A live perspective on Extreme Rules
It remains to be seen whether Batista wrestled his last WWE pay-per-view match for the foreseeable future Sunday night at WWE’s Extreme Rules show, but if that turns out to be the case, at least he made the match a memorable one.
Batista and WWE champion John Cena engaged in a heated Last Man Standing Match that had fans at Baltimore’s 1st Mariner Arena on the edges of their seats. The finish was pretty clever, as Cena got the victory after duct-taping Batista’s feet together while his legs were straddling the ring post.
There have been rumors that Batista is not interested in renewing his contract with WWE, and pwinsider.com reported Saturday night that the word going around was that Batista is finishing up with the company this week. We’ll just have to wait and see. If Batista is leaving, one would think that WWE would’ve booked Cena to go over more convincingly.
Another top star who will likely be taking some time off is Triple H. He was taken out on a stretcher after being brutalized by Sheamus in a Street Fight. The injury angle comes on the heels of reports that Triple H is dealing with a lingering neck injury.
In addition to the Cena-Batista contest, the other match that stood out was the one between CM Punk and Rey Mysterio, which saw Punk win with the aid of a mystery man, thus avoiding getting his head shaved. In the biggest surprise of the night, world heavyweight champion Jack Swagger scored a clean win (by Extreme Rules standards) over Randy Orton.
Watching the show live, I thought it was pretty good (although I have read some negative feedback from people who watched it on TV). The only match that didn’t get over at all was the strap match between former Cryme Tyme partners JTG and Shad Gaspard.
Here is a match-by-match look at the show (times approximated):
WWE champion John Cena defeated Batista in a Last Man Standing Match (24:00): The crowd heat was off the charts, with both guys getting spirited mix reactions. Cena initially got more cheers than boos, although there was a loud “Cena sucks!” chant at the beginning of the match. These two beat the heck out of each other, and no matter what high-impact moves were hit, the guy on the receiving end kept getting to his feet at the count of nine. The action included: Cena hitting the Attitude Adjustment on a chair; Batista sending Cena crashing through the barricade; and Batista setting up for a Batista Bomb on the table, but Cena turning it into an Attitude Adjustment through the table. The crowd popped thinking that was the finish, but Batista got up just in time. Cena then survived a Spinebuster through a table and a Batista Bomb. Cena locked on the STF and Batista appeared to pass out, but he still managed to recover and get up before the 10-count. Unable to put Batista away with brawn, Cena decided to do it with his brain. He crotched Batista on the ring post and then found some duct tape lying outside the ring (earlier Batista had pulled a tool box from under the ring while searching for a table and the duct tape was in it). Cena proceeded to tie Batista’s feet together. Unable to free himself, Batista was counted out.
World heavyweight champion Jack Swagger defeated Randy Orton in an Extreme Rules match (14:00): Orton got a pretty big babyface reaction and Swagger had some heat. Swagger was in control for the majority of the first 10 minutes, as he consistently beat Orton to the punch and countered every move. The fans started to get restless due to the lack of “extreme” offense and chanted “We want weapons!” Eventually, Orton gained the advantage and clobbered Swagger with two unprotected trashcan shots to the head. The trashcans have some give, but I’m not sure taking a blow to the skull with one is all that much better than being nailed with a chair. As Orton set up for an RKO on a chair, Swagger reversed it and dropped Orton’s back hard across the chair. He followed up with the Gutwrench Powerbomb for the win. Many in the crowd seemed stunned that Orton did not kick out. This was a good win for Swagger. If it is followed up properly, perhaps it will erase all of the losses he has suffered since winning the title last month. Orton got his heat back after the match by hitting an RKO, which prompted a loud “Randy! Randy!” chant.
Edge defeated Chris Jericho in a Steel Cage Match (20:00): This was a good match, but not quite at the level you would expect from these two. The turning point in the match was when Jericho had Edge beaten and began to walk though the cage door, but he hesitated and decided to go back and inflict more damage (since he had vowed that he would end Edge’s career in the match). Even though I think most people thought Edge was going to win the match anyway, Jericho not taking the victory when he had the chance erased all doubt, so there was no drama after that. There were some unique spots, though, including Jericho hitting a Codebreaker while Edge was perched on the top rope. Toward the end of the match, Edge slammed Jericho’s ankle in the cage door and then worked it over some more. As he set up for the Spear, a very weak “Spear” chant began. Edge hit the move and covered Jericho for the win.
CM Punk defeated Rey Mysterio in a match in which Punk’s hair was on the line (16:00): Other than the Cena-Batista match, this one had the most heat. Punk and the Straight Edge Society gimmick are really over. These two had a very good back and forth match. The fans were salivating in anticipation of Punk getting his head shaved, which made for great drama every time Mysterio scored a near fall. When Luke Gallows and Serena were ejected about nine minutes into the match, it convinced people even more that Punk was going to end up bald. There was a nice near fall at about the 13-minute mark when Mysterio turned Punk’s GTS attempt into a small package. After Mysterio hit the 619 a couple minutes later and was prepared to finish Punk off, someone in a black hooded sweatshirt appeared from under the ring and attacked him. Punk then threw the weakened Mysterio into the ring and hit the GTS for the victory. After the match, Punk sat in the barber’s chair that was on the stage and flashed a devious smile to a loud chorus of boos. I’m pretty sure the mystery man will be revealed as Joey Mercury (aka Joey Matthews), who was formerly John Morrison’s partner in MNM. Look for Mercury to become the newest member of the Straight Edge Society, playing off his real-life drug issues and friendship with Punk.
Sheamus defeated Triple H in a Street Fight (16:00): This match was going to open the show, but Sheamus attacked Triple H with a metal pipe backstage while Triple H’s music was playing. It was announced later in the show that Triple H had suffered nerve damage in his arm and was unlikely to be able to compete. About 20 minutes later, Sheamus came to the ring demanding to be declared the winner by forfeit. Backstage, Todd Grisham was standing outside of Triple H’s dressing. He said, “Triple H will not be able to compete …” and before he could complete his sentence, Triple H slammed open the door and shoved him out of the way. That was cool. Triple H made his way to the ring selling his left arm. Triple H went for The Pedigree early, but he couldn’t execute it due to his weakened arm. Sheamus dominated the match except for a hope spot at about the 12-minute mark when Triple H battered Sheamus with a kendo stick, which left huge welts on his back and side. Sheamus regained the advantage and hit a couple kicks to Triple H’s head. As Triple H tried to steady himself in the corner, the referee checked on him but Triple H shoved him away. Sheamus hit two more bicycle kicks and made the pin. After the match, Triple H refused to be put on a stretcher, but as he was being helped to the back, Sheamus kicked him in the head again. This time, Triple H was taken off on the stretcher and fitted with a neckbrace. The match dragged a little at times due to the one-sided nature of it, but it told a good story. The match did more to make Sheamus look like a star than his fluke WWE title victory over John Cena last December. He not only pinned a megastar, but he also put him out of action and got a lot of heat for his remorseless actions. Triple H, meanwhile, comes out of it looking courageous in defeat. Obviously, Triple H will come back seeking revenge at some point. Triple H clearly is determined to elevate Sheamus while keeping himself strong in the process (and rightfully so).
Non-title gauntlet match: WWE unified tag team champions The Miz and The Big Show defeated John Morrison and R-Truth by disqualification (3:00); Miz and Big Show defeated MVP and Mark Henry (2:00); The Hart Dynasty defeated Miz and Big Show (0:10): The Miz cut a good promo in which he said that ShowMiz has no competition. Smackdown general manager Teddy Long (who is in charge at the pay-per-views since Raw does not have a GM) said that he had a tag team to face ShowMiz, and if they won, they would get a future title shot. Miz said, “If I wanted to see mind-numbing incompetence, I’d watch an Orioles game.” Sure, kick us while we’re down. OK, so we’ve been down for 13 years now, but when was the last time Miz’s Cleveland Indians won a World Series? It was 1948 (the year before Ric Flair was born). But I digress. Miz kept talking so much that he talked ShowMiz into a gauntlet match against three teams. Before he could do any more damage, Big Show put his hand over Miz’s mouth. The first team out was Morrison and Truth. They were disqualified when Morrison applied a triangle choke to Big Show while wrapped around the ropes and wouldn’t break the hold. It seemed a little silly that there was a DQ on a pay-per-view called Extreme Rules. MVP and Mark Henry were next. MVP hit The Playmaker on Miz, but he was close to the ropes while making the cover, and Big Show nailed MVP with the knockout punch, allowing Miz to make the pin. Everyone knew (or at least they should have if they’ve been paying attention) that The Hart Dynasty was coming out next, but what we didn’t know was that Bret Hart was with them. THD quickly hit a springboard Hart Attack on Miz for the win. The crowd was happy to see Hart, who was making his first appearance in Baltimore in more than a decade.
Beth Phoenix defeated WWE women’s champion Michelle McCool to win the title in an Extreme Makeover Match (7:00): This was an entertaining match for what it was, and certainly more interesting than the typical Divas match. With the Extreme Makeover theme, I get it that makeup and hair spray were used as props, but what does an ironing board, iron, brooms and a plastic bucket have to do with getting a makeover? I guess this is just WWE being chauvinistic. It reminded me of the Good Housekeeping Match between Jeff Jarrett and Chyna in 1999. McCool selling the plastic bucket shots was so absurd that you just had to laugh. Another spot that made me chuckle was when Vickie Guerrero and Laya were swiping at Phoenix’s legs while she was attempting a superplex. Phoenix got the win when she countered McCool’s Faith Breaker and landed the Glam Slam. Phoenix’s win got a decent pop from the crowd. It’s nice to see a belt back around Phoenix’s waist. With Mickie James gone, Phoenix is the top female babyface, and she stands out because she is not a cookie-cutter Diva.
JTG defeated Shad Gaspard in a Strap Match (4:00): Cryme Tyme was nothing more than a mid-card tag team, so it’s a stretch to think that fans are going to be all that emotionally invested in their split. The only time the crowd was dead all night was during this match. To be fair, JTG and Gaspard were somewhat limited in what they could do because of the strap. I was surprised that JTG got the win, but I still believe that Gaspard is the one who will ultimately get the bigger push.
Notes: Kofi Kingston defeated Dolph Ziggler in seven minutes in a dark match. Kingston got a nice pop and the fast-paced match got the crowd hyped up for the pay-per-view. Kingston won with Trouble in Paradise. … Although there were still tickets available the day of the show, 1st Mariner Arena appeared to be sold out.
Comments
A guy whose video review I watched (TSlay1974 on YouTube), saw the HHH/Sheamus match differently and I think he made some good points. He talked about how the announcers kept on saying that Hunter was so badly hurt that he would be unable to wrestle, and then HHH went down and wrestled Sheamus for TWENTY MINUTES even though he was supposed to be crippled. Think about that: Hunter was supposed to be really badly injured, and nevertheless he went toe to toe with Sheamus and was able to keep from getting defeated for twenty minutes, and even then he almost beat Sheamus and Sheamus had to hit HHH with his finisher four times before finally winning.
That actually doesn't make Sheamus look all that strong at all when you think about it. It makes Hunter look strong and makes Sheamus look like he's not in the same league as Hunter and would stand no chance whatsoever if HHH were at 100%. Kevin, last year Hunter wrestled a match against MVP while selling a bad knee. MVP wasn't injured, but HHH still managed to beat MVP. You talked about how that was wrong, that MVP should've won, and I agreed. I think this is pretty much the same thing.
RESPONSE FROM KE: I hear what you're saying, but I think the situations are different. Triple H was coming off a grueling two out of three falls match against Randy Orton the night before and he had a knee injury when he went in the ring to face a fresh MVP who didn't wrestle the previous night. Triple H proceeded to beat him in about five minutes. Against Sheamus, the bottom line is that Sheamus won. Sheamus standing with his foot on a fallen Triple H and Triple H being taken out on a stretcher are pretty strong images.
Posted by: Rob Brown | April 26, 2010 7:01 PM
Having 2 black guys in a strap match probably wasn't the smartest and/or most PC match the WWE has ever done.
Posted by: Xelpzat | April 26, 2010 7:08 PM
I'm just confused why most of these were rematches from mania, but these seemed to go twice as long as their Mania counterparts. Wasn't THAT the big show?
Posted by: el scotto | April 26, 2010 7:21 PM
Kev,
Where does the Diva's Extreme Makeover Match rank in your Top 20 Moments in Baltimore Wrestling History? Somewhere in the top five, surely?
Posted by: Andy | April 26, 2010 7:25 PM
"This reminds me of when The consummate underdog New Orleans Saints lost to the always prestigious Dallas Cowboys, before the 2010 playoffs even began, and many wrote off The Saints as 'pretenders'. Anybody mind refreshing my memory as to what went on to happen with that story?"
-Big Nasty on Jack Swagger's Title Run (Yes, I just quoted myself)
On December 19, 2010, The undefeated, yet consummate underdog, New Orleans Saints lost their first game of the season to the prestigious Dallas Cowboys after starting the season 13-0. After such a high profile loss by the early Superbowl favorite, many began to doubt the legitimacy of these upstart contenders. Myself included.
Over the next few weeks to end the 2009-2010 NFL Season, the Saints went on to continue their sudden string of defeats when they suffered losses to the less prestigious Tampa Bay Buccaneers and then the Carolina Panthers.
All of a sudden, it became all but a foregone conclusion that this team was a band of pretenders. This team was in over their heads.
This band of pretenders went on to become your Superbowl Champions.
On April 5, 2010, unlikely World Champion Jack Swagger suffered a clean defeat to the prestigious Randy Orton (Dallas Cowboys). This set off a cavalcade of outrage within the internet wrestling community as they cried foul over what looked to be a sabotaged title reign for the young champion.
However I learned my lesson.
Despite witnessing Swagger go on to suffer clean defeats to the even more prestigious Undertaker (Dallas Cowboys) and even midcarder John Morrison (Buccaneers/Panthers), it appeared obvious what the WWE had in plan for the young champion.
On Sunday, April 26, 2010, Jack Swagger won clean over Randy Orton to retain his World Championship. It's fitting that Swagger wore black and gold ring attire during this match, these are the same colors of the New Orleans Saints.
Not everybody has to be Goldberg to get over. Heat takes on many forms from vapor, to liquid, to a seemingly undeserving champion somehow pulling off high-profile victories in the face of adversity. It's pro wrestling 101. So can we finally simmer down now?
'Til the next time John Cena insults Jack Swagger on national television *GASP!* and the IWC goes crazy over it, let that be a lesson.
Posted by: Bignasty247 | April 26, 2010 8:15 PM
Kevin,good show overall,I agree. What and why were they doing to the ring in between some of the matches?Looked like they were changing it after the ladie's match while showing video clips on the big screen. They did it one other time. Any insight?
Posted by: Gregory Asch | April 26, 2010 8:18 PM
@Xelpzat. As long as it wasn't a 'Banana on a pole' match like McMahon probably would have wanted, just consider this a minor victory for black wrestlers on the WWE payroll. Right Shelton? Wait, where's Shelton?
Posted by: Bignasty247 | April 26, 2010 9:55 PM
So you're saying the writers are now taking their cues from the misperceptions of football fans from a season that most people have already forgotten? Wow, that's... idiotic.
Posted by: DuBrow | April 26, 2010 10:16 PM
Maybe someone should remind Miz that the Ravens have OWNED the Browns for the last ten years (speaking of mind-numbing incompetence)..
Posted by: Clint | April 26, 2010 10:33 PM
Having 2 black guys in a strap match probably wasn't the smartest and/or most PC match the WWE has ever done.
Xelpzat, it probably doesn't help that on the PPV, it was followed by a commercial for Kentucky Fried Chicken.
Posted by: Steve G. | April 26, 2010 10:36 PM
I was at Bret Hart's last appearance in Baltimore in December 1999. He defended the WCW Title against Goldberg and the Outsiders interfered and the nWo was reformed. I'm pretty sure you were there, did you work for them at that time?
RESPONSE FROM KE: I was at the show but did not work for the company yet. I started with WCW in March 2000.
Posted by: Antoine | April 26, 2010 11:36 PM
A live perspective from the 1st Row, Upstairs.
Overall not one of the best WWE has done.
SHAMEUS ATTACKS HHH TO START SHOW:
1st thing I said to my sons (adults) was of course later on HHH will come out like a hero to fight anyways (too predictable)
MIZ AND BIG SHOW:
Unlike you I've always liked the Miz and was he ever hot on the mic last night. That guy can talk a promo. Of course the comedy of Big Show shutting him up was just as great.
The guantlet, oh well for the 1st 2 teams, was just waiting for THD to come out and get the win. Then when Brett also came out I was on my feet. I think the Big Pop was helped by Brett being there also but THD is well recieved by the fans, glad to see WWE finally waking up to it.
Also nice to see Brett sticking around to give THD a rub from his HOF Stardom.
JTG VS SHAD:
Couldn't tell ya a thing because I went to the bathroom. A 2nd rate tag team , that I didn't care for splits and I'm supposed to care about them going against each other, not really. And the bathroom was full.
WOMENS CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH:
We got some laughs out of it and it was a decent match and I'm glad the belt is finally off of a twig and on a women who looks like she can wrestle.
Also, I have to say, Vicky didn't look as overweight live as she does on TV and yes, we could hear her scream all the way upstairs :-)
PUNK VS MYSTERIO
1st I'll say I'm not a Rey fan and never have been. Not saying he's not good at what he does, I just don't care for his character.
They've been better together but this was a decent match that kept my attention, especially with Luke and Serena at ringside. I do wish they'd stop making the best heel in WWE look weak and not able to win on his own at least once in a while. It's different when they make a heel look like he can't win unless he gets help compared to a heel getting help even though he doesn't need it to win.
I'm glad Punk won and kept his hair, he's the best 'act' WWE has going right now. The jacket the mystery guy was wearing had the SES symbol on the back of it.
SHAMEUS VS HHH
Of course HHH came busting out like a hero. This match wasn't a good one to watch for me, probably because I just can't stand the Shameus character.
What caught me was when Shameus won and there was no big response. I mean when Punk won the place went crazy with boo's, for Shameus hardly anything. Yeah, he got a cheap Pop for attacking HHH being helped up the ramp but once again, how predictable. I told my sons that Shameus was hanging around, watch, he'll attack HHH when he's coming up the ramp, and of course he did.
WWE needs to wake up to the fans indifference to Shameus. A great wrestler once wrote that if you're not getting cheered or boo'd then it's over.
EDGE VS JERICHO
Not even close to one of their best matches. I'm old school and believe to win a cage match you should have to escape the cage. I hate this trash of being able to pin or force a submission to win a cage match.
I understand that Jericho won WM so Edge took the next PPV match but I thought a perfect finish to this cage match to keep both guys up would have been to have Edge hit the spear on Jericho and knock Jericho straight through the door and out onto the floor, hence giving Jericho a paper win and Edge a virtual win.
SWAGGER VS ORTON
I've liked Orton a lot since the last show here and the overtime part they give to the live audience and Orton showed a different, comedic, side. That said I was hoping they'd keep the belt on Swagger, it would have buried him if they took the belt away this soon, especially after how weak he's been booked since winning the belt.
This was a great match, expect there just wasn't enough usage of weapons for an extreme rules match.
I agree about the unprotected head shots, I don't see much difference between the metal garbage can and the folding chair.
Swagger was really made to look strong in this match and while some are saying (not you thankfully) that it made Swagger look weak with Orton getting the RKO after the match, I just saw it as keeping Orton strong looking and that Swagger was caught off guard celebrating his big win. Who's on the defensive after getting a big win.
CENA VS BATISTA
I am a member of Cenation. This guy comes out, heck, his music hits and the excitement level goes through the roof.
These guys, without a doubt, had the match of the night. Cena getting the Hulk Hogan jolt when the count hit 9 and he'd jump straight up. Batista just getting to his feet, feet spread wide apart and him barely on them after the count reached 9.
In all my years of watching wrestling I've never seen a wrestler use his mind instead of his brawn to win a Last Man Standing match and it was Great. KUDO's to WWE writers, who we put down a lot, for this inventive ending.
Posted by: Dave | April 27, 2010 12:10 AM
Xelpzat beat me to it. I mean, two black guys whipping each other, one basically hanging the other and dragging him around the ring - which genius in booking put that match together.
I am a believer in JTG's talent, and was glad to see him win. Sure, he needs a new gimmick and could stand to lose a hair match (maybe he could join the SES?), but the guy can work and has an exciting move set. Knowing Vince's fascination with big men, you're probably right about Shad getting a bigger push. (Shad isn't bad at all for a big man, but he's not any better than Mike Knox. What gives?)
You can never tell with WWE booking, but Swagger winning was the right call. The wrong call was having him lose clean to Morrison (who I'm a huge mark for) last Friday.
Posted by: Anonymous | April 27, 2010 1:39 AM
Well, you guys talk about selling wrestling shows to the public right... Well you guys are talking about triple h not selling his knee injury and beating mvp, which could be true I don't deny it. But... if there's anobody out there who doesn't sell anything at all its john cena. I mean other wrestlers can perform up to 3 finishers on him and he still kicks out and wins the match. Hell, I remember when he kicked out of a sledgehammer shot at wrestlemania 22 vs triple h. I was sure it was over and he kicked out... I couldn't believe it. It's supposed to be a sledgehammer shot and that's it right? Isn't that what it's always been? What do you guys think??
Posted by: Jack | April 27, 2010 1:42 AM
The best of the PPV for me was the promo of the Miz. Talking himself and Big Show into trouble was just hilarious. Normally I´m not a big fan of too much talking on a PPV, they have the weekly shows to do that, but with the Miz, anytime he wants. I just hope WWE doesn´t drop the ball on him like I feel they did with so many others, it really would be a shame.
So a good start, then Rey vs. Punk delivered too, but from there it went downwards.
I couldn´t care less about the splitting of Cryme Tyme.
I was more entertained by the women´s match than by HHH vs. Sheamus (where I fell asleep for the 1st time) plus it was shorter and it´s nice to see Phoenix with a belt again.
Orton vs. Swagger: I can´t help myself but Swagger for me comes across like a kid pretending to be a grown up. Don´t get me wrong, I like his work but his newfound seriousness just doesn´t suit him.
Edge vs. Jericho wasn´t bad but the finishing was pretty lame.
And Batista vs. Cena. The 2nd time I fell asleep, sorry and I still don´t know what to make of the ending of the match. But at least it was unique.
Off topic but what happened to comment of the week? Haven´t seen that for awhile.
RESPONSE FROM KE: Comment of the Week was a little too labor intensive with evrything else I do. I am going to try and get back to it, although it may not be a weekly thing.
Posted by: XDreamItchy | April 27, 2010 2:47 AM
so what were they doing to the ring?
RESPONSE FROM KE: Not sure.
Posted by: Gregory Asch | April 27, 2010 6:46 AM
From what I heard, the hooded man who attacked Rey Mysterio was FCW champion Alex Riley, not Joey Mercury. I heard that the man who attacked Rey was bigger than Mercury, more like Riley's size.
RESPONSE FROM KE: It was Mercury at Extreme Rules and I'm hearing that's still the plan.
Posted by: paul | April 27, 2010 8:21 AM
Okay Kev - confused - help me out here - I left Sunday night assuming Hart Dynasty left the arena with the belts since they beat Big Show/Miz - yet they fought for and won the belts on Monday Night Raw..... What did I miss? You just confirmed in your column that Hart Dynasty won Sunday... Was there disqualification involved? Didn't appear to be at the arena. What did I miss??
RESPONSE FROM KE: I was not for the title. The rules were that if any of the three teams beat ShowMiz, they would get a title shot.
Posted by: Jeannette | April 27, 2010 8:25 AM
What was so extreme about the "Extreme Rules" PPV? Not a single drop of blood spilled, though i think if that had happened wwe would have wanted to stop the match to get it looked at.
Posted by: tom | April 27, 2010 8:29 AM
I think the main reason JTG went over is that there is absolutely, positively no other way for a strap match to end but to have the face touch each corner behind the heel, then turn the tables at the last corner. I certainly can't think of one with a different ending.
Posted by: Ken Raining | April 27, 2010 9:19 AM
I was at Extreme Rules and thought it was a good ppv despite the no bleeding rule. I admit Im not a huge Cena fan but IMO that was the best match of the night. My least favorite was the Orton- Swagger match and that was b/c it was an extreme rules match and all they used was a trashcan and chair. I miss the days when extreme rules meant bring out a shopping cart full of weapons.
Posted by: jason | April 27, 2010 12:00 PM
I was at the event and found it to be quit boring. Here is what I believe WWE is doing wrong.
So you have TNA taking a very hardcore approach, some might even say too much. Flair has had to of lost a few gallons of blood recently and while blood can be fun, when it is a weekly issue it loses it "flair".
Anyway WWE has seemed to try and take it back to the 80s style of more rassling and more comedy, but one thing they are TOTALLY missing is some storyline. Where are the major fueds? It seems that they realize they are on the last legs of taker, hhh, batista and they are concering themselves so much with getting over new talent they aren't developing anything else. Fueds in the 80s and 90s would go on for months even years, now it is weeks, pretty much a fued goes from one ppv to another ppv and that is a mistake. Look at movies that suck, it is movies that you dont care about the characters, and the ones that are good are ones that spent a nice chunk of a movie in character development so you care for what is about to happen. I don't care about any WWE characters because we have no story lines!
As for extreme rules that is a bad ppv name when it was nothing EXTREME! a street fight that never even left the ring??? a last man standing match that ended with him getting taped up??? a cage match that ended in a pin and the cage was never used a prop???
WWE will never lose its children audience and maybe thats the direction they want to take which is fine, they obviously know what business model works for them, but at least change the name of the ppv next year to "kind of extreme rules" so I am not tricked into thinking I will see something out of the norm.
Thanks,
Posted by: Yachera Championship Wrasslin | April 27, 2010 12:47 PM
In my opinion: I don't feel WWE should promote Extreme Rules matches if they are going to continue to be rated PG. Not that I need somebody taking 10 chair shots to the head to enjoy the product, but having somebody taped to a corner post in order to win the main event is just bad writing.
Although the event had a few moments, I left the arena unimpressed and severly disappointed.
Posted by: Sportzfan81 | April 27, 2010 2:10 PM
Good show. The Cena-Batista match was great with the some great keep-ups. The finish is 'outstanding' [not for Dave] and even made Cena look like the heel in the match with him hitting Batista in the groin, tying him and even taunting him. Big statement by Swagger finally and a predictable win by Edge even if the Springboard-Codebreaker was the highlight of the match. Its a huge push for Sheamus but 5 pump kicks to get the victory is exagerrated
Posted by: KnightKIJ | April 27, 2010 2:31 PM
WEN DEN CRYME TYME BREAKE UP
Posted by: JORDAN MCCALLISTER | April 27, 2010 3:16 PM
since u were there live u probably didnt get to see my favorite moment of the night. while batista was beating on cena outside the ring, a kid yelled "i hate u batista". then batista turned around, looked at the kid, and yelled back, "i hate u too!"
Posted by: nash | April 27, 2010 6:15 PM
@Dubrow: I'm not saying writers are taking cues from anybody, it was a simple analogy to get the oft-sensitive IWC to calm down. And bringing it back to the black and gold team colors was MONEY if I can say so myself lol.
Posted by: bignasty247 | April 27, 2010 6:29 PM
@nash, I noticed that with the kid yelling too. It was hilarious. That was definitely one of the best moments of the night.
Kid: "I hate you, Batista."
And Batista turns around and says: "I hate you too!".
Posted by: Jasko | April 27, 2010 8:13 PM
"Having 2 black guys in a strap match probably wasn't the smartest and/or most PC match the WWE has ever done."
Of course having those same two black guys be known as Cryme Tyme wasn't any more PC. Particularly, when they were first on the show and were swiping items off other wrestlers.
Posted by: Bob Buscaglia | April 27, 2010 10:26 PM
Kevin, just one question about the rules of the strap match. Shad touched each corner first, and JTG touched them just after him; then JTG goes first on the fourth corner, and gets the win.
But since after every corner touched by JTG, Shad touched the next one, shouldn't JTG's count go down to zero every time? In the end, he only touched the third and fourth corners in a row: Shad touched another corner between JTG's second and third touch.
I'm not sure that I expressed my thoughts perfectly clean, but I hope that you get what I tried to say and can explain the rules to me. Thanks a lot!
RESPONSE FROM KE: I understand what you're saying, but strap matches have always dine finishes like that.
Posted by: axl | April 28, 2010 8:51 AM
For me extreme rules was a majort disappointment mainly because of the Edge v Jericho match. Jericho not walking out the door when he had the chance was completely out of character (for his character) and quite frankly illogiocal.
I understand that he wanted to finish Edge's career or injure him or what not but he could have still done that after he won the match.
he spent the first half of the matach trying to escape over the top and he spent the end of the match trying to do the same. I firmly believe the Jericho character would always have taken the win, even if that meant jumping on the floor and then hopping back in again to give Edge a beat down
The whole sacrificing the victory to give someone a beat down is the actions of a face, and a particular type of face at that. Tripple H, sure, Taker sure, jericho, no way. He's a coward, its what makes his character so intriguing. It was just a terrible decision and I would have thought those two would have known better. What do you think Kevin ?
RESPONSE FROM KE: I certainly wouldn't have booked it that way.
Posted by: antomurf | April 29, 2010 11:31 AM