WWE Extreme Rules Review - June 4, 2017

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Kalisto def. Apollo Crews (Kickoff Match)

WWE shot themselves in the foot by announcing this match so close to the pay-per-view going on the air, so the crowd already had zero incentive to care, but they were surprisingly invested in the action, at least more than you think they would be. This turned out to be a fun little match and was perfectly positioned on the Kickoff show because the crowd likely would have been quiet if it took place later in the night. Kalisto and Crews were actually given a chance to showcase their skills for a change, though the finish was dumb with Titus O'Neil distracting Crews at ringside by offering to give him unnecessary advice. Their pairing has potential, but Crews constantly losing does him no favors.

The Miz def. Dean Ambrose to Win the Intercontinental Championship

For as tired as I have become of this feud (considering it carried over from SmackDown Live), there's no denying Miz and Ambrose work exceptionally well together and this was another enjoyable encounter from them. Yes, in theory, it was kind of silly that a majority of the match centered around whether Ambrose would get himself disqualified, but the story they told did make sense and the crowd was into the teases that Ambrose would get disqualified (though Maryse slapping Miz was pretty stupid, but thankfully the referee saw through it). Miz regaining the gold was absolutely the right call as I find him to be far more compelling as champion than Ambrose at this point.

Rich Swann and Sasha Banks def. Noam Dar and Alicia Fox

This was probably the match with the lowest stakes on the show, so while it was hard to care about the outcome, the match itself was nice while it lasted. In addition to not overstaying its welcome, the bout benefited from being held earlier in the evening and thus the crowd was hot for the hometown hero Swann. Here's hoping this marked the merciful end of the Swann vs. Dar feud once and for all.

Elias Samson's Performance Drew the Ire of the WWE Universe

I understand wanting to kill time on a pay-per-view with only six matches, but this felt like a waste of time to me. Sure, Samson generated heat from his performance, but it was the same go-away heat he got in NXT from singing before his matches. I actually liked the mysterious persona he had when he initially arrived on Raw when he would hardly talk. Similar to his stint in NXT, I just don't see this singing shtick having a long shelf life for Samson on the main roster.

Raw Women's Champion Alexa Bliss def. Bayley in a Kendo Stick on a Pole Match

As strong of a match as Bliss and Bayley had at Payback in April, this was absolutely atrocious. The stipulation killed them from the start because it didn't take much effort at all for them to retrieve the kendo stick. There was zero drama, Bayley didn't go to the "extreme" as had been teased during the build, and the clean loss made Bayley look like a total loser. Perhaps the fact this was kept short and not-so-sweet was for the better because it would have been worse if it dragged on any longer.

Sheamus and Cesaro def. The Hardy Boyz in a Steel Cage Match to Win the Raw Tag Team Championship

As a match, this was very good, but WWE failing to make the rules of the matchup clear going in caused confusion. For example, why wouldn't either team immediately walk out of the cage door (though that's always an issue with Steel Cage matches)? And when it was it ever established that Jeff returning to the cage would mean him leaving in the first place didn't matter? I can only imagine how mind-boggled those in attendance might have been. That said, I was entertained by the overall match and Sheamus and Cesaro winning by escaping the cage protected The Hardyz in defeat. I assume the feud will continue, but don't expect The Hardyz to be "broken" any time soon due to the legal problems they have at the moment with Impact Wrestling.

WWE Cruiserweight Champion Neville def. Austin Aries in a Submission Match

Although the crowd wasn't exactly hot for this match, it was very well-wrestled and there were a handful of innovative spots, so it was on par I thought with their previous bouts since WrestleMania. Sadly, Cruiserweight matches have become what women's matches in WWE used to be where fans have been conditioned to tune out. Aries was able to force Neville to tap on the outside, so he had a strong showing despite the loss. Neville is amazing in his current role and I'm fine with him retaining the title, but where does Aries go from here? He belongs in the heavyweight division, so fingers crossed that's where he ends up ultimately.

Samoa Joe def. Finn Balor, Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins and Bray Wyatt in a Universal Championship No. 1 Contender's Fatal 5-Way Match

It's almost depressing that this was essentially the most hardcore match on the entire "Extreme Rules" pay-per-view, but nevertheless, this was a great main event featuring five athletes who you knew would go out there and deliver. I will say that the formulaic nature of the contest with only one or two people in the ring at the same time bothered me a bit, and it wasn't until the closing stretch that they really kicked it up a notch, but the crowd ate it up and the table/barricade spots were well done. Most importantly, Joe coming out on top was a pleasant surprise, and although Balor was beaten, he had an out for losing because Joe ambushed him from behind. Joe vs. Brock Lesnar could be a blast if given the time it deserves and isn't a one-sided squash in favor of Lesnar.

Overall Show

WWE needs to reconsider calling this event "Extreme Rules" again in the future because it gets less and less extreme by the year it seems. The main event was far and away the best bout of the night, but there was some solid wrestling elsewhere on the card as well between the cage match, the Submission match, and Miz vs. Ambrose. While I'd say this was a middle-of-the-road show on the whole, I appreciate that they swerved viewers with a shock ending that wasn't universally hated on by fans (unlike if Reigns had won). As noted, the biggest takeaway was the lack of extremeness and explained stipulations, so they should improve upon that for future installments.