WWE EXTREME RULES

Newark, NJ

DOLPH ZIGGLER vs. BARON CORBIN "NO DQ": On the pre-show, The Dudley Boyz came out and mocked the crowd then got beat up by Big Cass. Then this short match. Corbin hit a low blow then pinned Ziggler. Alas, the pre-show probably shouldn't exist. *1/2

DOC GALLOWS & KARL ANDERSON vs. THE USO'S "TORNADO MATCH": For an extreme rules show, this was fairly normal. The Asylum match was really the only gimmick match. This match, with all four combatants in the ring at once, was at least fast paced. The crowd tonight was loud and awesome, a huge plus. **1/2

KALISTO vs. RUSEV: So Rusev won the U.S. title here. Do you care? *1/2

THE NEW DAY vs. THE VAUDEVILLAINS: A short match. It's almost as if The New Day doesn't even have to wrestle. They can just come out and talk and dance then leave. *1/2

THE MIZ vs. SAMI ZAYN vs. CESARO vs. KEVIN OWENS: Stellar match. The Miz retained the IC title. The final few minutes were a crazy frenzy of near-falls and big moves and the crowd was riotous. I also believe that, quite possibly, this was the best match The Miz was ever involved in. ***1/2

DEAN AMBROSE vs. CHRIS JERICHO "ASYLUM MATCH": Vince Russo is back writing this crap, right? How else to explain this match? A cage match with a locked door and weapons above it...but weapons crazy people might use...like a mop and bucket, straight jacket, and a barbed wire wrapped 2x4. The only weapon not used was the potted plant. But the finale, involving Jericho being slammed onto a bed of thumbtacks, was sick and amusing (the tacks were in a bag in the bucket...duh). At 26 minutes, this was way too long. Ambrose did leap off the top of the cage to deliver a clothesline. But it was too dull for a good majority of it. **

NATALYA vs. CHARLOTTE "SUBMISSION MATCH": Ugh. Has there ever been an entertaining submission match? Some new girl came out dressed as Ric Flair to distract Natalya and cause her to lose. Not good. 1/2*

AJ STYLES vs. ROMAN REIGNS "EXTREME RULES MATCH": Excellent match...albeit with the lame, crowd-booing ending of Reigns winning. AJ especially took a beating. He was put through two announce tables and got his head swung into the side of the ring that has the new, graphics screen. The Uso's and Gallows and Anderson came out to beat each other and everyone up. Seth Rollins ran out after the match to pedigree Reigns. It was nuts, wild, and super entertaining. ***1/2

WWE PAYBACK

Rosemont, Illinois

BARON CORBIN vs. DOLPH ZIGGLER: A pre-show match. Way to promote Corbin, who just came from NXT to win the Andre the Giant Battle Royal at Wrestlemania. Corbin is awful, however, but he has the "look." This was super short. Ziggler snuck away with a win. **

KALISTO vs. RYBACK: Pretty good, mostly fast-paced, short, pre-show match. Kalisto retained a title that announcer Mauro Ranallo thought was the frigging Ark of the Covenant or something. **1/2

ENZO AMORE & BIG CASS vs. THE VAUDEVILLIANS: Enzo was thrown into the ropes and was supposed to slide under but hit his head on the second rope. This snapped his head back hard onto the mat and he fell out of the ring like a rag doll. The match ended as he was taken out on a stretcher. The announce team later said it was only a concussion.

SAMI ZAYN vs. KEVIN OWENS: Really good match. These two should be wrestling in main events for titles...not early on the show in a match for nothing but payback. They both did a ton of brutal, crazy moves. The second-half was high drama. Owens won clean then did commentary for the next match. ***

THE MIZ vs. CESARO: Decent match. Re-hiring Maryse was the greatest thing to happen to The Miz's career since MTV picked him for The Real World. Having the white-haired, French minx at ringside actually makes The Miz's matches semi-watchable now. During the match, Sami Zayn ran out to beat up Kevin Owens who was doing commentary. This led to The Miz winning because Cesaro was distracted. And then all four beat each other up. **

CHRIS JERICHO vs. DEAN AMBROSE: This was lackluster, although the last few minutes were fairly entertaining. Ambrose seems to only be in great matches when they involve Seth Rollins. And Jericho is a faded star. Ambrose won clean. *1/2

CHARLOTTE vs. NATALYA: Brett Hart came out to be in Natalya's corner. Ric Flair was in Charlotte's corner. The match was mediocre. It felt like they were just going through various, rehearsed spots for a big chunk of it and it came off as being robotic and weirdly stale. Charlotte tapped but the ref didn't see it...then the ref, Charles Robinson, aka L'il Natch (if you remember), rang the bell even though Natalya never tapped. This was an old reference from the 1997 Montreal screw-job that only die-hards remember. Post-match, Brett Hart put Ric Flair in a sharp shooter and Natalya did the same to Charlotte. *1/2

VINCE, STEPH, & SHANE: The family came out and Vince had to decide who would run Monday Night RAW. After the crowd chanted, "CM Punk," Vince decided that both his kids would run RAW. Okay...

AJ STYLES vs. ROMAN REIGNS: This was a strange match, albeit the most entertaining one on the show. The best WWE main events are usually the ones that end up having a ton of outside interference and drama, and this match had a ton. It was a typical, so-so match until AJ jumped off the top rope and delivered a forearm to Reigns and both men crashed through the announce table. Reigns didn't make the ten count so he lost the match but kept his title. Shane O'Mac came out to re-start the match. Reigns hit AJ with a low-blow and got DQ'd but still kept his title. So Stephanie McMahon came out to re-start the match. Then Gallows and Anderson, the big, dull thugs from NJPW, came out and beat up Reigns. Then the Uso's came out to beat up Gallows and Anderson. Finally, Reigns speared AJ and pinned him in a long, exhausting, but very good main event. Everyone thought Gallows and Anderson would join AJ in a new Bullet Club group, possibly with the debut of Finn Balor...or Gallows and Anderson would join a new-heel Reigns to form a new Shield. None of that happened, which was a bit of a disappointment. It was also a little lame that AJ in the main event wasn't really built up properly. That, and the fact that Reigns and AJ are both good guys feuding, is odd. But it was a good end to an average show. ***