WWE Extreme Rules 2013 PPV Review

Extreme Rules
St Louis, Missouri - 19th May 2013

Last year was hard to top. Extreme Rules 2012 was one of the finest ppvs in the company's history: Brock and Cena was a 5 star match until the finish; Daniel Bryan and Sheamus was superb; CM Punk v Jericho was another of the best matches of the year. This year didn't live up to that but there's no doubt that in terms of B-shows, this is fast becoming the best that WWE has to offer.

Fandango v Jericho

The sad thing about Fandango's gimmick is that the camera has to zoom in on the small pockets of fans who are still into it in the nosebleeds. This was a good match to kick things off. Jericho worked hard to make this look good - his plancha looked great and the timing of the finish was like a Randy Orton finish. I get the sense that the gimmick is tiring quicker than Brodus Clay's dis, but Fandango is starting to find who is in the ring. His move set is growing and as a worker he is aggressive but clean. There were a few rough spots here but this was OK.

Kofi (c) v Dean Ambrose for the US Championship

There's a lot more to come from Dean Ambrose. He looks good here and with Kofi he's in good hands but in the limited time that they were given this match didn't get over as it might have. There were quite a few spots where their timing was off, Ambrose was often waiting for Kofi to recover and the pace was a little skewed. Ambrose certainly needs a new finisher because this headlock driver is horrible. Great to see Ambrose winning a title but I really hope they book him right and don't feel like they can turn him into a jobbing champion like Miz, Kofi, Barrett and Cesaro all were.


Sheamus v Mark Henry in a Strap Match

This started really slowly. The pair were quite sloppy and it felt fairly energy-sapping to watch. It was a shame because the build to this show was very strong, possibly the best of the undercard matches in terms of build. Mark Henry will no doubt be turning babyface soon but I still don't think he should have been beaten here and they should have built in a spot where he was able to show off his strength that they had pushed so hard over the last few weeks. The tease to the finish was creative and the finish itself was OK but, ultimately, this was disappointing.

Del Rio v Swagger - "I Quit" Match for No 1 Contender for the World Heavyweight title

Del Rio ought to be booked as a more aggressive character; when he debuted as a heel he really looked great as a violent, dangerous aristocrat. Equally, Swagger just is not getting over and needs to be written off television. Ultimately, he needs to change his look and not speak at all. Colter is a fine mouthpiece for him but Swagger's voice is ridiculous and it ruins his gimmick if he opens his mouth. Del Rio and Ziggler will be a good programme for the future but there's no doubt that the original three-way ladder match was a mouth-watering prospect. The arm bar tease for the finish came off well but the NFL-style checking the footage ring-side before the restart was ridiculous - just use the TitanTron? Riccardo needs to stop bring a pail and towel to the ring!

Team Hell No (c) v Reigns and Rollins in a Texas Tornado Match

It's good to see this stable all now holding titles, I hope that it helps to elevate them further. And this was a good match from the word go and was all action. The gimmick suited all the performers and Daniel Bryan and Kane worked extremely well together - 245 days as tag champions has helped mould them into fantastic tag workers. The finish was fine and Rollins, Reigns and Ambrose in the ring together at the end was a good look for the company. I would imagine that these three will stay strong now through Summerslam. Daniel Bryan needs a singles push now; he's still really over and would fill a much-needed hole on Raw.

Orton v Big Show in an Extreme Rules Match

Orton and Show had the best match on the undercard. They were afforded more time than the others for a start but this was a good match with a conclusive finish to hopefully end this programme. There were lots of weapon shots here and Orton was baseball-swinging chair shots at Show like his life was dependant on it. The RKO tease, followed by the DDT drape was strong, particularly when the RKO was hit on the chair. This has been done many time before so it was great to see the return of the Punt. Show sold the finish really well but I think Orton may have checked to say sorry for this - he paused, after he delivered it, over Show's body briefly probably to say 'sorry, are you ok?'

Cena v Ryback in a Last Man Standing Match

The reception from the crowd was hot from the start here, not quite the Ziggler v Cena heat from TLC last year but this had a big fight feel. Inexplicably, after the big 6-week build to this match, this Last Man Standing match started with a lock up (!) There were some nice spots here and this was a very strong match by the end. Cena's sleeper into a splash from the elevated riser section was nice but the fire extinguisher segment bordered on comic and when Cena went to strike Ryback with it, it couldn't have looked more fake. Ryback running Cena through the stage wall looked great and the sparks really added to the intensity Too many replays ruined this as the production team over-sold it. I don't think Ryback should have walked away aided by officials at the end but its interesting how Cena's injury angle linked to Vince's tweet from Saturday night "because of the risk of injury, I will be crossing my fingers until #ExtremeRules is over on Sunday".

HHH v Brock in a cage

Brock is the best thing about this company at the moment, particularly without CM Punk. It was always going to be difficult to top his Extreme Rules match from last year with Cena but he was fantastic here. Brock's missed knee lift looked excellent but he sold it all match like a total pro. A hopping Brock Lesnar delivering a F5 looked great and his relationship with Paul Heyman was awesome throughout the match. I was extremely impressed with Brock here, he is a fantastic worker who really rises to the occasion and just makes everything feel relevant. HHH was secondary but wrestled well here and worked over Lesnar's leg perfectly. His range of moves was impressive but he clearly isn't comfortable using a sharpshooter. His pedigree spots were superb and the kick out by Brock after Hunter pedigreed Heyman and then Lesnar was like a WrestleMania moment as the crowd became unglued. The did exactly the right thing for the finish and this came across like a real battle.

Extreme Rules is something that WWE need to start actively acknowledging as the ppv B-show that always delivers and, post-WrestleMania, is a real event. If anything, moving it to later in the year might help. Money in the Bank is the B-show the gets pushed as the most important ppv outside of big 4 but, since 2009, every year this show has delivered quality matches and elevated superstars to new levels. It's now a question of where we go from here: most feuds were put to bed on this show, with the exception of the WWE and Heavyweight title programmes, and it leaves me hopeful for what's next - The Shield are title-holders and over; Brock Lesnar is winning; CM Punk and Dolph Ziggler will be back soon.