WWE’s Extreme Rules took place at the PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, PA on July 15th, 2018.
– Hulk Hogan is backstage at the PPG Paints Arena. Hogan wrote on Twitter hours before the start of Extreme Rules that he met with the locker room and formally apologized for his racist comments in 2015. It is unknown when or if he will be returning to TV.
Extreme Rules kickoff show results:
– Tonight’s kickoff show broadcast starts with a view of the PPG Paints Arena with fans filing in, and a shot of the steel cage and shark cage hanging above the ring.
– Renee Young welcomes us to the table with WWE Hall of Famer Booker T, Sam Roberts and Dave Otunga. They review the card for tonight’s show as fans continue to enter the building behind them.
– We go to Charly Caruso backstage, who discusses Hulk Hogan being reinstated to the WWE Hall of Fame and that he is mingling backstage. She says that it’s great to have “The Hulkster back in the family. She talks about an encounter she had with James Ellsworth earlier and says she was disgusted by him.
– Finn Balor joins the kickoff show panel next and gives his thoughts on the Kevin Owens vs. Braun Strowman match later, and also on his upcoming match against Baron Corbin tonight.
– Sin Cara vs. Andrade “Cien” Almas: Zelina Vega is at ringside in Almas’ corner. The opening bell sounds and Almas starts off with a punch to the face, and Sin Cara answers with a hurricanrana. They grapple back and forth until Almas stuns Cara with a spinning back elbow to the face. Sin Cara falls outside, and Almas takes a moment to pose with Vega. Back in the ring, Cara fights off Almas and Almas misses a splash in the corner. Cara and Almas exchange blows to the face and chops to the chest now. Sin Cara hits a spingboard cross body, and then a springboard moonsault. Sin Cara hits the reverse hurricanrana on Almas for the two count. Almas and Cara trade kicks in the corner, and Sin Cara steps out to the apron. Sin Cara looks to superplex Almas down to the ringside floor, but Almas fights him off. Almas looks for the stomp on the apron, but Cara shoves Almas down. Sin Cara comes flying off the top and collides with Almas on the apron, and they both fall down to ringside. Back in the ring, Cara hits a frogsplash off the top and covers, but Vega distracts the ref. Almas takes advantage of the distraction to drops Cara from behind and hit the knees to the face in the corner. Almas follows up with the hammer lock DDT for the three count.
Winner: Andrade “Cien” Almas
– Almas and Vega celebrate in the ring after the match as we go to replays.
– Shinsuke Nakamura joins the kickoff show panel via camera for an interview, but he acts like he can’t hear Renee Young. Shinsuke calls Sam Roberts a clown when he tries to talk, but Nakamura does accept a question from Booker T about his opponent Jeff Hardy tonight. Nakamura sounds confident about his odds going in to the ring against Jeff Hardy tonight.
– The kickoff show panel gives us some more of their predictions for tonight’s matches, and they introduce some footage of Kurt Angle throwing out the first pitch at a Pirates game. They also show video footage looking at the history between Nia Jax, Alexa Bliss and Ronda Rousey.
– Dolph Ziggler and Drew McIntyre interrupt the kickoff show panel next, and Ziggler talks about how he is the premier Champion in WWE. Booker T says Ziggler is like a new man, and he shakes Ziggler’s hand. Ziggler talks about not fighting for the fans, and only fighting for himself and the Title. Ziggler points out that Rollins recently lost to Drew McIntyre, and Drew gets on the mic and complains about Kurt Angle trying to prevent him from being here tonight.
– Sanity vs. The New Day: This one is a tables match. The opening bell sounds and Sanity takes control of this one early on. Eric Young sets up some tables at ringside, while Woods and Kofi recover in the ring and go flying out with suicide dives on Sanity at ringside. Killian then comes flying out of the ring with a splash on Kofi and Woods. Everyone fights on the turnbuckle and then crashes down, which allows Killian to get up first and start dropping the New Day members as they get up. Kofi fights back with the Trouble In Paradise on Dain, then he starts fighting with Wolf on the apron. Wolf knocks Kofi back, and then Eric Young comes flying off the top rope with a leg drop that sends Kofi crashing through the table set up at ringside. Sanity wins this one after a short match.
Winners: Sanity
– Ronda Rousey is shown backstage arriving at the PPG Paints Arena with her husband Travis Browne.
– Renee Young and the kickoff show panel run down the card one more time as we head into Extreme Rules. She introduces a video package looking at the Roman Reigns vs. Bobby Lashley feud, and we go to the pay-per-view next.
– The screen shatters and we get a brief promo from Bray Wyatt and Matt Hardy talking about their match with The B Team tonight.
WWE Extreme Rules 2018 results:
– Ronda Rousey is shown sitting ringside with her tickets, with her husband Travis Browne.
– Matt Hardy & Bray Wyatt (c) vs. The B Team: The opening bell sounds and Matt Hardy starts off with elbows to the face of Dallas. Wyatt gets the tag and it’s now brother vs brother as he faces off with Dallas. Dallas quickly tags in Axel before engaging with Wyatt. Axel comes in and Wyatt immediately takes the fight to him and headbutts him down. Wyatt misses a splash in the corner and Axel puts the boots to him. Matt tags in and hits some elbows on Matt before slamming him in the corner. Axel fights back and chokes Matt up against the rope, and then Dallas hits a cheap shot behind the ref’s back. Axel and Dallas trade frequent tags now to keep Hardy isolated in their corner. Matt finally fights back with a Side Effect on Axel. Dallas and Wyatt tag in and Wyatt lays into him with offense. Wyatt goes for the Sister Abigail, but Axel breaks it up. Hardy tags in, and after Axel and Wyatt get cleared from the ring, Dallas capitalizes on the distraction from Axel to hit his finisher for the three count.
Winners: The B Team
– The B Team cuts a promo on the ramp after the match while they celebrate their win. Axel says they feel like when Stretch Armstrong landed on the moon, and Dallas tries to start a B Team chant.
– Kurt Angle does an interview backstage saying he’s conducted talks with Brock Lesnar’s team about having him back to defend the Universal Title. Heyman says Lesnar isn’t interested in defending against any of the opponents Angle had lined up. Angle takes issue with Lesnar appearing on UFC but not WWE, so he issues an ultimatum: Lesnar is to appear on RAW tomorrow and accept an opponent, or he will be stripped of the Universal Title.
– Baron Corbin vs. Finn Balor: The opening bell sounds and Corbin starts off strong. Balor starts to fight back, but Corbin shuts him down and throws him into the corner, where Corbin follows up with some splashes against the corner. Balor finally fights back and goes up top, but Corbin grabs him off the top by the throat. Corbin follows up with the chokeslam backbreaker for a two count. Corbin gets the ref’s face and then misses a clothesline, which leads to Balor hitting the Sling Blade. Corbin comes back with the Deep Six for a two count. Corbin picks up Balor for another slam but Balor escapes and kicks him down. Balor follows up with a running dropkick in the corner, then Balor goes up top. Corbin gets up and knocks Corbin down, then looks for the End of Days. Balor escapes and rolls up Corbin in an inside cradle pin for the three count.
Winner: Finn Balor
– Corbin gets up immediately after the match and freaks out at the ref as Balor celebrates on the ramp.
– We go backstage, where we see The Bludgeon Brothers beating down Daniel Bryan and Kane in the hallway. Rowan takes out Kane’s knee and Kane sells a knee injury while Bryan is also struggling to get to his feet.
– Carmella (c) vs. Asuka: James Ellsworth is held above the ring in a shark cage for this match. Ellsworth gets locked in the cage by WWE staffers, and the opening bell sounds. Asuka starts off strong, but Carmella is able to fight her off, and then Ellsworh tosses a foreign object down to Carmella. Asuka sees it and throws the object away, then boots Carmella down. Ellsworth tries to throw another foreign object to Carmella, but fails again. Asuka continues the offense and hits a running hip attack. Asuka takes the fight out to ringside and beats down Carmella on the floor. Meanwhile in the ring, Ellsworth manages to break free form the cage, but his foot gets caught on the cage an he is now hanging upside down. Asuka laughs and gets in the ring, and she starts hitting Ellsworth like a piniata in the air. WWE staffers get in the ring and try to get Ellsworth down, but Asuka attacks them. Asuka clears the ring and continues attacking Ellsworth who is still hooked on the cage. Carmella sneaks in the ring from behind and shoves Asuka’s face into the cage. Carmella immediately covers for the three count for the win.
Winner & still Women’s Champion: Carmella
– Carmella celebrates on the ramp as Ellsworth is still caught up on the cage. Asuka gets to her feet and beats down Ellsworth as he gets free from the cage. Asuka suplexes Ellsworth multiple times before kicking him in the head. Asuka applies the Asuka lock as Ellsworth taps out and screams.
– Jeff Hardy (c) vs. Shinsuke Nakamura: Before the bell, Nakamura hits a low blow on Hardy. Hardy is down and the ref checks on him. Hardy gets up and says he’s ready to fight, so the ref calls for the opening bell, and Nakamura immediately charges and hits the Kinshasa on Hardy while he’s still visibly hurting from the low blow. Nakamura immediately pins for the three count.
Winner & new U.S. Champion: Shinsuke Nakamura
– After the match, Randy Orton’s music hits and Orton walks down the ramp. Nakamura leaves the ring with his U.S. Title belt and stands on the announce table at ringside. Orton stares at Nakamura from the ring as Hardy recovers behind. Orton turns around, trips Hardy down, and then hits a stomp to the groin of Hardy. Orton walks backstage as Nakamura looks confused at ringside and Hardy sells the low-blow in the ring.
– Braun Strowman vs. Kevin Owens: The steel cage is lowered down from the ceiling for this one. Both men step in the cage and the opening bell sounds, and Owens immediately starts trying to climb the cage walls. Strowman charges at Owens but Owens stuns him with a boot to the face. Owens tries to escape, but Strowman throws him down and dares Owens to stay and fight him. Owens starts throwing punches but Braun fights him off and hits a big boot. Strowman misses a shot against the ropes and Strowman crashes into the cage wall. Owens superkicks him down and hits a cannonball in the corner, and then a frogsplash off the top. Owens covers but Strowman kicks out at one. Owens tries to escape again, but Strowman gets back up and beats him down. Owens tries to beg for mercy, but Strowman drops him with a right hand. Strowman repeatedly throws Owens into the cage walls. Owens fights back with some kicks and then a stunner, and both men are down. Owens tries to escape through the door but Strowman gets up and slams the door in his face. Strowman misses a shot in the corner and Owens superkicks him. Owens handcuffs Strowman to the rope but Strowman knocks him down. Strowman struggles with the handcuffs as Owens tells him to ‘suck it’ and starts climbing the cage. OWens taunts Strowman too long and Strowman rips apart the cuffs. Strowman follows Owens up the cage to the very top. Both men are standing on the very top of the cage now, and Strowman has his hand around Owens’ neck. Braun chokeslams Owens off the top of the cage down through an announce table at ringside. The announce table explodes as Owens crashes through it, and the ref calls for the bell as Owens lays on the floor and Strowman looks down from the cage.
Winner: Kevin Owens
– EMT’s come out with a stretcher to pick up Owens who is still motionless. Strowman yells at Owens as he heads to the back. Owens gets put in a neck brace and loaded on the stretcher.
– Team Hell No vs. The Bludgeon Brothers: Kane doesn’t come out at first as he’s selling the knee injury from the backstage beat-down earlier. Bryan and Rowan start this one off. Rowan takes control early on, but Bryan fights back and Rowan tags in. Bryan and Harper go at it now, but some interference from Rowan on the floor leads to The Bludgeon Brothers regaining control. Harper and Rowan trade frequent tags now and beats down on Bryan in the ring. Bryan tries to fight back but Rowan stuns him with a knee to the body. Bryan goes for a splash on Rowan at ringside, but Rowan catches him. Harper comes flying out with a dive to try to sandwich Bryan, but Bryan moves and Rowan crashes into Harper. Kane finally makes his entrance now and he limps down to the ring with a walking cast on. Kane gets in the ring and beats down the Bludgeon Brothers. He looks for a Tombstone on Rowan, but Harper comes from behind and kicks out Kane’s bad leg. Bryan tags in now and comes in hot, laying out Rowan and Harper. Bryan hits the Yes Kicks on Rowan and drops him. Harper tags in and hits a spinning heel kick on Bryan. Rowan tags in and they hit their version of the Doomsday Device on Bryan for the three count.
Winners & still SmackDown Tag Champions: The Bludgeon Brothers
– The Brothers hold their Title belts up high after the match.
– Roman Reigns is walking backstage when he gets approached by The B Team, who are still celebrating their victory earlier. Reigns shakes his head and walks off.
– Roman Reigns vs. Bobby Lashley: The opening bell sounds and they lock up. The crowd boos as they wrestle up against the turnbuckle. The ref pulls them apart and they lock up again, then Lashley suplexes Reigns down. Reigns fires up now and drops Lashley with an elbow. Reigns takes over the match now and holds Lashley down with a chin lock. Lashley starts to fight up, but Reigns throws Lashley outside to the floor. Reigns follows him out and they fight round ringside, with Reigns whipping Lashley into the ring steps. Reigns picks up the steps and goes to hit LAshley with them, but Lashley blocks it and throws Reigns down. Lashley follows up with a clothesline on the floor, then takes things back in the ring. Lashley hits a belly to belly overhead suplex on Reigns, and he follows up with a running clothesline in the corner. Lashley looks for another clothesline, but Reigns blocks it with a big boot. Reigns follows up with a clothesline, then he hits more clotheslines in the corner.
Reigns throws Lashley off the ropes, but Lashley catches him with a spinebuster for a two count. They get up and trade strikes until Lashley runs off the ropes with a cross body. Lashley then goes up to the top rope and hits a flying double axe handle. Lashley looks for a suplex, but Reigns fights out. Reigns looks for a Samoan Drop but Lashley grabs the ropes, so Reigns tosses Lashley out of the ring to the floor. Lashley gets back in the ring at the ref’s 9 count, and Reigns immediately hits a leg drop for a 2 count. Reigns charges forward for a superman punch, but Lashley catches him with a spinebuster. Lashley picks up Reigns and hits a stalling vertical suplex for a 2 count. Lashley looks for a spear, but Reigns stops him with a Superman punch for a two count. Lashley rolls outside for a breather.
Reigns follows Lashley out to ringside and charges forward, but Lashley catches him and hits a belly to belly suplex on top of the German announce table. Back in the ring, Lashley goes up top, but Reigns superman punches him down to the mat. Reigns yells at Lashley and runs the ropes for a spear, but Lashley gets up fast and beats Reigns to the punch with a spear of his own. Lashley immediately pins and scores the three count.
Winner: Bobby Lashley
– Lashley’s hand is raised as he looks exhausted from the match. Lashley heads to the back as Reigns recovers on the mat and we go to replays.
– Ronda Rousey is shown sitting at ringside again.
– Nia Jax vs. Alexa Bliss (c): Natalya is at ringside in Nia’s corner, and Ronda Rousey is sitting in the front row of the crowd. Mickie James is in Alexa’s corner and she has a kendo stick. The opening bell sounds and Nia tries to back Alexa into a corner, but Alexa slaps her across the face and rolls out to ringside. Alexa grabs the kendo stick and hits Nia, but Nia grabs it and breaks it in half. Mickie and Alexa start throwing chairs and trash cans at Nia, but she keeps catching them and throwing them in the ring. Nia chases Alexa around the floor and clotheslines her down. Nia takes Alexa back in the ring, Nia tries to throw Alexa onto a trash can, but she misses and Alexa clips the edge of the can. Alexa gets to her feet but Nia headbutts her down. Nia then gorilla press slams Alexa onto a trash can as Ronda claps at ringside. Alexa finally starts fighting back, and she sets up a steel chair in one turnbuckle. Alexa then hits a running dropkick on Nia for a one count.
Nia elbows Alexa in the face and then charges at her, but Alexa moves and Nia crashes into the chair in the corner. Mickie tries to get involved, but Natalya runs around and fights with her. Alexa comes outside and helps Mickie beat down Natalya at ringside. Ronda Rousey has seen enough and she hops the barricade. Ronda grabs Mickie and slams her into the barricade, then throws her in the ring. Ronda picks up Mickie and slams her with a Samoan drop. Ronda takes Mickie back out to ringside to continue the beat down, then she turns her attention to Alexa. Alexa runs and Ronda chases her and catches her. Ronda grabs Alexa, but Mickie comes over with a kendo stick and lays out Ronda with it. Back in the ring, Alexa goes flying off the top with a cross body, but Nia catches her. Nia looks for a Samoan Drop, but Mickie comes in with a steel chair and hits Nia from behind. Alexa and Mickie take turns hitting Nia with chairs, then Alexa DDTs Nia on a steel chair for the three count.
Winner & still Women’s Champion: Alexa Bliss
– After the match, Ronda gets back in the ring, and Mickie and Alexa retreat up the ramp.
– We’re told that Paige has booked a rematch for SmackDown between Nakamura and Hardy for the U.S. Title.
– AJ Styles (c) vs. Rusev: Aiden English comes out to sing for Rusev’s entrance. The opening bell sounds and Rusev goes after AJ, but AJ lays into him with kicks. AJ backs Rusev into the corner with strikes, but Rusev fights his way out. AJ kicks out Rusev’s leg, but Rusev gets back up and hip tosses AJ down. AJ misses a kick and Rusev clotheslines him down. Rusev connects with multiple suplexes and then an elbow drop for a one count. Rusev slows things down now with a bear hug. Rusev takes AJ up top, but AJ slides through his legs and kicks Rusev off the top down to the ringside floor. AJ then springboards to the outside with a forearm shot on Rusev on the floor. Back in the ring, AJ hits a flurry of strikes on Rusev, while the Champion sells a lower back injury. AJ hits a splash on the corner and tries to pick up Rusev, but Rusev escapes. Rusev tries to pick AJ up, but AJ reverses into a reverse DDT for a two count.
Rusev starts to fight back but AJ stuns him with a right hand. They fight near the ropes and AJ kicks Rusev in the head. AJ springboards off the top for a 450, but Rusev rolls out of the way. Rusev follows up with a big boot and turns it around. Rusev looks for a slam, but AJ escapes and applies the Calf Crusher. Rusev reaches the ropes to break the hold. Rusev looks for a big boot, but AJ ducks it and hits the Pele kick. Rusev gets up and hits a kick of his own, then he looks for the Accolade on Styles. Rusev struggles to lock it in, but AJ reaches the ropes. Rusev goes for the Accolade again, but AJ escapes and Rusev misses a shot in the corner. AJ springboards off the top rope now with the 450 splash for a two count.
AJ spots Aiden English by the apron and he hits a running baseball slide kick on English. AJ follows up with the Phenomenal Forearm for the three count to retain the WWE Championship.
Winner & still WWE Champion: AJ Styles
– AJ’s hand is raised after the match and he gets on the corner to raise his WWE Title in the air. English tries to console Rusev after the match as we go to replays.
– Seth Rollins is shown backstage walking towards the gorilla position. Charly Caruso interrupts and mentions Drew McIntyre will be at ringside. Rollins says he has three opponents tonight: The clock, Zigler, and McIntyre at ringxside. Rollins talks about the importance of this being an Iron Man Match.
– Dolph Ziggler (c) vs. Seth Rollins: This one is a 30-minute Iron Man match for the IC Title. The opening bell sounds and Rollins and Ziggler exchange holds evenly in the opening moments. Rollins charges at Ziggler in the corner in misses, and Ziggler capitalizes with a right hand. Ziggler picks up Rollins, but Rollins rolls up Ziggler out of nowhere for the first three count of the match. The fall count is now Rollins 1, Ziggler 0. Rollins fights with Ziggler at ringside, but he briefly gets distracted by McIntyre and Ziggler capitlizes with punches to the face. Back in the ring Ziggler hits a neckbreaker for a two count.
Rollins starts to fight back, but Ziggler dropkicks out his knee. Rollins and Ziggler exchange roll-up attempts until Rollins picks him up for a powerbomb. Ziggler escapes the powerbomb attempt, but Rollins drops him again and hits the curb stomp for another three count. The fall count is now Rollins 2, Ziggler 0. Drew McIntyre runs in now and beats on Rollins, and the ref calls it a DQ, which means another fall in favor for Rollins. The fall count is 3-0 now for Rollins. Drew continues to beat down Rollins until the ref ejects him. Drew hits the Claymore kick on Rollins before he leaves. Ziggler rolls over on to Rollins and pins for the three count, and the fall count is now 3-1 Rollins.
Ziggler gets to his feet, and he hits a superkick on Rollins. He immediately covers and scores a three count on Rollins. The fall count is now 3-2 for Rollins. Ziggler throws Rollins in to the corner and hits the Zig Zag for another three count. The fall count is now tied at 3-3. Rollins starts to fight back and he looks for a suicide dive, but Ziggler stops him with a right hand. Ziggler pins Rollins with both feet on the ropes, but the ref didn’t see it, so he counts to 3. The fall count is now 4-3 in favor of Ziggler.
Ziggler tries to keep Rollins grounded and squeeze the air out of him with a front face lock. Rollins fights up but Ziggler applies a sleeper. Rollins finally fights free and knocks Ziggler outside, and he follows up with a suicide dive. Rollins takes Ziggler back in the ring, but Ziggler rolls right back out for a breather. Rollins follows up with a another suicide dive on the Champion at ringside. Back in the ring, Rollins springboards off the top with a flying clothesline on Ziggler for a 2 count. Rollins follows up with a Blockbuster for a 2 count. Rollins goes back up top, but Ziggler knocks him off down to the floor. Back in the ring, Ziggler looks for a DDT, but Rollins shoves him off and superkicks him. Rollins follows up with a knee to the face for a two count. Rollins goes back up top and Ziggler knocks him down again. Ziggler climbs up but Rollins headbutts him down. Rollins goes flying with a frog splash on Ziggler for another 2 count.
Ziggler and Rollins fight up on another corner of the ring, which leads to Rollins hitting a superplex and a Falcon Arrow for a 2 count. Rollins slingshots Ziggler into the corner and follows up with a roll-up for a 3 count. The fall count is now tied at 4-4. Ziggler and Rollins both get to their feet and start trading punches, until Rollins trips Ziggler down and applies a Sharpshooter. Rollins switches to a Crossface as Ziggler struggles to reach the ropes. Rollins lets go and goes for a stomp, but Ziggler rolls out of the way and rolls out to ringside. Ziggler tries to climb into the crowd, but Rollins spots him and takes him back in the ring. Ziggler hits the Fameasser on Rollins on the mat for a two count. Ziggler looks for a superkick, but Rollins strikes first with a superkick of his own. Rollins follows up with the curb stomp and pins, but as he pins, the timer runs out before the ref can start counting. The match timer stops with the fall count tied at 4-4.
With the fall count tied, the ref calls for the bell and Jojo announces that in the event of a draw the winner keeps his Championship belt. Kurt Angle comes out and says he knows the WWE Universe and his hometown doesn’t want to see a tie. Kurt orders Dolph to get back in that ring, because we’re going to sudden death overtime, and the next pinfall wins. The bell sounds, but Drew McIntyre gets up on the apron out of nowhere and distracts Rollins. Rollins knocks Drew off the apron, and Ziggler runs up and hits the Zig Zag on Rollins from behind. Ziggler pins for the three count to retain his IC Title. bo
Winner & still Intercontinental Champion: Dolph Ziggler
– Drew and Dolph celebrate at ringside with Ziggler’s IC Title belt. Drew lifts Ziggler up on to his shoulders to celebrate on the ramp. Rollins recovers in the ring as he looks shocked at the finish.
