WWE Extreme Rules Review - October 8, 2022

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

The Brawling Brutes (Sheamus, Ridge Holland and Butch) def. Imperium (Intercontinental Champion Gunther, Ludwig Kaiser and Giovanni Vinci) in a Good Old Fashioned Donnybrook Match

The ending to Gunther vs. Sheamus on Friday's SmackDown did a really nice job of setting the stage for this match and Brawling Brutes' pursuit for revenge. Their last six-man tag team match on SmackDown a month ago was one of my favorite television matches all year and, unsurprisingly, this was an absolute blast as well. They beat the hell out of each other, made excellent use of the extreme environment, and had the crowd into the action the entire time. Sheamus picking up the winning fall (not over Gunther) was the right call. I hope WWE holds off on Gunther vs. Sheamus until later down the line (ideally WrestleMania 39) instead of rushing into it any time soon.

Ronda Rousey def. Liv Morgan in an Extreme Rules Match to Win the SmackDown Women's Championship

I actually enjoyed most of the build to this bout, but this match simply did not deliver. For whatever reason, they didn't work well together and the crowd was quiet for a majority of it. Those bat and chair shots looked especially weak from both women. Morgan was favored over Rousey, but it wasn't as if the crowd was heavily behind her throughout. This wasn't awful, but it was definitely underwhelming. Rousey winning wasn't much of a surprise, but I'm curious where she and Morgan go from here. Hopefully the feud doesn't continue because it has run its course.

Karrion Kross def. Drew McIntyre in a Strap Match

Kross needed to show fans what he was capable of in his first major match on the main roster. It was more of a double than a home run I thought. Strap matches aren't my cup of tea personally, but they made the most of the stipulation and had a hard-hitting affair. Taking the fight out into the crowd before the bell made it more interesting. This wasn't a hot match, but it was solid. I wasn't high on Scarlett spraying McIntyre with mace to aid Kross to victory, but at least the result was the right one.

Raw Women's Champion Bianca Belair def. Bayley in a Ladder Match

Amazingly, this marked the first-ever one-on-one women's Ladder match on the main roster, and these two were the perfect people to be in it considering their chemistry. They gave it a hell of an effort, and although Ladder matches have been done to death in WWE and even AEW this year, this was innovative enough to make the stipulation worthwhile. The rest of Damage CTRL interfered as expected, but Alexa Bliss and Asuka were oddly nowhere to be found. It didn't matter because Belair won without their help, which makes Damage CTRL look pretty weak. I'm perfectly fine with Belair retaining the title, but Damage CTRL winning WarGames is the only way they can be redeemed at this point.

Finn Balor def. Edge in an "I Quit" Match

Much like Strap matches, "I Quit" matches tend to be very hit or miss. Being in the building for this show, I can tell you there was audible laughter from the crowd every time the referee put the mic put to Edge or Balor. Them constantly refusing to quit and hearing them scream and moan got pretty annoying after a while, but the second half was much stronger. The storytelling was the best part, and that's why I didn't mind the outside shenanigans with Rey Mysterio, Beth Phoenix and the rest of The Judgment Day. I didn't catch the commentary due to being in the building, but I've seen people say that Michael Cole enhanced the match. The finish was perfectly done with Rhea Ripley threatening to hit Phoenix with a con-chair-to and Edge quitting only for Ripley to hit her with it, anyway. This rivalry ran out of juice to me a while ago, but Judgment Day desperately needed this victory after previously losing whenever it mattered most.

Matt Riddle def. Seth "Freakin" Rollins in a Fight Pit Match (Daniel Cormier Served as Special Guest Referee); Bray Wyatt Returned

The Fight Pit is an awesome visual live, and the fact its first installment headlined a pay-per-view is pretty cool. The crowd was anxiously awaiting Wyatt and I didn't think that was fair to Riddle and Rollins, but the match was fun and they utilized the stipulation nicely. Daniel Cormier did nothing of note as the special guest referee, but he didn't need to. Riddle winning was what needed to happen and Wyatt's return was what needed to end the night. The crowd went ballistic and it played out exceptionally well. Even the final shot of Wyatt blowing out the lantern received a raucous reaction. It was a classic case of the crowd getting what they wanted and expected and it made for an outstanding moment. Here's hoping he'll be booked properly this time around because he's a star and should be treated as such.

Overall Show

This was a thumbs-up show made even better by being there in person. I made the long trek to Philadelphia from Connecticut solely for the Wyatt return and did not leave disappointed. That will be what everyone is talking about coming out of this pay-per-view, but the event itself was entertaining and most of the matches ranged from good to great. WWE has plenty of positive momentum right now, but whether they can continue to keep it going is the question.

SEE MORE: WWE Reviews