by It’s time for Extreme Rules! Which show offered the better matches? We will judge by pitting Championship Matches and Grudge Matches against each other head to head.
Biggest Non-Championship Match:
Raw: Shane McMahon and Drew McIntyre vs. The Undertaker and Roman Reigns- This match was really fun. The Undertaker in particular looked a lot better here than in his previous matches. It was weird that they had them tag in this No Holds Barred Match, but it was still fun. After some interference from Elias, a Claymore from Drew McIntyre, and a Coast-to-Coast from Shane, Roman hit a spear on McIntyre and Undertaker hit Shane with the Tombstone for the win.
Smackdown: Aleister Black vs. Cesaro- This was amazing. This was a star making performance for both Black and Cesaro. Cesaro took a good chunk of the match with some brutal offense, most notably all of those European Uppercuts. Black had some amazing strikes and some beautiful reversals before hitting a Black Mass out of nowhere for the win. Great stuff.
Winner: Raw- This was a really tough choice, but it is hard to bet against the spectacle of The Deadman.
Mid-Card Championships:
Raw: United States Champion Ricochet vs. AJ Styles- So, I am not upset about this result at all. The Club attacked Ricochet before the bell, so when Ricochet eventually lost it didn’t leave a bad taste. With lots of heel shenanigans and a middle-rope Styles Clash, AJ Styles defeated Ricochet to become the new US Champion.
Smackdown: Intercontinental Champion Finn Balor vs. Shinsuke Nakamura- I absolutely love it when these two fight. It was really weird that this match was added last minute to the card only to be on the Kickoff Show. Shinsuke picked up the win after hitting a knee to the back of Finn’s head followed by a Kinshasa and I am excited for his reign.
Winner: Raw- I have to go with Raw on this one. Both matches were great, I just wish that the Intercontinental Title Match was on the main card.
Tag Team Championships:
Raw: Raw Tag Team Champions The Revival vs. The Usos- This was a good match, but felt a little bland based on the story. These two teams gel well together, and after a few false-finishes, The Revival retained with The Shatter Machine.
Smackdown: Smackdown Tag Team Champions Daniel Bryan and Rowan vs. The New Day vs. Heavy Machinery- This match exceeded all my expectations. Heavy Machinery continued to impress, performing some awesome tag team moves. Bryan and Rowan appeared to be the dominant team. However, my favorite part was the end, when Big E took some slaps in the face from Bryan. Big E responded with a huge clothesline, catching Bryan mid-Moonsault and hitting the Midnight Hour to win their 6th Tag Team Championship! Impressive stuff.
Winner: Smackdown- This is a landslide win for Smackdown. Despite the crowd being quiet, these three teams had an amazing match that was fun to watch.
Womens Championships
Raw: Raw Womens Champion Becky Lynch and Universal Champion Seth Rollins vs. Baron Corbin and Lacey Evans- Yes, I am aware that this match is on here twice, but for this section I am focusing on the Women’s involvement in this match. It was a nice touch to have Lacey wear Seth’s name on her trunks, that made me laugh. The tagging portion is still weird. Becky and Lacey had some brutal exchanges, including a lot of kendo stick shots from Becky and Lacey Evans throwing a chair right at Becky Lynch’s face. Lacey also hits a really nice moonsault. Becky also got some good shots on Corbin, with him nailing her with the End of Days. We will continue with the finish of this match during the men’s portion.
Smackdown: Smackdown Womens Champion Bayley vs. Nikki Cross and Alexa Bliss- This match was surprisingly straight-forward. Nikki and Alexa had some good teamwork, Bayley had some hopeful comeback spots, and Bayley got the dominant win putting both women away. I am not mad about the result, I just wish it was a bit more interesting.
Winner: Raw- I felt like something needed to happen in that handicap match, something big. But instead we just got a match. A good, serviceable match, but just a match.
World Championship Matches
Raw: Raw Women’s Champion Becky Lynch and Universal Champion Seth Rollins vs. Baron Corbin and Lacey Evans- Now it is time to analyze the men’s role in this match. Baron and Seth’s exchanges were a bit slower. After Corbin hit Becky with the End of Days, Rollins is enraged. He destroys Corbin with a Kendo Stick and a chair before hitting three Stomps for the decisive win. However, Seth’s night wasn’t over.
Before he got the chance to celebrate, Brock Lesnar’s music hit, and the beast stormed down to the ring. Lesnar suplexed Seth twice before cashing in, hitting an F-5 and becoming, once again, the Universal Champion… Well, at least it isn’t Corbin.
Smackdown: WWE Champion Kofi Kingston vs. Samoa Joe- This match started off hot, with Kofi going right after Joe. Joe took most of this match, and the finish came out of nowhere when Kofi won with the Trouble in Paradise. Alright then.
Winner: Raw: The stipulation really helped with this one, and the match was exciting for the most part. Not excited about Brock Lesnar as champion again though.
Thoughts on other matches:
Kevin Owens vs. Dolph Ziggler- So much for this being a match. Ziggler slaps Owens and gets hit with a Stunner for his troubles. After the win, Owens verbally lit Shane up. (+1 Smackdown)
Braun Strowman vs. Bobby Lashley- Well this was extremely entertaining. These to behemoths battered each other across the entire arena. The match ended after the slammed each other through a floor in the crowd area, only for Braun to punch through a wall to win the match. Awesome. (+1 Raw)
Cruiserweight Champion Drew Gulak vs. Tony Nese- This was a fun match, which got off to a hot start. It would have been better with a few more minutes.
Final Scores:
Raw: 5 Points
Smackdown: 2 Points
Winner: Raw
Final Thoughts: A strong card from top to bottom, I just wish the crowd were more into it.
