WWE Extreme Rules: The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly
WWE Extreme Rules was a bit of a head-scratcher. Traditionally built as a show of gimmick matches, this evening's edition of the annual classic failed to compare to its predecessors. Tonight's show featured 4 gimmick matches on the main card and most of those were mild-mannered at best. After all, James Ellsworth in a shark cage is hardly reminiscent of ECW, a fact not lost on the eerily quite Pennsylvania crowd.
The show got off to a lacklustre start; but, picked up beginning with the Bobby Lashley vs Roman Reigns bout, which was a good match with a surprise ending. Kevin Owens vs Braun Strowman featured one of the most insane falls in wrestling history when Owens was thrown from the top of the steel structure to a table outside the ring.
Ronda Rousey showed up and made her presence known in the RAW Women's Championship Match. A.J. Styles successfully defended his WWE Championship against Rusev; but, the match that undoubtedly stole the show was the 30 plus minute Intercontinental Championship Iron Man Match between champion Dolph Ziggler and challenger Seth Rollins.
Join us as we break down the very best, worst, and downright ugliest moments of WWE's Extreme Rules pay-per-view.
The Good - The Intercontinental Championship Match
The Intercontinental Championship Iron Man Match between Dolph Ziggler and Seth Rollins proved to be the classic wrestling fans hoped it would be. The WWE knew it would be too and placed the bout in the prominent main event position to close the show, hardly a small feat especially with Roman Reigns on the card.
This marked the very first time an Intercontinental Championship bout closed a WWE pay-per-view since SummerSlam 1992. Fans may remember the match took place at Wembley Stadium and featured "The British Bulldog" Davey Boy Smith defeating one of the men who made the Iron Man Match famous, Bret "Hitman" Hart.
Ziggler and Rollins paid tribute to Bret Hart in a couple of ways. First, Rollins secured Bret Hart's finisher, the Sharpshooter, on Dolph Ziggler. Like Bret Hart's WrestleMania XII Iron Man Match against Shawn Michaels, the match also initially ended in a time limit draw. That's where the similarities end, however. Michaels vs Hart ended in 60 minutes with zero falls. By the time the clock stopped on tonight's 30 minutes, Rollins and Ziggler combined for a whopping eight falls.
After the match ended in a 4-4 tie, RAW GM Kurt Angle made his way down the entrance ramp and added a sudden death overtime period. Fans were likely expecting more; but, the quick finish was good in that it was aggressive and stood in contrast to the lengthy amount of time the two Superstars just spent wrestling one another.
The bout was exceptionally entertaining and featured multiple high spots and near falls. Both Superstars used their signature moves and finishers; but, ultimately Ziggler utilized what is perhaps his greatest weapon (Drew McIntyre) to secure the victory. The bout was easily the best of the night and arguably a Match of the Year candidate.