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10 Takeaways From WWE Extreme Rules 2018

By Robert Lentini
strowman cage extreme rules
Photo Credit: WWE.com

WWE Extreme Rules aired live from the PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, PA on July 15th, 2018. On the Kickoff Show, Andrade “Cien” Almas defeated Sin Cara in impressive fashion. SAnitY defeated New Day in a Tables Match during the Kickoff Show as well.

RAW GM Kurt Angle said during the show that Universal Champion Brock Lesnar has to show up to RAW tomorrow night and determine when he is going to defend his title next or he will be stripped of the Universal Championship.

Here are 10 takeaways from WWE Extreme Rules 2018:

The B-Team Are The New RAW Tag Team Champions

RAW Tag Team Champions Bray Wyatt & Matt Hardy defended their titles against The B-Team (Curtis Axel & Bo Dallas) to start off WWE Extreme Rules 2018. Matt Hardy and Bo Dallas start off the match and traded punches in the middle of the ring. Matt threw Dallas into the turnbuckle and unloaded a few more punches to Bo’s face. Matt connected with a Leg Drop for a two count and then Bo rolled out of the ring to regroup.

Bray Wyatt tagged into the match to battle his brother Bo. Dallas backed away and tagged in Axel as the crowd booed. Bray decked Axel with a Clothesline and then pointed at Bo on the apron. Wyatt followed it up with a headbutt to Axel’s chest and then charged at him in the corner. Axel dodged Bray and then stomped him down in the corner.

Wyatt exploded out of the corner with a Clothesline and tagged Hardy back in. Matt bounced Axel’s face off of each turnbuckle as the crowd chanted “delete!”. Hardy hit Axel with an Elbow Drop off the second rope for a two count. Bo booted Matt in the face while the referee wasn’t paying attention.

Dallas then tagged in and isolated Matt in the corner. Dueling “let’s go B-Team!” and “B-Team sucks!” chants broke out as Bo applied a Headlock in the middle of the ring. Axel got back in and planted Matt with a DDT for a two count. Hardy battled back and dropped Axel with the Side Effect.

Bo and Bray tagged in and Wyatt sent Dallas into the corner. Bray connected with a Splash and then launched Axel out of the ring. Wyatt hit Bo with a Uranage and then geared up in the corner. Hardy tagged in and Bo shoved Matt into Wyatt and Bray went tumbling out of the ring. Bo then hung up Hardy on the top rope and connected with a Neckbreaker for the pinfall victory.

Opinion: RAW’s tag division hasn’t been interesting for a while now. The B-Team isn’t going to change that and I doubt they will hold the titles for long. I’d like to see teams like The Revival and AOP built up on RAW going forward.

Balor Escaped With A Victory

Constable Corbin battled Finn Balor tonight at Extreme Rules. Corbin started off the match in control and beatdown Balor in the corner. Corbin dropped Finn with a Clothesline and taunted Balor by shouting that he was too small to do anything about it.

Baron hit another Clothesline for a two count. Corbin then planted Balor with a Chokeslam Backbreaker for another near fall. After Balor kicked out, Corbin flipped out and started shouting at the referee to count faster.

Corbin brought Finn back to the corner and beat the hell out of him. Finn ducked under a Clothesline and planted Corbin with a Slingblade. Finn then charged at Corbin but Baron was ready and caught Balor with Deep Six for another two count.

Finn battled back and hit Corbin with a Dropkick that knocked him to the canvas. Balor climbed to the top rope but Corbin got up and crotched him on the turnbuckle. Corbin went for the End of Days but Balor countered it into a roll-up for the pinfall victory.

Carmella Is Still SmackDown Women’s Champion

Carmella defended her SmackDown Women’s Championship against Asuka tonight at Extreme Rules. James Ellsworth was suspended above the ring in a shark cage during the match.

Asuka started off the match in control and connected with a series of kicks to Carmella. Asuka went for a Body Slam but Carmella countered and slammed Asuka to the canvas. Ellsworth then dropped a chain down to Carmella but Asuka caught her before she should use it.

Carmella booted Asuka in the back and crawled towards the chain but the referee took it away. Ellsworth then dropped a spray bottle down to Carmella but Asuka once again caught her before she could use it.

Asuka connected with a knee to the face and then the Hip Attack for a two count. Asuka applied the Asuka Lock but Carmella got her foot on the rope to break the hold. Asuka planted Carmella with a Suplex to the floor outside the ring and then threw her into the barricade.

Ellsworth then picked the lock and escaped the cage but he somehow got his foot caught and was suspended upside down from the cage. Asuka hit Ellsworth with a Dropkick in the back as he was hanging above the ring.

Asuka threw WWE officials out of the ring as they tried to help out Ellsworth. She continued to beatdown Ellsworth as Carmella snuck up behind Asuka. Carmella shoved Asuka face-first into the shark cage for the pinfall victory.

After the match, Asuka attacked Ellsworth again and hit him with a couple German Suplexes. Asuka then applied the Asuka Lock to Ellsworth in the middle of the ring.

Opinion: This was worse than I thought it was going to be. I figured that Ellsworth was going to drop something down from the cage during the match. He did that right away and then goofily got himself stuck upside down. There was nothing entertaining about this and the finish to the match was a shove in the back. Asuka was undefeated and now she is losing comedy matches to Carmella.

Shinsuke Nakamura Won The US Title & Orton Returned

Jeff Hardy defended the United States Championship against Shinsuke Nakamura tonight at Extreme Rules. Before the match, Nakamura hit Jeff Hardy with a low blow while the referee was about to call for the bell.

The referee asked Hardy if he was ready to compete and Jeff said that he was. The referee called for the bell and Nakamura immediately hit he Kinshasa for the pinfall victory.

After the match, Randy Orton made his return and came down to the ring. Nakamura exited the ring and stood on the announce table as Orton stared at him from the ring.

Jeff Hardy slowly made his way back to his feet and Orton tripped him up. Orton then booted him in the groin and left the ring. It was later announced that Nakamura will defend the US Title against Jeff Hardy on Tuesday night’s episode of WWE SmackDown.

Kevin Owens Won After Being Chokeslammed Off The Steel Cage

Braun Strowman faced Kevin Owens in a Steel Cage Match at Extreme Rules. Owens took his time coming down to the ring and hesitated before entering the cage as Strowman waited for him. Owens finally got int the cage and immediately tried to escape when the bell rang.

Strowman dragged him down and shouted at Owens to fight him. Owens hit Strowman with a right hand but Braun shrugged it off. Strowman delivered a big boot to Owens’ chest and then charged at him. Owens got out of the way and Braun crashed into the cage. Owens hit a Superkick and then a Cannonball in the corner.

Owens climbed to the top rope and hit a Frog Splash for only a one count. Owens crawled towards the door but Braun dragged him back to the middle of the ring. Owens begged for mercy but Strowman ignored him. Braun clubbed Owens across the chest and then threw him into the steel cage.

The crowd chanted “one more time!” and Strowman obliged by launching Owens into the cage once again. The chant started up again and Braun threw him into the cage for the third time.

Strowman lifted Owens up onto his shoulders and threw Owens face-first into the cage. Owens battled back and hit Strowman with a Stunner out of nowhere. Kevin made his way back to the door but Strowman grabbed his leg. Owens booted him away but Strowman caught him on the apron and slammed the steel door into Owens’ face.

Braun geared up in the corner and charged at Owens in the corner. Owens dodged him again and hit two Superkicks in a row. Owens handcuffed Strowman to the top rope and started beating him down. Braun grabbed Owens with his free hand and Chokeslammed him to the canvas.

Owens got up and told Strowman to suck it. Owens then blew Braun a kiss and started climbing up the cage. Strowman broke free of the handcuff and joined Owens on top of the cage. Strowman then grabbed Owens by the throat and Chokeslammed him off the cage and through the announce table. Thus, Owens won the match but was stretchered out of the arena as Strowman laughed on the entrance ramp.

The Bludgeon Brothers Retained

The Bludgeon Brothers defended their SmackDown Tag Team Championships against Team Hell No tonight at Extreme Rules. Harper and Rowan attacked Kane and Bryan backstage earlier in the night. Rowan hit Kane’s knee with the mallet during the attack.

Bryan came down to the ring by himself to challenge for the tag titles by himself. Rowan started off the match by beating down Daniel in the corner of the ring. Harper tagged in and Bryan greeted him with a Dropkick. Bryan delivered another Dropkick to Rowan that sent him tumbling out of the ring.

Daniel applied the Yes Lock on Harper in the middle of the ring but Rowan broke up the hold. Rowan tagged in and slammed Bryan into the steel steps. Rowan then Body Slammed Harper on top of Bryan and rolled Daniel into the ring. Rowan connected with a Splash for a two count.

Harper tagged in and elbowed Bryan in the back. Rowan quickly tagged in and connected with a Backbreaker on Bryan for a near fall. Harper went for a Suicide Dive on Bryan outside the ring but Daniel got out of the way and Harper landed on Rowan.

Kane’s music hit and Kane made his way down the entrance ramp while wearing a walking boot. Kane tagged in and punched Harper in the face a few times. Kane then delivered a Chokeslam to both of the Bludgeon Brothers. Kane’s leg gave out when he went for the Tombstone Piledriver and Bryan tagged back in.

Daniel connected with a Dropkick off the top rope to Harper and followed it up with some Yes Kicks in the middle of the ring. Rowan tagged in and shove Bryan into Kane in the corner of the ring. Harper tagged back in as Rowan lifted Bryan onto his shoulders. Harper climbed to the top rope and decked Bryan with a Clothesline for the pinfall victory.

It Is Bobby Lashley’s Yard Now

Roman Reigns battled Bobby Lashley tonight at WWE Extreme Rules. Reigns and Lashley locked up to start off the match. Lashley got the upper-hand and brought Reigns to the canvas. Roman quickly got back up but Lashley slammed him back down again.

Reigns battled back with a giant punch to the face and then brought Lashley to the corner of the ring. Roman bounced Lashley’s face off the top turnbuckle and then connected with an elbow to the face for a one count.

Roman hung up Lashley on the middle rope and connected with the Drive-By for a two count. Reigns applied a Chin Lock in the middle of the ring but Lashley quickly battled out of the hold. Reigns connected with a right hand to the face and then threw Bobby out of the ring.

Reigns followed Lashley out of the ring and launched him into the barricade as the crowd chanted “Rusev Day!”. Lashley hopped up onto the steel steps but Reigns hit him in the back and Bobby fell to the floor. Reigns then hurled Lashley into the steel steps and stood over him while the referee was counting.

Lashley stumbled back to his feet as Reigns grabbed the steel steps. Reigns tried to hit him but Lashley blocked it and leveled Roman with a Clothesline. Back in the ring, Lashley connected with another Clothesline and followed it up with a Belly to Belly Suplex. Lashley hit a Splash in the corner and went for another one but Reigns got his boot up.

Roman connected with a Clothesline of his own and then beatdown Lashley in the corner. Reigns went for another Clothesline but Lashley countered into a Powerslam for a two count. Roman hit a few forearms to the face but Lashley shrugged them off and connected with a Crossbody.

Bobby Lashley made his way to the top rope and leaped onto Reigns. Lashley then posed for the crowd and brought Reigns back to his feet. Reigns lifted Lashley onto his shoulders but Lashley grabbed onto the top rope. Roman decided to just throw Lashley out of the ring and Lashley crashed to the floor.

Lashley made his way to the ring apron and Roman greeted him with a Leg Drop for a two count. Dueling “let’s go Roman!” and “Roman sucks!” chants broke up as Reigns geared up in the corner. Roman went for the Superman Punch but Lashley countered into a Spinebuster. Lashley held up Reigns and planted him with a Vertical Suplex for a two count.

Lashley waited for Reigns to get up and went for a Spear. Reigns countered with a Superman Punch to the face for a near fall. Lashley quickly rolled out of the ring as Reigns was in shock that Bob kicked out. Roman got out of the ring on the opposite side and then sprinted towards Lashley. Bobby caught him and connected with a Belly to Belly Suplex that sent Reigns flying over the German announce table.

Back in the ring, Bobby made his way back up to the top rope as Reigns slowly got up. Reigns hit a Superman Punch on Lashley while he was on the top turnbuckle and Lashley fell to the canvas. Roman shouted that this was his yard and geared up for the Spear. Lashley countered with a Spear of his own for the pinfall victory.

Opinion: The crowd didn’t reject this match as much as I expected. To Reigns and Lashley’s credit, this was a solid match. I just don’t find Lashley all that entertaining as a character at all and don’t have any interest in seeing him compete for the Universal Championship. WWE made a good call by not having this match as the main event. I think the crowd would have completely rejected it if it was the last match on the show.

Alexa Bliss Defeated Nia Jax

Alexa Bliss defended the RAW Women’s Championship against Nia Jax tonight in an Extreme Rules match.  Ronda Rousey bought a ticket and was sitting in the front row for the match. Rousey’s “suspension” ends this Wednesday night. Natalya and Mickie James were also ringside for the match.

Bliss spent the beginning of the match trying to avoid Nia Jax. Mickie handed Bliss a kendo stick and Alexa hit Nia with it. Nia shrugged it off and then broke the kendo stick in half. Mickie tried to hand Bliss a bunch of weapons from under the ring but Nia kept grabbing them and throwing them into the ring.

Jax brought Bliss back into the ring and connected with a Splash in the corner. Nia set up a trash can in the middle of the ring and lifted Bliss onto her shoulders. Nia then lifted Bliss above her head and dropped her onto the trash can as Rousey applauded in the crowd.

Bliss grabbed a trash lid and struck Nia several times with it. Bliss set up a chair in between the ropes in the corner of the ring and hit Nia with a Dropkick for a two count. Nia got back up and blasted Bliss in the face with a right hand. Jax followed it up with a headbutt and then charged at Bliss in the corner. Alexa dove out of the way and Nia crashed into the steel chair set up in the corner.

Mickie James hopped onto the ring apron and Natalya attacked her from behind. Bliss and Mickie then drove Natalya into the barricade. Rousey hopped over the barricade and launched Mickie James into the barricade. Rousey then brought Mickie into the ring and connected with a Samoan Drop. Rousey then threw Mickie over the announce table and stared at Bliss as the crowd chanted “Ronda Rousey!”.

Rousey caught up to Bliss but Mickie hit Ronda with a kendo stick from behind. Bliss made her way to the top rope and tried to leap onto Nia but Jax caught her. Mickie hit Nia with a steel chair from behind and then Bliss hit Nia a couple of times with the chair. Bliss then planted Nia Jax with a DDT onto the chair for the pinfall victory. Bliss and Mickie James retreated up the entrance ramp as Rousey and Natalya got into the ring.

AJ Styles Is Still WWE Champion

AJ Styles defended his WWE Championship against Rusev at Extreme Rules. Styles attacked Rusev to start off the match and went after his leg in the corner. AJ connected with a Dropkick to Rusev’s knee but Rusev got right back up and leveled Styles with a Clothesline for a one count.

Styles got back up and booted Rusev in the knee again. Styles went for a Suplex but Rusev blocked it. AJ booted Rusev in the knee and charged at him but Rusev caught him with a Spinebuster. Rusev followed it up with a Suplex and then hobbled his way back to his feet. Rusev connected with an Elbow Drop for another one count.

Rusev connected with a gigantic Back Body Drop and then tried to shake off the pain he was feeling from Styles targeting his knee. Rusev dropped AJ with a forearm to the face and went for the cover but Styles was able to kick out at two. Rusev lifted up Styles and locked in a Bear Hug in the middle of the ring.

AJ broke free with a few jabs to the face but Rusev perched him up on the top rope. Rusev connected with a punch to the face and then joined AJ on the top turnbuckle. Styles escaped through Rusev’s legs and then booted him again in the left leg and Rusev crashed to the floor outside the ring.

Styles leaped out of the ring and hit Rusev with the Phenomenal Forearm. Rusev shoved AJ into the barricade and escaped back into the ring. Styles chased after him and leveled Rusev with a Clothesline. AJ hit another forearm to Rusev’s face and followed it up with a reverse DDT for a two count.

Rusev escaped the Styles Clash and sent AJ to the corner. AJ went for the Calf Crusher but Rusev blocked it and perched Styles on the top turnbuckle again. Rusev connected with a Clothesline that sent AJ to the floor outside the ring. Rusev hopped around to shake off the pain in his knee and then went for a Suicide Dive but AJ caught him with a forearm to the face.

AJ hit Rusev with an Enziguri to the face on the apron and went for the 450 Splash but Rusev got out of the way. Styles escaped Rusev’s attempt at locking in the Accolade but Rusev was able to boot AJ in the back of the head. AJ countered a Fallaway Slam into the Calf Crusher in the middle of the ring. Rusev made his way to the bottom rope to break the hold after Aiden English pushed the rope towards him.

Styles got pissed off and started chasing English around the ring. Rusev capitalized and planted Styles with a Belly to Belly Suplex outside the ring. Rusev rolled AJ back into the ring and hit him with the Machka Kick for a two count. Rusev went for the Machka Kick but Styles ducked and connected with the Pele Kick. Rusev connected with another boot to the face for a near fall and then went for the Accolade but his injured knee gave out and he couldn’t apply the hold.

Rusev tried to lock it in once again but AJ was able to get to the bottom rope to break the hold. Aiden English tore the protective cover off the top turnbuckle to expose the steel under it while the referee wasn’t paying attention. Rusev then charged at AJ in the corner but Styles got out of the way and Rusev slammed face-first into the exposed steel.

AJ then connected with the springboard 450 Splash and went for the cover but Rusev somehow kicked out at two. Styles hit English with a Dropkick through the ropes and set up on the ring apron. Styles then hit the Phenomenal Forearm on Rusev for the pinfall victory.

Dolph Ziggler Won The Iron Man Match In Overtime

Dolph Ziggler defended the Intercontinental Championship against Seth Rollins in a 30-minute Iron Man Match tonight at Extreme Rules. Drew McIntyre was ringside for the match.

The match started off back and forth as McIntyre paced around the ring. Rollins took control and knocked Ziggler out of the ring. Dolph had a conversation with McIntyre and took his time getting back into the ring with Rollins.

Seth leveled Ziggler with a shoulder tackle and then followed it up with a Body Slam for a two count. Seth hit Dolph with a Buckle Bomb and then rolled up Ziggler for a pinfall. Seth Rollins now leads 1-0 with 25 minutes to go.

Rollins hit Ziggler with a Crossbody outside the ring and then whipped him into the barricade. The action returned to the ring and Rollins went for another Buckle Bomb. Ziggler escaped but Rollins caught him with a Curb Stomp for another fall. Rollins now leads 2-0 with 22 minutes left in the match.

Drew McIntyre hopped into the ring and attacked Rollins from behind. The referee called for the bell and Rollins went up 3-0. McIntyre didn’t stop the attack and the referee finally kicked McIntyre out from ringside. Drew hit Rollins with a Claymore kick before leaving the ring. Ziggler crawled over to Rollins and covered him. Rollins is still ahead 3-1 with 19 minutes remaining. Ziggler quickly hit a Superkick for another fall to make the score 3-2.

Dolph threw Rollins into the ring post and planted him with a Zig Zag for a fall to tie it at 3-3. Ziggler missed with a Splash in the corner and Rollins planted him with a Slingblade. Rollins Clotheslined Ziggler out of the ring and went for a Suicide Dive but Dolph caught him with a forearm to the face. Ziggler then covered Rollins and put his feet on the ropes for leverage for another fall. It was now 4-3 Ziggler with 15 minutes left in the match. Dolph locked in a Sleeper Hold and the match slowed down for the next few minutes.

Rollins broke the hold and Clotheslined Ziggler out of the ring. Seth hit a Suicide Dive onto Ziggler and then delivered another one on the opposite side of the ring. Rollins brought Ziggler back into the ring and hit him with a springboard Clothesline for a two count.

Seth connected with a Blockbuster off the second rope for a two count. The crowd erupted because they put the clock back on the jumbotron. They had removed it because the crowd was counting down as if it were a Royal Rumble and making a buzzing sound whenever a minute went by.

Rollins delivered a knee to the face for another two count with 8 minutes left in the match. Seth knocked Ziggler to the canvas and connected with a Frog Splash off the top rope for a two count. Rollins followed it up with a Superplex and then a Falcon Arrow for another two count. Rolllins tied it up via a roll-up with three minutes remaining in the match and then locked in a Sharpshooter. Seth then transitioned to a Crossface with 90 seconds remaining in the match.

Rollins went for a Curb Stomp but Ziggler escaped out of the ring. Dolph then hit Rollins with a Fameasser as Seth tried to get back into the ring. Ziggler went for the cover but Rollins kicked out with 30 seconds remaining. Rollins hit Ziggler with a Superkick and followed it up with a Curb Stomp. Rollins went for the cover but time ran out.

RAW GM Kurt Angle came down to the entrance ramp and announced that this match would not end in a tie and that the next fall wins. McIntyre hopped up on the ring apron to distract Rollins. Seth booted him off the apron but Dolph connected with the Zig Zag to Rollins for the pinfall victory. Ziggler won 5-4 and is still the Intercontinental Champion.

Opinion: The crowd was obnoxious during this match and made it about themselves instead of Rollins and Ziggler. There are times where a crowd can have a negative impact on a match and we saw that tonight. As for the Iron Man Match itself, I thought it was ridiculous how many falls there were early. It completely me out of the match and then the crowd completely ruined the rest of it. I didn’t have high expectations for this show, so I wasn’t let down by it. In my opinion, the match of the night was AJ Styles vs. Rusev. Owens getting thrown off the cage was a great moment, but the rest of the show didn’t do anything for me.

What did you think of Extreme Rules 2018? Let us know in the comments below.

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