WWE Extreme Rules 2018 is in the bag, meaning its time for another reaction and post-show podcast review.
As always, click on the video at the bottom of the post for the Smack Talk Pay-Per-Viewpoint episode, but before we get into that, I want to break down my overall thoughts in a more generalized form.
My reaction to this event, when it was all said and done, was mixed.
There were some elements that I liked quite a bit, and I felt like WWE was trying to have a little bit of fun with creativity and not repeating the same old structures.
However, there were other sections of the night where I felt like they dropped the ball hard and didn’t come close to matching or exceeding the hype, or even necessarily doing something justice at all.
On the positive side of things, I was surprised and happy about the Iron Man match going on last. This is something that many wrestling fans would have argued “should have” been the main event if it wouldn’t have been, and I think it was the smart call.
Not only did it boost the prestige of how the Intercontinental Championship looks, it also did the same for Dolph Ziggler and Seth Rollins, and was the best overall match in the ring, too. The ending was a little underwhelming, but that could be partially on me, as I was hoping for a Dean Ambrose interruption to cost Rollins, rather than just Drew McIntyre again.
Team Hell No, though, was a big mistake. I feel like they really hurt that match by doing the injury angle. Also, no Miz interference was disappointing to me, as was the complete lack of a crossover segment between Dr. Shelby, Team Hell No, and the still-feuding Sasha Banks and Bayley. Who didn’t realize how obvious that should be? How did they not do that??
I guess we can forget about Asuka going forward, now that she’s lost four times, with two of those being to Carmella. That’s disappointing, as was the lack of a purpose for the James Ellsworth shark cage. Pass.
Also, the Extreme Rules match between Alexa Bliss and Nia Jax was a textbook example of something being much better on paper. I’m starting to think Bliss can’t have a good No DQ match, between this and the Kendo Stick on a Pole match against Bayley. Even with Mickie James, Natalya and Ronda Rousey getting involved, every chair swing, trash can spot and, well, pretty much everything else, just felt so weak and uninspired, as if everyone was tired and/or confused and/or didn’t want to do it.
Roman Reigns and Bobby Lashley? Pass. AJ Styles and Rusev? Turn Rusev babyface! Decent match that was better in some ways than I thought it would be. The B-Team winning the titles? Smart move for Monday Night Raw’s tag team division, as Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt just aren’t doing it for me anymore.
It was a mixed bag of an event that I wouldn’t say was a total success, but I certainly wouldn’t write off as a total failure, either.
Basically, I feel like I had enough enjoyment to justify hanging out and spending a few hours watching wrestling, but if this were some $60 charge like in the old days, I’d be pissed that I didn’t use that money for something more useful.
For more opinions on the show as a whole, check out the latest edition of the Smark Out Moment wrestling podcast SMACK TALK as the panel reviews Extreme Rules with our immediate reactions following the event before the dust has fully settled.
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