle of kendo sticks which probably hurts less than a single kendo stick. At least the crowd got their tables at last.
The match started like every modern Roman Reigns match starts - slow with Roman being in full control. Thankfully that didn’t last too long as Balor whipped out that bundle of kendo sticks.
Great improvisation from the two men to use the fact that the crowd want tables to their advantage. Balor wanted to get one out but Reigns stopped him saying that the crowd won’t get any tables tonight. With the steel chair and steel steps Balor got enough time to get a table out to the joy of the live crowd. Too bad Roman decimated his head with a drive-by Dropkick as a result.
Solid banter from Roman who got out a mask when the fight spilled to the pre-show table area to keep him protected from the gross crowd. Balor and Roman teased something with the glass table but Balor ended up jumping off it for a Crossbody on Reigns through a normal table. Alright spot I guess.
Balor set up another table in the ring but got put through it himself as Roman revealed a lot of Balor’s arse in the process of picking him up for the move. Don’t worry, that shall not affect the rating for this match.
Nice exchange of moves lead to Reigns lining up a Spear. Balor countered with a Slingblade, but his shotgun Dropkick was then intercepted with a Spear. Shockingly Balor got his shoulder up and managed to low-blow Roman simultaneously, calling back the spot from their match a few weeks ago from SmackDown.
It looked like Balor had it in the bag with the Coup De Grace, but The Usos broke the pin and began working over the challenger. The Demon fought back against The Usos, even Powerbombing one of them through the announce table, however Reigns came running out of nowhere to Spear Balor through the barricade.
Here comes the most controversial part of the whole PPV. The lights turn red and heart beat sounds start playing. Balor flops like a fish, trying to time his flops with the beat. Then he rises to his feet like he just got reincarnated with a second life. He put Reigns through a table with a Shotgun Dropkick as his music just kept on playing in the background. He climbs up to the top rope and stays there for a few seconds. The turnbuckle snaps off suddenly and Balor drops down in pain. Music stops, lights were put back to normal and Roman finished the match with the Spear.
It was certainly an attempt for a creative finish. They used up the roll-up and DQ finish, so WWE needed something else to save Balor from cleanly losing to the best booked wrestler in professional wrestling today. At least this gave us a reason to talk about the PPV.
I found the heart beat and fish flopping very funny. That wasn’t its intention but it was hard not to laugh when you see Balor doing that in the main event of a PPV. The rise to give him the second wind was cool, but I’m just confused to why WWE wanted to keep the music playing in the background. It felt like when you play PACMAN and you suddenly can run into the ghosts to gain points. Then the music stops and you just lose to the ghosts because you weren’t paying attention. That is what the turnbuckle break spot felt like.
I just can’t wait to hear what WWE’s explanation will be for what happened. Unless Paul Heyman engineered the turnbuckle ahead of the match, nothing else will suffice. Even that is a ridiculous premise. They could have just had Balor do his comeback but Reigns counters with a Spear and it’s all over. Simple as that. Also makes sure to not have the music playing. You can keep your favourite red lights and smoke, but the music was so weird to hear in a middle of a match.
This was one of my least favourite Roman Reigns matches since his Title reign began, ignoring any Braun Strowman matches. There wasn’t much to it if I’m perfectly honest. For an Extreme Rules Match, it was nothing more than you would expect from a house show Street Fight. A couple decent spots and a one sequence of moves that I could highlight from the whole 20 minutes. The finish obviously hindered the match too, although I didn’t find it too big of a deal as others.
6/10