My Monday Pittsburgh Tribune-Review column looks at WWE Extreme Rules. Here’s a sample:
I’m traditionally pessimistic going into the WWE pay-per-view known as Extreme Rules, and the event Sunday night exceeded my low expectations.
Having a night dubbed to be extreme presents a lot of logical obstacles and flaws. It starts with WWE having a policy of no blood. If a Superstar starts to bleed because of the physical nature of the “extreme” matches, then the referees tend to stop the match for the ringside medical team to tend to the open gash. Another factor is when the talent engage in some of the spots needed to fit the extreme bill, logically they should be kept out of the ring for at least some period of time, even if a week, after the match to sell the severity, and most times that doesn’t happen.
However, with all of these flaw possibilities available, WWE delivered a solid show.
Starting on the pre-show, Baron Corbin had fantastic strikes. He’s a true heel. He doesn’t care about cheers in or out of the ring. He doesn’t worry about being liked to sell merchandise or take pictures. Dare I say he would get a kick out of some fan trying to test him in the parking lot or bar. This is rare these days when everyone wants to be liked when they hop on social media. Corbin has a bright future. All I can say about Dolph Ziggler is he’s a good sport getting paid good money. Why was he wrestling with his shirt on?
Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson are in great shape and entering the peaks of their careers. I hope their use becomes more prestigious this summer.
The Rusev train is back on track and accelerating to top speed. Not only is his dominance picking back up in the ring, but check out the social media lounge interview he did prior to the pay-per-view. Rusev talking more along with Lana projects the perfect tone for their pairing and personas.
WWE realizes it has moved past Rusev screaming and needing someone to interpret him. There’s much more longevity and money to be made this way. I smell a John Cena challenge for the United States title on Memorial Day, and a statement boldly can be made if Rusev shocks everyone by beating Cena.
New Day versus The Vaudevillains was exactly what pro wrestling is supposed to be. No mystery on who is who and what the fans feel. Everyone plays their roles properly. I’m looking forward to more from all.
CLICK HERE for the IC title, Women’s title and what’s next for Roman Reigns with the world title.
